Thursday, February 19, 2009

Begin at the beginning

I moved to Somerville in 1993, after growing up in Arlington, and then living in Los Angeles for 12 years. After spending that long in resource-poor, smog-laden, shadeless L.A., I was ready to live someplace with trees again. My father found me an apartment in Somerville and there began my romance with this town.

My first apartment in Somerville was on Highland Ave., right down the street from Davis Square. The Someday Cafe had just opened and it became my home away from home. I was used to cafe society in Los Angeles, having frequented The Onyx and Cafe Tropical in the Silverlake/Echo Park area. It was a relief to me that someone had picked up on what was going on cafe-wise in the rest of the country, because Au Bon Pain just didn't have the right ambience for re-acclimating to New England, drinking well-made lattes, and writing in my journal.

As the years have gone by (over 15 now), my love for this town has continued to increase. I've seen beloved businesses (like The Someday, Disc Diggers, and La Contessa Bakery) close, but I've also seen a renewed commitment to the support of independent local businesses. It's a town that strives to be green, provides hundreds of opportunities for artists to work, live, and show their work, and includes a diverse community of people of all ages, races, genders, sexual preferences, and occupations, living harmoniously. Of course we have crime here, but for the most part, it's a place one can walk without fear.

Negatives about Somerville? Overzealous meter maids, insane parking restrictions, sometimes an oversaturation of Tufts students, and Zoots dry cleaners, which is expensive and does a crappy job, with bad service, to boot. That's about all I can think of right now on the con side.

Anyway, enough about me! From here on out, it's all about Somerville.

Thanks for stopping by!

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Would love to know who does a better job than Zoots and where it is cheaper. I have tried numerous places, but have had no luck. I will say however that you are wrong about the service. The women (I haven't seen a guy in there for a while) are great and very friendly and helpful.

1:38 PM  
Anonymous Ben Mita! said...

Davis Square Cleaners right in the Square near Sligo's

8:49 AM  

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