Top 11Davis Square Confessions

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

It’s a slow, tiresome Monday, so as I approach my 9th year as a Davis Square resident I have some confessions. These are "confessions" because these things make me feel like the bitch I am! My list goes to 11.

Do you have any confessions? Perhaps later in the week I’ll feel perky and refreshed and post my top 11 loves -though it will be hard to think of only 11.

1. I’ve been secretly rooting for Kick Ass Cupcakes to fail, and I’m boggled that they still survive.
2. While I like McIntyre and Moore in theory, I never use them and won’t miss them.
3. I hate Mike’s, its terrible – even with the cheap beer, I don't get the popularity of this institution - I liked it better when they were crappier inside with the old signs.
4. Chipotle has won my burrito bowl dollars, I never would have seen that coming Anna’s! Anna Anna, please forgive me!
5. While I love Deisel, I’m going less and less now that the same 5 crazy people rotate ownership of the good chairs/couches and NEVER leave.
6. I don’t miss Someday Cafe, I liked it in theory, but it was a dirty filth hole.
7. I don’t miss the junkies in front of share group on Dover St (not that all of them were junkies), but I do miss the times they would interact with the Mormons.
8. I really don’t want to see Sacco’s close, but yet I never give them any business, and I was opposed to the Community Connections Center for no other reason than I thought it was a dumb name.
9. As fiercly opposed as I was to CVS opening, I now shop there all the time.
10. I want all bars except Joshua Tree to get a 2am permit!
11. Even though it’s a lame joke I still find it funny that Store 24 is not open 24 hours, and that Bread and Butter Konvience is, but has  a weird name.

Comments

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

Ouch, that's a lot of sacred cows gored right there. I'm with you on at least half of them, though (but not brave enough to say which half...).

I think my #1 confession is that the clown statues in the plaza and the park have stopped being funny/interesting to me, and I now find them somewhat ugly and annoying.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

When I first moved here, I remember almost running into into, and then quickly apologizing to the old couple in the main square in front of Store 24, before realizing they were statues. I wish I could say I was drunk at the time.

[georgy.livejournal.com]

Hah! My commentary:

1) Not only are they surviving -- they're expanding! Get me a Lyndell's cupcake anyday.
3) Mike's is good for cheap drinks and dessert and fries, and is a fun place to watch a game. The pizza without toppings isn't bad either. But the dinners? Wretched.
8) Agreed!

[prog.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for Lyndells!

Why is it I crave a Full Moon Cake the most on Mondays, when they are closed? :(

[ron_newman]

I'm with you on 8 and 9. On 2, I was in there a fair amount (especially for events) but I didn't spend much money there, so count that as half-agreement.

[cutieperson]

1. AMEN.

[ifotismeni]

1. as someone who likes their cupcakes, i say HA-HA to you all :P

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

I like their cupcakes, but I'm annoyed enough by the cost/size ratio to kind of "hear, hear!" #1.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

1) I stop into the Dunkin Donuts at night sometimes just to chat with the one guy who works there. He cracks me up.

2) I like Mike's, but the one woman who always works there is constantly in a bad mood. I've never seen her even remotely crack a smile.

3) I have free appetizer superpowers.

4) There is this couple (one older lady and one younger guy) who hang out in Davis Square all the time and ride the 88 bus. I have no idea if it is "mother and son" or a "husband and wife" thing. I can't exactly ask, but I've always wanted to know.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've seen them - but I do love the guy who carries the stuffed raccoon.

Everytime I see a middle aged crazy lady I always wonder if it's David Sedaris's sister. For a while I thought she might be my neighbor.

[ron_newman]

And my confession, which will anger the Someday loyalists: I'm in Mr. Crepe all the time, and mostly use it the same way I used the Someday: as a place to get coffee and a pastry on the way to the T station in the morning.

[rainbow-spork.livejournal.com]

I adore Mr. Crepe, so so much. And I'm honestly not sure I had ever set foot in Someday, because of the aforementioned dirty filth hole. There is no question in my mild that Davis Square is a million times better for this change. Mmmmm.....crepes. (and yes, I know they were in Davis before, but I never remembered that when I was hungry, because they were all out of the way.)

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

i found it extremely unnerving that i agreed with everything you said.
because usually i roll my eyes at the posts in this community
WELL DONE

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

Your comment made me curious to look at your profile and lo and behold we have the same BIRTHDAY!

Not the same year however.

[obie119.livejournal.com]

Embarassed but agreed on point number 4, though I'd add Boloco to Chipotle, because I looove their Teriyaki burrito :)

I killed many sacred cows with my intense dislike of McIntyre and Moores, especially their bag-check policy. Good riddance!

However, I just love Mike's. Don't know why - no one else of my friends seems to. But I find it very homey and comforting. Besides, their mozzarella sticks are yummy.

[ron_newman]

I also like Mike's. So many other people here hate it, that this could also be considered a confession.

[incontango.livejournal.com]

Mike's is terrible. I agree entirely.

[evilcrayon.livejournal.com]

#1-the cupcakes taste like what I make from a box. Can I start selling mine for $4 a pop?

Look, I even have a cupcake icon AND it's appropriate because today's my birthday! Woo!

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is, I actually prefer box-mix cupcakes to most bakeries. So I actually think the Kick Ass Cupcakes are delicious! (But I realize it's cheaper to make them at home, so I do.)

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

No, but they clip their toenails, braid their hair, SCRUB THEIR SNEAKERS and fall asleep on the couch.

Oh wait. I suppose they do.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

i still really miss 400 highland.

[noire.livejournal.com]

The people who appear to live at Diesel make me nuts. I work there 2-4 afternoons a week for a few hours a time--well I USED to before I couldn't get a seat.

[ron_newman]

It might be worthwhile bringing this thread to Diesel's attention. Perhaps they need a "buy something occasionally or leave" rule. I recall reading some of the same complaints here about the Someday.

[toodleskitty.livejournal.com]

Agree on everything especially Mike's. What a hole...

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Regarding your list:

1. I was THINKING they'd fail, and kind of hoped they would at first, but now I've found I like their cupcakes, and I'm glad they're still around.
2. I bought something there just once. Same opinion.
3. No kidding. Their food sucks, and I hate cheap beer.
4. I like them just as well as Anna's, frankly. Maybe more.
5. I rarely go. It's loud. Their food and drinks aren't bad, though.
6. Yep. Plus, I really like Mr. Crepe.
7. I must have missed that.
8. I never bowl.
9. Frankly, I was secretly (or not-so-secretly) glad. I prefer to give my $ to CVS because various members of my family have worked at their headquarters for years. I used to temp there, in HR.
10. WIN.
11. The "K" in "Konvenience" bothers me on a deep level. It's not like they even have the excuse of alliteration!

My own confessions:

1. I don't like hanging out in most coffee houses, so I will never really CARE what happens to any of them all that much. The only one where I've been a regular was a joint called Apostasy in Galway, Ireland. They played lots of Tom Waits and made phenomenal hot chocolate. Great place to go in the rain. Davis Square's coffee shops are just not as cool. Sorry.

2. McKinnon's still smells nasty after their renovations, but OMG, I don't know how I could live without them. I worship that place and their cheap meat. Some of my fellow food snobs would be grossed out, but I don't care.

3. This one may get me shot. Art Beat gets on my nerves because it's full of loud music that I mostly don't like, and consists mostly of huge crowds of people and folks selling stuff that's expensive and has little to no practical value other than as a statement of support for Local Artists (tm). I know. That's Art.

4. My favourite restaurant in the area is the most expensive: Gargoyles. Yeah, you can call me a snob. I couldn't care less about various coffee shops and burrito joints and bowling alleys, really. I could watch any or all of them close without shedding a tear, but don't you dare take away my honey-hoisn glazed duck confit, bitches. NOM. I just wish my wallet and waistline could afford it more often.

5. I'm just waiting for Sagra to fail. It's at 400 Highland, after all. But I really do enjoy their food, so I'll be sad if (when) it happens.

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

I find it's a lot easier to be a food snob when the meat's cheap. McKinnon's rocks.

[folktraveler.livejournal.com]

4. Chipotle and Boloco for me
6. Mr Crepe is a big upgrade compared to Someday cafe although the place should be called Mr Pankake :)
9. Me, too.

For me personally the best new thing in/close to Davis is the When Pigs Fly shop.

[kalliejenn2.livejournal.com]

i, too, have stopped going to diesel for my beloved ice coffee and/or snacks because there are NEVER seats. there are people that sit there for ages with nothing but a little coffee (i'm talking 5+ hours). there should be some sort of time limit during busy hours unless you buy more stuff!

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

1. There with you.
2. I live over on Orchard, so they're only a little bit farther, for me. Which is good, because I did and still do shop there often.
3. yeah, it's not great, but it's easy. The popularity is something I don't understand. I usually bring a TV-B-Gone.
4. Boloco for me.
5. Yeah, I usually get to-go, there, and don't stay.
6. There with you.
7. Junkies? Wow, I'm either oblivious, or this was something that happened while I wasn't living around here for seven years.
8. Complete agreement from me.
9. I'm kind of indifferent to that.
10. Completely indifferent
11. years ago, my housemates and I used to just refer to it at the Store 18

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

11. Hah, we always call it the Store 17.5

It's kind of like Taxi Cab confessions

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

1) I still like Anna's, even if it's not cool.

2) I don't want a certain Japanese/Korean place just outside of the Square to get a liquor license b/c I like bringing my own (my own soda, of course).

3) I like hanging out at the bar at Orleans. It's actually a cool bar. I've confessed this before.

4) I don't like Diesel. The coffee is good, but I always come out of there smelling like the inside of a percolator. I do like Starbucks, because I know some of the staff, and they're very friendly.

5) My street always has parking. I never have parking issues. The ticket people are downright friendly to me. I couldn't tell you why. I always feel guilty about this, but really, it's just awesome.

6) I don't know my downstairs neighbors, even though they moved in 6 months ago. I kept meaning to bring them welcome cookies, but I didn't and now it's too late.

7) I don't hate Mike's. I don't necessarily love it, but it's just not that bad to me.

8) I always liked Lyndell's better than La Contessa anyway.

9) Sligo's has one of my favorite Juke Boxes in the Greater Boston Area (unless they've upgraded to one of those online ones; my confession 9.1 is that I haven't been there in over a year).

and the most dangerous one:

10) I rooted for the Giants to win. What can I say, I always root for the NFC.

Re: It's kind of like Taxi Cab confessions

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

9. Yes, I think they have. I haven't been there in about 6 months and my memory is hazy, but I think I remember a friend playing Britney and making the whole place angry.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

I think Store 18 and Mr. Pankake (as said in a previous post) might just stick! Too funny.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

#1) If no one I know is around, I sometimes slip stealthily into McDonald's on Elm and eat cheeseburgers with the old people. I think this makes me win this confession session right there.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

You win. I'm ashamed to know you.

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

1. Not rooting for failure, but boggled at success. Lyndell's cake is way better, but KAC has good frosting.

3. Mike's pizza is not bad; not good mind you but not bad. The rest of their food is horrid. We take our kids there, and they don't bother anyone.

4. Chipotle has good flavor but they can't seem to freakin' warm up the burritos. I'm 4/4 with ice cold burritos, and I'm only going back for free ones until they get it right. Anna's is fine, but Boca Grande is better.

5. Will walk to Ball Square for True Grounds...

6. Mr. Pancake is MUCH more useful than Someday, except for the Toscannini's ice cream (to go) which I miss dearly. Peter, please bring back the waffles!

9. Whatever you think of CVS, it's much much better than the bricked up office building that was there before. And I don't even shop there much.

10. Orleans either, please, it's too close to the residential neighbors. Joshua Tree does blow goats, though.

[mrboboto.livejournal.com]

Re: Chipotle- I know! I really want to like them, because I would rather eat their meat than the mystery chicken at Anna's, but the cold burritos drive me crazy.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

1. I fucking hate Kick Ass Cupcakes. The day before they opened, I poked my nose up against the glass to check out the menu in anticipation of buying something on their opening day. I got the *most obnoxious* scowl from the person working inside for you know, daring to check out their shop/product offering. So. I hope they fail. I hope it's due to miserable customer service, lackluster and overpriced product (which is what I have heard from people who went in). Personally, I enjoy When Pigs Fly. GREATLY.

3. Mike's subs = ok. Everything else = BLECH. Avellino's in Medford has the same sort of set up (order at counter, sit down) with incredibly more delicious food. I guess location really is everything.

5. UGH. YES. I avoid Diesel entirely just to not have to see their annoying mugs.

6. Even though I once lived with one of the managers, I don't miss it either. Mr. Crepe is so much more useful (and delicious) to me personally.

8. EXACTLY!

10. Mmmhmm. Do we think the same thoughts? I wonder what you're thinking RIGHT NOW.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking... mmmmmm a hot dog would be good right about now.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

LOL, I start my 8th year in May. Here's mine

1. I liked the Goodwill better when it was disorganized. It was way more fun.
2. It's nice that the liquor store is open til 11pm…“Yes, even Sundays!"
3. I love McKinnons and don't shop there nearly enough. If Julie's had someplace to store meat while I got my pedicures, I probably would (because McKinnons seems to always be closed after my pedicure.
4. After all these years, you'd think Porter Square Veterinary would bite the bullet and change its name to Davis Square Veterinary.
5. I want to kick the people waiting for the bus outside Dunkin Donuts/Social Security every time I have to get past them on the sidewalk.
6. The new CVS is seriously the nicest CVS I've ever been in. I got a prescription filled there, and they sent me a thank you note.
7. I would rather have that Indian grocery back than that stupid “cat litter box“ Diva plastic-bubble bar. Seriously, does anyone ever go in there?
8. Dear Somerville Theatre: We like air conditioning in the summer, but when we have to bring a heavy coat to the movies in July…not so much.
9. I am happy Mr. Crepe is back. But I miss the foil sculpture exhibit.
10. Since 2000, ArtBeat seams to be less fun and more commercial and eventastic. 2002 was probably the best one ever.
11. I know we have a glut of burritos on the Square…but I still wish Picante was still here. I'd take them over Anna's, Chipotle and (gasp!) Boloco. Picante was the best, and Central Square is so far away...

And two of the OP's are mine as well, so I won't number them:

A. While I like McIntyre and Moore in theory, I never use them and won’t miss them.
B. I don’t miss Someday Cafe, I liked it in theory, but it was a dirty filth hole.

[toodleskitty.livejournal.com]

What about "The Blue Shirt Cafe" for burritos? Have you had them?