Local news

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

Good Time will not be reopening. (This isn't really a Somerville issue any more, but I thought it's interesting.)

Somerville Aldermen are fighting late night food

I encourage my friends in Somerville to write to your aldermen and complain that you want late night restaurant and/or convenience store availability. I am sick of having to walk to Cambridge if I want to get food late.

Comments

[squonk.livejournal.com]

I just really, really wish that Golden Light weren't the springboard for this discussion (albeit only the most recent one). I agree with the larger picture, but to argue for it I have to make a major effort to put this place out of my mind because the food is so unbelievably bad. I wouldn't mind if they closed altogether, never mind at 1AM.

Again, though. Totally agree with you generally. I moved here from Toronto, and I could literally walk to the corner and get amazing barbecue at two in the morning. Having nothing open late has been one of the major downsides of changing locales.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

Actually, I view this in a different way: it would be to Golden Light's detriment if Somerville were to allow all businesses to stay open late, because we'd have choices. As the article says, Golden Light only does any significant business quite late... after everything else closes</>. In other words, nobody wants to go there when they have other places to go. If we had choices of plenty of places to go, we wouldn't be giving Golden Light any business.

I'd care more about keeping Golden Light in business if they'd care more about serving decent food.

[squonk.livejournal.com]

Point.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

bleh, sounds like rednecks.

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU! The food there is terrible, finally someone agrees.

[spatch]

"Finally"?

I don't think anybody considers Golden Light to be gourmet cuisine. You really do have to close out a bar and get good and staggering-home drunk to eat there at 2 AM.

[cynickalone.livejournal.com]

or 3:30am, as was my first (and probably last) experience.

[mistresshellena.livejournal.com]

There are places open late in Cambridge outside of Central Square???? That's news to me.

I love the romantic, nostalgic idea of a 24 hour diner where one can go at all hours, but really don't feel the political urgency of having more crummy latenight food joints when it's easy enough & cheaper to have a nice piece of comforting toast (and maybe some eggs) when you get home from a night of "debauchery."

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

Harvard Square has opened a few: in addition to the IHOP (4am), there's Z-Square (1am, at least) and the new 24-hour market/deli/thing.

[ron_newman]

Porter Square has Gourmet Express (formerly White Hen Pantry).

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

i was going to ask if that was still 24 hours after the name change. i still find it funny that the white hen is now 'gourmet.'

[ron_newman]

Thanks for posting this. Here's a link to the earlier discussion about Golden Light, sparked by a Somerville News article.

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

From the article on Good Times

research by the Brockton police and city officials into Good Time's operation in Somerville failed to find significant problems.

What universe are they living in?

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

It's Brockton. They were elated there was only the occasional stabbing.

[ron_newman]

Before Brockton, they wanted to move to Natick. Maybe they'll revive that plan?

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Please God, let them open next to the Natick Mall Collection.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

You mean the Natty CoCo?

Done.

[shana-lyons.livejournal.com]

I wrote Alderman Connolly expressing my support for late night food in the square. His email address, according to the city's website, is AldermanConnolly (at) gmail.com if you feel like writing, too.

[haptotrope.livejournal.com]

I miss Dolly's.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

I don't, the service was incredibly lousy, the place was filled with cigarette smoke, and they might or might not bother to open depending on how the manager was feeling about it that day.

Once again, proof that crummy places continue to do business when there's no competition to speak of.

[ron_newman]

But if it were still around today, they'd have to comply with anti-smoking law just like every other restaurant.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

If I remember correctly, they continued to allow smoking after the anti-smoking law went into effect. (Although I'm not certain about that, it has been a few years.)

[progressnerd.livejournal.com]

The Dunkin Donuts in Magoun Square is open 24 hours . . . just FYI.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I wrote to Mr. Trane!