Restaurants, etc. near the Somerville Theatre

[fourish.livejournal.com]

I'm seeing a show at the Somerville Theatre soon, and I've only been to Davis Square once. I loved the area and would like to do a little exploring before the show. I know this comm is crawling with restaurant reviews, but can anyone recommend a good one within easy access to the theatre? Doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, but a nice ambience for a small group would be cool.

Anywhere else (cool shops, strange landmarks, awesome places to park) within easy access of the theatre you can tell me about would also be greatly appreciated. (Is that cupcake shop anywhere nearby, perchance?) Apologies if this is the sort of thing that gets asked too often, but I just don't know the area well enough to figure out what goes where.

Thanks!

ETA: This community is amazing. You make me want to move to Somerville. :D

Comments

Parking

[unferth.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone has posted parking information yet.

Parking can be hard to come by in Davis Square, especially if you're looking on a Friday or Saturday evening. Your best bet is probably one of the city lots.

There's an unnecessarily large PDF showing their locations and hours here:
http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/Davis%20Square%20Parking%20Map.pdf

And a smaller, faster-loading version hosted by Johnny D's here:
http://www.johnnyds.com/images/img_parking.gif

Either the Buena Vista lot or the Day Street lot would be closest to the theater.

Re: Parking

[fourish.livejournal.com]

Thank you, these are all very helpful suggestions.

The Somerville Theatre website suggests taking the T, or taking it to Cambridge, parking there, and taking the T one stop to Davis. Is parking that much of an issue in the square that this is necessary, or should I be pretty set with your suggestions?

Re: Parking

[ron_newman]

Depends how popular the Somerville Theatre show is, and also how early you get here for it. If it's a Sunday or holiday, you can park anywhere because resident parking restrictions are not in effect on that day.

But there are only a limited number of metered spaces where you are allowed to park on a weekday or Saturday, and no pay lots or garages at all in Davis Square. So yeah, taking the T is a good idea. Where are you coming from?

Re: Parking

[fourish.livejournal.com]

I'm coming from Providence, so I don't think I can take the T all the way to Somerville (as I don't think it goes back to Providence late enough). And it is going to be a Saturday, so maybe I should take the T from Cambridge after all.

Re: Parking

[unferth.livejournal.com]

If you do that, the usual recommendation would be to park in the large garage at the Alewife T station, one stop out from Davis. If you're coming up 95 to Rt. 2, it's on the way.

Re: Parking

[fourish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's exactly the suggestion they give on their site, I'm pretty sure. Thanks, I will definitely keep it in mind. Sorry to sound like such a n00b, but how late does the T run on a Saturday night? Late enough I'm guessing.

Re: Parking

[unferth.livejournal.com]

Late, but not into the early morning. The last train leaves the other end of the line at 12:30; I'm not sure of its scheduled time at Davis.

As an emergency option, the walk from Davis to Alewife is not bad if you know the way.

Re: Parking

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

According to the unreliable MBTA trip planner, the last outbound train leaves Davis at 1:04 AM. (The last inbound train leaves Davis at 12:25 AM.)

Re: Parking

[unferth.livejournal.com]

It depends on the day, and on your tolerance for checking multiple lots and driving around checking for street parking. In my experience you can usually find a spot, but it can take a little while.

I see from below that you're heading to a Saturday night show; Saturday nights are one of the more crowded times. If you're convenient to the red line at your starting point, and you don't want to stay past the last train, it's almost certainly more convenient to take the T.

Re: Parking

[fourish.livejournal.com]

Perhaps taking the T the one stop over after driving to Cambridge is the way to go, then, as nobody wants to spend an hour looking for parking. Hmmm...