always room for improvement? Davis Sq pet peeves

[glowroper.livejournal.com]

The last post (yay for filled-in potholes!) made me think about other things that can use a little fixing up.

What are your pet peeves about Davis Square? Is it the inaccessible chaos that is Anna's seating area? The illogical milk & sugar arrangement in the coffee department of Store 24? The subway guitarist who doesn't quite know the tune to Rainbow Connection?

Post away! The first step in solving a problem is to name it.

Comments

[jmspencer.livejournal.com]

OK, the Rainbow Connection thing has been bugging me for far too long... I'm not even certain that's what he's trying to play, or if it just has some similar musical phrases but even so!

I just want to hand people card sometimes that say "Just because you can busk doesn't mean you must..."

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

That woman who sings carols in an operatic fashion in the station during the winter holidays. She's miserablfying.

I also hope she doesn't read LJ.

I haven't seen this subway guitarist to whom you refer, but anyone playing The Rainbow Connection outside the safety of their own home deserves whatever's thrown at them.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

I seriously think she might be mentally not all there.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

That woman who sings carols in an operatic fashion in the station during the winter holidays. She's miserablfying.

I always kind of wondered if she was doing penance for something.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I wish that we didn't have both a Starsucks and a McDonalds taking up two of the most prime pieces of retail real estate. I don't mind that they're in the neighborhood, but I wish they were off on a side street or something. In their place I would love to see some kind of ethnic restaurant that isn't yet represented in Davis, or a food co-op, or a tea house (I dream of owning a tea house!). Just no more chain retail.

Fight The Mallification of Davis!

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'd kill to have a full-service Taco Bell in the square.

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

Oh, speaking of businesses, I'd love it if they could get off their asses and finish "Diva Lounge," if only because I'm morbidly curious.

I'd also like Sauce to stop changing their menu on a weekly basis, perpetually discontinuing my favorite dishes in the process.

[cold-cold-water.livejournal.com]

me too re: the diva lounge! it's been so long!

[dirty-devlin.livejournal.com]

The dude that pisses in the Citizen's Bank ATM. That's my pet peeve. Ever go in there on a scorching hot day? Nasty. Just nasty.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

I almost died the other day from that.

Whoever he is, he must be stopped!

[tisana.livejournal.com]

-The fact that Redbones doesn't take cards, only cash, which of course you only remember as you're all seated.

-The WTF-ness of trying to cross the street. You never know where the cars are coming from or whether you're going with the light, and there aren't enough crosswalks.

But that's about it. I love Davis for so many reasons.

[swingchickie.livejournal.com]

the lack of a sushi place. the only one i know of is in powderhouse circle... i'd kill for sushi right in the square. yum.

[ceo]

Walk down the bike path to Mass. Ave, and Hana Sushi is across the street to your left. (Still not in the square, but pretty close.)

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

The fact that Mr. Crepe went away. *pout*

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

DOUBLE AMENS AND YES! I miss a swiss cheese with green tabasco crepe made just the way I like it and by the same guy all the time accompanied by the best home-made lemonade ever!

lousy water drainage

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

The way the streets fail to drain when there's any amount of rain, creating massive puddles right by ALL the crosswalks, forcing people who want to cross without soaking themselves to the neck to make crazy, inelegant leaps into hostile traffic. Which is maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but when those big puddles happen in winter, that's really horrid :(

Re: lousy water drainage

[dougo.livejournal.com]

That reminds me: I wish people (or the city) would dig out the snow from the sidewalk to the crosswalks, instead of just digging out the sidewalk and leaving a big pile of plowed snow (or slush) in between.

[frederic.livejournal.com]

I'm upset that Disc Diggers went away. I still think that a bar should open up there called Sauced (ie: opposite the yupparama Sauce).

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Sauced

That concept just made me crack up so hard...!

[dougo.livejournal.com]

I really wish True Grounds were open later than 7pm, but that's Ball Square not Davis.

I wish Blue Shirt didn't put hot chicken in a chicken caesar wrap, making the lettuce hot and gross.

A hardware store in Davis would be kind of nice. A clothing store too, for things like jeans and shirts and underwear. But not a Gap!

I wish Willow Ave were two-way south of Highland, but there's probably a good reason it isn't.

[ceo]

Tags at Porter is an OK hardware (and housewares etc.) store.

[two-stabs.livejournal.com]

Wtf? I imagine someone from west baltimore trying to fathom the 'concerns' of davis square residents and weeping.

lolol.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Why would someone from West Baltimore be reading the community, anyway?

[komos.livejournal.com]

Gentrification. Part of my died the first time I saw valet parking for Sauce.

[komos.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the dude that pisses in the ATM.

Yeah, I recognize that there are different and opposing forces at work here.

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

The valet parking thing reminds me -- I hate hate hate the fact that Gargoyle's, legally or not, "owns" the strip of meters behind the Downtown Liquors/Gargoyle's/Picante block.

That's ridiculous. Who drives to Gargoyle's? Who goes to Gargoyle's?

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

Err, Gargoyles. Bad grammar day.

[ceo]

That Bertucci's went away. :-(

And the lack of a brewpub. Though if there was one I'd go there too much.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I feel like Redbones is essentially a brew-pub with the exception that the beer isn't brewed RIGHT THERE for the dramatic effect.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Mike, the Bellowing Man of Powderhouse.

After 6 long years, I've had my fill of his shouting. I've recently altered my route walking to the T for the exclusive reason of avoiding him when he's in bellow mode, but I like the park and miss it. I realize he can't help himself, but at the same time I wish something would happen whereby he got the help he needed to stop doing what he does.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, the first time I saw him, I was so frightened, until my roommates filled me in on the fact that he was a regular fixture.

[glowroper.livejournal.com]

I personally don't go in the Someday. I went in there a few years ago and they were so rude because I dind't know all the obscure variations of expensive coffee. Never again.

[venusunder.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that I like the Starbucks, though I don't like any others. It's been somehow Davisified.

The blenders at Blue Shirt drive me crazy, and the noise at Anna's and the hidden animal products.

I mean, I love Davis. I love it, and it bothers me the way only a loved one can.

But places with coffee should have coffee before seven, dammit.

And there's entirely too much urination going on. I could do without Family Dollar and MicD, too, not that I've ever seen anyone urinate there.

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

You can't beat the (until-recently) $1 2L sodas.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

I realize there aren't many parking spaces, and I realize that the Parking & Transportation offices are right up the street, but the ticket cops are like SHARKS in Davis! I live in Cambridgeport now and watched a visitor from Maine park overnight without a visitor pass and not even get a ticket; if she'd tried that in Davis, her car would've been in an impound yard, her children in a labor camp, and she'd be selling her plasma to pay off the city.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

The fact that no restaurants (only bar type places) are open past midnight.

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

To say nothing of coffee shops. Speaking as someone whose natural sleep schedule is 5 am to noon, I could really use someplace to sit past midnight and work.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Can I just be amused that a lot of people said they don't want Davis to gentrify, and a lot of people said they want the McDonald's to go?

OK, that was my moment of amusement. Thank you.

T riders parking on my street...

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

I live walking distance to the Sq and see people drive in, park on my street and then take the T. The only reason I would know or care about this is that there are no longer any parking spaces on my street during the day and the cars mostly have stickers from out of this zone.