Davis Square 1997 vs. Davis Square 2007

[cvs-is-king.livejournal.com]

which do you prefer?

Comments

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

I was here. Can I vote for 2006? The La Contessa thing bugs me. The good things that were here in 1997 are still here:

Sessa's
McKinnon's
Rosebud
The Singer store
The Somerville Theater
Johnny D's
Redbones
Sacco's
Dente's
Mike's
Yoshi's (really Powderhouse, and it was Chieko's back then)

And some new good things:
Out of the Blue
The UPS Store
Mr. Crepe
Macintyre & Moore
Tingle's (newish)
Comicazi
Anna's

There are some missing things. I miss Steve's and the original Bertucci's (though Steve's might have gone before '97). I miss that all night eatery that was where Out of the Blue was before OotB moved. I miss Radio Shack, as sad as that is. I really liked the used bookstore that was out towards the parking office, so I miss that.

So what do people miss? Yee's? That fish taco place? The comic and card place where Magpie is now (more or less)?

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

I remember when the discount liquor store turned into a discount book store. That was certainly a sign of the neighborhood going upscale!

If I remember the development of that corner correctly, it was discount liquors --> Buck-a-Book --> Expansion of Someday Cafe --> Mr. Crepe.

And the Somerville Theatre renovation and conversion to a multiplex -- while keeping the main theatre intact -- is one of the best things to happen to the square! The McDonald's and Family Dollar, both of which have opened since I've lived here ... not so much. Though it's nice to have that sort of low-end anchor around to keep up remembering our square's humble beginnings!

[ron_newman]

If you mean the Hobbs Building (Somerville Theatre building) corner, that went from American Discount Pharmacy to Buck-a-Book (first location) to Someday Cafe to Mr. Crepe.

I think the second Buck-a-Book location, soon to become Chipotle, was formerly a liquor store.

Family Dollar replaced Friendly Family Center (FFC) , a small local chain that carried similar goods. McDonalds was here before, closed, then opened again a few years later at its current site.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

That sounds right ... so Buck-a-Book was on the corner first, and then moved into the second location (formerly the perpetual halloween store!) displacing the discount liquor store.

... I remember FFC. I didn't realize McDonald's had been here before.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I miss that all night eatery that was where Out of the Blue was before OotB moved.
Mmmm...Dolly's.

I really liked the used bookstore that was out towards the parking office, so I miss that.
I was just thinking of Zembla's the other day. It was one of the best used bookstores for poetry ever. I think I spent most of time by Deborah Digges', I think, used poetry books. I think I went there every Sat and bought about ten dollars worth of books.

I lived on Dover St from 1994-2001. From 1992-1994 and 2001-2004, I lived not far away in Porter. Since then I moved to NM, and life has never been the same. I think the best years in Davis (for me) were 1993-1996. I preferred the Somerville Theater as one large hall -- people danced up and down the aisle during "Muriel's Wedding." You'd see people wander around the square drinking coffee from Someday's glasses, because there wasn't enough place to sit. Steve's was still open in 1993, I believe. The armenian pizza place was still open on Mass Ave and Dover.