Ghosts of Boston Past

[gilana]

What are some of the long-gone establishments you still miss?

A few of my fond memories:

Cafe Liberty, in Central Square. Amazing cave-painting decor, yummy veggie soups in bread bowls, and free ethernet plugs in the walls. (Hey, this was before WiFi.)

Deli Haus, in Kenmore. I went to BU so we ate here a lot. One night my roommate and I were craving spaghetti long after the dining halls were closed. We went to the Haus to see if they had any. The hostess told us it wasn't on the menu, but it was tomorrow's special, so they'd be happy to whip some up for us.

Oh, what was that sushi place in Kenmore? With an M, maybe? It's the one Hiro worked in, I believe, and it later moved to Newbury Street... someone knows what I'm talking about. My college roommate dragged me there and forced me to eat sushi, even though I thought it was disgusting, and within a few visits I went from cucumber rolls to sashimi. So new and exciting, and such a decadent treat back then.

Wordsworth, in Harvard Square. Such a great bookstore. Somehow it just always seemed to have the best geek book selection, and the staff was knowledgeable and helpful.

Comments

[magid.livejournal.com]

Paper and Provisions, in Union Square. I miss getting bulk items cheap.

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

Miyako. We went there all the time when we were at Fenway. After they moved to Newbury Street it took me a while to get down there and when I finally walked in the door the hostess said "You found us!" and gave us a special roll on the house. But somehow it was never the same after the move.

I also frequently miss Deli Haus--thought of it the other night when we went to Eastern Standard.

And ah, Cafe Liberty.

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

I miss Wordsworth, too. And Waterstones--I was just missing that one today. And the Exeter movie house that occupied that space before them. I saw The Bounty there and was the only one in the whole enormous place. And the Cheri! And the Nickelodeon! So many cool little movie theatres gone. I miss the Tastee in Harvard Square. And Gallagher's, which used to be a high end restaurant in the Financial District--B. took me there a few times when she was a rich yuppie.

Those are the ones popping to mind at the moment. B. should have some good ones--I'll poke her to comment.

[gilana]

And the Conrans that was in the Exeter building -- Glen got me a gorgeous set of cobalt wine glasses there that I still treasure (well, the remaining 3 out of 4, anyway...) One of the places I've been freelancing recently was doing a promotion for the firm that designed that building. I had assumed it was much older than that, somehow.

And yes, the movie theaters! I performed Rocky Horror at the Nick, and then had a psych class in the same theater.

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Wordsworth, sniff.
Dolly's, for 4am food.
Andy's Chili

[archiveninja.livejournal.com]

Also the Greenhouse Cafe in Harvard Square - REALLY good omelettes and french fries.

[i-leonardo.livejournal.com]

buzzy's roast beef. never thought much of the food, but such a convenient place to find drag queens at 4am.

[kjc007.livejournal.com]

Yep, I miss Wordsworth too. Surprisingly, I also miss Tower Records, on multiple levels - first, because if Newbury Comics didn't have it, they usually did; second, for their quirky appeal-to-Gen-X book selection; and third, for their foot traffic that brought people into the Million Year Picnic.

I miss Cafe of India, which was across Mass Ave from Linnaean Street in Cambridge - my favorite Indian food place.

I was missing the Globe Bookstore in Harvard Square, but they came back! Yay!

I miss the candy & ice cream place that lived briefly just outside Porter Square (down Mass Ave toward Harvard Square). Fantastic milk shakes.

Those are all the ones I can think of right now, with Cafe of India and Wordsworth at the top of my list.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Ma Soba, Harvard^2. Big bowl of yummy noodle soup, $3. And so comveniently located!

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

In early college, deli haus was my post clubbing hangout. that and the old ihop in kenmore.

and i used to work at wordsworth!

those were the (in grad school, poor, having crummy employment!) days!

oh and i'll add:
the greenhouse and MANRAY to that list!!!!

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

-- K2 in Kendall Square (they used to have a good salad bar)
-- Bailey's Ice Cream (all over the city; the one in Downtown Crossing is the one I used to go to most often, but there was one where the Bertucci's is now in Harvard Square)
-- Stairway to Heaven (a music shop that used to be in Downtown Crossing)
-- Lechters (there used to be a couple around; I miss them in general)

[gilana]

Oh, and Woolworth's! You could find anything there, plus a pet!

And the candy store on Newbury Street -- The Enchanted Forest? -- with candy-filled trees and stuffed animals everywhere. It really felt magical.

[shumashi.livejournal.com]

Marino's, a hidden really tasty Italian place by Teele Square. Take out gelato too.

Dixie Kitchen, yummy cajun food.

[cos]

Certainly Liberty and Deli Haus.
Also Dolly's, the all-night diner in Davis Square.
Nightstage and Manray in Central.

I haven't missed Wordsworth as much as I thought I would because the shift to Harvard Bookstore has turned out okay.

The place I miss most, by far, though, is Saro's European Kitchen, a one-man restaurant in Waltham that vanished in 1998.

E line

[cos]

I don't know if this counts as an "establishment", but I miss the green line E branch going all the way to Arborway (re-meeting the Orange Line).

[lordfeepness.livejournal.com]

I miss Wordsworth a lot. I have many fond memories of my mother taking me there (and to the old Harvard Coop) when I was a young, geeky kid; there was nowhere to buy serious computer books in Western Mass at the time, so I'd go nuts there whenever we went to Cambridge.

I also seem to remember a restaurant we used to go to back then that was in a big atrium with a skylight ceiling and a waterfall wall. I think it was on Church Street, but no idea what the name was.

More recently, I miss Someday Cafe a lot (although I do like Mr. Crepe), and--*sniff*--Good Time Emporium. And if/when the newsstand outside the Harvard T goes, I'll shed a tear.

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

I regret never going to Deli Haus (always too crowded) when I was a student. Always opted for the Kenmore IHOP at 2am.

[greenlily.livejournal.com]

I miss the Deli Haus. My dad used to take my sibs and me there when we were so little that we could only eat a quarter of a sandwich before we got full. :)

[clarity-dog.livejournal.com]

Curious Liquids, across from the State House. The coziest, awesomest place to get a cuppa for miles. Now Fox 25 broadcasts from there. Bleh.

I also miss the Deli Haus - loved the chocolate strawberry milkshakes.

[joyeous.livejournal.com]

I was just about to say that. The basement dungeon was awesome. It was also the only place around you could get a S'mores platter, complete with fire to toast your marshmallows in.

[ckd]

HSq: Wordsworth, Tower Records (slightly; as kjc007 noted, they'd sometimes have stuff Newbury didn't), HMV, Globe Corner (back now, yay).

Kendall/East Cambridge: Lechmere. PCs For Everyone and Quantum Books, which both went online rather than away, but aren't there to walk in to any more. Active Electronics.

Downtown/Back Bay: Ruggles ("British pizza" with Swiss chalet decor). Waterstones. The Japanese grocery/sushi bar in the basement near Avenue Victor Hugo. Avenue Victor Hugo. The big Tower Records, and the Virgin Megastore that replaced it. All the airline offices that used to be at the Park Plaza. Fuddrucker's. The old Brigham's and Ground Round at the old Prudential Center. Marche Movenpick at the new Pru.

[bacall.livejournal.com]

Upstairs at the Pudding. The new theatre space is great, but an era has passed.

Manray, Manray, Manray. You were the only place where one could shake one's junk without getting hit on by aging frat boys.

On the plus side, the new Cafe Crema is a HUGE improvement over the old Warburton's.

[ron_newman]

I'll list only places not already mentioned by other folks.

100 Flowers Bookstore in Central Square. Left-wing books for a left-wing city.

The Book Case, on Church Street in Harvard Square. Cheap used books piled floor to ceiling in multiple rooms on both sides of the street.

Bookcellar Cafe, a used bookstore in the basement space now occupied by McIntyre & Moore Books in Porter Square.

Barillari Books, where FedEx-Kinko's is now on Mt. Auburn Street in Harvard Square. Sort of a clone of WordsWorth.

Cambridge Booksmith, on Brattle Street in Harvard Square; same owners as the current Brookline Booksmith.

Reading International at the corner of Brattle and Church Street -- now American Apparel. Huge selection of obscure magazines from all over the world.

Off the Wall Cinema in Central Square.

Orson Welles Cinema between Central and Harvard squares.

The original Steve's Ice Cream in Davis Square (torn down to build Carberry's, now Green Tomato II)

Grand Prix Cafe on Mass. Ave. near Day Street, just closed last year.

Filene's.
Filene's Basement, the original one downtown.
Jordan Marsh.

The John Hancock Observatory.

Elsie's Lunch in Harvard Square (on Mt Auburn St, now a Boloco)

The old, larger Grendel's Den, with semi-outdoor seating and a view of the street scene.