I ran into a couple of frustrations this weekend in my goal to live a sustainable, transit oriented lifestyle. Sometimes I just have to realize that (at least in the US) the convenience of a car is, well..., convenient.
It started Friday. My car is in the shop and I was borrowing my friends car so I didn't want to drive it farther than the train. I was going to my friend's place in Lowell. Coming from Hudson, that's probably a 25 minute trip by car. However, I ended up taking the commuter rail all the way to North Station (53 mins) and then immediately got another train to Lowell (43 mins). I'm not saying it was unpleasant: I got to read, nap, and in general rest, but it would have been nicer and more effective to have driven. Obviously, it would be great if we had more than a spoke and wheel transit system. Think train lines paralleling the major north/south highways, but that is not likely to happen in my lifetime. It would be great if Boston could complete the long sought Urban Ring, nevermind a regional version.
Part 2 of my frustrations came today. I went up to Tewksbury for Father's Day. Since I usually don't have a car, I make the trip up to Wilmington on the Lowell line and my parents pick me up there. It works out pretty well. A Lowell line train travels in and out of the city on a two hour cadence on weekends. This isn't necessarily the most convenient approach if we're going to encourage off peak transit, but I digress. The real pain is getting from Davis to that train. I live about 3 miles from the West Medford station. There is a bus (route 94) that goes from Davis right past that station. However, it is apparent to me that the MBTA doesn't even try to sync up the running of the bus with the running of that train. It runs every hour and this morning I got to West Medford at 11:37 for my 12:11 train. Talk about time to kill. My other option is to spend 25-30 minutes taking the Red and Green lines to North Station, which isn't exactly appealing either. This is just a case where a more system level plan could potentially benefit riders.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Pomodoro
Pomodoro - 319 Hanover St (North End, Haymarket)
This place has definitely been on my radar for some time as a top notch restaurant to try out. I think I ate there a couple years ago with some friends, but if so they have since changed the layout and I don't even remember what I ordered.
The description on the website is pretty accurate: it is a tiny restaurant, though the decor and low lighting makes it intimately romantic. I would not really recommend going with a group larger than four here.
The menu is simple and has more of a seafood tilt than most North End restaurants I have been to. It is also more sophisticated than your average Italian place. You won't find any chicken Parmesan here, yet the items are familiar enough that you won't find yourself stretching too far from your comfort zone if you don't want to. I opted for the Seared Salmon Filet and I must say it was fantastic. The portion was worthy of the price and the salmon was prepared perfectly. It had some sort of green sauce over it that was mildly sweet and spicy at the same time and the risotto cake matched it perfectly. The arugula offered a fresh, tangy change of pace from the salmon and risotto flavors. I paired my dish with a light red but you could also go white if you want.
The one disappointment on the night was the service. The waitress was handling the whole restaurant and she was very nice, but after seating us and pouring our waters, she forgot about us for quite a while while running around to the other tables. She did end up giving us a complimentary fried calamari appetizer, but we noticed that every table had one so maybe we weren't that special. In all it was a great meal and I would go back in a second, though it's moderately steep price tag ($20-30 entrees) prevents it from being a weekly option.
This place has definitely been on my radar for some time as a top notch restaurant to try out. I think I ate there a couple years ago with some friends, but if so they have since changed the layout and I don't even remember what I ordered.
The description on the website is pretty accurate: it is a tiny restaurant, though the decor and low lighting makes it intimately romantic. I would not really recommend going with a group larger than four here.
The menu is simple and has more of a seafood tilt than most North End restaurants I have been to. It is also more sophisticated than your average Italian place. You won't find any chicken Parmesan here, yet the items are familiar enough that you won't find yourself stretching too far from your comfort zone if you don't want to. I opted for the Seared Salmon Filet and I must say it was fantastic. The portion was worthy of the price and the salmon was prepared perfectly. It had some sort of green sauce over it that was mildly sweet and spicy at the same time and the risotto cake matched it perfectly. The arugula offered a fresh, tangy change of pace from the salmon and risotto flavors. I paired my dish with a light red but you could also go white if you want.
The one disappointment on the night was the service. The waitress was handling the whole restaurant and she was very nice, but after seating us and pouring our waters, she forgot about us for quite a while while running around to the other tables. She did end up giving us a complimentary fried calamari appetizer, but we noticed that every table had one so maybe we weren't that special. In all it was a great meal and I would go back in a second, though it's moderately steep price tag ($20-30 entrees) prevents it from being a weekly option.
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