This Is Framingham

On 135 across from La Cantina is “Trolley Dogs”.  Sorry, I didn’t think of taking a better picture of the whole trolley but if you drive by there you’ll see it in the parking lot.  It’s open for lunch from 11-4 and closed on Sundays.

They also have other items besides hot dogs.  I think it is in some way owned by La Cantina and the trolley offers La Cantina’s great minestrone soup.

I just got a simple hot dog. Pretty good, basic hot dog and the guy in the trolley was really cheerful and friendly, which is always nice.

I think this is great to have in this area for a quick bite.

 
The Danforth Museum on Union Ave. is nice to have downtown.  It’s not the biggest museum and the exhibits are only one floor but I’ve been to a few openings of local artists shows (such as my instructors from FSC) and it’s great that they support local artists in that way and don’t just stick to showing their permanent collection so there’s always something different to check out.

I took a Museum Studies course here through FSC and it was really interesting to know all the big and small details that make a museum run.  It covered everything from making sure there is wine at an event to transportation of pieces on loan to trying to keep the building from falling apart.
They have kids and adult classes upstairs and you can have a kids’ craft time birthday party up there too.

They also have a holiday sale that anyone can apply to sell at.  I only sold two small, low-ticket pieces last year but it was cool to know someone bought my stuff. : )

This week was the last step in my request for the installation of a parking sign on my street.  The curb across the street from our house has basically been disintegrated away because of trucks driving over the sidewalk when cars park so close to the corner on the other side. 
Cars there leave no room for a big truck to make a turn and stay on the road.  So I thought a “No parking from here to corner sign” would be a reasonable solution to the problem.

The curb:

I will admit in the beginning it was kind of confusing to even find out how to start the process or who to talk to since I had zero experience with this. 
I ran into a few dead ends when people would tell me this person or that person is who I need to talk to but when I did they turned out not to have anything to do with what I needed.

I eventually spoke to Peter Sellers of the Department of Public Works who was very nice and explained how the process for a request like mine works.
I emailed him a few pictures of the curb and when the trucks drove by so he could see what I was talking about.  He forwarded it to the Traffic and Roadway Safety Committee with a description of the issue and they told me when this request would be on their agenda.

I attended the Traffic and Roadway Safety Committee meeting when it was time and explained the situation to them.  I wasn’t sure if they’d roll their eyes at something like this and I’d have to push for it but the committee was very responsive and seemed genuinely concerned about what I was telling them.
It was approved by this committee and the next step was for it to be presented at the Board of Selectmen to get the full approval.
This past Tuesday I went to the Selectmen meeting to see what the verdict was and was happy they approved it.

I just thought I’d share this experience in case anyone was curious how things like this work.  I never knew or had a reason to know/care how a regular citizen can help make their neighborhood better or voice a concern.  It was a very educational and interesting experience for me.  I’m going to attend* some more meetings just to be more aware and informed about our town.  It’s interesting to hear other citizens and officials talk about what’s going. 

One citizen spoke at this meeting and passionately addressed that he was appalled and disgusted with the board - I didn’t know why, it seemed like it was from something that happened at the last meeting but I’m not sure, he was pretty vaugue.  The board knew what he was talking about though.  They listened, thanked him and then the guy left  I was curious what the problem was, maybe it’ll come up again and I’ll find out.

*Sometimes I try to watch meetings on TV but I’ll admit I end up changing the channel or falling asleep.  They didn’t seem as boring in person and it’s only a few minutes walk from our house so it shouldn’t be a big deal to get out and go there.

One of the few places I find a reason to go to downtown is the Fabric Place.  I began quilting about 2 years ago and I’m “grateful” to have this place in walking distance to my house.  Hopefully they won’t pick up and leave anytime soon like Friendly’s and the Farmer’s Exchange that had been in downtown forever and then left within a year of us moving here.

They have pretty decent prices and a huge selection of anything one would need to make anything concerning fabric.  They have everything from upholstery to yarn and extras from books to velcro. They occupy a storefront right by the train tacks but the windows are all blocked up so I’m assuming that’s for curtain and upholstery services.
They also offer classes in the retail building upstairs. 
Nice to have the Fabric Place here in downtown.

We went to Firefly’s for lunch last weekend.  I’ve heard it’s the best BBQ around from Phantom but sometimes he’s not 100% trustable or I question if he’s paid off. 
I’m not a huge BBQ person, not that I don’t enjoy it but I know I’m not a connoisseur either.  It definitely smells like BBQ when you walk in, which really gets you in the mood.
We sat in the bar area and out waitress was attentive and friendly.  She explained that there is a condiment bar to get sauces and toppings. 

On the condiment bar were beets, baby corn, three bean salad, hot peppers pickles and a few other things I forget.
I got the sliced brisket with grilled asparagus and sauteed vegetables. 

Ethan got BBQ steak tips with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables.

Ethan said the tips were really good.  My brisket was a little dry but I put some BBQ sauce on it and it wasn’t bad.

I was glad there wasn’t a lot of people when we went (after the lunch rush).  I can imagine that place being really loud on the weekends.  It also reminded me of “Coyote” a Texas style BBQ/steakhouse place that was where Liam’s Tavern used to be and where “Ipanema” is now.  I used to wait tables there and just being around the smells and atmosphere brought back some funny memories.

Firefly’s isn’t bad, not outstanding but next time I get a BBQ craving I’d go back and try something else besides the brisket.

Framingham is the home to Staples corporate headquarters which means almost nothing to me but I’m not a huge fan of theirs in general.
I can’t stand that “Easy Button”. 
 
“That was easy!” has been their motto for a few years, which is annoying on it’s own but now they SELL a plastic button for $5 that you press and a voice says “That was easy!” like in the commercial where a stressed out office worker’s problem is magically resolved by pressing the “easy button”.  In reality you’re still fighting with the fax machine to get your document back.  It doesn’t make any sense but I guess people that pay $5 for a piece of plastic will put it on their desk next to their pet rock.
My little sister used to work there but she quit because her boss was so obnoxiously condescending to her. She really gave her all because she wanted a job in that department so much but this creep would only find faults.  Even if she ended up being right he wouldn’t apologize.  Her hours were from 8:30-5:00, one day she left at 4:58 and the next day her boss came up to her and said “Stephanie, what time does the Staples work day end?”
She also said she could never find a stapler that worked normal there.

Last night I went to check out the tree lighting at the Memorial building.
I was surprised how packed it was.  It was kind of hard to move around and a lot of people would either not move or be pushy (crowds aren’t my favorite thing) but it was nice to see something bring people together.

It was pretty windy and a little rainy so after what seemed like 50 Christmas carols I was going to just go home and then Santa arrived on the back of an fire truck. (!)

The kid behind me went nuts screaming “SANTAAAAA!  OH MY GOD!! SANTAAAAA!” what came to mind was how that girl was screaming from the ditch in “Silence of the Lambs”.  He had that same intensity and desperation in his voice.

Inside were lots of tables set up with cookies, local things and Starbucks giving out free hot chocolate.

As usual, good to see out Shopper’s world soldiers back in commission for the season.