This Is Framingham

According to a MWDN article the Italian restaurant Papa Razzi will be taking over ye olde Bennigan’s location (thank you!)

From the article:
“Work on gutting Bennigan’s will start within the next five business days”
“The gutting is taking place because “pretty much everything in there is useless,” said Dalton (VP Back Bay Restaurant Group) “It has a lot of age on it and it’s in poor condition. It’s better to strip everything out.” 
Amen.

I’ve been to the Papa Razzi Wellesley a few years ago and remember it being really good.  I think they’ll do very well here.  They’re going to spend $2.3 million on renovations. I’m glad someone with money is going to renovate the whole place. oms e ivermectina

We finally got around to going to Asia Buffet (motivated by Beth’s Bradlees comment) at 700 Worcester Rd.
I think they did a great job renovating the inside, as well as the outside.

We got the buffet but they do have a full menu you can order from too. 
I liked the variety and presentation of the food.  The food wasn’t like blow-me-away amazing but not disappointing and I’d say the quality of the food was above avarage compared to most places.   They also have a Japanese side with salads and sushi.  There are 3 or 4 soups to choose from and a dessert area too.
Here’s some pics:

If you’re looking for a cheap lunch though, this isn’t the place.  The lunch buffet is $16 (found out from a comment below that without sushi is $10.50-thanks Laraine!) and I don’t know how much dinner would be but I get the sense they jazz up the selections for dinner. 
Oh also nice were the higher quality “wet naps” with the check.

The staff was very polite, and there are 3 people who would keep an eye on the food and replace dishes as needed. I would recommend Asia Buffet, I hope they do okay.

 ** I recently found out that the server now explains the prices at the table and you tell them if you’re getting sushi or not.

Prices vary from weekday to weekend are on their website http://asiabuffetframingham.com/

 
The above photo is what I believe is the only known photograph of the Bradlees in Framingham (that is now Kohl’s).

This and the rest of the photos of this store are made possible with the kind permission of Joseph Kacoyannakis of Joseph Kacoyannakis Productions.  Joseph used to work at this Bradlees and had the foresight to take some photpgraphs while he was there.
I don’t know where to begin with Bradlees, I loved this store.  Sometimes on a Saturday afternoon I’ll still have the urge to go to Bradlees.  You’d think I would have taken some pictures when I knew they were closing but maybe I was in denial or something.   It wasn’t until it was gone that I realised how much I missed it (que Cinderella song).   I remember as a kid I loved being able to afford the 1¢ gumball machines by the front doors, the way the decorated the entrance for holidays and even the smell of popcorn from the snack bar.  As an adult, it was a pleasant place to shop and although I will give Target thumbs up to being it’s contemporary, there was still something about Bradlees that was really nice.
Some more pictures that Joseph took at the Framingham Bradlees:

Some treasures from my personal collection:
  
I know I have a plastic bag somewhere too.  I’d also be willing to bet money my mom (who is notorious for returning things that I don’t know why she bought in the first place) has a Bradlees receipt in one of her old pocketbooks, not that any of this really has any value but it is kind of fun to find things from an extinct store.

Also, even though this isn’t Framingham related I got a kick out of this old Bradlees commercial featuring John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, and Don Nelson with Johnny Most narrating.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bewek4DUNGE

The building that was the computer/electronics store, CompUSA, is now the temporary home of the Bodies exhibit.   I thought it was really odd they chose that location but my mom thought it made sense, I guess the Bodies people thought it made sense too.
On their website they describe the exhibit as “Featuring over 200 specimens consisting of whole-bodies and individual organs that have been meticulously dissected and preserved through an innovative process, Bodies …The Exhibition will enlighten, empower, fascinate and inspire. Visit the new exhibition venue located at 500 Cochituate Rd. in beautiful Framingham, Massachusetts.”
That’s right, “beautiful Framingham, Massachusetts”- some good press for Framingham!
I may or may not go to this. I could definitely spend $24 on something else besides seeing a dead body hold a tennis racquet.  On the other hand it may be interesting and it’s close enough that if I feel so inclined, I might find myself there.  Probably not, but we’ll see.

Before I start this post I’d like to say:

A) I’m sorry about the length of time between posts.  I personally, like to read blogs that are updated more often as well.  I’ve been busy in other ‘hams like Bellingham and Waltham and haven’t had time to investigate much but hopefully things will slow down and I’ll get some  decent posts.

B) Since it has been known to happen that occasionaly readers misunderstand me, I’d like to say that the following post is in no way states that I don’t think people should practice religion or that going to church or synagogue or a mosque or temple of any sort is a bad thing.   That’s great people get something spiritual out of going to church and feeling a sense of community.

I’m posting about how I’ve noticed some religious organizations that occupy prime foot traffic, storefront spaces downtown. 

Used to be Clough’s Pharmacy


Next to the Salvation Army thift shop

Used to be Friendly’s, now a Mosque (I still mourn the walkable distance to a Fribble!)

Personally, I’d like to see retail stores or reaturants on the ground levels.   I know downtown has other problems and some people will say “Hey, it’s better than that space being abandoned”.  Which may be true, but when I walk down Moody St. in Waltham, there are so many small business, from grocers, to bookstores to restaurants to little giftie type shops.  There aren’t any churches, people don’t say “Oh Moody St. is great, there’s a church at every corner!”
Just something I’ve noticed when I walk around downtown, looking for something else to go to besides the few usual places I go.
I was also curious about how many places of worship are in the downtown area and counted 30.  Again, I’m not saying people shouldn’t have the right to pick their flavor of church or temple or whatever, that’s great, but I was surprised that there is a need/demand for 30 churches in a 1 mile radius.  I also wonder what the effect of so many churches on the town’s economy is being that they are tax exempt.  Maybe it’s not much if most of them are in rented space, I don’t know.

As I’ve mentioned these stills were taken from a video camera in a moving car and these screen shots were, believe it or not, the best I could get from this tape.  The reason I’m posting these is because I’ve had a few requests from people who would like to see them and even through the blurriness, I found these to evoke crystal clear images in my head of how these places really looked, it’s funny how  the brain works with what it gets. So hopefully someone can also get some enjoyment from these shots. 

Classic dome of Jordan Marsh

The Jordan Marsh Car Care Center

Caldor (and CVS to the far right)

This one I think is the worst picture but I would have totally forgot about the Mr. Donut on route 9 if I hadn’t seen this.

The hotel that was where Trader Joe’s is now.

 Also, even though it’s not Framingham I could’t resist posting some of Natick. 
Sears with it’s multiple flags

Side entrance of the mall next to Anderson-Little

Of course the legendary York’s Steak house.

Star Market where the Container Store is now.

Thats it really for Route 9 footage.  I owe you Mitch : )

Some more footage from the video shot from the (moving) car given to me by Mitch Cohen.

Herbie’s was an ice cream shop where Cafe Bagel (or fresh bagel) is now in Framingham Center. ivermectin, liver damage
I loved going here as a kid after ballet lessons at the dancing arts center, which was right around the corner. As a teenager, my friend worked here, my friends and I would visit and wait for her to get off work. I don’t know how they went out of business, they were always pretty busy from what I remember. a que hora se toma la ivermectina en gotas
Anyway, I just thought I’d share some more lost footage of Framingham that Mitch so generously allowed me to use.