This Is Framingham

One night we felt like renting a movie, which we don’t do really. I think the last movie I rented was when we lived in Waltham so we don’t have a membership around here.  We stopped by Video Craze in Trolley Square (855 Worcester) and easily signed up for a membership and rented our movie.  Video Craze is a somewhat local business.  Looking at their website, you can order a movie or game online and have it delivered.  They are based in Lynn but have two locations in Framingham: the one we went to at 855 Worcester Rd., and one at 25 School St.
It’s nice to see a video store that is small and not Blockbuster.

Here’s their site for more info on the delivery thing http://www.videocraze.com/

Oil changes are just one of those things I keep putting off.  I always think about my sister’s friend who put it off for over a year and then her engine finally seized.  I know I’d never let it get that far but that’s what motivates me to get it done.
I was up early Saturday and determined I’d just go and get it done so I decided to try the Clean Machine’s “Kwik Change” on route 9 (1181 Worcester Rd.).
They have parking spots just for people getting their oil changed so I parked there and went in to speak to the guy at the desk in the waiting area.  I thought he was particularly pleasant, only because I sometimes find garages/mechanics/oil change places to be a little gruff so when they’re nice it’s like a bonus.
I paid for my oil change and he gave me a token for a free car wash (which all oil changes come with) and I took a seat.

When my car was done they pulled it up front by the waiting area and beeped the horn.  The guy who pulled my car up told me to have a good day and when I got in my car I saw this piece of paper hanging from the rearview mirror:

Aw, now I’m part of the Clean Machine family!  Probably not important but for some reason I liked that everyone that worked there wore a “Clean Machine” shirt.  Nice sense of teamwork, second only to Oil Can Henry’s.  I happened to be on the west coast and needed an oil change one time and was impressed/baffled by the Edwardian get up these guys wear every day to change oil.  A must try if you ever need an oil change out west.

It was such a smooth transaction that when I got home I told Ethan about how easy it was and and he took his car down there too.  Although Kwik change is not the cheapest oil change you can get at $29.65 (especially compared to “ladies day” at Monroe), I really like that they’re pleasant, no one tries to talk you into getting something you don’t need done and you get a hershey kiss and a free car wash.  Nice to see a local business that appreciates their customers do well.

Although I usually ride my bike to work, when it’s raining or to cold or (I just don’t feel like it) I’ll drive in. My car was in the shop last week so when it rained I took the train to work. securonix competitors uk   I realized at that point that I left my umbrella in my car so I was absolutely drenched by the time I got to store 24 to buy another one.  The guy behind the counter must have felt bad for me, being the soaked mess that I was, and gave me a free cup of coffee. I’d just like to publicly recognize the nice guy at Store 24.  Thanks again : )

After that I walked by the Magic Oven.  I had a few minutes before my train got there so I went in to check it out. ivermectin rat dose   This is (again) one of those places I never think of stopping in but this was the perfect opportunity to check it out. 

I believe this is a Brazilian bakery, I just guessed from the language and from what most of the bakeries are in downtown but I could be wrong.  I forgot to find out what “Tele-Pizza” is.

Inside is well lit and clean with nice display cases.  I saw a variety pastries and then some meat items. 

They had something like fried chicken on a stick, and some kinds of chicken muffins, some with cheese and some without.  There wasn’t anyone behind me in line so I asked what some things were.  The guy behind the counter quickly answered my questions but wasn’t rude (although he may have been glad I finally decided on something). ivermectin directions   I decided to try this chicken muffin type pastry. 
Inside was chicken and something, I thought it was cheese but the guy said that one didn’t have cheese in it.  The dough was pretty dry and crumbly* but the chicken inside was really good; moist and tasty.  It was kind of like a chicken knish. 

*Be careful eating these on the train because it will crumble a lot and can be messy.

This morning we went to Anthony’s Cafe & Grill at 740 Waverly St.
Inside is clean and kind of small with an open kitchen. They have a counter and about 6 tables, I forget exactly how many.

Ethan got the pancakes (as usual) and side of bacon.

I got raisin french toast and a side of corned beef hash, which I don’t usually get but I was in the mood for it.

The hash was exactly what I was craving and the french toast was delicious, I could have eaten all three pieces but decided to call it quits after two.  Ethan said the pancakes were very good also. 
Although there was nothing really unique about the breakfast menu, I did like that it says they have real maple syrup by request, so we both asked for it.  They had a few different varieties of brewed coffee, including decaf so that was nice.  Service was friendly and efficient.  Not much more you could ask for from a little neigborhood breakfast place.
I would go back and try lunch sometime.

I ride by Bill’s grill 5 days a week and have had it on my list of places to try for a while.
Finally, this past weekend Ethan got up during breakfast hours and we went down to check it out.
Inside is pretty much what I expected, just enough room for a counter with about 10 seats and three mini-booths for two up againt the wall.  The menu is also what I expected, standard breakfast fare; eggs, bacon, pancakes etc…
Although, on the menu it does say to ask for something if you don’t see it.
The waitress, who mainly stays behind the counter, was friendly and asked from behind the counter if we wanted coffee.   Incase anyone cares, she made a note to tell me when I asked for decaf, that it’s instant. ??? ??? ????????
For breakfast I just got a couple of eggs and sausage that comes with home fries and toast.

Ethan got pancakes and bacon:

This is a very neighborhood type place, everyone seemed to know everyone’s name who walks in, although were not made uncomfortable that we’ve never been in there before.
It’s another “it is what it is” type of place, it lived up to my expectation of being a place to get a decent breakfast and it wasn’t disappointing.  It’s nice to have little neighborhood places like this still around. ??? ?????? ??????? 2023 ????

This past weekend we decided to stop into Watch City Cigar (497 Worcester Rd.-Route 9) just to see what this place was like.  As expected, it’s very masculine inside.  On their website they have a link called “Manly stuff for manly men” that goes to their gift page.

Even though I know nothing about cigars, pipes or anything in here, I was impressed they had so many items and they were nicely displayed too. There was a guy behind the counter was friendly and offered to answer any questions we had.

This was the first time ever I asked if I could take a picture and the person didn’t even take a second to think about it, he immediately responded with “Sure, why not?”.  Most places will let me take a picture but it’s after I explain why because they want to know (which is understandable) but this guy didn’t even question it.  I just thought that was interesting and I didn’t expect it since I saw a few security cameras in there and they have some higher priced items.
As professional as this place is, it seems they have a good sense of humor too, if you look at some of the questions on their FAQ page.  Along with answers to pipe measurements and return policies are answers to questions like “Why is Ernie looking at me like that?” and “Who is the handsome guy that looks like Tom Selleck?”
Along with cigars, pipes, tobacco, humidors and novelty lighters, some of their “manly stuff” is walking sticks, shaving sets and flasks.  You can buy your own wooden “cigar store Indian” too.  Incase anyone is wondering what the Waltham (Watch City) connection is, they used to have their store there before moving here.

 

At 666 (!) Waverly St. is a bar called Bruburger’s. I wasn’t sure what to expect, if it was going to be like a restaurant-bar like the Chicken Bone or more bar-bar like the Happy Swallow.
My “drinking buddy” Mike and I ventured in and found it to be more on the bar-bar side. ?????? (????)   Which is good because Mike is always looking for places like this.   This was what I like to call an “old-man bar”, from the vintage Clydesdale Budweiser display above the bar to the classic jar of pickled eggs, it’s hard to find places like this around here.

The crowd here at first glance seems like it could be kind of rough but the bartender was very friendly and later in the night a guy who had a enjoyed a few beers bumped into Mike, said excuse me and then recognizing we weren’t regulars, started telling us about 25¢ wings on Mondays and half price burgers on Sundays but “you can’t take them with you, you have to eat them here”.  As he was walking backwards from our table to the bathroom, he went on about how “it’s a good…good crowd here” and that we should come back.  Then he finally vanished into the bathroom.

We both got burgers and Guinness, which the bartender made the effort to draw shamrocks in the foam.  I got a mushroom cheeseburger and Mike got one with Canadian bacon (mike’s picture didn’t come out). 

 I have to say, I didn’t know what to expect, even with the word “Burger” in the bar’s name, but they were excellent.  The buns were really good too, nicely toasted on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside- that was another thing the friendly drunk guy told us, is that they get the buns from The Framingham Baking Co.
Mike with his burger: Me with mine: (See Mike, I posted our pictures!)
 

Much like the Happy Swallow, the bathrooms had some character as well.  I liked this little note by the toilet:

My favorite part is that it says “So freakin’ DON’T!” (Note to Ethan:  I’m going to say this all the time so get freakin’ used to it!)

This is a great place.  Would I send my mom here?  Maybe not, but we had a great time and I’ll definitely go back. ????? ??? ????