This Is Framingham

 
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. is antivert good for vertigo

They also have a holiday sale that anyone can apply to sell at. how to use ivermectin paste for rosacea   I only sold two small, low-ticket pieces last year but it was cool to know someone bought my stuff. dosage using ivermectin paste 1.87% for treatment of sarcoptic mange: : )

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.

I stopped by to check out Bedrock Comics on route 9 the other day.  When I asked the owner if I could take pictures and explained what I do, he said “Awesome, I’ve been waiting for you to come in here!”  His wife and mother-in-law run the candy shop next door and told him about the blog, I feel bad it took me a while to get here but I finally did.
The owner is one of the happiest people I’ve met and with good reason, he’s been collecting comics since he was 13 and then worked for Bop City Comics (previously downtown and in the old Marshall’s mall) and then bought the store and now calls it Bedrock Comics –and he gets the left over candy from next door : )
I can’t image how great that must be to be in a business that you can’t wait to go to everyday because it’s so awesome to be there.

I thought maybe comics have died down but they definitely have their loyal followers and collectors so it seems like people will always “need” their comics. 

I couldn’t help but feel like a kid again when I went in there even though all the customers were adults.
I was short on time that day but I’ll be back. ?? ???   I used to collect loser comics like “Stray Toasters” and thought it wil be fun to look through stuff like that when I have more time to spend in there. ???? ???????

A rare “yay” for route 9.

Since Ethan doesn’t eat sushi, I always save going out for it with my friends who do like it.
My friend Jill and I decided to try Wasabi, it’s a little place on route 9 east right before the ramp up to Framingham State. ????? ????????
Wasabi is one of the few places to get sushi in Framingham, I think it’s about 9 or 10 years old. ???? ????? ??? ??   I had never tried it before so I read up on reviews online.  There were more good than bad but I still wasn’t sure what to expect.

The inside was a lot better than how it looks on the outside, which was good for starters because one of the reasons I’ve never been here before was because of how the outside looked to me.

We got some sake and started with seaweed salad which was great. Very tasty and just enough chili flakes (which I don’t usually like) to not be overbearing like some places make it.

For the dinner we got salmon sashimi, a salmon-avocado-cucumber roll and a rainbow roll that was featured on the special board.


The sushi tasted very fresh and high quality. ????? ?????? ?????? They have a very limited menu and do not have super creative rolls like at Oishi (which is an incredible sushi experience but I limit this blog to Framingham so that’s I’ll say about Oishi) although it says on the menu that if you don’t see something you’d like they welcome requests for the chef.

We were really happy with our selection and the service was excellent, unlike one of the reviews I read, so we were pleased with everything.  I shouldn’t have avoided this place for so long!

Waverly Market (on Waverly St.) is a mom and pop Italian market that was first introduced to me a few years ago by my mom and her work-friends.  They would get subs from here for lunch and I tagged along one time and was amazed I never knew it was there, yet it’s right on 135.
Inside seems to be very much a family business. ????? ???? ????? ???? There is always a cute little old lady at the register and a team of people working the counter. There is a frozen food section where they sell homemade pasta, sauces and a variety of meatballs, from chicken to lamb. ???? ????? ?????  

I’m always tempted to try the $60 lasagna but I haven’t had enough people over to serve it.  I have to believe it must be an amazing lasagna. There is a ready-to-go hot food section at the counter as well as deli, cheeses and probably 6 or 7 types of biscotti.

Most impressive is that they fill cannolis to order.  I got a little one to go and watched a(nother) little grey-haired lady pipe in the filling, dust it with powdered sugar and wrap it up.

This may be strong statement, but: This was the best cannoli I ever tasted.  Better than Mike’s or anywhere I’ve had a cannoli before.  I’m still thinking about how good it was right now.  It must have to do with the fact that its freshly filled or they make great filling or both.
Molto bene!

Hi. I’m Ethan (Michelle’s significant other). ????? ???? ????? ??????? 2024 ?? ??? Michelle is away for a few days, so I’m filling in.

When Michelle and I went to visit the Fountain Street Studios a while back, one of the artists happened to mention that Henry Hobson Richardson had designed the old Framingham railroad station. [For those that don’t know, H.H. is considered one of the three most important American architects, and was the first to have a worldwide influence.] I have to admit I was doubtful because even though I’ve spent many a time sitting at the traffic light at the intersection of Waverly and Concord Streets, I never once looked over and said “Whoa! Look at that railroad depot! Is that an H.H. Richardson here in Framingham???” Research however proved the artist correct, so I went downtown on foot to take a closer look.

After checking it out up close and with a friendlier eye, I still have to say the building is really nothing to blog about. It’s definitely not Boston’s Trinity Church (one of H.H.’s most famous designs), BUT it’s not every town that can say it’s got a building designed by one of the most important American architects ever. At the risk of sounding a little dorky, I think it’s pretty neat that we’ve got one.

The only sad part to this story is that the building isn’t being used right now. Evidently an Indian restaurant called Udupi Bhavan was the last to call it home, but they’ve moved on to another location. I’m not sure if there are plans to use the old station for something new yet, but I really do hope so. It would be sad to see an H.H. Richardson building left vacant and useless. ???? ???? And I hope whoever takes it on next puts in just a little effort to spruce it up a bit. Seems like even though it’s no Trinity Church, with a little dusting off it could be a nice cultural treasure in downtown Framingham.

I noticed a new store in the Trolley Square plaza called “nuwaves” and went to see what it was all about.
It’s a card/gift store that is well stocked and very well put together. They have fun little trinkets like decorative soaps, plush toys, “over the hill” stuff, chocolates and novelty items.

I was impressed with how neat and clean the store was even though it has so much inventory. Sometimes places like this in a small space can be too cluttered and disorganized but they do a good job with presentation.

I had a nice conversation with the lady working at the register. She said for 20 years they used to be down further west on route 9 and recently moved to this location.
Sometimes I find myself needing to get a card and a little something for an occasion and it’s great to have a nearby shop I can go to without going to the mall, shoppers (stupid) world or target and get something just as nice.