Webster, MA is located on the shores of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, which is too frequently misguidedly referred to as "Webster Lake".
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is the longest place name in the United States but only the sixth longest in the world, falling well short of Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotameteaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a hill in New Zealand.
My niece Zoe isn't the only person having a birthday today. The fabulous Dania is also celebrating. To observe this occasion here are three buildings in Webster, Massachusetts that I think she'll like.
New York City is known for its black-and-white cookies. It is a mystery why as the cookies are almost uniformly mediocre. The NYC black-and-white is based on a dough that is somewhere between a cake and a cookie. The black and white icing is hard.
Venture to upstate New York or New England and you'll find the morphologically similar, yet gastronomically different, half-moon cookie. The half-moon is actually a small cake with buttercream frosting on top. Half-moons are classically made with cocoa in the batter, though the cocoa-less form seems to be more popular nowadays. Upstaters take a lot of pride in knowing that half-moons are better than black-and-whites.
The whole upstate vs. downstate argument is pretty boring so let's skip to Somerville, Massachusetts. Lyndell's Bakery has been in Somerville since 1887. I went there a couple of weeks ago on National Doughnut Day, after first having a doughnut at the Gail Ann Coffee Shop in Arlington with my sister. The powered sugar doughnuts at both places were great - light and not at all greasy. (Why does anyone ever by the crappy greaseballs from Dunkin' Donuts?) The half-moon cookie was for later in the day. It tasted even better than it looks.
Looking through the photo slush pile that is my hard drive I saw these pictures of a Ford Torino GT taken in Amherst, Massachusetts. This is either a 1968 or 1969 model. The yellow house to the left of the car in the top photo is Emily Dickinson's house. The white house in the second picture is her brother's. It is a little known historical fact but the Dickinson siblings hated Fords. It is said they had a Calvin peeing on the Ford logo sticker on the back window of their Duryea Motor Wagon made in nearby Chicopee.
Northampton, MA and Harlem.
In the last post Dane left a comment saying I visit the most interesting places. Downtown Springfield was not one of them. I got to Springfield before the Hall of Fame opened because I dropped my father off for his early morning bus ride home.
My plan was to get eat at a downtown diner. The flaw in the plan was the one time I had previously stopped in Springfield it was an earlier visit to the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is separated from downtown by the interstate. Thus, I had no clue what downtown was like.
Downtown Springfield has seen better days and I couldn't find any diners. Urbanspoon failed me. Or should I say I failed to heed Urbanspoon's blank search results. I kept wandering further afield. I did come upon a combination Italian bakery-cafe-market. The bakery looked nice but after Christmas I needed something more than a cream- and sugar-filled breakfast. The cafe next door was a bit too Sopranos-like and didn't appear to have any food other than what I could find in the bakery.
I drove further afield. Finally, really hungry, I gave in to Urbanspoon's suggestion for Manhattan Bagels across the river in West Springfield. Luckily, before finding the bagel place I ran across the White Hut.
The White Hut was as good inside as it looks from the outside. Inside there is a counter and twelve stools. No menu. No prices. The customers were all locals. Well, Zippy the Pinhead once visited but he was confused. The people behind the counter were very friendly. Breakfast was fried egg sandwiches. I ordered ham, egg and cheese on a water roll. I had no idea what a "water roll" was but that's what the locals were getting. A water roll is otherwise known as a hard roll, kaiser roll, or a bulkie (in some sections of New England but not Springfield).
Next time I'm getting either a two dollar hamburger or a cheeseburger for a quarter more.
The Miss Florence Diner is Worcester Lunch Cart Co. diner #775 from 1941. It is at 99 Main St., Florence, Massachusetts. The diner changed hands several years ago and the new owners changed the name of the nightclub in back from Alexander's to the very confusing Silk City. Silk City being the name of a Worcester Lunch Cart Co. competitor. I can vouch that the Miss Florence had a surly teenage waitress, a delicious open-faced turkey sandwich, and working tabletop juke boxes.
The weekend I was in Boston was Patriot's Day weekend - the anniversary of Paul Revere's ride and the start of the Revolutionary War. This is the statue of John Parker, captain of the Lexington militia, on Lexington Green. I missed battle re-enactment on the green as it was conducted at the historically accurate time of 5:45 a.m.
Day and Night Diner, Palmer MA
One Stop Beer Wine Liquors, Palmer MA
Palmer, Massachusetts is an old railroad town that had a few interesting storefronts along Main Street. I stopped to walk around and take a few pictures. Just after I photographed the liquor store the owner practically ran outside and asked me if everything was all right. I assured him that everything was okay and that he should remain calm. Actually, I think I said "Nice day isn't it?" and kept walking.
Further up the street a very enthusiastic guy wanted to know what kind of camera I had. He had just taken his 5D to Israel and taken over 700 pictures. I owe that guy an apology. I tried to be nice and have a conversation but I was so winded from the bronchitis that I could barely get a word out. Sorry!
The Day and Night Diner is Worcester Lunch Car #781 and was delivered on May 31st, 1944.
The Homestead, Amherst MA
Often when I drive between New York and Boston I'll take a short detour to either Northampton or Amherst, usually Northampton. Since I stopped to see the Friendly Giant of Chicopee, Amherst was easier to get to on this trip.
One highlight of Amherst is the Homestead, the house Emily Dickinson lived in for almost her entire life. The house is modest-looking from the front but it is a mansion that's a lot deeper than it is wide. It is a short walk down Main Street from the center of town, where I had parked.
That was the longest two-block walk I had ever taken. By the time I got to the house I was gasping for air. This was the low point of not feeling well and I spent a long lunch debating whether to find an urgent care facility, return to New York, or continue on to Boston.
I saw my doctor a couple of days ago and I'm either allergic to tree pollen or have bronchitis. He diagnosed the latter when I went into a violent coughing fit in the examining room. I'm pleased to say I went for a five-mile walk today with no coughing episodes.
Anyway, Amherst is a picturesque college town, and I wish I had taken more pictures, but I mostly just sat at the Black Sheep Deli and contemplated what to do next and also wondered why Amherstians (Amherstites? Amherstipuddlians?) flock to the Black Sheep as the two times I've been there my sandwiches have been mediocre at best.
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