Look, Up On the Restaurant....

From Dave Brigham:



I'd taken a handful of rides on the Blue Line of Boston's subway system with my son before I noticed this place. Situated directly across the street from the Suffolk Downs stop on Bennington Street in East Boston, the restaurant is closed, but it appears to have changed hands a few times in recent years, so perhaps it will reopen.

Judging from a handful of Yelp reviews I read, I get the feeling this place used to be quite the hopping karaoke dive bar/Italian restaurant before turning into an Italian/Columbian hybrid.

Here's hoping somebody kick starts it again. Obviously the building needs some work on the outside, and on the inside as well, I'm sure. Just don't touch that airplane!

This Old, Decrepit House Update #2

From Dave Brigham:

Having torn down the place that I dubbed the Scooby-Doo House last summer, the new owners of the property in Watertown, MA, are making good progress on its faithful replacement (see August 3, 2010, "This Old, Decrepit House Update").

The house was torn down after the owners determined that they couldn't save what had once been a grand home (see July 25, 2010, "This Old, Decrepit House"). The owners promised to build something in the same style, and they are following through, which is good to see.

Here's what it looked like before the wrecking ball swung:



And here's the new place:

Sweating it out in Slab City

From Joe Viger:

Just outside Niland, California, and adjacent to Salvation Mountain, you'll find Slab City. The name derives from the concrete foundation slabs left behind when the government tore down what was once a World War II Marine barracks called Camp Dunlap. It apparently was the training ground for Patton's armored assault on Northern Africa. Before long, squatters began camping there and the city was born.

Today there are about 150 year-round residents and scores of snowbirds that enjoy no electricity, no running water and the desert heat of the "last free place" that is Slab City. Truly on the Backside.





The RV in the background was blasting "The Wizard" from Black Sabbath's first album and it somehow seemed the perfect soundtrack.







This is The Range. One of three bars in Slab City and a primary location for a Shooter Jennings video you all should watch. Slab City was also featured in the movie Into the Wild.

Literate Trolls

From Dave Brigham:

I'm heading to Cape Cod from July 9-16, so it'll be quiet around here for 10 days or so. In the meantime, there's plenty of stuff to look at from the last 16 months. Below is a picture I snapped during a recent weekend visit to the Cape.



(Drawbridge, Woods Hole, MA)

This Ain't No Mudd Club

From Dave Brigham:

Thanks to my buddy Jay Kumar for pointing me toward this photo exhibit by Blondie guitarist Chris Stein of New York City's infamous, but unfortunately now-defunct, punk rock club CBGB's.

I never made it to CBGB's. I walked past the club several years ago, before it was turned into a John Varvatos shoe store, but it was the middle of the day and although I was well aware of what I was walking past, I didn't take much note of it.

Despite that, as far as I'm concerned, CBGB's should have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, because it holds a unique place in this nation. For those of you who aren't aware, the club opened in December 1973, with the goal of featuring "country, bluegrass and blues" (hence the name of the club). Rather than becoming a showcase venue for those types of music, however, the club was the place where punk bands such as The Ramones, Patti Smith, Blondie, Talking Heads and Television got their starts. Smith, in fact, closed out the club on October 16, 2006.

I could go on and on about punk rock and how much I love it, but I won't. Just check out these pics and if you don't know much about the above-mentioned bands, check out the videos below: