Allston is about to get a vegan ice cream shop, Nomu (no moo, get it?). The lactose-free emporium will be located on Cambridge Street in Union Square. The neighborhood sure has changed.
Greening a bit of Allston
Harry Mattison is promoting the initiative by CityRoots to redesign and replant the Everett Street slope south of the Pike.
Extinguished
An Allston resident and his friends were doused with a fire extinguisher last night by a carful of drunks.
Used records vs. gourmet wines: which is more hip?
The Oak Square space now home to a used record and book store will have a new groove as a fine wine and gourmet shop come September, if all goes according to plan. Currently the space is occupied by Diskovery, whose owner announced earlier this month she will be closing. Too bad she isn’t staying and the new upscale shop moving into another space in the square.
On the hipness scale, does Oak Square move up a notch or is it a demerit? Maybe these crusaders for coolness can let us know.
Shortage of 2AM bar closings in Allston remedied
The Avenue Bar & Grill at 1249 Commonwealth Ave. in Allston has won an extension of its closing hour to 2AM. Coverage of yesterday’s hearing by Universal Hub is here.
Shrinking bridge
Your options for driving to Cambridge are narrowing. Starting Tuesday morning, May 29 traffic on the Larz Anderson Bridge will be limited to one lane in each direction. It is going to be a tight squeeze. Cars, bikes and trucks will share the same travel lanes. More information on this project is here.
No cure for ugliness
What is perhaps one of the ugliest buildings in Boston is about to get bigger. The BRA has approved a three-story addition to the emergency and urgent care building at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. The expansion will add 23 beds to the current 252. A bit of landscaping is also planned, but it will be behind the new addition. Can’t have greenery disturb the fortress-like structure looming over Brighton Center.
Years ago, when the hospital was seeking another expansion, the architect of the Cardinal Medeiros pavilion admitted he “wasn’t proud” of it. No kidding. (photo via Boston Public Library)
Radar trap ends with cop on car hood
A Boston police officer was hit by a car while he was pulling over speeding vehicles around the 2000 block of Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton. That driver is so busted.
Hell on wheels
A short video giving a glimpse of a tow truck driver’s evening, including lifting a car in Allston. Definitely NSFW language, via @mikenusbaum on Twitter.
Back to school
The official opening of the former Presentation school building in Oak Square as a community center is this Friday, May 19 from 3:30 to 8PM. The ceremonial ribbon-cutting, speeches and whatnot will begin at 4. The Presentation School Foundation has been working for eight years to raise money, renovate the building and attract service providers.
Go ask Alice
The annual (who knew?) prescription “Drug Take-Back Day” netted 140 pounds of pills at D-14 on April 28. The BPD describes it as a “popular, annual event”. Popular with who? And why? (image via Deviant Art)
Blame Steve Jobs
Diskovery, which has been purveying used records and books for thirty years, is closing its doors. Digital media has pushed out paper and vinyl, knocking out retailers big and small.
Boston joy ride, 1964
Take a spin through Boston and Cambridge, including Cleveland Circle and Brighton Center, circa 1964. It is amazing how few cars there are on the road. Things look a lot more stylish on Mad Men, but maybe that is just Boston. (h/t to @bostonsnudisco on Twitter)
Love that dirty water
Actually, it ain’t that dirty anymore. The EPA has given the Charles River a “B” rating for cleanliness. Still not going for a swim.
Future Nobel prize winners at Harvard
Close to 100 people attended the Harvard Allston Education Portal’s end of semester Showcase, an event that demonstrated the projects of about 20 local kids mentored by Harvard students. The event also allowed attendees to get a peek at the Annex, a new space that triples the area available for programming.
BU commencement to leave local police with nothing to do
BU’s graduation and the end of the semester will leave Boston police officers bereft, hanging around D-14 like Maytag repairmen, waiting for the 911 call that never comes. No parties, no hazings, no quality time on Ashford Street. The university has finally figured out that it makes more financial sense to honor billionaires one at a time instead of John Silber every year.
We sell plants for cash
Need some green? We all need more cash, but the Brighton Garden Club is offering the next best thing, plants. Their annual plant sale will be held at the Presentation School Community Center in Oak Square on Saturday, May 19 from 10AM to about 12:30PM, rain or shine. This collective of green thumbs is looking for donations and volunteers. Contact Wilma at w /dot/ wetterstrom /at/ comcast /dot/ net if you can help.
Eat your vegetables
The Allston Farmer’s Market is returning, starting this Saturday, May 12. Union Square will be a cacophony of push carts, stalls and vendors hawking produce twice per month, so you will have to eat twice as much green stuff as you did last year. Eat healthy, then drink away at the Model.
Dash or stay
Zip car is easier
Last month Ender Durgut led police on a car chase through three towns before crashing his car. Last week he decided to test drive a Venza while it was still in the Herb Chambers Toyota showroom on Commonwealth Avenue in Allston.