Kendall Square

Who knew? (burrito department)

Sean — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:13:06 -0400

Used to go to Baja Betty's on Harvard Street in Brookline for the occasional weekend lunch with the toddler son. My favorite burrito joint in the Boston area. Spicy mushroom quesadilla for the adults, rice and beans for the boy. The boy got a sister and got older, the family got busier, so we don't find ourselves in Brookline Village of a weekend afternoon so often.

Imagine my delight to learn that MexiCali Burrito Co., 500 Technology Square (Main Street), just around the corner from my Kendall Square office, is an off-shoot of Baja Betty's, down to the spicy mushroom quesadilla and burrito filling.

Must make up for lost time.

Cops cracking down on light-running cyclists in Kendall Square

adamg — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:41:39 -0400

Stacie reports getting a warning from a cop this morning:

... I did a typical bike thing--I ran through an intersection instead of stopping because it's easier--and I got caught. Had I been fined, I'd have paid it and (believe it or not) I wouldn't have complained about it. When you're wrong, you're wrong. ... Now, how about handing out some tickets to people in cars who (1) park in the bike lane and/or (2) run red lights?

Slowest parade ever

Lyss — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:49:39 -0400

Sunday's Cambridge Carnival parade crawled down the streets of Kendall Square, with plenty of stops for dancing and singing.

Not the best spot for some meditation

adamg — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:23:32 -0400

SJ was admiring the gray-haired man's stretching as he meditated in the Kendall Red Line stop. And then it hit him: Not only was the guy on the tracks, he was holding onto the third rail:

... The meditator was meandering down the tracks into the tunnel, bags in hand, not rushed but with intent. Now there were dozens of people, all watching him, many idly. I stayed on the phone, offering voice updates and a description for a third time. After a minute, something made him return to the end of the other platform and climb up. ...

MEM DRIVE FLOODED. PLEASE ADVISE.

adamg — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:40:26 -0400

Shane Curcuru reports:

... [T]he Mem. underpasses to the Longfellow are glub, glub, glub. ...

Assuaging his T guilt

adamg — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:49:43 -0400

Joe Pesaturo at the MBTA passes along a letter to the T from Daniel Verinder of Jamaica Plain:

Recently, I was preparing to enter the gates at the southbound T station at Kendall when a passenger said to me, "I'm going to go through with you," meaning that they were going to enter for free on my pass. Without thinking about it, I said, "OK." But as I entered the train car, I started thinking about how unreasonable this action was. I am a big fan of public transit, including the MBTA, and I did not like the though that I had cost the MBTA money. ... Regardless of the fare-evader's economic situation, the MBTA should not be the one to suffer for their lack of funding.

So Verinder bought a CharlieTicket and sent it back to the T and made a donation to Alternatives for Community and Environment. And next time, he says, he'll pay for a CharlieTicket for somebody who wants to get in with him for free.

Making a withdrawal

adamg — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:06:09 -0400

Cambridge Police say this is a photo of a woman who held up the Bank of America branch at 226 Main St. in Kendall Square on March 25:

The suspect handed the teller a note demanding money. The suspect managed to escape with some cash.

She's also wanted for robbing a Citizens Bank branch on Cambridge Street yesterday.

Call 617-349-3370 with any info.

Quantum quits Kendall

adamg — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:52:56 -0400

Jammer reports that Kendall Square mainstay Quantum Books is shutting down its retail store and retreating into its warehouse out in the boonies at the end of this week:

... They will have browsing area for anyone who wants to make the trek, but it won't be the same as dropping by there before work or at lunch to get intellectually centered. ...

Bang the drumstick slowly

adamg — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:06:13 -0400

You better go get a box of Kleenex before you hit the Play button on Ernie Sarro's long goodbye to Kendall Square's Mr. Gobbles (Via David Harris). The one consolation is that Mr. Gobbles hasn't yet gone to that Great Platter in the Sky - only to Dedham.

Good gravy: Kendall Square loses winged icon

adamg — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:47:06 -0400

The Cambridge Chronicle reports that Mr. Gobbles has been moved to Dedham after being hit by a car last month.

Mr. Gobbles had preened and pecked on the grounds of the Volpe Transportation Center since 2003. Unlike his man-eating cousins in Brookline, Mr. Gobbles never bothered anybody. Today, he has the run of the Animal Rescue League's 27-acre refuge in wildest Dedham.