Re: NERW Radio Folks Dinner 8/30

["Sean Smyth" <ssmyth@suscom.net>]

Dan S. writes:
> I think the problems with traffic from outside Boston TOWARD Alewife on
the
> Friday evening before Labor Day have been vastly overstated. Most traffic
at
> that hour of that day is OUTBOUND.

I don't know about that, Dan. I used to drive through Alewife on the way
home from work and a couple days a week, that meant coming off Route 2 East
and into the rotary around 5 or 6. If you went straight through the rotary
or got off at the T station exit and hooked up with Fresh Pond on the other
side of the rotary, it was still backed up for a good 10 minutes, at least.

> Similarly, although Jasper's may have a
> long wait anyhow, I don't think you ought to expect serious restaurant
> crowding except in touristy places. A lot of people will be leaving
> town--not sticking around--and will be getting an early start.

A lot of the student community and their families will also be getting an
early start getting into town. I don't think Jasper's necessarily appeals to
the younger set, but maybe to their parents?

> As stated
> below, in my (originally) private communication to Scott, Bertucci's at
> Alewife is a good alternative to Jasper's--especially if you like pizza.
And
> it's just a few hundred feet away. Within a radius of less than half a
mile,
> there is also a Ninety-nine, and directly across the road from it, a kind
of
> similar chain place whose name I won't remember until after I send this
> message.

Ground Round is on the opposite side of the rotary from the 99, on the side
headed toward Belmont. The 99 there, next to Best Western, is actually never
all that rowdy and always seems to have seating available. Plus, from there
you can walk out the door and see the WJIB tower in all its glory! (And it's
a short enough walk to make an impromptu "field trip," and you wouldn't even
have to cross the rotary.) And you can never go wrong with Bertucci's.