30 October 2006

ode to the 'ham

my old friend and framingham buddy mark alerted me to thisisframingham, a surprisingly charming and sweet blog about our hometown. although the author didn't grow up in the 'ham, she has a remarkable memory and writes with loving innocence yet not without edge.

she searches for the perfect pizza (i would suggest makkas pizza - my first employer - in the old framingham mall, were it still around). she owns a bike and actually uses it to get around. she seems dedicated to finding the rare nooks and crannies in what is increasingly a chain-store-saturated anywhere, usa. she mourns the "sad plaza" (you know, where big d used to be), hopes for the revitalization of downtown and supports local businesses.

but her biggest rant may be the sad transformation of shoppers world from the pioneering open-air mall of our youth to the big box glorified strip mall of today.

"i don’t want to sound like an old lady shaking her cane into the air but, the new shoppers world isn’t even worthy of the name shoppers world! They should call it 'another blob of generic stores you can find anywhere in America with bland, unoriginal structures and no trains or reindeer'"

amen, sister.

2 comments:

PaulGladis said...

If she knows so much about the place, then you could assume she knows that if one were to rearrange the letters in 'Framingham', they'd get 'Gates of Hell-ingham.'

Of course, everyone who doesn't live under a rock probably already knows that.

CONNECTICUT RULES! MASSACHUSETTES DROOLS!

Anonymous said...

I'm getting a little teary looking at that old ramp. Incredible.