The Romeos met again for lunch today at Fiore’s Restaurant on Hanover St. in the Boston North End. You can see info about the restaurant on its web site at the link …… http://www.ristorantefiore.com/I took the train in from Wilmington and met Joe Loducca and Joe Lapiana on the train. They had already boarded in Lowell. It’s so much easier to take the train and not have to worry about parking. From Wilmington the fare for one way is only $2.60 for seniors and $5.20 regular. I have my Senior Citizen’s Charlie Card which allows me to get the senior rates. In Wilmington I get the train ticket at a local convenient store. You can also buy them on board the train or at the train station.
The ride from Wilmington to North Station was only 28 minutes. We quickly left the station and walked out on to Causeway St. It was quite windy out in the open. The weather stations had predicted the temperature to be in the 40s and the wind to gust up to 50 mph. I had to hold on to my hat and was glad I had a pair of gloves.
The walk over to Hanover St. took about ten minutes and it is always interesting to look at all the city traffic and the city skyline. I took some photos along the way and you can see them at the web link ….. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/RomeoLunch32410#
You could see the Lenny Zakum Bridge, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the Boston Garden and some of the tall buildings in Boston.
On Hanover St. the wind died down as we had some protection from the buildings. The street was busy as usual with cars parked along both sides, cars traveling down the street and a lot of pedestrian traffic. As we walked toward Fiore’s you could see some of the other well known restaurants and other stores.
Since we were early we waited outside for others to arrive and then after a while went in side. Jim had called ahead and made reservations and we were all seated at a long table near the window on the street side. The others started to arrive and eventually we had ten Romeos in attendance. They were Joe Lapiana, Paul Girard, Jim Terlizzi, Joe Loducca, Nick Zimopoulus, Jim Kearns, Joe Pignatiello, Steve Winter, Ed Deschuytner and Mark Ryan.
The waiter asked for drink orders and we ordered some bottles of house wine to share. He then took our meal orders and most made a choice from the Restaurant Week menu. This was a three course meal with either soup or brochette first. Then the entrée or second course was either a chicken stuffed with goat cheese and potatoes or a spinach mixed with calamari and mussels. The last course was a dessert of cannoli or tiramisu.
The meals came quickly and although the portions were small they were delicious. We then finished off the meal with dessert and coffee.
During and after the meal the conversation was lively as people talked in groups across the long table. It was hard hearing everything said at the far end of the table. Nick T. joined the group invited by Joe P. Nick use to be Science Director at Lexington then moved to New York and is now involved with some program in Europe. His wife still teaches at Lexington. Joe P. asked about Joe Balsama. Jim T. said that Joe B. would like to attend the lunches but his wife had a medical appointment o Wednesdays.
Mark Ryan showed his new published book called “Adventures of the Romeo Gang – Vol. One”. It is a collection of ten different short stories involving the fictitious Romeos and their mis-adventures. You can order it at http://www.lulu.com/ . Select “buy” and then type in “Mark Ryan”. You will see three books by me. One is a single story and the other two are compilations of ten stories. One is in magazine format (8.5”x11”) and the other is in pocket book format (4”x6”).
The conversation then dealt with MTRS retirement and people getting credit for work in government related projects or than teaching to add to your years of service. Ed D. explained some of the legalities of years of service.
Joe Lapiana talked about attending a concert in Melrose to hear the Melrose Philharmonic. He said the tickets were only $28 and the program was excellent. The conductor explained each musical piece and it was very entertaining. He also said there are several excellent restaurants in downtown Melrose to choose from.
Jim T. then said he belongs to Restuarants.com where he gets 20% discount on selected restaurants. Joe Lap. said there are some magazines that do the same. Mark R. said that they use to sell booklets in school that would give you coupons for dinner with second meal free.
There were other conversations that we all enjoyed and before you knew it, two hours passed and it was time to pay the bill. As always Ed D. figured everyone’s share and we all said are goodbyes until next time.
As we left the restaurant a few of us went over to Mike’s Pastry Shop and bought some dessert to take home. You can’t beet the delicious sweets from this shop. Latter we stopped at the oldest grocery store in the North End and Joe Lod. wanted to buy some salted chick peas that he enjoyed as a young boy.
It was still quite windy and we walked over to North Station to get the 3:10 train. We got there 20 minutes early and set in the waiting area. Joe Lap. talked about his art work and the studio he rents with some other men in Lowell. He said he really enjoys the camaraderie and also all the painting tips he picks up from the other artists. Joe Lod. said that he also use to paint and did mostly pencil drawings. Mark R. said he paints also in acrylics and does mostly tole painting on mailboxes, glass and furniture.
At 3:10 we boarded the train north and set in the front car. As we passed different stations you could see a lot of graffiti and a lot of trash on the tracks. Joe Lod. said it’s the same even in Europe (Rome and Athens). We also talked about salmon fishing in Alaska and the old DDE money we use to get in school to help pay for teacher workshops. Later we talked about swimming as young child in Medford, Cambridge and Chelsea.
In a short time we arrived in Wilmington and I got off. The others went on to Lowell. We all said bye until next time. It certainly is great sharing stories with people from your own generation who can appreciate all the good and bad times and know that we survived it all. You often wonder, is the world better today or is it just easier to think about the “good old days”?
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