We all travelled
to the North End by different routes. Joe P. and Steve came by car and found a
parking spot a block away. Ed parked at a garage on Atlantic Ave. Jim took the
subway and Joe L., Mark and Paul took the commuter train to North Station and
then walked over to the North End. Paul took the Newburyport train and Joe and
I took the Lowell train. You can see
photos of the trip at the Picasa web site …………..
Joe L.
met me in Wilmington and we bought train tickets at the local corner store. The
price for one way senior citizens is half price or $3.35 from Wilmington to
North Station. Joe and I found the last
parking spot for my SUV at the train parking lot for $4.00 and waited on the
platform across the tracks.
I thought
something was wrong when a maintenance truck appeared on the train track just
before the train arrived on the opposite side. We put on our running shoes and
quickly ran to the other side of the tracks to catch the train. Huffing and
Puffing, the train conductor said he would have waited. Was this the start of a
memorable day? Well, on the way back I found $6.00 on the sidewalk near North
Station which paid for the train ride and made up for the morning mad dash.
Joe and I
got to North Station early and we walked over to the North End across the Rose
Kennedy Greenway and down various side streets over to Hanover Street. As we
walked, Joe spoke about the North End and pointed out where some of his family
lived many years ago. We stopped at the St. Joseph’s Society Hall and went
inside. Jim Matarano was cleaning up from the St. Joseph’s Day banquet held the
previous day. The society is 100 years old this year. Joe P. is also a member
and sometimes tends bar there.
We looked
at some of the framed photos on the wall and Jim and Joe reminisced about the
good old days and the St. Joseph feast and parade. Joe pointed to a framed
photo on the wall which showed his father in 1925 as one of the early members
of the Society. They then told the story of the little girl dressed as an angel
hoisted on a wire over the parade route. The wire snapped and the girl fell into
the arms of the St. Joseph Statue below. The miracle of the little angel lives
to this day.
We also
walked by other landmarks with other stories to tell. St. Steven’s Church, St.
Leonard’s, the North Bennet St. School, Sacred Heart Church, famous restaurants,
Mike’s Pastry, and the local Groceria. Joe had a story about each one. It was nice
to listen about his family memories. On the way home Paul, Joe L. and Mark
stopped at Mikes Pastry to take home a few delicacies.
It was Restaurant Week in Boston, so you could get a
three course lunch for $20.13. There were a lot of choices on the menu for the
Antipasti, Prima and Dolce. You can see the Lunch Menu at ……… http://www.restaurantweekboston.com/restaurant/ristorante-villa-francesca/#
Our waiter’s name was Ernesto and he was originally from Salvador.
He spoke several languages but mostly Italian which he practiced everyday with
the cook. He was very attentive to our table even while waiting on three other
tables. We ordered drinks to start which consisted of wine, cocktails, beer or
soda. We thought about ordering a bottle of wine for the table but it was way
too expensive. You can see from a picture of the wine menu (Picasa Web Site) that
a bottle of their top wine reserve was $450. This is a little rich even for the
Royal Romeos.
Ernesto quickly brought the drinks, some fresh bread and
oil for dipping as we browsed the Menu. We then ordered our choices for the
three course meals. The portion sizes were small but filling for lunch. For the Antipasti, we ordered the Caprese
Tomato Salad or the Steamed Mussels in white or red sauce. The Main meals were
Penne, Broccoli with Chicken, Penne Piccato with Veal and Chicken Cacciatore. We then had dessert which was either a cannoli
or cream brulee. All the items were excellent and delicious. We ended the meal
with cappuccino and coffee. The Ernesto filled the Cannoli at the table and
added the toppings as desired. It was a nice touch to the freshness of the
food.
The conversation was lively as usual and bounced around
the table. We talked about cars, movies, trips, politics and the new Pope. We
all thought that The Cardinals should have picked a younger Pope but hoped for
the best. We also thought that the Catholic Religion and others were in trouble
with the new society of young people and needed to do more to reach out to
them. I joked that my daughter bought me a pair of red sneakers for my birthday
and I named them my Pope Shoes, since he is not wearing his anymore.
It got to be late and we tentatively picked a restaurant
in Salem next time. Jim will send emails and let you all know.
