I dig my neighborhood (Ashmont-Adams) 5

This entry was posted in Boston Celebration Community Dorchester Walking on by

Determined not to make my first post of the New Year a negative or critical one, I’ve been waiting for something positive to inspire me.  Inspiration came yesterday.


Yesterday was the first day I felt well enough to get out of the house, having been brought low by a cold last Saturday.   I bundled up and walked down to Adams Village where I went to the local Rite Aid to buy more facial tissue and cough drops.  I resisted the temptation to go into Greenhill’s Irish Bakery for a cupcake or cookie and headed home. I passed Blaisi’s Café where I have eaten and Sonny’s Pub & Restaurant , where I haven’t although I noted that they serve breakfast all day.  I glanced into Lynn’s Spa – where there were a number of women getting mani-pedis as usual though not as bustling as it was on New Year’s Eve when I’d last stopped there. I looked at the plants and flowers displayed in Lopez The Florist .     I then made my way up the hill to  the Adams Library where I ordered some books and just savored the warm environment that was bustling with activity in all sections.  My final stop was at the Ashmont Market & Liquor Store where I bought some orange juice.  I crossed the street, dropped two envelopes in the mail box and headed home.


That’s when the thought for this first post of 2011 hit me: I dig my neighborhood.  I mean I really dig it.  I like living in an actual neighborhood with small businesses, services and friendly neighbors. 


I can walk in any direction from my house and pass restaurants, corner stores, and playgrounds.  I can walk to a supermarket in 10 minutes (with two others quickly accessible by car and bus – or a longer walk).  Three T stations are near my home – Ashmont, Shawmut and Field’s Corner (10, 12 and 25 minute walks away).  There’s the Leahy Halloron Community Center with a pool within close walking distance.  There’s a YMCA not too far away. There are a number of churches.  There are spots for coffee and tea nearby (Flat Black , The Mud House and Dot2Dot Cafe and the ubiquitous Dunkin’ Donuts).


I can and often do  walk to see bodies of water in 15-40 minutes (the Neponset River, Tenean Beach, and the waterfall by the Baker Chocolate Factory condos in Lower Mills).

It’s a neighborhood!  And:




  • Some of the neighbors are friendly, some are Boston-reserved, and others are loud.



  • Some of the clerks are models of customer service some act like they’ve never seen me before even though they have regularly.



  • Some places I have not yet worked up the courage to check out – like Sonny’s or the Eire Pub , because I’m unsure of how I’ll be received.



  • Some places I only visit when I have money to spend (like The Beauty Bar , Cedar Grove Gardens  or the small jewelry and purse boutique next to Hair Solutions whose name escapes me now).


I’m so grateful to live in a real neighborhood that works.  And that’s a positive way to start the year 2011.* 


*(‘cause believe me, I’ve got some not-so-good stuff I’m getting ready to write about soon.)


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You might also like these posts about my love for my ‘hood:


Adore-chester


I Love Walking in Dorchester


 


 


 

About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

5 thoughts on “I dig my neighborhood (Ashmont-Adams)”

  • Jim

    I was wondering where you’d gotten yourself to. I’m glad you’re well again and walkin’ the talk. I love my neighborhood, it’s also great for walking and the neighbors are almost universally friendly, especially to my dog, but we don’t have the shops and restaurants nearby that you do. Well they start about a half mile away, but that is down a long steep hill, so we tend not to walk in that direction. I used to dream about moving to a vibrant town center with woods and fields in its back yard.

  • Carolyn

    I whole-heartedly agree. I love my neighborhood too. I am right on the Roxbury Jamaica Plain line and I feel as if I have the best of both worlds. I am only a couple of blocks from the Stony Brook T stop; there are small place to eat and drink–the brewery is a 10-minute walk; corner stores; good restaurants, and then there is JP Center which is a 17-minute walk or short T and bus ride away. Thanks for reminding me to add this delightful fact to my gratitude journal. It is a simple yet overlooked pleasure to enjoy your neighborhood and community.

  • Candelaria

    Thanks, as always, for your comments.  On recent trips to St. Louis & Charlotte, I was struck by how far away my family members live from activity.  Everything is very car-bound for them although there are parts of both cities that are more like this neighborhood and yours.  It’s nice to really dig the place you’re at!

  • Candelaria

    JP is a wonderful neighborhood and there is activity on both sides of your section.  Lots going on on Washington St., in Egleston and on Centre Street.  The best of the city.  Thanks for leaving a comment.

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