| Having a Ball
The retail district of Somerville's Ball Square is only about a quarter-mile long, but within that space is a combination of comfortably quiet meeting places, old-school eateries, and a feeling of faded glory. Joe and Eileen Galvin, both in their 80s, have lived just outside this commercial zone for more than 40 years but insist they are no longer aficionados of the area. "Things keep changing," says Eileen from the back seat of Joe's sedan as they give me a slow tour. The two point out what used to be where, as landscapes shift and geographical ghosts remain in their memories. There was a jazz club where a bank now stands, an elegant one-screen cinema where a locksmith now operates.
Despite their insistence of contemporary ignorance, the couple, married for 61 years, are quick to sing the praises of Ball Square Seafood (158 Boston Avenue, 617-776-3355), a bro-and-sis fish market in its 50th - and final - year of business. "The fella that ran it, he passed away a few years ago," says Eileen. "Now his son and daughters are running it, and we understand they're going to close because the building is for sale." "Their scallops are very good," she adds, as Joe slows down and elicits a honk from behind us that no one in the car acknowledges. "I also like the haddock and scrod, and I like it thick. I don't like thin pieces." Joe and Eileen frequent the popular breakfast spot SoundBites (708 Broadway, 617-623-8338) but never on weekends. "Fridays and Saturdays, the line is down to the next building," Eileen says, "But we go in [other times] for a cup of coffee and a muffin." As we pass Blue Cloud Gallery (713 Broadway, 617-776-2700), the sun hits the blown-glass sculptures in the windows. We pass True Grounds (715 Broadway, 617-591-9559), a laid-back coffee shop with free wireless Internet, and Eileen reflects on the changing landscape. "Now there's so much turnover, and we've got a different, younger crowd in here," she says. Joe chimes in that a trolley used to drive down Broadway from Sullivan Square. Lyndell's Bakery (720 Broadway, 617-625-1793) has changed owners several times since opening in 1887, but the quality is the same as when the Galvins used to buy birthday cakes there for their kids. "They have a delicious lemon-filled doughnut," says Eileen. "You'd never starve in Ball Square."
Patrick Gerard Healy Back |
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