Watertown, MA
 

I took a little trip back up to Boston last week. I stayed at my brother's place in Watertown. His neigborhood is kind of a pre-sprawl throwback; little independently owned shops and resturants, local busses, and ethnic enclaves.

http://www.wildfreshness.com/brian/archives/wt1.jpg
Here's a typical block of stores in my brother's neighborhood.

http://www.wildfreshness.com/brian/archives/wt2.jpg
It's a Armenian enclave.

http://www.wildfreshness.com/brian/archives/spa.jpg
Watertown has lots of spas. These spas are not health spas, but little stores. I think originally they were shops with soda fountains. Spas of this type are an Eastern New England thing.

There was a little tire recapping service, in Watertown, called M&H tire service.
They got the bright idea to make a recapped tire with squared off shoulders, soft rubber and no tread.
Nobody ever made tires like that because at the first drop of water on the road would be a disaster.
But for drag racing, they were unbeatable...maximum traction racing slicks.
From that shop in Watertown they sold M&H Race Masters from a pickup truck at the New England race tracks....but not for long.
Their business grew exponentially, year after year and they moved out of Watertown to a big international corporate headquarters in CA.

Also, The Watertown Arsenal. ;)

Watertown
 

So Bruce, I take it you once lived or worked in or near Watertown? I lived in Natick, Needham, Newton, Wellesley, Brookline at various times. Watertown is cool. Waltham is too, but it's becoming very gentrified.:neutral:

Are you a member of ASCE? I myself have done some industrial archeology and written papers on some major CE/chemical engineering projects.

Have a good weekend.:guinness:

Grew up around Springfield then I lived in Boston, early '60s, Brookline Ave & The Fenway.
Moved to Medford for a couple years while working at Tufts and Compo Shoe Machinery in Waltham, before moving to PA. ;)