Lynn Lofts, The Skinny

Biotech for Downtown

2011-08-26T13:15:00.003-04:00

Came across this article in Lynn Item today:

http://www.itemlive.com/articles/2011/08/26/news/news01.txt

Biotech is a very good fit for our downtown area. Their research and development facilities were nearly chased out of Boston due to absurd fears of bio hazard, and the crowding an cost of space in Cambridge have driven many start-ups to other states. Yet, Boston & Cambridge keep attracting these businesses because of the high concentration of researches the area attracts and universities produce. Lynn is in a good position to get a piece of this business due to it's proximity to B&C yet much lower property cost. The researchers can hang with their buds at Miracle of Science in Cambridge but work / live in Lynn. Although last I checked R&D types seem to live at work anyway. Lynn's industrial past seems to be a nice fit with a move to supporting Biotechnology business as well, just from a historical perspective, I mean.

Biotech is not all R&D, there is manufacturing and all the lab work and admin that accompanies the whole process. This means jobs for people who don't where lab coats. Boston Scientific opened up a whole new facility out by 495 a few years back after spending years in Cambridge and Natick. Many of their employees lived in Boston, and they lost quite a few because of that move. We are only 9 miles from Boston. Had Boston Scientific opened up here, they may have held onto those valuable employees and helped our community as well. That point, being able to hold onto good talent, is a very powerful value-add for our location. This is an opportunity we cannot, must not let go. We pursue it and support it to the fullest!

Turbine

2010-07-10T18:25:00.002-04:00

Turbine is the new wine bar at 56 Central Sq. in downtown Lynn. It took over the space of the original Gulu-Gulu cafe; a fine establishment that has moved on to Salem and is doing well there. The Gulu of old died a slow and lingering death and I was happy to see it shutter sooner than later. I hate watching businesses wilting to oblivion about as much as I enjoy watching a sparrow starve to death... not that I watch sparrows starve to death very often.

If you visited Gulu-Gulu, you'll immediately be taken aback by two things about Turbine:

The obvious familiarity of the space.
The incredible transformation of the space!

The layout is familiar just because it's so hard to do anything about the odd 'L' shaped layout. Narrow entrance with a fat short elbow at the back. With that said, Steve, the new owner, a different Steve than the Gulu-Gulu owner, did an incredible job of designing the space to be both different, dramatic, yet comfortable and integral to the neighborhood. The brick we all love is fully exposed with pieces of art hanging on the wall. Ok, one piece of art contributed by Sean hanging on the wall. The ceiling is now black with drop lights and track lights, the walls painted a rich deep, but dark red like the kind working girls sport on a Friday night. Cafe tables line the way towards the larger back space where there is now a bar at the back with all the liqueurs and wines on display. A small galley kitchen is behind the bar.

Steve has managed to redesign the space into a dark but inviting industrial space. It's stark yet warm with the color choices and the openness of the space setting the foundation of its vibe. It will feel empty and open to some, chic and cool to others. Probably something in between to most. In my humble opinion it could use some more warm texture up in the front section. I imagine a velvet banquet lining most of the length along the brick front wall. It would use up some of the space and amp up the warmth factor. I'm sure some will disagree and that's good since my tastes tend to run a little odd anyway.

The food is prepared by chef Dorothy Kaiser. She studied under David Fitzgerald, chef of OSG and Dowtown Bistro and finished her education at Le Cordon Bleu. The food is superb. Turbine serves small plates, which I think is a wonderful idea since I'm trying to stay within my existing pant size. We're in a recession you know, can't afford to change my entire wardrobe. The quality is excellent and there is something for everybody. I'm quite fond of the tuna miso trumpets. I avoid reviewing specific dishes. Just go and try it. You will have little difficulty finding something you like.

I really like the open feel of the back space. It promotes group conversations. Plenty of space to stand, drink, and share gossip... which is what we tend to do most of the time in Turbine. Considering the excellent wine and beer selection, it's easy for everyone to find an adult beverage to their liking. If you're looking for the straight-poop of the happenings of downtown, go to Turbine on Tuesday or Friday night, liquor up some locals, and chat them up. Guaranteed juicy info.

The thing that distinguishes Turbine the most is the exceptionally personable and attentive level of service. The staff makes sure you are well cared for. Everyone from the bartender, floor staff, and owner ensure you leave happy and satisfied. Unfamiliar with a menu item, ask. Unfamiliar with a wine, ask. Don't know what you want, ask. Can't get a date... that's your problem. You will be educated, served, and invited to try new things. It's a great way to increase your exposure to good and new food.

There is this guy, Guido. He's Italian, I mean like straight off the boat. He's also like 100 years old!! Well, not that old, but close. In other words, he's seen some really serious shit in his long life. And, being Italian, Guido understands good food. Guido is a regular at Turbine. Maybe you're thinking "so what." Maybe you're thinking "so, his taste-buds might be dull at that age." Me, I think you should go there to find out if he knows something you don't. Especially since he's seen stuff you will probably never see or experience in your entire dull miserable life... in caparison to his, that is.

So, go to Turbine. Pay honmage to Joanna the goddess bartender. If Guido should be there, be sure to pay your respects. If you're lucky, he may deem you worthy to school you in what's truly important in life... brush up on your Italian.

Marcus

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

2010-04-13T22:19:00.061-04:00

It's been a very long time since I wrote. That date down there on the last entry below is not an error. It's been 3 years. Without getting into the "whys", "what fors", and "how comes" let me just say life got very complicated very quickly and I barely held my head above water for awhile. It's still a bit tough but as my grandfather, a boxer, would say "chin up, eyes forward, get on with it." And, so I shall.

I've been asked to write again. And when enough people you respect ask you to do something as mundane as put your thoughts to paper... err... blog, well, it gets to the point where it's insulting to say no. Add to this a confluence of significant events and one develops that most hallowed of motivations --- self service. :-)

If you guessed that I'm writing to plug my 'hood, I say to you, bingo. And no, I'm not moving.

A walk down Central Square today is not the same as it was 3, 4, even 5 years ago. Most of our store fronts are full:

Convenience Store - check, actually, I've got 2
Pharmacy - check, right across the street. Friendly people, very nice
Ice-cream parlor - check
Barbershop, with enough glowing neon to scorch your retinas - check.
Fashion forward clothing store - check (very fashion, very forward)
Travel agency - check, again, I've got 2, and no, I don't know why
Jewelry Store -check
Karate Studio - check, feeeeeel the burn!
Art Therapy Center - check (RAW!), absolutely amazing place
Insurance Agency - check
Dunkin Donuts - ooooohhhhhhh yeeeeeeaaaaahhhh, check (I am a DD man)

And last but not least..... wait for it.....

Snazzy Wine Bar!! - CHECK-UH-MUNDO!! - Hellooooo Turbine Wine Bar!!

If it crossed your mind that I'm writing while drunk... you are incorrect. I was drunk about 3 hours ago while doing my taxes, but now am perfectly sober.

All of this urban goodness is within one block or closer (Turbine is in my building).

There is a renewed sense of optimism here in the center, and given the enthusiasm I have for Turbine, you'd be forgiven if you incorrectly guessed an impending assault of Turbine kudos amassing to bludgeon your senses so you and your hordes embark upon a pilgrimage to submit burnt Benjamins and consume much vino at the alter of Joanna the goddess of bar-tending. That comes later. No, the change in the air actually started about 3 blocks from here; in a place that fell under the relentless grind of capitalism not once, but twice. I am of course referring to what is now the Blue Ox.

The address of 191 Oxford St. was first home to the pioneering soul Oxford St. Grill (OSG). OSG was the child of Lowell Grey. His vision was an establishment offering excellent Germain Cuisine in a fine dining atmosphere. Lowell succeeded. One of my grandfather's being German, I especially loved this idea. OSG was a very nice place. White tablecloths, gentle manner, sophisticated libations, good vibe, music and atmosphere. We hoodies loved it. The food was great, it provided an inviting and civilized place, and most importantly it had a FULL BAR! It was a place for us locals to meet, greet, and get plastered on a school night and stumble back home, stopping at the Hess for smokes and Doritos in route (Sean).

OSG folded I guess after about a year. The reasons are numerous, and I'm sure only a handful are genuine, but they are only important to those interested in such things like those plotting to succeed where OSG failed. What matters to me, though, is the precedent OSG established and the legacy it left to the residents. The former is that a fine establishment with amenities to match does have a following, however small, in of all places Downtown Lynn. The latter, is that it provided a common ground for residents to gather, banter, bubble, boil, and brawl -- really get to know each other, before escorting wounded comrades to our respective front doors in this gritty pocket of North Shore. Like all agreeable social activities, it was addictive and longed for, whether you knew you longed for it or not, and eventually... missed. The closing of OSG was solemn and quiet. Befitting a pioneer. And with a deep breath... I really don't have much more to say about it. We must give OSG it's due, but I would genuinely lament it's passing more if it weren't for one important item of note, the emergence... of the Downtown Bistro.

John Moore moved into OSG's old space. He made a few changes: used paper tops on the tables, added carpet, changed the menu to add more modest priced offerings, and he changed the overall vibe of the place to something more casual. I loved the place. The staff at Bistro were smart, funny, affable and just really fun and pleasant. They were a crew that appeared to enjoy working together and they certainly made my time there enjoyable and memorable. Upon initial opening the old crew from OSG reappeared and so did some new ones. We had great times there. It really was a great hangout after a hard day or week of work. The place had a good vibe and if you were in a bad mood when you got there we and the staff made sure you were all smiles or at least completely pain free before you left. Bistro was a fabulous place, but it too couldn't, didn't financially survive. It too closed after about a year. Why did Bistro close? I don't know. Some same it was a lack of marketing, and you know there really was very very little marketing by the Bistro. Compared to Blue Ox, both establishments had a famine of marketing. Is this the prime contributor. I don't know. But, I can same it is a key differentiator between Ox and its predecessors.

An important item to note is that both OSG and Bistro has the same chef, David Fitzgerald. He is a talented, gifted, and affable professional. His cuisine is superb, and most importantly, he's always striving to improve, try new things, make things work, exciting. The quality of food was definitely not a contributor to the demise of the two businesses. David moved to Ecco Lounge in East Boston. It's a nice place. The food is familiar to me, but mostly different. It's Italian "Tapas." Unfortunately I haven't been by in quite some time. Be sure to stop in, ask for Dave, say hi, and tell him I'm thinking of him, and hopes he comes back to the hood soon.

But I digress..

Along with the closing of Bistro came the first hint of the recessions. Gulu-Gulu closed it doors in Lynn, and many of the shop fronts emptied. Residents sold and left, divorced and left, rented out their place and left, or just left. The first winter came, and all was quiet. I honestly wondered if I made a mistake moving here.

Even with all the departures the reality is most of us remained. What's astonishing, however, is more residents moved in. Even more astonishingly, the newcomers were just like us: mildly screwed up, demanding, fun loving, quirky, and optimistic about the future of downtown.

The Bistro space stayed closed for quite some time, but from the onset of its closure there was talk of its impending purchase. Then the rumors started flying about the star power of a particular chef and his street cred. It helped that he too was from the area. I don't remember, or want to dig up, all the details, but suffice it to say renovations began and shortly after the Blue Ox was born.

The Ox as we and just about everyone calls it started marketing itself even before its renovations were complete:

"We are a casual neighborhood restaurant that strives to be inviting, relaxing, and value-oriented. Our dining room and bar offers an approachable American style menu with a twist, warm and family-friendly décor, and exceptional service filled with personality."

The interior was expanded into the adjacent space, required a wall tear-down, the lighting changed, the bar top upgraded to granite, the carpet ripped up (YAY), and different art. The menu is familiar, or better stated as familiarly written. Since the central idea is to provide cuisine that is instantly recognizable by the locals. Where as OSG and Bistro tried to offer something complete new, Ox provides things that everyone recognizes, or at least has names and descriptions that everyone recognizes. Ox word smiths each plate name and description so as to not scare anyone away. Human beings, myself included, tend to fear the unfamiliar. How many of you have steered clear of restaurants in foreign countries just because you didn't recognize anything in writing? I bet just about all of you have, if not as adults at least as children. Well, here's the realty of our area, it's full of old people, and old people like the familiar. The founders of Ox seem to have a better sense for their predominate customer base and have marketed themselves accordingly. Some will argue that some of Ox's dishes have "fancy" proper names elsewhere and the menu is portraying it as something else. Like it's false advertising. So what? They're not selling drugs they're selling food. What Ox is doing is good business, and, most importantly, it's working.

I've eaten about 5 times at Ox. Every night I've gone it's been packed, which is terrific. Unfortunately for me it's not my kind of crowd. Good people, just not my kind of people, which are, you know weird and damaged. No, Ox folks (Oxen?) are mainstream people who are not as weird but more damaged... but we can debate this later. I didn't care for the food at Ox. Don't get me wrong, it's good, it was just inconsistent and not up to the quality I was expecting. You should NOT read this as food at Ox is bad. You should read this as Marcus didn't like the food at Ox. You should go yourself and check it out. The way I figure, that place is packed.... so the odds are it must be my palate. In the overall scheme of things I'd rather have a packed place that is not to my palate than no place at all, because it benefits the neighborhood and that's more important than my individual needs. Luckily, I have Turbine...

(Next time, new entry: "Turbine")

Slow is Contagious

2007-04-07T16:40:00.000-04:00

Looks like I've caught Mayo-itis. It's taken me forever to update this blog. This will be a brief, and I apologize for any grammar and spelling errors. It's been a while since I've written in real English.

Keith Building

The Keith Building is transitioning control of the condominium to our board of trustees. We've chosen Harvest as our building manager. Looks like things will work much smoother once Harvest is managing our daily activities. Mayo is still bound to address our outstanding punch-list and warranty items, which I still have two, but they will no longer care for the building. This isn't such a bad thing considering Harvest is doing a good job in other buildings in the neighborhood.

Why No Blog for So Long

The short answer is I've been really - really busy. It's hard to blog when you're swamped taking care of your own life. There's been much going on in the neighborhood, but after sitting in front of the computer for 16 hours a day for 7 days straight for 4 months, you'll forgive me for slacking off. I'm definitely out of the groove, but plan on writing more going forward. Considering I haven't written much in months, "writing more" shouldn't be too hard.

State of the Neighborhood

Gulu-Gulu is opening a new place in Salem. This is an expansion not a relocation. The extra revenue stream will benefit both cafes.

Rumor has it that the new owner of what was Oxford St. Grill will open sometime in the immediate future. For all I know it could already be open. I need to walk over there and find out. However, three weeks ago I noticed activity in the place. It'll be nice to have another place to hang after a hard days work.

Tatiana's is a great place to watch games and grab and drink. The bartender I had was great, the food decent, and the prices acceptable. The drink selections are extensive. So if you want to watch a game someplace other than home, head to Tatiana's. As an aside, I knew Norma, the owner, when she was working in the cafeteria of a client of mine. Very astute lady. Lots of energy, and lots of heart.

Seven Central, Mayo's other condo across the street from Keith is almost full. That's good news in that it means more residents. The Mount Vernon St. lofts are also coming along nicely. Regardless of what I think of Mayo, as long as future residents take proper precautions they can make loft ownership less painful than what I endured. Remember, always, always get your own inspector, and also get your own lawyer!

We have a new flower Shop. I forget the name. Something like "Flowers in Bloom of North Shore." The older flower shop is gone. The new one may suffer the same fate if they don't improve their signage and visibility of their products. The store is difficult to see, not very inviting, and seems to sell more balloons than flowers. Running a flower shop is tough. Flowers die quickly, and unless you can unload them in time, you lose money. But, if you don't have flowers to show, who is going to visit to buy. Tough.

Quiet Clubbing

The bar formerly known as Cronin's, now Club Fenix, made some modifications, and it's much quieter now. I added some curtains over the blinds, and that seems to have made a difference as well. So, noise, is once again manageable.

Taco's Lupita

Great food, good price, wish the counter person would smile more, but I'm probably asking for too much. Grab a burrito. It's very tasty, but the hot sauce they gave me has no kick and tastes, well it's actually more tasteless than anything else.

Vietnamese Lighting

Pho Lynn, needs to improve their lighting. It's a big place, a friendly place, but not a homey place. The space and the lighting make it difficult to stay there and linger. Which, if they were really busy, would be a good thing, but it usually isn't that busy. I think some dimmers, and some wall dividers will help. Regardless, their food still Rocks!

Chinese and Hot Dogs in Swampscott

Went to a new Chinese place in Swampscott across from Red Rock Bistro. Can't remember it's name, but it's Something Chinese Bistro. Good food, nice service, and very good price. I recommend it. There is also a Hot Dog place across from RedRock Bistro. I don't remember it's name either; it's probably - Something Hot Dog Bistro.

Earth Day Every Day

I participated in the Central Square Cleanup on Earth Day. I arrived late, naturally, but there was still a good crew cleaning up. It was great. We got a lot done, and I met some great neighbors. We made a noticeable difference, and we got free T Shirts!

It's impressive how many people turned out and what wonderful neighbors we have. Yet another small, but very important, incentive to live here.

Good Neighbors

I was away for two weeks on Holiday. While away my neighbors outside my building actually noticed. Steve of Gulu-Gulu asked "where are you?" To which I replied, "I was in the Bahamas, Mexico, and Disney." To which he replied, "you suck!" To which I responded, "yes I do."

Remember kids, in the social circle of males real friends make fun of you all the time, but most importantly they always pick you up when you're down, hold you up high when you've earned it, and carry you when you can't stand on your own. Occasionally they'll drop you to make sure you're not faking. If they don't make fun of you, they don't really give a damn about you. Just remember to always return the favor. I've found the word "turd" to be especially useful - mild yet effective.

That is all I have to report. Until next time - remember, get an inspector, get a lawyer, no glove no love, and yes you really do want resident parking.

Marcus

As Slow as Mayo

2006-12-10T00:33:00.000-05:00

I, am, of course, speaking of Mayo Group. It's now a year and a half since I purchased my condo from the Mayo Group. Since the city council meeting of Feb. 14 2006 they've taken action to fix all the problems we have with our building. That's the good news. The bad news is that Mayo Group have yet to fix our problems completely. They economize too much. I realize that you have to trim here and there in order for a business to survive, but you know what, we're talking about peoples homes here. Do they think we're not going to notice? They brought in a company to repair the front facing brick. Great. They caulked the rear windows. Great. But they failed to caulk the South facing windows. NONE of them have caulk around them. So, on Dec. 1st, the last great rain storm, I had water raining into my apartment through leaks in the windows. So did the front facing units. In other words, we still have water problems.

In addition, I still have banging pipes in my walls from the intake and exhaust pipes in unit 2C. They opened up the wall try to fix the problem, but their solution was to jam wood into the space in order to brace the piping. I pointed out that the pipe bounced from front to back not side to side, but it's the only solution they could think of. So, I let them try it. Well, it didn't work. So, I'm getting very little sleep at night and I'm very grouchy about the whole thing.

The entire building is very upset with the situation. It's taken over a year to remedy something that should have taken at most a month if it had Mayo's full attention. I guess maintaining a good reputation is not something Mayo is interested in. Their current reputation is that of being a slum-lord. I guess I should stop expecting such a company to aspire to be more. To be great. Instead, it appears the owner is content on being rich, but mediocre. And I do blame the owner, John Mc-Grail for all these problems. It's his company. So, he is ultimately responsible. It doesn't matter if his underlings are causing all the problems, because he is at the top. He is the one with the final decision, and as the owner it is a direct reflection on his ability to lead. The culture within his company is directly a result of his decisions and his involvement, or lack of. The company just can't seem to do anything to completion well. I'm sure he knows this, but why can't he fix it? Or does he even really want to try? Probably too busy trying to make a quick buck in Texas to pay attention to what's happening back home.

Oh, but wait, his home is actually Ireland. He's not American, so why would he care? I actually protected my country. What has he done? What has he done to set himself apart as a man? Make money? Drug lords make tons of money. So do arms dealers. Money keeps mixed company, and money doesn't make a man. A man is defined by his reputation, which is earned. So, what reputation has McGrail earned? It's not too late to change. I find it interesting that he has never come here to see for himself what we are dealing with. It's not that severe. It's easy to fix. But it takes a willingness to do it. To do the right thing.

If you need someone else's two-cents, check out the comments from the last post. There you will see a resident of the 7 Central Condominiums across the street also complain about Mayo's inability address their buildings issues. Most unfortunate. You would think Mayo would have learned from our building - instead it appears they do not have the ability to learn from past mistakes.

Speaking of which: we were dealing with a Mayo Group manager named Dennis Burke. Dennis has great people skills. For the most part, he put us at ease and things did get addressed. What's been accomplished so far is his doing. Incredible when you consider how difficult it must be to get resources from the company. Unfortunately, Dennis Burke is no longer with Mayo Group. I can only guess as to why, but I suspect it has something to do with jealousy and lack of appreciation from within the company. I wonder if others in the company felt threatened by the fact that he can actually get things done. Lazy asses fear nothing more than someone who's mere presence highlights their own inadequacies, but this is all speculation on my part. What's important is Dennis is gone, along with all the knowledge he had of our situation. This means Mayo is again clueless about what needs to be done here, and they'll send someone else that we'll have to educate. When a company is unable to recognize good people, unwilling to retain good people, it says a great deal about how inadequate the company environment is as a whole. They can blame "growing pains" only for so long.

I think I'll have a chat with the folks of 7 Central and maybe help them draw up a list of issues, and tips on how to get organized. I suspect they'll need it, unfortunately. Maybe we can help them avoid limping along in the slow lane with Mayo in tow.

However, to be fare, because you know how important that is to me - Mayo did successfully fix the roof leak in my closet.

New Lofts = New People

2006-10-27T18:17:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok, ok.... I've been gone for a while, but now that I'm much better and working mostly from home I have plenty of time to keep you updated on the happenings of Central Square Lynn.

Development Continues

The Mayo Group is actively working on the Mt. Vernon St. artists lofts. They've torn out the old windows and appear to be in the process of gutting the building; thus, prepping it for its new life to come in the following months. It'll be nice to see what they develop. Now we all know I'm not enamored with Mayo, but I give credit where credit is due. They've contributed heavily to the revitalization of downtown. The Mt. Vernon St. lofts, as rumor has it, are meant to be sold to people who are in the arts industry. I have no idea what qualifies. It'll be interesting to see if this qualification holds. None-the-less, the more new home owners the better. You should see the bustle in downtown. Very active. Dunkin-D, FlavaZ (flayvuzz), Gulu, and Lupita are hopping! All the people are so nice around here too. Cars actually stop to let you cross the street, even when there is no crosswalk. How often do you see that in Boston?

The lofts at 7 Central Square are selling. A bit slowly, but they are selling. The model unit does a good job of conveying the possibilities, and having met one of the new residents I'm pleased to see the mix of people is, well, very well mixed. Nice.

And let's not forget RCG. Word has it RCG is working to convert another quasi-industrial building in Lynn to mixed use. This building, however, is in Western Lynn.

Rumor has it that the old stationary building next to Raw Arts is going condo soon. The biggest obstacle is the building needs an easment in order to have the land to put a second means of egress for the building. Behind this building is a latino "church." One of many (4) within a block of Central Square, I must add. Anyway, the church sits on the land. The church wanted a "donation." Something like 20k for the easment. That's right $20,000. I didn't know God was in such need. Anyway, there may be some progress. If not, the Church may be in such a state some other means of obtaining approval could be possible - oh like, eminent domain. "Give what is God's to God, give what is Caesar's to Caesar." Time will tell.

Anyone know what's up with the waterfront project? That barge is still sitting there. Leaning. Like something out of Planet of the Apes. Where's Charleston... and the hot babe? No, we don't need the horse or the monkeys.

Oxford Blues

Oxford is going downhill and in a hurry I am sadden to say. After the chef that lead it to earn the Best of Boston North Shore award left, yes he left, the place hasn't been quite the same. They ditched the nice white table-cloths. WTF!? Those table-clothes are key. Details, details, details. The place was sooooo nice. Now it feels unfinished and, well, awkward. The table cloths need t0 come back. If the issue is the price of laundering those cloths, how about doing what other high end places do... put sheets of white paper tastefully over the clothes. That should cut down on the laundry runs while preserving the sophisticated atmosphere it had. We have enough pubs and diners. We need a nice place to relax. A beautiful relaxing place with great food, great service, and attention to details, details, details! Otherwise Oxford is just another diner with a nice facade and cool lighting.

Speaking of food. Oxford's food isn't so great. I am unimpressed with the new chef Pierre's, yes that's his name, cuisine and presentation. The ribs were sour, the steak waaaaaaaay thin and not very tasteful. Picture this - 8 oz steak about 1/4 inch thick sitting in the center of a round plate with dreary looking carrot slices and soggy green beans lying parallel to it. Not very pretty, and, unfortunately, not very tasty either. Sad. Hopefully Lowel will get his good taste back in order. I heard the reason for the change in ambiance was because Lowel felt the place might not be warm, inviting, and approachable. You know, like a pub. Please! It's a nice sophisticated eatery. What's really going on? Maybe it's just an identity crisis. You tell me.

Soak Test

Starting late tonight we have a whopper of a rainstorm coming in. This will be the first stress test of the Keith Building's newly renovated forward facade, and roof leak fix. Please cross your fingers. I just moved all my clothes back into my newly restored walk-in closet. I'm feeling optimistic, and think all will be well.... Right, forget the optimism, I should move all the clothes out asap.

What Else?

We have a new business in the hood! Welcome Flag Pharmacy! Nice little place. If they don't have it they will get it for you next day. So convenient, so nice, and so local. The owner speaks Russian. For those of you not in the know, we have a large Russian population here in Lynn. Great people. Lots of fun.

I just noticed there is a Tailor around the corner from the Gulu. Fantastic! I have a pair of pants that need to be hemmed. I guess I should test the tailor out with a pair that isn't pricey. Maybe some repair work first. A good tailor is so hard to find.

I love Beden's Hardware. The place doesn't look very organized, but they have just about everything you need. I got my air filters and masonry drill bits there. So convenient. Now if I can only get a wine shop to move in. I am optimistic!

How I Miss The Silence

Cronin's is now the Fenix Latino bar. It's a club. I hear the music all the time. I call the police, the police call the Febux, the music goes down, and goes back up again, I call the police, the police maybe calls them... sigh... I just want a quiet nights sleep. All they need is to put in some sound proofing. How do you say sound proofing in Spanish?

That is all. Have a great weekend and stay dry. If we have any building drama you'll see it first right here!

Right, this set was lame. I'll do better next time.

Things Forgotten

2006-10-17T12:31:00.000-04:00

So sorry for the dirth of postings for the last few months. As some of you may already know back in August I ruptured a disc in my lower back and was rushed to surgery. The rupture crushed the nerves to my right leg rendering it useless for a time. I'm much better now and recovering slowly. Although my doctors say I'm recovering very quickly it all feels too slow to me. Perhaps I'm impatient, or maybe it's just difficult to accept the experience of having full use of my leg one day and not so much the next, but I digress. As result of the intense medications I was on for over a month my memory and cognitive skills.... just aren't what they used to be. They, along with my nerves, are recovering -- slowly. So, if I don't seem to recognize your face, have a hard time remembering your name, or don't recall your comment or email, I apologize. Please bare with me while I piece things back together and get the blog back into action.

Parking Issues

2006-10-11T16:13:00.000-04:00

There is a meeting tonight at the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce at 7 pm. All residents are encouraged to come, listen, and submit your concerns and ideas about the parking situation. However, residents from the prior meeting have already set a simple agenda of problem areas to discuss and it is our hope to focus on these items during the majority of the meeting. In summary the items are:

Change parking restriction enforcement hours - for example to 8 am to 6 pm
Change on-street parking signage to reflect hours of parking restrictions
Establish resident only parking areas and hours
Establish visitor permits for Central Square
Fix signage of parking lots to accurately reflect parking hours
Fix lighting in parking lots to ensure safety and promote feeling of safety
Add drainage to parking lot to allow convenient passage
Establish regular cleaning of parking to demonstrate an investment in the area

The creation of permit parking and posted hours of restrictions are well established proven practices in Lynn as well as other cities with dense populations, such as Boston and Cambridge. None of these items are unreasonable, and most importantly they will improve the quality of life for residents of Central Square.

Far From the Maddening Crowd

2006-10-02T00:40:00.000-04:00

Cronin's Cafe is a bar. The address is 517 Washington St. I have no issues with Cronin's but one - NOISE! It's now Monday 12:35 AM. The base from Cronin's speakers is vibrating my windows. Surprising when you consider I'm on the other side of the block, but unfortunately there are no buildings between me and Cronin's, and, obviously they have no sound dampening system in place at Cronin's. I have the noise regulations somewhere in my email system from James Marsh of the Mayor's office. I think it's time for me to brush up on them and get a noise meter from Radio Shack, and a video camera to record the noise and happenings down there. I have no issues with people having a good time, as long as they don't ruin my sleep late Sunday night before a work day. Friday, fine. Saturday, great! Sunday, absolutely NOT!

I don't think asking Cronin's to turn down the volume on Sunday night is too much, do you? I'm not asking for Friday or even Saturday for that matter. I'm talking about Sunday, the sabbath - a school night!

I put in several noise complaints with the police. They're very good about hasseling away the people on the street outside the "cafe" that may be rowdy, but having Cronin's turn down the volume seems to be a challenge. I wonder if politics are involved. Is there a guy named "Cronin" on the council? Do I need to stand in front of the city council with a power point and video of a DB meter pegging to get my point across? One would think the police department may find that a bit embarrassing.

Downtown is now a professionals residential area. The city should recognize that issues such as noise will hinder the return of downtown to that of a vibrant community. I'm not asking for dead silence. I'm asking for common good neighbor courtesy from Cronin's Cafe. Cronin's - please turn down the music on Sunday after midnight.

Calvin Where Are You?

2006-09-22T14:25:00.000-04:00

Calvin, I lost your number and your last message. I've been in bed recovering from surgery for the last month. Please drop me a line or give me a call so we can meet up for a hike.

Little Shop of Horrors and Other Yellow Stickies

2006-08-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

"Feed me Symore"

Or is it Seymore? Anyway: has any-one, any-body, any-person(s), any individual, group, or local institution sought, visited, or purchased flowers from the flower shop in Central Square? The reason I ask is that everybody I've spoken to do not recall that shop ever-ever-ever having a great selection of flowers.

So - here is my real question: Is it really a flowershop?

Wine and Cheese Shop

I'm still waiting.

Coke in Glass Bottles

If you're too young to remember Coke sold in glass bottles, you, my friend, are missing out on one sumptuous piece of Americana.

Coke in those cute little 8 oz glass bottles cost much more than a 20 oz plastic one. Glass bottles as we all know can be a hazard when dropped and broken or puposefully busted against a counter in a bar-fight. So in the interest of public safety Coke many years ago started to package most of its products in plastic bottles. To this I say - bull$#!+.

Coke started using plastic bottles because they were plastic - cheaper to make, much lighter - cheaper to ship, and at the time non-recyclable - so unregulated, cheaper to trash. In the process, they ensured the global icon of liquid candy would taste different for all future generations; which, would be ok if the stuff actually tasted better, but it doesn't. Coke in glass bottles taste better. Much, much better! No plastic taste. No petroleum distillates. No polycarbon-blah-blah-blah leaching into the highly acidic contents. Take a can of Coke, a plastic bottle of Coke, and a glass bottle of Coke - taste. You may actually like the Coke in a non-glass container better, but I guarantee you will taste the difference between the containers. I choose glass, because I feel its flavor is superior, and we all know how much of an elitist I am. I also choose glass because, well, I'm a bit old-fashioned.

It's Like Rambo....

I hear the Italian restaurant on Union St. is not dead, but just in slumber as kinks get worked out. I don't know the details of the delay. Perhaps it's bureaucracy. If so... they'll need that M60.

The Ghost of Masons

The scaffolding on the front of the building is gone! Hurray! The bricks appear to be fixed and in much better condition. Hurray! They left rope and other junk on the roof of the Plumbing business behind our building.... sigh. I think they're coming back to repair the back of the building too. In which case they'll probably use the rope again. I'll find out, because if they're not we may have further "issues."

Munroe Lofts

Has anyone moved into the first floor?

Ok, that's the end of my stickies.

Fifteen Minutes

2006-08-07T15:06:00.000-04:00

I am now famous.

On July 31st I was interviewed by The Daily Item of Lynn, our local newspaper, for possibly a series of articles about the new residents of the downtown area. Somehow I ended up being the first. I thank The Item for the privilege of having my voice heard by a larger audience, and feel honored for receiving and am humbled by the comments, feedback, reception, and constructive criticism I've received from my readers and, most importantly, my fellow neighbors.

What follows is the text from the article, but first I have three clarifications. None of which are failings of Jill Casey. It's hard to get all the details in a short interview, but you know how much details mean to me.

First, calling me a native of South Korea is not very accurate. I was born there, in the south of South Korea, but lived there only the first 6 years of my life, and I'm only half Korean. The rest of me is American - German / Norwegian to be specific. I had blonde hair up until about 12 - puberty changes you a great deal. I lived equally long in Georgia through the late seventies and early eighties. Does that make me a southerner? I guess if you add the two together you get the simple term for what I am - a hick.

Second, although I do look over my shoulder at night, it's not out of fear of physical danger. I'm just paranoid by nature, and really-really-really nosey. With the break-in to our storage area still fresh in my mind, I'm also looking for anybody suspicious. Central Square is safe. It looks rough, but it really isn't.

Here is the article. Thank you for reading.

Man's lofty tales tell the story of life in a changing Lynn
By Jill Casey Wednesday, August 2, 2006 LYNN -

As a kid, Mark Miller was an army brat who moved from city to city and coast to coast as his father's assignments changed.

The South Korean native, whose father was in the U. S. military, lived and traveled to many places, likely experiencing and seeing what most people don't in an entire lifetime.

But somehow, of all the places in the world he's been to, Miller wound up owning a loft in Lynn and being a part of a wave of newcomers looking for an alternative to Boston's high prices and congested neighborhoods.

"(Lynn) certainly feels the most industrious out of all the places I've been - and the edgiest," said the 36-year-old in between sips of peach iced tea while sitting in his Central Square loft Monday night. "There is a very strong sense of community here. And especially being new, there's a strong sense of community among (us loft owners)... we tend to gravitate to the same places and have the same tastes."

Miller has taken to his new community quite well over the last year, he says. On weeknights, he'll grab a beer or a glass a wine at new restaurants like the Gulu-Gulu CafÃ© or the Oxford Street Grill after a busy day at work. And on the weekends, he's a beachcomber who hunts for hermit crabs while walking Lynn and Nahant beaches.

Miller's experience in the last year hasn't been one long walk on the beach though, he says. The street and property crimes in his new neighborhood are an issue. His building has been broken into once in the past year and Miller said he often looks over his shoulder if he's walking in Central Square after dark.

But for the most part, Miller said he likes living in Lynn and has even started writing about it. When he ran into some issues with his loft being unfinished, he felt helpless and decided to start a blog - a type of Web site diary where entries are made and displayed for others to read.

"Lynn Lofts, the Skinny," became both a forum for his displeasure with the developers of his condo, The Mayo Group, and an online diary about his experiences being a first-time homeowner in Lynn. Now neighbors respond to his postings and often ask him to update it.

"Word just got out and requests for more information came in. Then I found out people from the Mayo Group read it," Miller said. "Honestly, I don't know if it's had any impact."

Some are not so sure it's had zero impact.

Steve Feldmann, owner of the Gulu-Gulu CafÃ© and a fellow Central Square resident, thinks it has contributed to the Mayo Group moving forward with some repairs on the building, which also houses Feldmann's cafÃ©.

"Mark had a bone to pick with the Mayo Group, and in some respects they are fixing up the building," Feldmann said. "People who don't normally have a voice do now, with blogs. I think Mark has been able to accomplish that with his."

If Miller's not updating his neighbors on progress in the building on the blog, he's musing about his long-term vision for the city he now calls home.

Alfresco dining, a farmers market complete with fish mongers tossing around whole salmon like Pike's Place Market in Seattle, and a little wine shop that passes around brie cheese and Pinot Noir samples are just a few ideas that might elevate the city's notorious image to a more desirable location for young professionals, Miller thinks.

"I'm very confident that those types of businesses can do well," he said. "Lowell Gray (owner of the Oxford Street Grill) is one good example of that and so is Gulu Gulu Steve Feldman."

A recent posting on his blog, http://lynnlofts.blogspot.com, illustrates Miller's humor and formula for progress downtown.

"We are an ocean town after all. That's what I love about Lynn. It's location, old architecture, and eclectic collection of people provide tremendous opportunities to build something great, enduring, useful, and different. Add some motivated people, some cash, heavy dose of city-council help, and the mind of someone with vision and good taste - stir, bake at 400-farenheit for 5 years, and insert toothpick to check for doneness... Make sure you use an air-bake pan."

The Sloan Machine Speaks, Masons Appear and Other Musings

2006-07-21T13:51:00.000-04:00

Sloan Machinery Lofts Speaks Out

The residents of Sloan Machinery Lofts are having their voices heard in an effort to influence the development of their neighborhood for the better. At issue is the development of a convenience store in place of the current towing service / car lot. According to the article Sloan Machine doesn't like the idea of having a convenience store next to them. My question is - why? If it's a nice convenience store, why not? I haven't walked down that way in a while. According to the article the resistance is because there are already several convenience stores nearby. I do recall seeing some, but they are small mom-and-pop shops catering to the tastes of locals of a different style than residents of Sloan Machine. However, with that said, it seems unlikely Tedeshi will produce something more appealing unless they listen to Sloan Machine. This is actually an opportunity for Sloan Machine to influence the development of a convenience store that can serve as a model for others. The article from The Daily Item follows:

LYNN -- The City Council tabled a petition to open a Tedeshi Food Shop and take-out business at 585 Essex St. Tuesday night so that neighbors can have the opportunity to air concerns about building a convenience store in an already congested area.
Petitioner Michael McLaughlin agreed to meet with abutters of Sloan Machine Lofts next Tuesday at City Hall after a considerable number of people from that condo association turned up at the hearing to speak against the project.
"We're happy to address the concerns of the neighbors," said attorney George Demakis who represents McLaughlin.
The site of the proposed convenience store is currently home to Bill Woods Towing Service.
McLaughlin is in negotiations to purchase the property from Woods and build a 16,000 square-foot convenience store. Because the site is already zoned for this type of business, Tuesday's hearing was for a special permit to build a take-out business inside the store, like a Dunking Donuts or Subway.
"This is a very important site for the resurgence of Lynn. It's a vast improvement over the current use and that's no disrespect to Bill Woods," Demakis said.
McLaughlin does not intend to have seating inside the store or a drive-through as part of his plan.
Hours of business will be between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m.Thirteen spaces are required, but Demakis said they intend to allow for 17 spaces.
A meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m. next Tuesday at City Hall to address concerns of neighbors.
Because the issue was tabled, only one abutter against the project chose to speak at the hearing.
"I feel strongly that the placement of another convenience store would be a grave error," said Warren Sadow

Real Masons

I received confirmation from unit 4A in the front of the building that in-deed there are real masons doing real work on the front of the building. 4A should know since they've been hanging outside their windows for the last couple of weeks. Also, I noticed all the red dust, remnants of old brick work, scattered all over the sidewalk in front of the building. Progress at last!! Can't wait to see what they screw up! Uh, did I just say that? Why yes I did! Can you blame me?

A 24 Hour Mac Donalds

The Mac Donald’s on the Lynnway has on their signage that they are open 24 hours on certain days. Yay, now I finally have a place to grab a bite to eat late-night... now I just need a good place to vomit afterward. And NO, just because others vomit in the elevator does not mean I feel compelled to do it too. A man must have standards.

Farmer's Market

The Farmer's market has changed their hours to be open fron noon to 7-ish. I think this is a very smart move on their part. I for one always lamented missing the market. With the prior hours it was closed on the way to and from work. Now commuters can actually stop by on the way home and buy fresh stuff for dinner! Fantastic! If only I could get home before 7! Commuting by car sucks.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had the farmers market as a permanent fixture in one of the old buildings Downtown? Something multi-floor, multi-ethnic, multi-food... not just veggies but all kinds of locally produced stuff, and most definitely a fish monger. Lobster, Lobster, Lobster. Something along the lines of Pikes Place Market in Seattle. We are an ocean town after all. That's what I love about Lynn. It's location, old architecture, and eclectic collection of people provide tremendous opportunities to build something great, enduring, useful, and different. Add some motivated people, some cash, heavy dose of city-council help, and the mind of someone with vision and good taste - stir, bake at 400F for 5 years, and insert toothpick to check for doneness... Make sure you use an air-bake pan.

Indian Food

Is there an Indian restaurant nearby? I don't recall seeing one and I was really jonesing for lamb vindaloo the other day.

Gulu-Gulu Alfresco

No, I have no problems with Gulu-Gulu being in my building, but if they were able to relocate to the other side of the block where Big Scoops once stood they could have outdoor seating. Wouldn't that be great! Sip your double-shot-skinny-late as you bask in the autumn sun, read the paper, and listen to the harmonica guy that walks the block now and then. If you look at the width of the sidewalk at that location you'll see it's perfect for outdoor cafe tables. In the process of moving they can also plan their lighting better. Let's be honest, the lighting at Gulu needs some work. The fixtures are cool, and the light is better than functional - however, it appears no one really put in a lighting plan. Consequently it's difficult to feel cozy in the place. Turning down the lights helps, but instead of cozy, it feels cramped and sleepy. Ever notice how much better it feels when they have the fire-place video playing on the wall? It's not just the fire; it's the extra bit of dynamic spot-lighting it provides. Think about it the next time you're in the place. Some table lamps in strategic locations would help.

Resident Parking Only

I want resident Parking Only from 6PM-8AM. I want those large elevated crosswalk/speed bump combos. I want parking spaces lined diagonally in front of the building with curb extensions to bracket the parking spaces. And I want an Aston Martin V8 Vantage to park in one of those spaces. I believe the Aston martin will be the only thing to actually materialize, but I can dream.

Hardware Store

You know, I wish the hardware store had better weekend hours. I guess business is probably slow, but I wonder if it would improve if they better fitted their hours to those of existing residents, and advertised with flyers that they exist - the store not the residents, but the residentds do exist too. I'm one of them. A resident.

Wine

A wine and cheese store would be really nice.... and a BBQ place.

That is all.

New Neighbors and Other Musings

2006-07-11T18:20:00.000-04:00

Neighbors
7 Central Condominiums is starting to sell. There have been 3 closings already and rumor has it there are 7 more on the horizon, so at best 3 more. This is good news! More new neighbors to juice up the block. I hope they're nice. I hope the guy who bought 202 has ear-plugs for the train. How much do you want to bet he's going to try to rent it?

More Power Tools
I picked up a great little power-tool the other day. The Bosch 10.8 V. drill-driver. It's the size of a small ray-gun but packs a tremendous amount of power for its size. It has a variable speed trigger, 10 position clutch, speed chuck, work light, and 80 in/lbs of torque. It uses Lithium ion batteries - so it's lite-lite-lite. Two batteries come with the driver, take 30 minutes to charge, and hold their charge for nearly a year. Once home I promptly disassembled everything within reach that had a screw - except for the fridge (don't want to jeopardize the beer). Don't ask about assembly. The tool is compact, powerful, and handles like a dream. It's cute too. Can't wait to actually do something useful with it. Highly recommended.

Flower Store
Do people actually buy flowers from the Flower Shop here? When I look inside I barely see any flowers. It's sad when the Whole Foods has more flowers than the flowershop. The place seems geared towards fulfilling wedding orders, but I'm amazed that they can get any business at all. The store front definitely needs some work. I suspect their business would improve if they actually put some flowers out on the store front for passersby to see. Like people coming home from work. Some stepped benches in front of the store adorned with fresh flowers and plants would probably boost daily sales a bit since flowers and plants are quite often impulse buys. I would certainly grab some every week as I walk buy from train to home.

Video Store
The Russian Video store is gone, but it was only a matter of time. I mean think of the turn-over the place would need in order to just make rent. I still think a video store can succeed in Central Square, but it has to be mainstream in order to generate adequate sales. Obviously it should carry art films and such, but realistically it will survive on mainstream movies. The place must also be small and efficient with space. I think it's doable, but I could be wrong. There just needs to be an a business person to crank out the numbers and take the plunge.

Fishing Disaster
Has anyone else noticed all the fisherman, mostly Latino and Asian, tossing away skates and stingrays to die on the rocks? They catch them with their lines but apparently these fish are not desirable. So instead of releasing them back into the water they essentially leave them to bake in the sun. Do they realize how tasty they are!!!??? Skates and stingrays are of the same family as sharks. Consequently they are delicious. Their meat is similar to, get this, scallops. So much so imitation scallop meat is quite often really shark, skate, or stingray. All that yummy food gone to waste. Remember kids - the ignorant destroy.

Hooks Under the Bar
Ladies, in case you didn't already know the bar at the Oxford Grill has hooks for coats and purses under the bar. I discovered these to my great delight Saturday night. Very convenient. Why don't all bars do this? And no, I don't carry a purse... but I do have a man-bag.

Ghosts of Masons

2006-07-11T18:10:00.000-04:00

We now have scaffolding up around the front of our building. I heard some voices this morning near the roof hatch and definitely activity on the roof. So when I left my house this morning I was surprised to see.... absolutely nothing. To Mayo Groups credit there is finally someone at our building to repair the porous brick of our exterior walls. It's good to see something finally happening after over a year of enduring water intrusion. However, I am a bit perplexed. Except for the occasional sound of people I've seen no-one on the scaffolding, and honestly I have no idea what they are doing. Which, of course, leads me to believe - they are doing absolutely nothing. I was out there at nearly 10 a.m. the other day and there was no one on the roof, no one on the scaffold, and it was a beautiful sunny day. Is anything going on? Have any of you actually seen activity?

On a sad note, this construction is affecting Gulu-Gulu business. It's in the same location people. It has the same great food, same great beer, and same great people - minus Nika. And when you consider there appears to be no work actually taking place - obviously there is no noise. So, come-on! Grab a sandwich! And be sure to be nice to Jack who now has competition on his home turf.

We Need a Diner

2006-05-31T16:33:00.000-04:00

A real diner! The Capitol Diner is a nice landmark, and I'm sure the food is good considering it still exists, but DAMN IT, a diner should be open late!! I have no place local to go and get a nice hot meal after midnight. I once lived in up-state New York. I recall this one little place. All they served was breakfast, and they were (almost) never open during the day. You could say they had odd hours - from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. Let me tell you something: They were busy from 10 to midnight, packed from midnight until 4 a.m., light from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m., and absolutely slammed from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. They did stay open later on Sundays, until 3 p.m. to catch the brunch crowd.

Now, I'm not saying this model will work in Central Square, but it would be so nice to have breakfast out at 3 a.m. when I get home from, well, drinking. I'm not old, I don't get up early in the morning for my walk, and I'm in too much of a hurry to sit down and eat out before I go to work. I am, however, up until about 2 a.m. almost every night, and usually get hungry at 1 a.m.. Apparently I'm not alone since I swear I smell bacon cooking in the building around that hour. This is opportunity. Too bad Capitol isn't, well, capitalizing on it.

Neighborhood Night

2006-05-31T16:13:00.000-04:00

Tuesday nights are "Neighborhood Night" at the Oxford Street Grill.

http://www.oxfordstgrill.com/

They have special menu items served at a discount for locals. The food is always fabulous at this place. I noticed the other week they reduced their portion size and the prices as well. This is good news, because the portions were enormous and more food than I could finish in one sitting. Not really a problem when you like leftovers, but I prefer to finish my meals in one sitting. Plus the lower price means I eat there more often. I don't' know about you but I don't have a habit of amortizing my return on investment when it comes to eating out. So the sticker shock is certainly a factor when it comes to choosing where to eat.

The Oxford, for those of you not in the "know," is a fantastic little place on Oxford St. (natch) serving up fine Germano-Asian-Fusion cuisine. Yeah, sounds trendy, but the food is great and the wine list is superb. The bar tenders are friendly and I love going there just for a snack and a snort. They always have something interesting on the TV if you're alone and feeling anti-social, but most of the time I end up chatting with my neighbor or the bartender. It's nice to be at a place where the bartenders still practice the art of psycho-mixology instead of just being a pour artist. Be honest with me, wouldn't you rather spend $11 on a glass of red, a listening ear, and advice than $250 at your shrink? Tell me the truth. Talk to me. I'm your friend. Here have a drink. What's troubling you?

The Great Flood of May 2006

2006-05-31T15:50:00.000-04:00

Rain - rain - rain, and water damage. Oh the water damage. The rainy weeks we had a week ago and the subsequent days of light showers really did a number on our building. We now have mold growing on the upper window frame in the lobby window. This is, of course, due to the copious amounts of water filtering in through the brick and eventually through the window down onto our floor. It really sucked.

In addition, all the front bedroom units got a really good dousing through their windows. Unit 2A in particular had to change out several buckets a day during the deluge. All the water coming through around the window frame.

What did I have? Well I'm glad you asked. The ceiling in my master closet is a total wreck. The paint is hanging down, the joint tape parting, and I have three points from which the water leaked down onto my clothes. Luckily I have tons of closet space and the clothes were my suits in plastic garment bags, so no damage to my stuff. The water started to pool around the lights in the ceiling, which concerns me a bit. I hope there is no mold. The nice part about the crawl space above the ceiling is that it is actually well ventilated, if for no other reason because the brick work so damn porous!

Bad brick, that's why we're having all of our water problems. The building is so old the mortar between the brick is worn and porous and in some places absent all together. So, on really heavy rain days the water finds its way into my ceiling. The front units have it bad because the front face of our building takes on water on every rainy day. I had the back side of the building repointed before I moved in. That may be the reason why all the back facing units aren't having the same catastrophic water intrusion problems.

What about Mayo?
Mayo sent their building supervisor for downtown, Tim, to check things out. He's a nice guy, and I believe genuine. But I've met plenty of people from Mayo who are genuine. That's not their problem. The problem is Mayo as a company appears incapable of following through on their promises. On the bright side the units are getting their punchlist items fixed. On the down side - I have yet to see anybody erecting scaffolding around our building to remortar and seal our brick. Mayo did promise to do this. I even have the memo from Ed O'Donnell (Construction Directory for Lynn) saying as much. I even got a phone call from Tim saying people were coming over to examine the building and so forth. I haven't seen anything or heard anything. I did get a call from Tim saying a roofer and brick inspectors were to look at the building last week, but I haven't seen anything. In fairness, I haven't been around much to witness any activity either. I am happy to report, however, our light bulbs are getting replaced as they burn out and someone is cleaning the stairwells and lobby regularly too. That's a nice change. Let's be realistic though, it's the brick I want fixed, along with my leak, and my destroyed closet. A nice lobby doesn't seem so grand when I walk into my musty apartment with the moldy closet.

Tache on the Scene

2006-04-07T15:40:00.000-04:00

Tache is back to marketing 7 Central condominiums. At first it appeared they may have dissolved their relationship with Mayo, but that rumor may have been premature if not completely wrong. I guess 7 Central cleared their title hurtles and is now buyable. It'll be good to have more new neighbors. My word of advice for them is to always, always use an independent inspector, and put everything you see that looks even remotely funny on the punchlist. Also make sure there is a clause in the purchase and sales agreement contractually obligating the seller to fix punchlist items within a clear amount of time from the first report date - like 30 days. Make sure you get a warranty for everything. It will be interesting to see things shape up over there. I can't wait to take a closer look during the open house.

No Pride In Workmanship

2006-04-07T15:21:00.000-04:00

My family is Norwegian German. In my upbringing one idea in particular was branded into my head - if you do something do it right or don't do it at all. Mayo group has no pride in workmanship. Mayo is finally - finally fixing things on our punchlist. That's the good part. The bad part is that the work is really poor. Not only that, the workers didn't clean up after themselves. We have plaster dust and old sheets of sandpaper all over the 4 floor lobby. The work done in unit 4A is bad - bad paint, bad sanding, warped boards, etc. Seems like as soon as the supervisor is gone, who left immediately after introducing the workman - it's up to the resident to ensure the worker is doing everything to a good standard. Well, that's a bit difficult when the workman doesn't speak English. This is America. Our language is English, but we have tons of people where English is not the first language or even spoken fluently. This is but one aspect of our diversity, and most certainly should not be criticized in and of itself. For full disclosure, English is not my first language either. But when there is work to be done, and you are a business, wouldn't you want to ensure the client and the workers can communicate or have some means to do so in order to ensure a good customer experience? Well, that didn't happen, and we have problems - again. But you know what, this shouldn't even be an issue. The workman should have enough pride in their job to do good work. To make something with their hands that they can brag about, build a good reputation, and continue on to the great things a good reputation brings you. Nope, not these workers. They just do a job, get their pay, go home, and wonder why they aren't living the high life. All the while wondering, "only if I win the lottery." Sad.

I came from nothing. Absolutely nothing. My first bathroom was a hole in the ground. No toilet paper. My family and I worked hard and made every effort to do a great job in order to make life better for ourselves, and it worked just as it has for untold generations. I see these workers toil away sometimes handling stuff that will eventually kill you. They work long hours, long weeks, sometimes two - three jobs, but they consistently produce poor results - by choice. That's the detail. It's all by choice. All it takes is the choice to clean up, everything. The choice to sand that board flat. The choice to use the right brush to paint so it matches existing work. The choice to do a good job! Instead, they choose not to. Sad.

We Made The News

2006-03-30T10:12:00.000-05:00

Lynn condo owners knock builder for not finishing job
By Jill Casey
Thursday, March 30, 2006

LYNN - Like many of his neighbors, Mark Miller moved into his Central Square condominium last June knowing that the building was not entirely finished.

http://www.thedailyitemoflynn.com/news/view.bg?articleid=11707

The article is balanced. Not over the top, and certainly not embellished. Mr. Cowdell has been very, very helpful mediating between us and Mayo Group. Mayo Group has indeed given their word they will address our warranty items, but when? One week, one month, one year, two years, when? I'm hopeful, but as experience has shown me - don't count your chickens...

Mayo always recognized and verbally validated our issues. That is not the problem. The problem is Mayo never acts. We have some progress now. Perhaps they'll change the way they do business (dream). We could have been their biggest proponents. Now... we're not. Under these circumstances most reputable business go beyond what is requested in order to ensure good words from previously disgruntled customers. I have a feeling this will not happen with Mayo. If they did, we may change our tune, but they've already demonstrated they cannot be that customer savvy. They'll probably give us free T-shirts and a stress-free squeezy ball.

Meeting with Mayo

2006-03-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

The residents of the Keith Building had a meeting with key members of the Mayo Group to review our concerns with their development and the problems we're having getting our issues with our building resolved. I was unable to attend, but 5 other residents did, and did a great job. Since I'm not one to be left out I got a briefing from the others and wrote the following letter to city council president James Cowdell, copied all the residents for which I have email addresses, as well as Ed O'donnell from the Mayo Group. As an aside, so far Ed O'Donnell has been very responsive to our issues. I hope it continues. If it does it may just improve Mayo Group's reputation.

---------------------------------
Warning, I'm a bad speller, so I apologize in advance for some lapses.
---------------------------------

To: James Cowdell
From: Mark Miller
Subject: Keith Building Condominium Residents Meeting With Mayo Group 03/21/06

3/22/06

Mr. Cowdell,

Thank you for arranging the meeting between the residents of the Keith Building and the Mayo Group representatives. Although I was unable to attend I had extensive conversation about the meeting with fellow residents shortly afterwards. I believe the final outcome of the meeting was that of assurances from the Mayo Group that they would address our punch list and warranty items, and that they would make every effort to ensure the demolition and development against our east wall proceeds with care. Since this was promised in your presence we should feel some measure of security that the assurances will come to fruition. I, like the other residents, am quite skeptical. I do, however, appreciate your efforts, Mr. Cowdell. Before I explain my skepticism I’d like to express my concerns and review my understanding of Mayo Group’s assurances.

My Concerns, there are only three:

* Mayo Group will damage our east wall through negligence or poor workmanship. This can happen either during demolition or development of the adjacent building. This is significant in that it will be extremely costly to repair - financially impacting every resident.

* Mayo Group will build their wall in a fashion that impairs our ability to repair or maintain our wall. For example: instead of abutting our east wall instead building next to it with a gap of 4 feet or less, which would either hamper or make it impossible for us to repair the wall should incidental damage occur during development or in the future.

* Mayo Group will ignore our needs and move on to the new development prior to resolving our issues, and consequently ignore our issues indefinitely.

My Understanding and Response:

* Mayo Group says they will emplace an insurance policy, as is common practice I believe, that will cover the repair costs of any damage that may arise from the development.

An insurance policy must be one where we have the liberty to invoke the policy independently of Mayo Group. Any dependence on Mayo Group for action will be unacceptable given our history with them.

* The development plan must go through inspectional services which would apply building guidelines to prevent poor design practices.

Dependence on inspectional services is questionable. We need an independent review by an engineer of our choosing with guaranteed funding by Mayo Group. By law inspectional services can rely on the project architect in a codified relationship of trust to approve all project work as meeting requirements; thus, removing inspectional services from actually monitoring the project. This happened with the Keith Building. The intake and exhaust pipes for the furnaces in the 2nd floor units are not secured every 3 feet per spec., instead there is a single mount at the floor and a single long 12 foot stretch of 3 inch PVC pipes to the ceiling, which bangs loudly inside the walls when the furnace runs. The south wall was also in danger of collapsing, but the structural issue was caught during a late independent home inspection, and was apparently something the project architect was completely unaware of, although the building passed CO inspection

* Mayo Group will address our punch list and “reasonable” warranty items a soon as practicable.

It has come to my attention that Mayo Group has just started arranging repair times with some residents to address punch-list items. Also, it is unclear what is meant by “reasonable” warranty items. I believe we may need your help, Mr. Cowdell, in arbitrating the meaning of “reasonable.”

* The residents at the meeting clearly communicated our lack of faith in Mayo Groups assurances.

Assurances are most certainly not enough to assuage my concern. We must have an agreement in writing, overseen by the council. Mayo Group has actively demonstrated that their assurances mean little. Having assurances in your presence also is questionable because they also have recent history of ignoring the law and consequently those who govern.

* The city will ensure we the residents are notified of all impending meetings regarding the Mayo Group development.

I am grateful that you, Mr. Cowdell, have taken an interest in ensuring that we and Mayo Group resolve our differences. It is imperative we have your full support throughout this process, and I look forward to your positive presence going forward. In return, we will naturally support you in your future endeavors.

I believe I’ve finished stating my business with you. I am of course open to any corrections, update, and expansion of my understanding. Stretching roughly four pages, this letter is a bit long winded. However, what follows is a bit of history and a great deal of anecdotal frustration explaining why I don’t trust the Mayo Group, and why we are skeptical and cynical. You should read it. It is part of the foundation of my distrust.

In mid June of 2005 I reported to Dennis Joy of the Mayo Group, who I know attended last nights meeting, the absence of automatic door closers, the arms at the top of the doors that pull them shut, on three of the fire doors in the stairwells: the lobby, 2nd floor east, and top floor west. This is a fire code violation. The building should never have received its certificate of occupancy with the arms missing, but these things happen. It was a minor oversight on the part of Mayo Group, easy to fix. These arms are very important. They prevent fire from spreading from floor to floor and more importantly prevent smoke and fire from entering the stairwells, the only emergency exit for top floor residents such as me. It is an instance where a small simple device produces big benefits. By mid August 2005 the Mayo Group still had not put the automatic closers in place. Mayo Group and Dennis Joy in particular did not return my calls concerning this, my punch list items, and the water damage I was experiencing through my windows. I was compelled to report this to the Lynn Fire Prevention Department in August. The LFPD inspected our building and found it in violation and notified Mayo to resolve the issue. The LFPD re-inspected our building 2 weeks later, September, and found the building still in violation. They began fining Mayo Group in order to compel Mayo Group to fix the violation. Mayo Group put in the automatic closers the first week of January 2006 – *6 months* after my first complaint, 4 months after the LFPD cited them for the violation. Six months, Mr. Cowdell. Mayo Group demonstrated complete disregard for the authority of the LFPD, complete disrespect of the law, and Dennis Joy demonstrated tremendous hubris by plying us with assurances last night when the city’s own records shows his ambivalence for our safety.

Dennis Joy, and by association Mayo Group, is not trustworthy. I believe he probably told you a story about the tremendous growing pains the Mayo Group is experiencing and how our issues fell through the cracks through various reorganizations and such. How can Dennis Joy then account for forgetting all the issues we were facing when every unit resident was calling him wondering when things were going to be fixed? That’s 10 individual residents hounding him for days, weeks, and months. How did we fall through the cracks when we didn’t even give him a chance to forget us? There is a reason we all have his cell phone number, Mr. Cowdell. If we left a message with the front office, absolutely nothing would happen. So, we started calling him directly. He responded at first, but there was no action and then absolutely no response at all. Frustrated, unit 4A, Mike Crouse, whom you met last night, called his attorney to help remedy the problem with leaking windows. Only then did the Mayo Group send a team with a boom to caulk the exterior of the windows – two weeks later. That is the root problem. Dennis Joy is terrific at giving assurances, paying lip service, but there is never any action unless forced. And since he represents the Mayo Group, assurances with no action is what we have come to expect from the Mayo Group. We have been receiving assurances from the very first day we moved in, yet when it rains it still rains *inside* unit 2A.

And there are other important instances.

It is only now when forced into the public light in embarrassment that Mayo Group is responding in some way to us. Yet even with this we are still waiting to see significant action. It is important we act, because any adjacent development can compromise the structural integrity of our homes. With Mayo Group’s proven history of unresponsiveness we can expect little good. No reasonable person will tell them to tear down their building once built, even if it damages our homes. They will assure us that they will make repairs, yet nothing will happen. This is what we have been conditioned by our experience with Mayo Group to expect. We will be left living in Lynn embarrassed and saddened that our optimism encouraged us to move here -- and we will tell everyone.

We can resolve this, but we need your active participation, Mr. Cowdell. Thank you for your attention.

Regards,

Mark Miller
54 Central Square, 4B
Keith Building Condominiums

Yet Another Re-Org

2006-02-23T16:39:00.000-05:00

Mayo Group has reorganized their management structure yet again! The upside to this is that the new management does seem to understand it's in their best interest to make sure the residents in the Keith Building have their issues resolved. They're sending someone over this coming Monday to take a look around. As to whether this will actually precipitate resolution is another question, but I'm hopeful. Mayo Group has been very responsive since the Valentine's Day showing of Keith Building residents at a permit hearing for their plans to construct a building next to us. I'll give more details about that soon. So sorry I've been dark for a while. Life has been pretty hectic. I'll get you more details Sunday.

A Valentine to Remember

2006-02-19T15:14:00.000-05:00

A Valentine to Remember

Tuesday Feb. 14, 2006 in the Lynn City Counsel chambers is a day to remember. Well, for me anyways. I thought I was going to be there alone, the lone representative for the Keith Building during the Permit hearing for Mayo Group constructing a large mixed used building immediately adjacent to our building. Imagine my surprise when I discovered 4 of my neighbors there! Adam, Mike, Brenda, and Jennifer were also at the meeting. Mike brought his parents. All of us sat together... waiting.

Finally, the permit for Mayo's building was up for discussion. Team Mayo Group appeared in full suit and tie. The permit request tabled by one of their attorneys. The architect was on hand as well as the Director of Development. Mayo announced their plan and also presented illustrations of the proposed property to the council. The easel was up in front of the council facing away from us. I, of course, found this completely unsatisfactory since I'm the one it's affecting so shouldn't I be shown the pictures? I got up and waltzed up front to the council line too see the drawings. Mike and Adam followed. Jennifer and Brenda guarded the rear. The entire room took notice of our movement. Mayo started looking nervous.

Mayo Group continued their presentation and promoted how it would be great for the downtown, and in all fairness it would be. The council seemed very excited by the idea, but Cowdell did point out that the councill had never seen the plans until that very moment so there would be no approval of a permit that night. The council seemed ever more curious about the 3 lads up front stretching their necks examining each and every detail of the drawing, and listening to every word with baited breath. Mayo finished it's presentation. Cowdell prepared to move on, then Mike spoke.

To be continued...

A Mayo Valentine

2006-02-07T12:50:00.000-05:00

There is a hearing for a permit to allow Mayo Group to construct a multi-family housing development adjacent to the Keith Building. They'll essentially demolish the exiting dilapidated constructs and put something new in it's place. It'll be interesting to see what their workmanship will be for completely new construction. I hope the whole building doesn't fall down. At least I can take some solus in knowing the bones of my building were made when they build things to last generations. So, the common understanding is that the new building will use the east wall of my building to support it's west wall. This is actually a good thing, provided it happens. What I don't want to see is Mayo building a wall that doesn't completely abut ours, but instead leaves a gap of several inches or more. This would be a problem because that wall will remain exposed to the elements. The wall will continue to wear down, and because of less air flow it will not dry out. With a gap the space will be so tight we wont be able to get anybody in there to fix it. Any home inspector will notice that immediately so when it comes to sell any unit the sellers will have some difficulty. Therefore, the plans for the new building should be of interest to every owner in my building.

The hearing is 8 p.m. February 14 th, 2006 - Valentines Day. I'll be there ready to spread the love.

Read the Condo Docs

2006-02-07T12:20:00.000-05:00

I'm paranoid. Not disfunctionally so, but enough that people notice. It's not in every part of my life but it definitely rears its ugly head any time I must shell out big bucks and take on risk. So, you can only imagine how paranoid I was about buying my place. My paranoia paid me back in that I know exactly what I have - the good and the bad, and know more about my property than any of my neighbors. So, one would think with all the problems I wouldn't have bought, but life is about risk. Just because one is paranoid doesn't mean one is risk adverse. It just means everything seems like a risk. Since I'm not afraid to take risks my paranoia doesn't prevent me from having a good life.

So, what does this have to do with Condo Docs? I read them cover to cover, word by word, typo to typo - looking for anything lurking in the text that would screw me. My buyers agent hadn't read the documents, the sellers agent hadn't read the documents, and many of the lawyers for the other residents hadn't read them either. Good thing I did. The docs were a train wreck. My first copy described a landscaped cul-de-sac with racket ball court, balconies, fireplaces, and two parking spots somewhere in the mountains. It even had a snazzy name - Alpine 'something' condominiums. Did I mention the Jacuzzi? My lawyer, who did read them, called me laughing simultaneously appalled and amused. Obviously Mayo lawyers took a doc from some other development and edited it. Unfortunately in their haste and disregard it was a mess. I have a great lawyer. He and I worked to get the docs fixed. They're still not perfect, but it was good enough. There is one line that still bothers me though, but Douglas Jones, my lawyer, didn't seem too concerned so I wasn't either. The line essentially says that as long as the developer owns a unit in the building they have veto power over anything the residents decide for the condominium. Mayo is planning on retaining ownership of the two commercial spaces on the bottom floor. So they may use that as an excuse to exercise veto power. I foresee a long hard fight in the near future over costs to manage the building. They'll want cheap, I'll want quality. Make sure you read the docs for such clauses otherwise when they try to screw you it will be a total surprise. I prefer to know that someone has plans to screw me. Don't be lazy, READ IT!

Progress

2006-01-31T14:01:00.000-05:00

Mayo has finally installed automatic door closers, those spring arms that pull a door shut, on the stairwell doors. These aren't just for convenience. They make sure the fire resistant doors to the stairwells are always closed to prevent fire and smoke from quickly infiltrating other floors. Without them smoke can quickly travel to upper floors through the stairwell making it very hazardous for residents to find and navigate the stairs to get out. Eventually the flames will find their way up as well since there isn't anything to block the fire. I don't think the average person can truly appreciate the danger of smoke unless you've actually been in a burning building environment. I have. Once you experience it you never forget it, and you never want to ever again.

The absence of these closing arms was first reported back in August. The fire prevention department actually cited Mayo Group and has been fining them for non compliance since September. I suspect the fine must not be too big since they've ignored it for this long. Unfortunately in our litigious society if I had put those closers in place and not done it properly if there were a fire I would be liable. Sad. Well, regardless of the reason I'm glad they are there, but obviously I am not going to compliment Mayo for doing something that should have been done before a single unit was sold. Actually, the building should not have even gotten it's certificate of occupancy. This indicates Lynn's inspectional services missed it, but that does not excuse Mayo, because they were informed later by the Fire Prevention Department. Obviously, to Mayo life is cheap. Check your stairwell doors. Especially those of you looking at 7 Central Condominiums. It could save your life.

Police

2006-01-25T12:30:00.000-05:00

I like Lynn police officers. I was driving along in west Lynn when I was stopped for going too fast. I was actually lost and spending so much time looking around trying to figure out just where I was that I didn't notice my speed. Luckily I was only 5 miles over the limit. Luckily the police officer noticed the glazed look in my eyes that signaled, yes, this man is indeed lost. I got a warning. The officer was professional courteous and gave me directions. I suppose I could have stopped earlier and asked for directions, but I'm a man, and we just don't do that sort of thing.

I've had many encounters with the police in my years, and I have to say 99% of the time I walk away feeling a great sense of respect for their profession. The other 1% I'm left wondering how such a rude and inconsiderate moron ever got into the force. It's difficult to stomach that 1%, but given some time the nasty impression vanishes. When the police are on your case it's a most unpleasant experience, but that's their job. It's what we as tax payers hire them to do. We ask them to keep us safe. To take a bullet - for us. They may spend 99% of time enforcing traffic and just walking around. There will be crimes that they just can't manage to solve. Might make one believe they're overpaid. But then there will be that one time: that one time when a police officer pulls your sorry drunk ass out of your burning car that you inconveniently wrapped around a light pole. It will impress upon you just how underpaid they really are. And, no, that did not happen to me.

So here's to the policeman outside the new Dunkin Donuts in Central Square this morning. I smiled at him. He returned a smile and a nod, sipping down some joe. A Norman Rockwell moment. Respect - it's earned.

Dunkin Donuts Open for Business

2006-01-18T11:40:00.000-05:00

The Dunkin Donuts at the corner of Union and Central Square is open for business. I walked passed it this morning and not only were the racks full of bagels and donuts, but there was a bright cheery employee tending to customers. It's a nice little one perfect for it's location and volume of customers. I'm curious to know if they make their donuts on site or if it's currently being shipped in from another store. Just my curiosity. It's a fine addition to the square. As much as I prefer independent shops it's still nice to see a well regarded brand too. It will attract a main stream crowd that in the right quantity only helps to add to the sense of diversity in the neighborhood.

My hope is that the mix of shops will be much like Davis Square where the franchises are elbow-to-elbow with independent establishments. The twist is that it will most likely cater to an older crowd since we don't have the benefit of Tufts nearby to influence the local vibe. North Shore Community College is nearby, so perhaps it will become a bit more of a college hang-out once establishments make an effort to appeal to the after school study crowd and provide an environment more conducive to group study, conversation, and fun for students on a budget.

Lights, Camera, Lights? Lights?

2006-01-17T18:22:00.000-05:00

If you have recessed ceiling lights in high ceilings be very careful when changing light bulbs. Recessed ceiling lights, or can lights, have essentially three sections. The can which mounts to the joists, the socket which accepts the bulb, and the trim that attaches to the bottom that makes the whole outfit look nice and tidy. The socket is wired to the can and the trim attaches to the socket and the can. Many of you will attempt to change the lightbulb using a nice device on the end of an extension pole that grabs and manipulates the bulb. The contraption is essentially a little basket with a spring that pulls the opening close around the bulb. Mine is a visually stunning yellow and black number.

One day while attempting to unscrew a bad light bulb using my hornet-on-a-stick I had great difficulty in getting the damn basket around the bulb. You have to push the basket against the lightbulb just hard enough for the spring to stretch open around the bulb like a giant spincter and grab the stem. On closer inspection I saw that when I pushed the basket against the bulb, the bulb was actually popping up into the can. That's not good. So, I put my spincter down, got my ladder and took a look.

Turns out the builders didn't attach the socket to the trim. There are these clips on the sides of the socket that attach the socket securely to the trim so when you decide to change the lightbulb the socket doesn't pop into the can. Examination of the setup showed why the socket wasn't attached. To get the socket on you must clip off these little notches on the trim, clearly marked, so the socket can be inserted and then twisted securely into place. Since this is an extra step requiring brain power of course Mayo Group workers didn't do it. I checked each light in my ceiling. About half popped into the can when touched. So it appears there was at least one worker paying attention or the same worker paying attention half the time.

The wires are attached to the socket by screws. These contacts are exposed. So if the trim is metal, the light switch on, and the socket mispositioned - you may be in for a jolt when prodding the opening with a metal pole waving metal fingers around the electrically charged trim. Be sure the light switch is off and taped off. Better yet, turn the breaker off and use a proximity voltage detector before you touch the can. I have this nice little green number that was $10. It's 10 bucks. Even if it's $20 - Get one.

Lofters Check Your Microwave

2006-01-17T17:31:00.000-05:00

Building inspectors do not care about your microwave, or your oven, or your dishwasher, or a whole manner of other things. The architect or construction manager on site has the job of tending to all the details. This means, generally, that they really don't bother with details. They do enough to get the job done. That's it. Things like usability and proper installation tend to fall through the cracks in the rush to meet deadlines and budget constraints.

I have a brand new microwave. High wattage, well, more than what I'm accustomed to. If I open my mouth near the door during operation my fillings spark. Some would call this a problem. I call it fun. It's an over-the-range unit, GE. Quite the space saver. I like it a lot. Like all over-the-range units it has incorporated into it a vent hood with lights, a fan and the obligatory oil filter. I was looking at the fan, and I knew from the conspicuous absence of a vent shaft that the hood did not vent to the outside. Like most apartments built around here the microwave recirculates its air back into the kitchen - smoke and all.

After an exhausting afternoon chasing down spiders with my Dustbuster I sat down with a cold beer and started reading my appliance manuals. You do read your appliance manuals, don't you? Specifically the microwave oven. Since I never had such a fancy unit I wanted to thoroughly understand what it could do. The folks at Mayo Group were thoughtful enough to leave both the installation manuals and the operation manuals. I decided to peruse through the installation manual since my experience with other aspects of my new home indicate that Mayo Group workers don't really read them even though they are also in Spanish, French, and German. To my great surprise the microwave was installed correctly. Then I noticed some fine print. Under a configuration diagram there is a note that the vent filter is not part of the standard installation kit. It's something one must order separately if installing the microwave in a recirculation configuration since the standard configuration is for attachment to a vent shaft. Since I know Mayo is cheap and Mayo workers have no attention to detail my suspicion said that the vent filter is missing. I removed the vent cover to inspect my filter - nothing.

The vent filter is a charcoal and fiber filter that fits into the exhaust cavity behind the vent fins above the microwave door. It is not the metal panels that fit into the fan intake beneath the microwave. Those are the cooking oil vapor filters. To access the vent filter you must remove the vent grill. Upon its removal you'll see that the filter sits at an angle inside a center cavity, and notations embossed into the sides indicate how it should sit. The manual has a part number for the filter, but you'll never find the item in the store. Instead just pick up the generic rectangle of a filter at Home Depot that says it will fit most GE microwaves. Hotpoint is essentially the same design. The filter will remove a noticeable amount of smoke and save you from getting oil vapors blown onto the vent fins where they'll slowly turn into mother natures version of brown sticky plastic. It's not as good as having a real vent, but it's better than the alternative.

Check your microwave.

All The Basics

2006-01-12T13:31:00.000-05:00

There was a recent article in the Globe about Jamaica Plain and how its center is a bit disfunctional because it is lacking basic services. Basic services by this definition is easy pedestrian access to public transportation, groceries, and common services such as laundry, dry cleaner, post office, and pharmacy. You shouldn't have to walk 20 minutes to buy some eggs, although the walk will do you good. This article got me thinking about what we're missing in Central Square. My answer is - not much, really. Don't get me wrong, I want more interesting shops in the square, but all the basics are a 10 minute leisurely walk at most. The Shaws is the furthest away and I bet I can walk there in 5 minutes at a brisk pace. Right next to it is the dry cleaner and Bank of America. Across the parking lot is a European/Russian grocer, Radio Shack, and another bank. Everything is essentially within 3 blocks. Blocks heading northeast are smaller than those going southwest. Here's a short list of what's within 3 blocks of Central Square :

"b" means block

Absolute Must Haves (plug)

Live Music - Gulu-Gulu - less than 1b
Cafe - Gulu-Gulu - less than 1b
Euro Pub - Gulu-Gulu - less than 1b

Must Haves

Train - it's in Central Square
Shaws and Osco Pharmacy - 3b
Dry Cleaners - next to Shaws - 3b
Laundry - 3b
Post office - 1b
Police Station HQ - 2b
Bank - we have 4 - Sovreign 2b, Eastern 2b, Bank of America 3b, local bank 2b
Medical Clinic, 2b

Nice to Haves

Dunkin Donuts - the donut racks are in, so should be done soon - 1b
Convenience store - we have 2 - 1b
Barber Shop - I lost count 1b
Hardware Store - 1b
Video Store - Russian Video Store (I forget the name) - less than 1b
Music Store - there are 2, 1 latin, one used music - 1b
Deli - I saw 2, there are probably more - 2b
Fast Food - Tacos Lupita, Latin - 1b
Bakery - Petite Bakery - 1b
Asian Food - Pho Lynn - 1b
Upscale Eatery - Oxford Grill - 2b
Pubs, Sports Bar - several - 1b to 3b
College, North Shore CC - 2b
Diner, Capitol Diner - less than 1b

Places Of Interest

Raw Arts - - less than 1b
Lynn Arts - 1b
Zimmans - a sea of fabric and also some furniture
Beach - 6b

Useful Places Within 1 Mile

UHaul
KFC
Walmart
Several Furniture Stores ( a few within 3b)
McDonalds
Stop and Shop

Useful Places Within 3 Miles

Whole Foods - 2.5 miles, also a nice liquor store next to it
Trader Joes - 2.5 miles, near Whole Foods
TJ Maxx - 2.5 miles, near Whole Foods

Useful Places Within 4 Miles

Target
Home Depot

As you can see, there is a lot here. The store fronts aren't glamorous, but that will change over time. So, this leaves the question of what does Central Square need. Well, something I would most certainly like to see is a nice little Wine shop. Not a liquor store, but a wine shop. Someplace small and cozy with a modest but complete collection. A little whole foods like grocer would be great. I'd also like to see the Russian video store expand its collection into mainstream choices, otherwise NetFlix and I are to be good buds for the forceable future.

Open your eyes and you will clearly see that change has a firm grasp on Central Square. A casual glance will merely pan this place. A hard look, however, reveals excitement. Blues Cabaret playing live at Gulu tonight! See you there!

Is it Just Me Or...

2006-01-12T13:21:00.000-05:00

Is Mayo Group having problems selling units in 7 Central Condominums. I remember seeing something like 5 "RESERVED" signs in the windows 4 months ago, now it appears there are only 2, and I wonder if they are accurate. I wonder if word is getting out about their unresponsiveness to fulfilling their warranties. I believe in Karma. Karma works. I'm sure the units will get filled eventually, but probably not at the profit level they hoped for. Unfortunately this may impact the assessed value of other units in the area, but I'm not too worried about it, because a strong argument can be made that the 7 central units are not comparable to other buildings in the Square, which is true. Each building has it's own character. Seven Central has character, but it's really close to the tracks, which means LOUD train noises from 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. The units on the end further from the tracks will be much better, and I hear the skylights are really nice too.

Mayo Group Article

2005-12-15T14:07:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to a recent article in the Boston Globe about Mayo Group and the owner John McGrail.

http://www.boston.com/realestate/articles/2005/11/19/location_actually_it_isnt_everything/

It's essentially about how he went about making his millions and his strategy for reinvigorating rough neighborhoods. He essentially followed the Trumph principal - invests in border-line property and make it work. And he has indeed done well. It's the American principal, seize opportunity. I have no issues with this, who with common sense would. My issue is that McGrail seems incapable or unwilling to exercise good quality control on workmanship resulting in the aggravation that I and every other resident in my building is having. I'm not alone in my problems with the place. All the residents have some serious issues. We like living here. Central Square has a great vibe and it's getting better every day. We like our spaces. We like our location. We just want what was promised us, in writing I might add, and in a prompt manner. I don't believe that's asking too much.

A quote from the article caught my attention:

''You are never going to be able to make everyone happy," he said. ''You look at all the housing we've created and it's a small minority of people who don't agree with the work we've done."

-- John McGrail

Does an entire building constitute a minority? If we are the exception to the rule, well then great. It means Mayo is perfectly capable of doing quality work. Fine, come fix our problems then.

What Lies Beneath, the Update

2005-12-07T12:43:00.000-05:00

That banging in the wall - it was from two large PVC pipes expanding and contracting with temperature change. The two pipes are respectively the air intake and exhaust for the gas furnace in Unit 2C. Second floor units have their HVAC systems inside their units while the 3rd and 4th floors have their HVAC on the roof. The pipes were creaking from the cooling effects of drawing in cold outside air and the expansion of the exhaust pipe from the hot gas. There is only one support along the floor holding the vertical pipes in place. There are no other supports until somewhere in the ceiling. I shimmed in some lubricated backing material to hold the pipes away from the wall as much as possible. Difficult since the tolerance is only about half a centimeter on either side. This mitigated much of the noise, but it still bangs a little bit, but not annoyingly so and not so much as to startle me in the night. Much of the noise is actually coming from inside the ceiling, and I'm not about to cut a hole into the crawlspace anytime soon. So, it'll have to wait until the association is under our control since this is a problem covered by the condo rules. As always, I'll keep you posted on further developments.

Lynn is THE Up and Coming City

2005-12-06T12:45:00.000-05:00

My analytical skills are quite advanced, but I must admit there is no science or method behind my statement. What prompted my statement is that I've seen more articles about the gentrification of Lynn, and the subsequent challenges, in the Boston Herald and Boston Globe more often than someplace like Lowell. Every article about Lynn mentions the renovation of downtown with hyperbole such as "renaissance" and "rebirth." These terms are a bit too flowery for my tastes. I like to think of it more as downtown sporting a snazzy new coat. To quote Fernando, "If you look good you feel good. If you feel good you'll look maavelous, dahling." "Renaissance" strikes me as a bit high-brow, and "rebirth" just seems like a down-right-painful experience- imagine pushing a football through a cheerio, twice. Get me?

Walk around Central Square on any clear night and you can see the change. It's palpable. Just look at the cars. Cars say a lot about a neighborhood. We have everything from Hummer H2s to Corollas. Now a street savvy person would say this just means we're in a dealers den. I counter this by pointing out we have a high number of Mini Coopers, S version and standard, as well as a high number of Elements, New Beetles in vapor blue, one very stylish Audi TT coupe with the original German suspension in place, and an alarming high number of Saabs. No self-respecting gangsta would call this block his crib. All the cameras, the police HQ down the block, and high dog population help keep any nefarious persons in check, too.

Speaking of dogs, have you met Cloe (sp?) the great dane in the Keith Building? She is enormous, and beautiful. Such a sweet disposition too. The best resident in the building by any measure. I think she's also the most popular resident downtown. Everybody knows her and says hello, but can't seem to remember her human cohabitant's names. Really funny. Such a sweetie.

Speaking of dogs, nighttime, around 7ish, is a great time to meet dog owning neighbors. Everybody's out walking the family furball. Such a grand procession too. All sizes, all disposition, tailed, tailless, grandiose, and goof balls. Shanna's Chinese pug puppy is the cutest! Hyper, lots of energy, so much that she tires out even little Fenway Jack; until recently the energizer bunny of pups. Scary.

Doughnuuuuuuuts! We have a new Dunkin Doughnuts setting up shop at the corner of Union and the square. Now that's a sure sign of progress! There's also a rumor of a nice Italian restaurant going in somewhere close on Union St. If we could get a little movie rental place on the square, now that would be terrific. Someplace like Mike's Video in South End. A wine shop would be terrific too! I wonder if Deluca's Market would be interested in setting up shop here. Hmmmmmm. We'll see.

I hear Ikea may be coming to town. Email Jamie Marsh, Mayor's chief of staff for more info.

Rear Window -

2005-12-01T17:19:00.000-05:00

- Is still leaking. How do I know? Because I awoke to a pool of water on my bedroom window sill and floor. The water is seeping through the divider between the upper and lower window sash. I also have increasingly worse water damage in the kitchen windows. Mayo Group still hasn't caulked the exterior of these windows on the side of the building. They can't use a boom to get to them. They have to use scaffolding.

It appears Mayo Group doesn't care about it's customers once the unit has been sold. They don't honor their warranty, and they are not responsive when there is a problem. It's been 4 months since the absence of the fire door closers was reported and they still haven't fixed it. Especially alarming when you consider it's a firecode violation. The lobby water damage still hasn't been repaired. They don't do their job and maintain the property. There are 3 lightbulbs out in the lobby, and have been for 2 weeks now.

The building is still under their control so I can't have the association repair it even though it's association responsibility. The building was to be handed over back in June according to the condo docs.

Bottom line: Don't buy from Mayo Group. You'll be sorry you did.

What Lies Beneath

2005-11-30T17:15:00.000-05:00

BANG! SNAP! POP!

Early morning. Dark. The noise came from the hall. "Oh god, what did Mayo ^&*% up this time," I thought to myself. I hopped out of bed to investigate, briskly rubbing my goose-pimples while shuffling to the hall to take a peek through bleery morning sleep.

Nuth'n.

Not a single thing out of place. Could have been something hitting the roof I suppose. Maybe some weight challenged pigeons playing chicken with their reflection in the roof pond. The east drain doesn't work great. We have a roof pond. Be sure to check your roof.

I turned to dive back into pillowed heaven when there it was again.

bang, hiss, pop

Right next to me. It's coming from the wall. Inside the wall.

- analysis -

Rats? No food.

Al Capone? No Heraldo.

Heraldo? Maybe.

There it goes again. Is the building settling? Is it the cold? There's something banging and rubbing in there. I put my ear against it... whirrrrrrrrrrr. Definately not Heraldo. Maybe a bathroom vent fan - similar.

...click.... click..... click

silence.

It's gone.

I eat my upper lip and think about it. Well, nothing I can really do about it now I figure, and my tush is cold. Swoooooosh. I'm back in bed. zzzzzzzzz.

DONG, BANG, click-click-click-click

8 a.m.

It's back. Yawwwwnnnnnnnnnnn. I shuffle on over, scratch, scratch, scratch. Yep, same noise, same wall, same whirrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

... click .... click...

silence.

.. click...

It's taunting me.

I squint and examine my options. Being a man of action I guess I'll just have to open her up and see what's inside. You know what that means - POWER TOOLS!! Oh yeah.

- to be continued -

Tiffany's at Gulu-Gulu

2005-11-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

Monday night is movie night at the Gulu-Gulu cafe. They usually play foreign films, independent films, and old-old movies (not mutually exclusive). Last nights showing of Breakfast at Tiffany's was particularly enjoyable. Adam and Beth my downstairs neighbors were cuddled on the couch. Steve and Marie were there sauntering about, working. The place was quiet, and the gentle rain outside added to the cozy ambiance. A glass of red, a plate of chocolate cake - a lovely evening.

Adam, Beth and I had some good conversation covering subjects that litter talks between new home owners - heating bills, noise, furniture, space, and how many times we mooned the neighbors before we got blinds. Yuppies are a bit of a curiosity here so we also have our fair share of people "inspecting" our homes through all manner of tippy-toe-neck stretching shoulder stacking antics. And then there is the binocular viewing from the Pevear apartment building across the street. I have my own set of binoculars. I watch them watch me. We wave.

So, for your curiosity here is how my place looks. Sorry about the mess.

Living room.

Dining area and kitchen, the poster is meant to be crooked.

Part of the Bedroom

One of the 2 Bathrooms

And I'll put up pictures of the study and the other bathroom once they're finished.

We also talked about Depeche Mode, a band Adam and I enjoy, as well as the happenings around town, and, of course, power-tools. The bit of conversation I remember the most, though, is a tidbit from Steve. He stopped by briefly and watched a bit of the movie with us. Steve and I raised our glasses and Steve proposed a toast - "to life."

To life, I thought quietly to myself - one sweet rainy day at a time.

Rain

2005-11-21T21:56:00.000-05:00

Rain. Many people tend to equate rain with dreary gray skies, and endless days of chill. These are the sun addicts. I am not one of them. I love the rain. It cleans and refreshes, much like Listerine, but without the god awful taste. It cleans the streets, takes away fall leaves, and washes the bird poop off the roof. The same can't be said of sun. Sun, bleaches your furniture, makes the apartment hot, and jacks up your AC bill. But, I must admit, it sure does feel nice on cold days, and the plants really like it.

So, one may ask, what does rain have to do with Lynn Lofts. Simple: go see a loft in the rain. It will tell you much about the space, because, you see, rain puts things in focus. It's an enhancer. Much like the colour red, rain will enhance every curve, lift every feature, and point out every sag and misplaced cellulite. It makes great spaces look terrific and bad spaces absolutely miserable. If you can imagine your space cozy in the rain then in sunlight it will be an absolute delight. Rain, it's your friend.

Care for Your Home

2005-11-17T15:38:00.000-05:00

Care for your home and she will care for you.

My home is alive. She breathes. She rises with the sun, stretching in the light. Her old bones crackle, twist and pop in the warmth. She yawns, awakening with those who dwell within her.

My home feels. She cringes at the cold. Protests with each dropping digit. She groans in the rain, and laughs at the snow.

My home listens. She records every gossip, quietly laughs at stupid jokes, and you can hear her whisper in every echo in the hall.

I care for my home. She holds me, as I weep.

Hell has frozen over!!!

2005-11-17T10:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, more like a light frost. Mayo Group is actually fixing something on the Keith building!!! Who would have thunk it! They brought in a lift today so workers can actually reach the windows to properly caulk it (instead of hanging out the window like the last time). The story as of this morning is that the first worker didn't have experience on the lift and got pretty nervous about working so high off the ground. Having a great fear of heights myself I can certainly appreciate this. So they're trying to find someone with experience to do it. According to the signage, they have allocated today and tomorrow for the effort. Now the question is - will they actually do it, or is it all for show. Mayo Group has a tendency to reallocate resources on-the-fly, so there is a real possibility that the people working on the Keith will mysteriously migrate over to 7 Central or the personal property Mayo's owner is having built in town.

If and when the work is complete then we'll need a good soaking to see if they actually did the work correctly. Mayo Group's problem is not just the lack of execution, but when executing they have a tendency to not complete the work, or if they complete it the work is done improperly, and they always miss something. I bet they'll "forget" to also caulk the south western side windows. The south western windows have absolutely no caulking around them. Getting to these windows is further complicated by the fact they sit in a wedge adjacent to the building next-door, and the rear of the building does not open to the street but instead to the rooftops of adjacent buildings; so, a scissor truck will not fit. They have to use a platform on beams.

I'll report more as the story develops. Details at eleven.

The Absolute BEST Vietnamese Food!

2005-11-16T16:41:00.000-05:00

Pho Lynn, the Vietnamese restaurant on Munroe St. Across from the Munroe St. Lofts has the BEST Vietnamese food I have ever tasted. I have had a ton of Vietnamese cuisine in my having even traveled to Cambodia, next to Vietnam, and sampled the Vietnamese cuisine there. Didn't have the time to make it all the way to Vietnam. Anyway, I thought I'd found some very good dishes, and was enamored with a few places in Brookline - until Pho Lynn. OH - MY - GOD! The food is so GOOD, and CHEAP! And very good for you. Amazing! Cheap, good, and good for you! Fresh too. I believe that is the trick. They use very fresh ingredients. Difficult to do when you run your own business. There's always a temptation to skimp. I'm sure they do in other areas, but apparently not in areas that my discerning palate can notice. They also have a fine selection of imported beers, in particular the Asian variety, naturally. I highly encourage you to go. Be sure to introduce yourself and let them know Marcus sent you. Have the Pho-Tai. Excellent! Just go. Go now!

Welcome Sloan Machinery Lofts

2005-11-16T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Sloan Machinery Lofts are almost sold out. I think there are about 4 units left, maybe less since their website isn't updated very often. That's 28 out of 32 units sold. The Sloan is very nice in that it has inside garage parking as well as deeded parking on the premises. I met a very nice couple that actually bought the model unit, but embarrassingly I can't remember their names. It must have been the French Canadian beer I was sipping at the Gulu.

Selling as many units as they did is quite an accomplishment for the RCG sales team. Kudos to them for a job well done. The Sloan sits right at the rim of the downtown area. Only the Ladder 3 Lofts, also RCG and under construction, are further out. It sits directly across the street from city hall and a lovely church on the corner. The Church is an architectural piece, handsome, and grand in an understated way. I love how the ivy creeps along it's exterior. I haven't seen the inside, but I plan on visiting.

The Sloan sales is good news for downtown. More happy residents to a very happy and welcoming neighborhood. There's a strong sense of community amongst the downtown folk. It's most palpable during meet and greets amongst the "lofters" at the Gulu. Lots of yuppies all curious about who lives next door. A very welcoming group. At times opinionated. Often grumpy, but always charming.

Welcome Sloaners, I can't wait to meet you all.

The Ghost of Lynn

2005-11-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

Fog. Thick, almost mist, but not quite. Much like a twenty-five year old male, an adult, but not. Dense. Very dense.

Fog, it ebbs and flows through the concrete pillars of the garage, embracing everything. The moon dims, cars slow, the stars vanish. What once dry is now wet. What once damp is dripping. I can hear it running down the lamppost, watch it ripple in the light, hear the drips fall to the street. Feel it slip through my fingers.

Fog, it's cotton in my ears, cotton in my eyes, it teases my noise, fills my lungs, and weighs heavy on my chest. It visits through my windows and fills the room. It's cold.

An apparition, it is. One that tastes wonderful in hot tea, with milk and honey, wearing warm fuzzy slippers.

The Ghost of Lynn... likes jazz.

I have the POWER!

2005-11-15T22:15:00.000-05:00

I am regressing to my elementary years. In the midst of all the frustration I've had with Mayo Group's crappy construction and non-responsiveness I have discovered tremendous joy in the form of - POWER TOOLS!!!

Well, tools in general actually. I've had a cordless drill for 10 years, and it's seen some moderate use, but nothing too impressive. I still have that same cordless drill and it works just great, but not as long as it once did since the rechargable batteries are a bit long in the tooth. Just what does "long in the tooth" really refer to anyway? But I digress. The baseboard in my apartment has been pulling away from the walls due to the forces of changing temperature and humidity that is especially strong here in ocean-side Lynn. It was really bad in spots, 1/2 inch gap running along a 6 foot section. New construction always has problems here and there, but I've never seen baseboard issues like this. At first glance I suspected the baseboards weren't properly coped in the inside corners since all the runs with issues terminated in inside corners at both ends. Since much of the interior was done by unskilled labor there is a good possiblity that the installers used standard miter cuts instead of coping cuts, but in all fairness even with coped ends with runs this long the baseboard will likely warp, a little, not 1/2 gaps! What I discovered is that the baseboard was nailed in place. The studs in the Keith and most of the other condominums is steel not wood. With steel frame construction one uses trim head screws not nails to attach the baseboard, unless you put down wood along the bottom for nails to attach to. There is no wood behind the baseboard. It's all steel. I drilled some holes, poked around, yep - it's steel. The baseboard needed to be fixed, but my old drill just wasn't going to be able to drive those long screws through board, drywall, and then steel. That meant new POWER TOOLS!

After much research, checking of funding, and receiving of a handy 10% off "welcome to the neighborhood" coupon from Home Depot - I went shopping. I ended up with the Ryobi 18 volt Super Combo. The latest one with the Torque IV drill - looks like a big ray gun. This wasn't my first tool purchase, but it was the most fun. Man, these 18 volt cordless tools are terrific, but then again even a Pinto seems fast after riding a Vespa. I also happen to have a toolbelt. A very nice accessory I needed to carry my tools while doing electrical work and leak fixing 12 feet up on a ladder. BUZZZZZ, ZAP, ZAP, ZAP - a high powered drill, with clutch, is beauty in motion. Robertson bit, trim-head screws, Yankee screwdriver, dripless caulk gun, ZAP-ZAP-ZAP... problem solved. Looks great, if I do say so myself.

I'm still deciding which is more satisfying - the sense of accomplishment after fixing the trim or the child like joy of John-Wayne-ing around with a heavy drill slung in the belt holster. I'll get back to you - after my milk and cookies.

Mayo Exoneration

2005-11-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

The first step in resolving a problem is to identify that problem, and then articulate how to address that problem. For Mayo Group to exonerate itself to my satisfaction it must do the following:

Properly and completely caulk, glaze the exterior of all windows to stop the water leakage that occurs with every rainfall. This would be all windows on the north side of the building, all windows on the west side of the building, and two south facing windows on the top floor.
Fix both roof leaks in unit 4B by properly grading the roof to drain all water and properly sealing all roof penetrations.
Repair the extensive water damage around the lobby window next to the mailboxes and properly seal the window and the exterior sill above the window to prevent further water intrusion.
Repair the water leakage into the basement area from the sidewalk occurring through a hole in the basement ceiling directly above the sidewalk by properly repairing the hole.
Install automatic door closing arms on the fire doors in the main lobby, the stairwell door on the 4th floor off the main stairs, and the stairwell door on the 2nd floor on the east stairs.

That's it. They only have to do five things. All this trouble for these 5 things. Exasperating.

Doing the Right Thing

2005-11-11T10:59:00.000-05:00

I was raised by my father, a single parent, to do the right thing. To make the hard decisions for the good even when it seems more advantages not to. I'm not perfect. I've fallen down in the past, and I'm sure I'll fall down plenty more in the future, but I know what I'm supposed to do and I give it my best.

I bring this up because it occurred to me that my blog may not be very popular with downtown residents. There's a lot of negative statements, all true, about the Mayo Group in my blog. It just so happens that Mayo owns much of the area in Downtown Lynn, and is in the process of developing 7 Central Condominiums. It's a sizable property and one that will hopefully bring in more young professionals like the others who live here. Everyone in the neighborhood, yours truly included, has a vested interest in more good people moving downtown. It will improve the area, improve the community, improve business, and raise the property value. That last one is of particular importance to residents.

Many people bought here with the idea of making a big return in real estate. I actually moved here because it was affordable, near the beach (I SCUBA), near the train, and looked like it was a pretty good place to live. The fact that my property will be worth more later is just a given, because real-estate tends to work that way 95% of the time. I'm not out to make a killing.

People here don't want any bad press. Lynn is a bit rough with Downtown emerging from the grime a year ago due to the terrific efforts of developers such as RCG, Montreal, and Mayo (give credit when deserved). People fear that any bad press may jeopardize the good things that are happening here. That is a valid concern. My response to this criticism are these questions:

Is property value worth watching neighbors die in a fire because Mayo did not meet fire codes?
Is property appreciation worth watching a friend and neighbor endure a ceiling collapse from a leaky roof that Mayo did not fix?
Is property appreciation worth new residents despising us because we kept the truth from them for the sake of greed?

At what cost will people sell their principles?

Often, keeping ones mouth shut is doing the right thing. This time - no, I don't think so.

Ikea In Lynn

2005-11-10T15:39:00.000-05:00

I am wondering, what does it take to attract a retailer like Ikea to Lynn? They tried to open up in Somerville but encountered considerable resistance from the residents adjacent to Assembly Square. If Lynn were able to secure similar concessions from Ikea that Ikea proposed to Somerville (T renovation, Park land and development, etc.) it would be great for the city. On the surface a spot on the Lynnway seems perfect for them. It's in a commercial area with other big box retailers, Walmart, Building 19, which are not direct competitors. There are no adjacent residential properties. It's near the commuter rail. They can run shuttle service to the blue-line. The income demographics of Nahant, Swampscott, Salem, Marblehead, Beverly, Lynn, etc. are in their target zone, and we're right next to Boston, not out in Stoughton.

Ikea is an environmentally conscious business with a history of opening in more industrial areas - West Long Island, South Philadelphia, New Haven, Pittsburgh - so they're not adverse to establishing themselves in unpolished locations. They may even help pay to move those power lines and / or renovate the ocean front along part of the Lynnway. It could be Ikea and the Ikea/Lynn memorial park or something like that.

I'm a big proponent of corporate stewardship and community involvement. This would be an opportunity for Ikea to help Lynn in many ways while accessing a vast customer base. It's good marketing, it's good business. It's a win-win proposal.

Think of it. If Ikea also provided shuttle service to the Central Square Commuter stop it would boost foot traffic through Central Square. It would also make Masschusetts and Bostonians more aware of Lynn and downtown, most likely attracting new residents. Especially if Ikea has an oceanfront park outback for people to enjoy. Can you imagine eating Swedish Meatballs overlooking the ocean? Now at first the idea of an Ikea as beach-front property seems terrible, but when you consider the land I'm thinking of is currently an industrial wasteland it isn't so bad. Also, what I'm proposing is that Ikea overlook a park that stretches to the water-front, not that Ikea be at the water-front. That would just be, well, in bad taste.

Now, the question is: Does Lynn want Ikea?

What to Expect in a Lynn Loft

2005-11-10T13:51:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me that if you came to my blog without having actually seen a Lynn Loft or researched them you wouldn't know what to expect. Well let me tell you, the spaces in these lofts are the North Shore's best kept secret. Obviously it's not exactly a secret since this blog is here and the properties are being sold, but Lynn's reputation as a rough city has kept a lot of people from buying into a beautiful place to live. Here's a list of what you'll find:

Old turn of the century urban architecture - lots of granite and chiseled building faces with most buildings built in the 1800s with interiors completely gut renovated. Most are 4 stories or more. Gorgeous!
Ceiling height of 12 Ft. or more.
8 Ft. by 5 Ft. - that's 8 vertical feet people - windows. I have 10. You may get more or less, and sizes do vary, but not by much.
1200+ glorious square ft. of hardwooded living space. I have 1268 sft. ;)
Exposed metal vent ducts, exposed brick in may buildings, cast iron window headers, and thick timber supports. Beautiful!
Central AC and Heat. Did I mention central AC?
Modern appliances including dishwasher, washer and dryer in the unit.
Granite counter tops.
Recessed lighting or track lighting.
Lots of closet space. I have 4 closets total with a walk-in the size of a small Boston study.
Most 1200+ units under $300k, many under $280k.
That chic urban industrial cool vibe you always wanted.

Industrial buildings with old bones have a spirit you just can't find in any other kind of architecture. These buildings are 100+ years old and they've survived 2 massive fires and countless years of neglect and underappreciation. If you love architecture your jaw will drop when you see these condos. I'll post some pics so you have some visuals, but I must say the pictures do no justice to the scale of the space when you're standing in it.

Lofts in Lynn:

Boston Machine Lofts - big and beautiful
Exchange St. Lofts - giant old financial building - some units still have vaults complete with doors
Keith Building Condominiums - my building
Munroe St. Lofts - soho style - just one big room - very cool
31 Munroe Lofts - 3 floor-through units complete with parking
Sherry Lofts - big building with parking
Sloan Machinery Lofts - big converted machinery factory - heated inside parking
Ladd 3 Lofts - old firehouse with townhouse upper units - under construction
7 Central - old building with two upper floors added later in life - developed by Mayo - be cautious

Boston Machine Lofts - Vacancy

2005-11-10T13:20:00.000-05:00

There are units for sale in the Boston Machine Lofts. If I were looking for a place I'd seriously consider buying in that building. The building is gorgeous and RCG did a great job with each unit, especially considering it was their first, Sloan Machinery Lofts being their second. The building has been around for a year now, so many of the kinks have been worked out. They make great use of space, the finishes are very nice, it has exposed brick, storage room in the basement, gas range, and I believe comes with washer and dryer with the unit. Of course the sellers may take the appliances with them so be sure to confirm.

The BML is especially nice because it's close to the train, but buffered by location and adjacent buildings from the noise. It has leased parking in the back of the building ($45, I believe), and it's right in Central Square where all the life is. The police station is one block away, the post office is on next block. The residents also fashioned an outside patio area in an alley way on the west side of the building. They have a grill! So you can still BBQ. I don't have that, so I'm a bit jealous.

According to the Tache real-estate site there are two units open, but there could be more or less, because Tache doesn't update their site very quickly and also because they only show properties for which they are the sellers. Rumor has it the front facing unit on the second floor with the big oval window is for sale. I hear it's beautiful. I haven't seen the inside yet. It is a very desirable unit. Unique. A top floor unit on the back west side is also said to be for sale. It's smaller, in the upper 900 sft., but that's still quite sizable. It has skylights in addition to all it's windows.

If you're interested in the properties in Central Square I encourage you to contact Kim D'orazio: kimd.tache@verizon.net. She was actually the seller's agent for Mayo Group. Although I don't care for Mayo Group, Kim is a true professional. Likeable, and a straight talker. Since she is a professional if you deal with her as a seller's agent then she'll make sure she takes care of the seller, but she doesn't do anything shady, she gives you all the information you need and more, and also helps you through the entire process if you're a new buyer with no buyer's agent. After what I went through with my buyer's agent, bad experience but I learned a lot, if I were buying now I'd deal directly with her. Actually for the last couple of weeks of my closing I did because my buyer's agent was problematic. She knows the area and what's going on. Kim also deals with excellent associates for financing.

Be sure to get your home inspector, and do get a home inspector, period. Kim isn't an inspector, it's not her job, so it's best for you to get one yourself. Always get a home inspector. Just because it's new construction and must meet new building codes does not mean:

A) The building actually does meet codes even though it was certified by the city.
B) The inspectors didn't miss anything, because in the case of my building they obviously did (a.k.a. firecode violations)
C) Everything will be problem free in the future. My inspector noticed the south wall was falling down. Ok for certification now, but maybe not a year from now. It got fixed.

The BML is a great place to live. The people who live there are terrific. It's pet friendly - cute little Ivan, Jada, and Jack - dogs - live there. Oh, and it's across from the Gulu. What more could you ask for?

Come take a look. You'll really like it.

www.bostonmachinelofts.com

www.sloanmachinerylofts.com

www.tache.com

Gulu-Gulu = Happy

2005-11-10T11:45:00.000-05:00

It was 8 pm., dark, and wet. I hopped off the train and marched down the platform - the locomotive grinding the rails beside me then away. Sound - sound - sound. The hum of the fluorescent lights. The flop and splash of leather soles in new puddles. Cars passing on wet streets. I had a rough day. I fixated on chilled cheap peach flavored wine. I have three big bottles in the fridge.

There's something very calming about Central Square. The antique Clock glowing in the night. Big Scoops ice-cream parlor, closed, simple, cozy. Raw Arts, a sliver of a building yet it dominates the square like a beloved older sister prominently displaying her pierced belly-button. But the Gulu - the Gulu has class. The kind you find in an artsy funky cousin in his 30s. It sits on the ground floor to the right of my lobby. The nice little bench right in front. I leaned over to peek in the window just to see what's up. There's Steve and Marie hanging out with some friends/customers chatting away. Steve has this infections and impish smile. Marie's smile warms the room. They're perfect for each other. Steve waves, Marie smiles, music jamming in the background. Probably Gregory - excuse me - DJ Amour, spinning in the back. I wave back and walk up to my home. The day just doesn't seem so bad anymore.

Leaky Window

2005-11-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

I love the rain. Being from Seattle I've developed quite an affinity for it. The rain makes me feel at home. Because of the relatively wet weather, builders of homes in Western Washington are experts at making homes water tight. What I find amusing is that statistically the North Shore gets more rain than Seattle. Seattle is just very overcast from October to April. However, it appears builders, or at least Mayo Group's developers, don't' have a clue as to how to accomplish this very important, the most important, task when building a home. It rained again last night, and although the roof didn't leak, since I fixed the leak myself, the rain did manage to penetrate through the upper window frame in the master bedroom. It was 1 am. when the drip-drip-drip started. The drops fall 6 vertical feet from the edge of the upper window sash to the inside window sill below. That little drop is loud when it hits! Needless to say this really upset me. This problem has been going on for 2 months now, and I informed Mayo the day it happened. Mayo has yet to do anything to fix it. I'm tired of waiting. It's just not right. I think I'll be calling my lawyer today.

Train Noise

2005-11-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

Don't underestimate the noise produced by the Train as it passes through the commuter rail station. Different trains have different noise levels. Some are relatively quiet while others will rattle your fillings. There is nothing between my place and the elevated platform except air. As a result I have nothing to buffer the noise of the trains as they pass. With the windows down the noise isn't bad. Modern windows dampen sound well. It appears the Engineers make a conscious effort to not ring the train bell too much or at all depending on the number of people on the tracks, weather conditions, unmet need to hear the bell, etc. It's the locomotive itself, however, that's actually loud.

The train noise is a very important detail to consider when purchasing a unit near the tracks, especially the condos in 7 Central, where a corner unit is a mere 25 Ft (estimate) from the tracks. I imagine the walls must vibrate when the train passes. Buildings such as the Boston Machine Lofts and Exchange St. Lofts which are near the tracks but have buffer buildings between them and the tracks needn't worry. Buildings like the Sherry, Keith, Monroe, 31 Munroe, and 7 Central have it a bit tough, especially the two Munroes and 7 Central. The developers of the Munroes designed the units so that there is a big closet and insulation between the wall facing the tracks and the unit interior. I don't think there are windows, so it shouldn't be bad at all. 7 Central will most likely have nothing to attenuate the noise since it's being developed by Mayo Group, which always does things as cheaply as possible, and tends to hire unskilled workers that exacerbate the problem.

The Sherry Lofts poses a mix. There are units that face the tracks, but the Munroe and Pevear buildings sit across the street and between the Sherry and the train; however, there is a large passageway (pretty actually, in an urban way) that leads to the platform from Munroe St. The units that face that passageway from the Sherry will probably get quite a bit of noise. My educated guess.

Most open houses are on the weekend, especially Sunday. Good for scheduling but bad for experiencing what the area is really like when you live here. The train runs more often during the week, and runs the least frequent on Sunday when realtors are showing the properties. You'll have to stick around and time your visit so a train goes by while you're looking at the property to truly appreciate the noise or lack of. I highly encourage you to do this. It will affect your decision, and should you decide to go for it you'll sleep well, even with the train. I'm a very light sleeper. The result of 6 years of military training sleeping on submarines in really sketchy waters. I sleep well. The rain wakes me more often than the train. The train - you get used to it.

Central Square Lynn - walk to the train, walk to the beach. If you don't mind the roar of ocean waves you'll find the train easy to deal with. While I'm thinking about it, I do recommend an eye mask for when the sun comes through those big monster windows. Noise - you can get accustom to - the sun - not a chance. Wakes you every time.

Board of Trustees

2005-11-08T17:13:00.000-05:00

According to my condominium documentation Mayo Group was to transfer control of the building to the Keith Building Trust 3 months after 6 of the 8 units were sold. Well, all the units are sold, and 6 of them sold back in June. It's November now, so we're behind schedule. I wonder what the deal is. What adds to my aggravation is that since Mayo Group is curently the building manager all condo fees go to them. It covers things like electricity, water, cleaning, trash, etc. Well, there are still burnt out lightbulbs, the stairwells have never been cleaned, and the lobby seems to get cleaned once a month. What are we paying them for? I wonder where the money is really going.

Firecode Violation

2005-11-08T17:08:00.000-05:00

The Keith Building is in violation of Massachusetts firecode. Three of it's stairwell doors don't have those arms that automatically close the door behind you. They have never been there. I have pictures, there are no screw holes or any marks to show that someone even thought about putting one there. What's a bit disturbing is that the building has a certificate of occupancy, which it shouldn't have received with those problems in place. The Fire Prevention Dept. has inspected the building twice and started fining Mayo. This has been going on since August. It's now November, and Mayo has absolutely done nothing. It'll be a very sad day for Lynn if a fire ever breaks out in the Keith Building. It'll essentially eliminate Lynn's hopes of developing the downtown, because all the deficiency and shaddy work will come out. It'll also mean I've lost all my stuff, and that would really suck.

Mayo Floods Keith Building

2005-11-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

Well, not directly. Mayo in it's inept construction forgot to seal the exterior windows in the front of the building and on the west side of the building. There is no caulk/glazing between the window frames and the brick exterior. They just plain forgot to do it. Its obvious they knew it had to be done because the south side exterior windows all have proper glazing. So, to put things into perspective the windows of the Keith bulding are 8 Ft. tall and about 4 ft. wide or wider depending on the window. That means on a window of 8 Ft. x 4 Ft. a gap of 1/8 inch around the windows translate to 36 square inches or a 6 x 6 inch hole. All two bedroom units have at least 8 windows. I have 10. The single bedroom units have 4. Every single unit in the front of the building had flooding through the windows during the first rain storm we had back in June. It was bad. Mayo did come out and fix it... but their idea of fixing it was to hangout the window with a caulking gun and glaze around the window. No-one in Mayo is 8 Ft. tall, so they left the top 2 feet untouched. During this last week of rain that flooded just about everyone I know, the front apartments took a bad hit. The flooding was worse, and there's a tremendous amount of water damage. Unfortunately, although I'm on the south side of the building I had problems too. I had two roof leaks, one in my closet another above the bathrrom, and discovered to my dismay that the west side windows aren't sealed either - I got water damage around the window frame. Mayo has done nothing about the roof. I actually had to go up and seal the hole myself after a week of no action by them. It took me 10 minutes. What a bunch of lazy idiots.

The issues have become so bad for unit 4A that they've finally called in their lawyer. This wouldn't be a problem if Mayo would just own up to their work, or lack of, and fix the problems per their contract, but apparently that's not how they operate. Once they sell you the property - they try to screw you every chance they get.

Expanding Cronin's Cafe (BAR!)

2005-11-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

Cronin's cafe is a bar near the corner of Washington and Union St. It's adjacent to the Pevear apartment building. Just read today in The Daily Item (the local non-investigative newspaper) that Cronin's is considering expanding.

http://www.thedailyitemoflynn.com/news/view.bg?articleid=10525

This has the potential to be a big problem for me. I've never been there. I've never set foot in the place, because it doesn't look inviting at all. It just doesn't appeal to me. I should visit just to see what it's like. What I do know is that it has security cameras hanging on the exterior and it's burglar alarm is REALLY LOUD! That alarm has kept me up many late nights as it goes off over and over again. Aside from the alarm - here are my concerns.

Parking - Cronins has no parking of its own. Cronin's is right next to the MBTA parking garage, which has plenty of parking, but why pay 2 bucks for parking when you can find it free on the street, right? Well, it just so happens that my building is across the street from Cronins (hence my hatred of the alarm). This means if there are more customers there's less parking for everyone who actually lives here.

Rowdy People - From what I've seen, Cronin's has problems that many bars do - rowdy crowds after closing. A condominium with 12 Ft. ceilings overlooking a street acts like a giant ear. I can listen in on street level conversations from 4 stories up. This also means tricked out cars/suvs/trucks with 12 inch woofers tend to rattle my teeth at 2 am. Add to that a crowd, a fist fight, and a few more cars - and - well - you have one very unhappy resident.

Crime - Big bars attract big crowds. Crowds mean more people. Bars take money. No money no drinky, so big crowds in big bar means lots of people with money. Lots of people with money mean more people to take money from. It also means lots of drunk people too slow to think about their cars parked on the street in front of my place. Which also brings us back to more cars. More people, more cars, more money, more things - to steal. Get the picture?

More business in Central Square will be great for downtown. I don't feel a large bar is a good business for the area. I want a neighborhood with taste. Albeit my idea of good taste, but taste none-the-less. A larger version of Gulu-Gulu, the Euro Cafe that serves wine and beer, would be much better since it attracts a different usually more responsible clientele. I don't feel the neighborhood should support the Cronin's expansion. It's legal, but it's a bad idea, and not right for our home.

Why am I Blogging

2005-11-08T15:42:00.000-05:00

The only good source of information about the loft condominiums appearing in Central Square, Lynn, are the residents, like me, but you'll be hard pressed to find anything written directly by us. Most of the information is in edited form by some organization that has an interest in promoting the downtown area, so the information is a bit skewed. What I've read to date is not incorrect, but it can be a bit misleading, because it doesn't give a complete picture of what the downtown is like - good or bad. There's a tremendous amount to like about downtown Lynn, but there is also much to dislike and much that needs work. My hope is that my musings and experience will not only provide people with enough information to make an informed decision about moving here, but also help them realize what the challenges of moving to an up-and-coming area like Central Square, or anywhere for that matter, really entails.

I want you to move to Central Square - if you're a professional with no live-in children, good income, good taste in art, an international flair, and an activist spirit. It'll make my property value increase, and why wouldn't I want that. It'll make yours more valuable, I might add. So, you run the risk of hearing things persuading you to move here. Hey, it's in my best interest, but knowing me I think you'll probably get a lot more good, honest, hard information than from any real estate agent. It's your call.

In the interest of full disclosure: I'm also using this blog to highlight all the issues I'm having with the Mayo Group, a developer in downtown Lynn, and the developer of my building - The Keith Building. New construction has it's problems. Poor workmanship can, and often is, one of them. A non-responsive developer shouldn't be one of the problems you "buy" when purchasing your home. Mayo group does cheap and poor quality work, and I have plenty of evidence (lots of photos). So, this blog is also a personal crusade to inform prospective buyers of what you really buy when you buy from Mayo. In a word - problems.

This is my blog - Central Square Lynn - read at your own peril.