Turning the Tables

I never watched the Sopranos. Still, this news story shared on TwitterX caught my eye.

Tony’s Booth from Sopranos Finale Sells for $82,600, Remy Tumin, New York Times

Why? It’s hardly a local story. No, it’s not. But this is:

One sentimental TwitterX user recently posted:

Hey @tacobell IDK if this is possible. But you're currently renovating the location on Minstrel Way in Columbia, MD, and I was wondering if it's possible that I could get a table me and my brother always sit at before you demolish it. It's a tall table with a star etched on it.

I’m familiar with the concept of having a particular place where you always sit at a favorite restaurant. “Oh, that was our booth,” you sigh, full of memories and feelings of times gone by. But - - Taco Bell? While I find the request kind of sweet, it also startled me.

I once (just once) entered the Minstrel Way Taco Bell. It had been raining. The floor was equal parts sticky, greasy, and slick with rain. I have never returned.

It’s clear, though, from the (wistful? bereft?) comments that keep turning up on social media that Columbia/HoCo folks love their Taco Bell and are alarmed at its recent closing. (Fear not; it’s only closed for renovations.)

And for one local fellow it’s not just the burritos he’s missing. It’s a special table: tall, with a star etched into the top. Hmm, I wonder how that star got there in the first place?

Do you have a special table in a local eatery or watering hole? I used to sit in more or less the same place at the now-departed Second Chance Saloon but I don’t think I’d want to own the table. The memories I have are of the place in its entirety - - one table just wouldn’t do it.

If you could have wangled a piece of a favorite Columbia/HoCo restaurant before it closed or was radically changed, what would it be? I’m not a huge Pizza Hut fan but that central fireplace was key to the overall ambiance. On the other hand, I have no idea where I’d put it. And I wouldn’t pay 82,000 dollars for it, either.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Comments

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Columbia Chance Connection

Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!” We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog