May 27th 2026: A Quick Hike at the Cold Harbor Trail, Northborough

 Today, I went on a quick hike to find a water body in the Cold Harbor Trail area of Northborough, where the path I took form Oak Avenue near Increase Ward Drive is shown below in pink.

Nothing special here though.

May 25th 2026: Hiking in Framingham after Eating in Allston

 Today, we were in Boston checking out the Institute of Contemporary Art where admission was free this Memorial Day. After leaving, we decided to have lunch at Novo Marketplace, 

a new food court in the Allston area, first getting a Build Your Own Pho (beef ball) from Lumi Roll and Bowl,

then the Bowl (Biryani Rice (aromatic long-grain basmati rice with saffron milk, fried onions and whole spices), Butter Chicken (marinated, skewered chicken in a tomato and fenugreek sauce with butter and cream), Garlic Naan) from Tabla Express. Pretty good Indian food.

Next, we got the Coco Cotti

and the Egg Puff with Strawberry Ice Cream and Oreo Pieces

from Cotti Coffee.

Finally, we got the Handroll-Torched Flight (Torched salmon (seared salmon topped scallion, chili), Torched yellowtail (seared Yellowtail topped spices), Torched Toro (torched toro, scallion garnish and truffle oil) from Mi-Nori.

Really good sushi, although the plastic covering for the seaweed took a while to figure out how to remove without dropping the sushi itself.

From here, we headed into Framingham

Barbieri Elementary School

for a hike across Farm Pond Park,

where there is a berm across the pond

dead ending in an old pump house.

lots of people fishing here today.

Our final stop for the day was at the Playa Bowls location in town,

getting the refreshing Goldie Mango (Playa mango topped with granola, banana, strawberry and nutella).

Not too bad for a day which started out with a ton of rain.

Recommended Places to Visit: Framingham

Recreation

Kids

Fun and Games 
50 Worcester Road

Events
Holi

Sushi Making

Samba Steak House and Sushi (chain)
1138 Worcester Road

Movies
AMC Framingham 16 
22 Flutie Pass


Parks

Garden in the Woods
180 Hemenway Road

Farm Pond Park/Peace Park
Dudley Road Between Dr. Harvey L Cushing Way and Fountain Street

Cushing Memorial/Tricentennial Park
Eden Road and Jeremiah Donnelly Road

Gallagher Park/Gleason Pond
~390 Concord Street

Roosevelt Park

80 Fay Road

Irving Street Park

Irving Street and Arlington Street

Downtown Common

Howard Street and Franklin Street

Water Bodies

Framingham Reservoir #1
Salem End Road between Temple Street and Cherry Oca Lane

Foss Reservoir
Country Club Lane and Worcester Road

Framingham Reservoir #2
262 Fountain Street

Museums
Danforth Museum of Art
123 Union Avenue

Edgell Memorial Library
3 Oak Street


Beaches
Saxonville Beach
Lake Road near Old Connecticut Path

Waushakum Pond
Nipmuc Road and Wood Avenue

Learned Pond
Shawmut Terrace and Brigham Road


Shopping Malls
Shopper's World
1 Worcester Road

Spices Hut Indian Groceries
700 Worcester Road


Hiking
Recommended:
Callahan State Park
Millwood Street near Winch Road

Baiting Brook Meadow Farm Conservation Area
1037 Edmands Road

Tried:
Carol Getchell Trail
End of Little Farms Road

Hop Brook Conservation Area
Grove Street

Architecture

Monuments

Minuteman Statue

Union Avenue and Main Street

War Memorial/Veterans Park
Guadalcanal Road and Concord Street

Many Cultures, One Heart

Places of Worship

St. Stephen Church

221 Concord Street

New Life Presbyterian Community Church
73 Union Avenue

Framingham 7th Day Adventist Church
252 Edgell Road

St. Bridget Parish
830 Worcester Road

Saint Tarcisius Church
562 Waverly Street

Church of the Nazarene
115 Edgebrook Road

St. Jeremiah Church
41 Brook Street

First United Methodist Church
360 Water Street

St. George Catholic Church
74 School Street

Armenian Church of the Holy Translators
38 Franklin Street

First Baptist Church
1013 Worcester Road

First Parish in Framingham Unitarian Universalist
24 Vernon Street

Plymouth Church
87 Edgell Road

Catedral de Adoracao
74 Pearl Street

Philadelphia Baptist Church
259 Concord Street

Wesley United Methodist Church
80 Beacon Street

First Church of Christ, Scientist
887 Concord Street

Edwards Church
39 Edwards Street

Temple Beth Am

300 Pleasant Street

Bridges
Danforth Street Bridge
Danforth Street near Stearns Street

Commercial Buildings
Sheraton Hotel Framingham
1657 Worcester Road

1001 Worcester Road
1001 Worcester Road

Northeast Community Bank
35 Edgell Road

Bernardi Toyota
1621 Worcester Road

Carmel Terrace Assisted Living

933 Central Street

Schools
Framingham State University
100 State Street

The Learning Center for the Deaf

848 Central Street

Framingham High School

115 A Street

Barbieri Elementary School

100 Dudley Road

Town Facilities
City Hall
150 Concord Street

Police Department
1 William Welch Way

Saxonville Fire Station
End of Watson Place

Fire Department
10 Loring Drive

Public Library McAuliffe Branch

746 Water Street

Dams
Saxonville Pond/Dam
Central Street between Centennial Place and Water Street

Framingham Reservoir #1 Dam
Winter Street between Long Avenue and Maple Street


Historical Buildings
Saxonville Mills
Central Street and Elm Street

Old Framingham Train Station
417 Waverly Street

Framingham Savings Bank
Park Street and Franklin Street

Framingham Center Village Hall
2 Oak Street

ATAC

160 Hollis Street

Restaurants

Highly Recommended:
Latin American
Temazcal (chain)
155 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Pork Chuleta En Café
Flan

Brazilian
Terra Brasilis Restaurant (chain)
94 Union Avenue
Recommended Dishes:
Buffet

Framingham Station Brazilian Steakhouse

417 Waverly Street

Recommended Dishes:

Buffer

Passion Fruit Mousse

Franklin Street Cafe
134 Franklin Street
Recommended Dishes:
Cashew Fruit Juice
Canjiquinha
Egg Salad Sandwich

Boteco do Manolo (chain)

1583 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:

Cashew Regular Juice

Mineira's Grilled Top Sirloin Steaks

Indian

Saffron Pizza and Grill
50 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Goat Musallam
Rasam

Bawarchi Biryanis (chain)
700 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Boneless Goat Biryani

Chinese Mirch (chain)
140 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:
Mint Lassi
Goan Cooler
Szechuan Bhel
Paanipuri Shooters
Manchow Soup
Crispy Szechuan Lamb
Mithai Wontons
Mango Mousse Shooter
Masala Coke
Mumbai Gobi
Virgin Lychee-tini
Lamb Chops
Pao Bhaji Sliders
Berry Blast Bites 

Silk Global Cuisine

1 Edgell Road

Recommended Dishes:

MARRAKESH BOUILLABAISSE

CRAZY NOODLES

BAKED APPLE AND CARAMEL CRISP WITH CRÈME DE FRESH

FRIED CRISPY SILK CHICKEN WINGS

Godavari (chain)
1656 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:
Godavari Annam 
Hawai Fried Rice
Baby Corn 65
Andhra Aloo
Badam Milk
Modi Masala Chai
Tomato Rasam
Chennai Street Sambar
Aloo Gobi Mutter
Murugaya Kara Kuzhambu
Naan
Coconut Utthapam
Malai Paneer
Drumstick Daal
Rava Idly
Tindoora Poriyal
Kosta Kurd Rice
Sridevi Fruit Custard
Poornalu
Paal Rice Payasam
Old City Veg Dum Biryani
Lucknow Shahi Kabab
Madras Fish Fry
Anjamma Goat Paya
Murgh Rogan Josh
Haleem and Prawn Balchao

Biryani Pot (chain)
255 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Butter Naan
Goat Chettinad

Nawabi Hyderabad House (chain)
255 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Butter Naan

Butter Chicken Masala

Thalappakatti Mutton Biryani

Mexican
Blue Agave Mexican Grill and Cantina

270 Cochituate Road
Recommended Dishes:
Horchata
Fish Fajitas
Pina Caribe

Seafood

Legal Sea Foods (chain)

50 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:

New England Clam Chowder

Grilled Octopus

Crispy Fried Shrimp

Oysters of the Day

Western

Dave's Hot Chicken (chain)

341 Cochituate Road

Recommended Dishes:

1 Tender + 1 Slider With Fries

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse (chain)

124 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:

BJ's Jeremiah Red

Kid's Create-Your-Own-Pasta

Garlic Parmesan Knots

Bone-In Wings

Soup and Salad Combo

Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Salad

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Kid's Mini Pizookie

Top Shelf Restaurant (closed)

250 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Seafood Chowder
Lollipop Lamb Chops
Chicken Bruschetta (if available)
Top Shelf Nachos
Berries and Cream (if available)
Fried Matzo Balls with Bacon

Bourbon's Kitchen and Cocktails 
47 Beacon Street
Recommended Dishes:
Korean Beef Sliders
Chicken Cutlet Sandwich

The Buckley Kitchen and Bar

440 Franklin Street

Recommended Dishes:

Buckley Mai Tai

Nicoise

Creamy Chicken Rigatoni

Clam Chowder

British Beer Company (chain,closed)
120 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:
Chicken and Leek Pasty Pie
Stout Onion Soup
Mahoney Twist
Key Lime Pie

Ken's Steak House
95 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:
Scallops Wrapped in Bacon
Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms
Escargot in Herb Butter
Caprese Salad
Lobster Bisque

Angry Ham's Garage Bar and Grill (closed)
2 Beacon Street
Recommended Dishes:
Chicken Teriyaki
Salami and Mushroom Pizza

The Melting Pot (chain)
92 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Fresh Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue
Melting Pot House Salad
Pacific Rim
Coq Au Vin
Original Chocolate Fondue

Chinese
Red Pepper (chain)
17 Edgell Road
Recommended Dishes:
Sliced Beef and Tendon with Chilli Sauce
Dry Braised Lamb with Spicy Sauce in Hot Pot
Cumin Flavored Lamb with Chilli Sauce
Deep Fried Chicken with Dried Chilli Peppers
Shredded Pork with Spicy Garlic Sauce
Pork Blood, Beef Stomach and Soybean Sprout Stew
Tea Smoked Duck
Dry Braised Mushrooms with Spicy Sauce in Hot Pot
Stir Fried Kai Lan
Stir Fried Pea Shoots
Poached Fish with Cabbage in Hot Chilli Sauce

Sichuan Gourmet (chain)
271 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Old Sichuan Chicken
Chinese Eggplant with YuXiang Sauce
Chengdu Spicy Dumplings
Chengdu Sweet and Spicy Noodles
Beef Tripe, Pork Blood and Pork Intestine Stew
Sesame Sweet Potato Cakes
Sauteed Shredded Duck Meat with Vegetables
Dan Dan Noodles with Minced Pork

Pickled Vegetable Noodle Soup with Pork

Gangou Dry Fish Filet

Eo Noodle
1245 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Fishball with Meat Sauce Noodles
Crab Rangoons
Chi A Mein Soup

Lotus Flower Restaurant (chain)
341 Cochituate Road
Recommended Dishes:
Beef Tendon in Hot Chili Sauce
Soup Dumplings
Wonton Soup
Dinner Buffet
Hot and Sour Soup

Uncle Cheung's Restaurant (closed)
266 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll
Sauteed Rice Cakes with Pork and Vegetables
Chilli String Beans
Honey Smoked Fish
Wuxi Spare Ribs
Gyoza
Honey Smoked Fish with Noodles
Yangzhou Fried Rice
Steamed Mini Pork Buns
Salty Soy Bean Milk

Silk Bean Curd Soup (Sweet)

Stinky Bean Curd
Pork with Bean Curd Knots in Brown Sauce
Pork Kidneys 
Pork Ball Shanghai Style

Sauteed Chinese Green Cabbage

Beef Soup Noodles

U Dumpling House
266 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:

Beef Short Rib Noodle Soup

Chicken Claws in Black Bean Sauce
Pan Fried Pork Buns

Truffle Soup Dumplings

Steamed Rice Rolls with Shrimp

Pork and Mushroom Siu Mai

Dessert
Chocolate Therapy (chain)
60 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Mint Hot Chocolate
Milk Chocolate Truffle
White Chocolate Truffle
Raspberry Gemme 
Pom Balm 
Sweet Potato Truffle
Buzz Mallow
Strawberry Balsamic
Vitamin C
My Bubbly Heart
Blueberry Lemon Basil
Root Beer Float

Dulce D Leche Gelato Cafe
5 Edgell Road
Recommended Dishes:
Alfajore
Milk and Honey
Peruvian
Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato
Passion Fruit Sorbetto

Playa Bowls (chain)

1 Worcester Road

Recommended dishes:

Goldie Mango

Italian
Olive Garden (chain)
1 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Cucina Mia
Zuppa Toscana
Pasta e Fagioli

Breadsticks
Stuffed Mushrooms

House Salad
Warm Apple Crostata

Chicken Marsala

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Fritto Misto

Korean

Kalasha Bubble Tea and Chicken 
855 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:
Cheese Ramen

Original Egg Drop Sandwich

Korean Spicy Fried Chicken Wings

Vietnamese

House of Pho
770 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:

Pho Bo Vien

Ca Phe Sua Da

Bun Bo Hue

Nem Cuon Nha Trang

Japanese

Samba West (chain, closed)
1583 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:
Kobe Beef Maki
Korean Spicy Seafood Soup
Volcano Soft Shell Crab
Thai Fruit and Vegetable Salad

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar (chain)

1 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:

Golden Crunchy Roll

Shrimp

Eel

Dashi Olive Sweet Shrimp

Dashi Olive Salmon

Crispy Rice with Crab Mayo

Seared Scallop with Japanese Mayo

Premium American Beef

Octopus

Toro

Albacore Toro

Garlic Ponzu Salmon

Tiger Roll

Hokkaido Milk Creamy Tart

Garlic Skipjack Tuna

Seared Beef with Yakiniku Sauce

Chicken Gyoza Dumplings

Samba Steak House and Sushi (chain)
1138 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:
Samba Special Clay Pot Curry

Mediterranean
Aegean Restaurant (chain)
257 Cochituate Road


Tried:
Caribbean
Nzuko
341 Cochituate Road

Recommended Dishes:
Nzuko Chicken
Mushroom Rice

Italian
Bella Costa Ristorante

147 Cochituate Road

Recommended Dishes:
Baked Stuffed Eggplant
Chicken Lemon and Rice Soup
Strawberry Romanoff

Papa Gino's (chain)
341 Cochituate Road

Goody's Pizza (closed)
795 Concord Street
Recommended Dishes:
Hawaiian Pizza
Souvlaki Sub
Steak and Mushroom Sandwich

Anastasia's Oven and Grill
12 Union Avenue
Recommended Dishes:
Tarumirim
X Tudo Sandwich

Breakfast
Carrie Anne's Modern Diner

186 Waverly Street

Recommended Dishes:
Irish Eggs Benedict
Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake

Eggcetera Etc.
665 Cochituate Road
Recommended Dishes:
Do-it-yourself omelette
Bacon and Cheddar Panini


J and M's Diner
665 Cochituate Road
Recommended Dishes:
Jack Daniel's (if available)

Indian

Punjabi Grill
1243 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Lamb Curry

Welcome Indian Cuisine (closed)
770 Worcester Road

Green Chili
1 Nicholas Road
Recommended Dishes:
Lamb Dosa
Mutton Curry
Mysore Tea

Rasoi
855 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Guava Lassi
Lamb Shami Korma
Tomato Soup
Honey Ginger Naan
Mango Chutney
Faluda Kulfi

Mexican

Margarita's (chain)
725 Cochituate Road
Recommended Dishes:
Aztec Shrimp Quesadillas
Queso

Acapulco's (chain, closed)
1656 Worcester Road

Recommended Dishes:
Pacifico Chimichanga

Isla Restaurant and Lounge
672 Waverly Street
Recommended Dishes:
Tacos de Camaron
Tacos de Pescado
Tacos de Lengua

Western
Gerard Farm
447 Water Street
Recommended Dishes:
BBQ Drumlets
Apple Pie
Custard
Chicken Soup

O'Connell's Pub
700 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Irish Beef Stew
Corned Beef Cameron's Quesadilla
Surf/Turf



Chinese
Chef Orient Restaurant (closed)
1583 Worcester Road

Imperial China
413 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Beef Moo Shi

China Gourmet (chain)
1583 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Mala Spicy Beef in Wok
Surf and Turf Roll


Dessert
Sweet Spot Frozen Yogurt
855 Worcester Road

B Sisters Cafe
680 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Cheese Puff

Mad Willie's
963 Worcester Road

Acai Dot Com

102 Irving Street

Recommended Dishes:

Acai Bowl

Saxonville Cafe (chain)

2 Central Street

Recommended Dishes:

Chocolate Cake

Soursop Smoothie

MASALA CHAI TEA LATTE

French
C'Mondz Restaurant (closed)
795 Concord Street
Recommended Dishes:
Apple Tarte
Smoke Sausage Skillet
Pink Lady Avo Toast Delight


Brazilian
Extravaganza Pizza and Bar
47 Beacon Street
Recommended Dishes:
Mousse de Muracuja
Brazilian Grilled Picanha
Surf and Turf Pizza

Oliveira's Steak House (closed)
290 Worcester Road
Recommended Dishes:
Brazilian Buffet

Cafe Belo

2 Beacon Street

Recommended Dishes:

Cheese Bread

Picanha

Batata Frita

Strawberry Cake

Banana Frita

Coracao de Frango

Mandioca Frita 

Salada de Repolho

Torresmo

Terra Brasilis Restaurant (chain)
264 Waverly Street
Recommended Dishes:
Buffet

Joa Take Out
326 Concord Street
Recommended Dishes:
Cacarola
X-Joa 

May 24th 2026: North Uxbridge Fire Museum, Uxbridge

 Today, we decided to go check out the North Uxbridge Fire Museum in Uxbridge. 

Small place, but at least we got the most out of a rainy day, including a misguided order of Bubblegum ice cream from Pirate's Cove in Northbridge.

Recommended Places to Visit: Uxbridge

Recreation

Golf

Blissful Meadows Golf Club
801 Chocolog Road

Water Bodies
Rice City Pond
East Hartford Avenue near Oak Street

Whitin Pond
~400 North Main Street

Bazeley Pond
126 Laurel Street

Chocolog Pond
611 Chocolog Road

Capron Pond
15 Mendon Street

West River Pond

28 West River Road

Ironstone Reservoir

1 Elmwood Avenue

Beaches

West Hill Dam
518 East Hartford Avenue

Pout Pond
~100 West River Road


Museums

Uxbridge Historical Society

44 Mendon Street

North Uxbridge Fire Museum

313 North Main Street

Parks

Wheelock Memorial Park

261 Mendon Street

Charles Smith Memorial Park

121 East Hartford Avenue

Hiking
Recommended:
Lee Pond
119 Aldrich Street

Blackstone River and Canal Heritage Park
287 Oak Street

Architecture

Monuments

Town Common
Court Street and Douglas Street

Places of Worship

Congregation Maranatha
15 South Main Street

St. Mary's Church
77 Mendon Street

Good Shepherd Church
121 Linwood Avenue

Faith Fellowship Church
647 Douglas Street

North Uxbridge Baptist Church
East Hartford Avenue and North Main Street

Schools

Uxbridge High School

300 Quaker Highway

Town Facilities
Town Hall
21 South Main Street

Public Library
15 North Main Street


Historical Buildings
Old Unitarian Church
North Main Street next to Public Library

Crown and Eagle Apartments
99 East Hartford Avenue

Blanchard Early Childhood Center
65 East Hartford Avenue

Restaurants

Tried:

Italian

UxLocale

510 Hartford Avenue West

Recommended Dishes:

Luppolo

Oyster Mushroom Ragu Parpadelle

Creme Brulee

Breakfast

Mom's Restaurant

307 North Main Street

Recommended Dishes:

Blackstone Benny

Meat Stuffed French Toast

May 23rd 2026: Eating after Visiting Roger Williams Park, Providence RI

 Today, after passing through Cranston RI,

Saint Matthew Church

we visited the Roger Williams Park Zoo, the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center and the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, all located within Roger Williams Park in Providence RI, then headed to the Providence Place mall in town for the rest of the day.

First, we got some food from Night Shift Tap and Kitchen,

located within the arcade Level99,

getting the Baked Mac + Cheese (four cheese blend, garlic and herb panko crust),

the Hand-breaded Chicken Dunks (buttermik-brined, garlic aioli)

and the Nashville Hot Fried Chicken (nueske's bacon, mike's hot honey, pickles, mayo, brioche).

Not bad, although the chicken was on the verge of being burnt.

At the food court, we got the Nutella Cheese Bread Waffle from Terra Nossa Brazilian Grill

and the Today's Special (California Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Salmon Avocado Roll) from Sushi Cafe.

Nothing special about either though. Glad my little one enjoyed the museums today, though.

May 22nd 2026: Yolk and Crumb, Worcester

 Today, we decided to check out Yolk and Crumb, a relatively new bakery in Worcester. Small but nice inside.

Apparently we already missed the best stuff, but we still got to try the Pistachio Raspberry Croissant, Dark Chocolate Cake with Rum Syrup, Creme Fraiche Cheesecake with Passionfruit pear compote.

One of the best croissants I must say, and the cheesecake was really smooth as well. No rum flavor to the chocolate cake though.

Lunch was at Sole Proprietor in town, this time getting the Dashi Scallop Roll (dashi poached scallop, house-pickled vegetables, ginger-wasabi aioli, eel sauce).

Just alright in my opinion, and my other half didn't like the sogginess of the bread in her Quarter Pound Lobster Roll (touch of mayonnaise and lemon juice, toasted Brioche roll, French fries, coleslaw).

At least dessert was good.