30 years later

I'm just back from my 30th high school reunion and it was a good night. I graduated from Savio in 1981 in a class of 89 guys. Only 20 showed up tonight, but after 30 years people are living all over the place and have family obligations. It was good to see those who did come out.

As I was telling some of the guys tonight, I was a dorky kid from East Boston, but among my classmates I always felt like I could wander form group to group -- the athletes, the rock music rebels. the guys that came from East Boston Central Catholic with me, the guys from Revere, and everyone else -- and I was always accepted. Those were good days at Savio -- and I got a good education.

It's strange to see people virtually every day for four years and then to never see them again. That often happens after high school. At least tonight I got to touch base one time with some of the guys who -- no matter where we go or what we do -- will always be my friends.

Caesars crosses the Rubicon

Suffolk Downs is partnering with the world's largest gaming company to bring a $600 million casino to the East Boston/Revere racetrack. Suffolk lead owner Richard Fields announced today a "strategic alliance" with Caesars Entertainment, which "owns or manages casino resorts on four continents."

Of course, the state legislature has yet to legalize casinos in the Bay State, and right now a bill filed by East Boston state Sen. Anthony Petruccelli that would authorize three resort casinos is sitting idly, but speculation is that the legislature will take up the matter this summer.

Those opposed to bringing casinos to Massachusetts are looking for a comprehensive, independent study of the effects, positive and negative, that such a move will bring to our state. So far, no such study has been authorized, and some feel that this is an attempt to downplay or hide the actual consequences of expanded gaming.

Neighbors of Suffolk Downs will be hosting "A Forum on Expanded Gambling" at the Winthrop Middle School on Wednesday, May 4.

Gas pedal blues

In mid-December I received a citation from a Revere police officer for going 42 mph in a 30 mph zone while approaching the Beachmont School. About one minute earlier, as I took the curve that leads into the straightaway that passes the marsh I thought to myself, "Slow down. There are often speed traps here." And seconds after slowing down, the thought drifted from my head until I saw the cop standing in the middle of the road waving me over. He grumbled at me, walked away and came back with a ticket.

Of course, it's not the heat that gets you, it's the humidity. In this case, the $120 are less troublesome than the insurance surcharge. (Is it still on my record for six year?) While my experience has been that hearings for speeding tickets result in a lower fine, the surcharge still sticks like a bur, and therefore taking a day off from work to save $60 or so doesn't seem worth it.

Today I went online to pay the infraction, and after going through all the motions I got an email that said the ticket information I entered was not on file and therefore I should call or go to the Registry. Now this is the stuff that makes one annoyed. I called and then waited 28 minutes on hold until someone handled my ticket. The Registry has made great strides in recent years, but there's no reason why the automated system can't tell me how long the average wait is. I would have called back another time if I knew I was going to spend half an hour listening to passionless music interrupted by a voice every minute thanking me for patience that I didn't have.

The officer, apparently, hasn't turned in the ticket yet. Maybe it should become void if he doesn't enter the information in a certain amount of time. Anyway, I know the moral: Don't speed. Yeah, but was a sunny day, the road was empty and it's a nice, open straightaway. I never felt like I was going too fast. I certainly wasn't driving dangerously. I do slow down on that stretch now, which I guess is the point, right?

Heavenly pie

Ever have a piece of Torretta's ricotta pie? I've never tasted anything like its sweet, tangy, rich and creamy filling and chewy crust. For $13, it may be the best pie of any kind I've ever had. Torretta's, which offers desserts and other Italian food, is at 652 Winthrop Avenue in Revere's Beachmont neighborhood.

Tracks struggle

The Globe reports today that Wonderland has shut down. The Revere greyhound track was hanging on in the hope that expanded gambling would save it after a voter-approved initiative outlawing dog racing went into effective Jan. 1. A few days ago the newspaper reported that Suffolk Downs is making cutbacks. The state egislature is scheduled to return to formal session in January, and it's likely that a gambling bill will emerge again.

Photo from Boston.com

Forum feedback

Some thoughts on tonight's "Forum on Casino Gambling at Suffolk Downs":

1. The event began more than a half-hour late for no reason that was evident or announced to the crowd, which became restless and started chanting for things to begin. The forum finally began at 7:07 p.m. I left about 8:10 while the question session was going on.

2. The format was apparently decided on the fly, as the moderator would, at each juncture, look back and forth and around the room as if to say, "How should we do this?" I'm not sure why time wasn't used to figure out the ground rules while the speakers were standing and chit-chatting.

3. I don't know why Suffolk Downs COO Chip Tuttle was included among elected officials who were given time to speak. I didn't vote for him and neither did anyone else in the room. Plus, his weekly newsletter is distributed free to all of us.

4. Some elected officials, in a move that seemed rather arrogant, made clear that they were going to speak longer than the time allotted. Since some of them are part of the bill-crafting process and have the media at their disposal -- especially the East Boston Times, which is their mouthpiece -- it seems unfair that they would go past the time they were given when members of the public were limited to writing questions on pieces of paper.

5. The most misguided -- and frankly, offensive -- statement was that an independent and comprehensive study of the positives and negatives of casino gambling in Massachusetts is not needed. Huh? Since the research that the legislature is currently using was provided by studies funded by the casino industry AND since an independent study of casino gambling nationally, cited tonight by one of the speakers for the opposition, shows that there are $3 of public expenditure for every $1 expanded gambling brings to a state, it would seem shortsighted and negligent not to have one done -- unless proponents of casinos do not want the public to see the list of consequences that a study reveals.

Traffic folly

I was pulled over by a Revere police officer yesterday afternoon and reprimanded for going through a red light as I turned from Broadway left onto Central Ave. At first I tried to spit out a few words to make my case, but it was immediately clear that the cop didn't want to hear it and since he was warning me instead of giving me a moving violation I nodded and said, "Yes sir."

I was surprised to see the cruiser's lights in my rear-view mirror because I honestly didn't believe I had committed any infraction. I was heading south on Broadway and moved into the left lane in front of the firehouse. The light was green when I rolled into the intersection and waited for oncoming traffic to stop so I could turn. By the time I took the left the light had, in fact, turned red, but I couldn't sit in the intersection at that point, right?

The officer said to me, "You cannot enter the intersection if you can't make it out before the light turns red," and I understand what he means, but there is one hitch at this particular intersection that caused me to turn after the red. As I waited to turn I assumed that when my light turned yellow the cars heading north on Broadway would slow and stop so that I could move before the red light. What I didn't realize is that their light remains green longer, which means those cars kept moving past me even as my light was red.

I couldn't explain myself to the cop, but at least I told someone, and as the saying goes, "Many a man would rather you heard his story than grant his request."

Two reasonable requests

While I am opposed to bringing casino gambling to Suffolk Downs, I would ask those elected officials who are leading the charge to legalize casinos in Massachusetts and to site one such establishment at the local racetrack that two steps be taken before they throw their lot in with the casino-developing millionaires instead of with the citizenry.

First, I'd like to see an objective study of the issue. A serious and comprehensive look into what it will mean for the future of the state and its residents is certainly in order before anyone makes a decision on this matter. So far we've seen a mish-mash of statistics and anecdotes. Let's get hard facts so that we can debate and decide from a position of strength, not guesswork.

Secondly, I like the idea that state Sen. Anthony Petruccelli is advocating: a referendum by the people of East Boston and Revere (and, I'd add, any other city or town that will be asked to host a casino). Petruccelli raises the idea in a good article in this week's Revere Journal. In the story, the senator called the proposed casino "the most significant land use change in Revere and East Boston since the development of the airport in the 1960s."

He's right, and therefore there should be a vote -- but not until we can all review a complete and unbiased assessment of the casino issue. I think that if Gov. Patrick, House Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Murray and Mayor Menino are about to ruin my neighborhood, this is the least they can do.

You know the drill

I switched dentists recently, from a guy in Revere to a woman in Malden. Before either of them I had a grad student at the BU dental school. I'd returned to East Boston from Maine, where I'd had dental implant work done that totaled $8,000. The cost and the duration -- about a year -- of that work were more painful than the physical discomfort. I went to BU because the prices are lower, and I was assigned a student named Kevin, with whom I had a wonderful rapport over the course of a year or so.

When Kevin graduated I decided to move back into the world of professional dentists, and I looked online and found someone nearby. I was his patient for not quite a year, but I actually saw him for only a brief period of time. He was always rushing in and out of the room, obviously tending to other patients. Even when he had to fill a cavity he did it in a hurry, and I felt as though I had little opportunity to actually talk to him. So recently I decided to find a dentist who moves at a more relaxed pace -- and who actually listens to me.

Maybe this is foolish, but when I am someone's patient, I like that person to talk to me, to know me and -- yes, I have to admit -- to laugh at my jokes. Is that strange? I tend to babble on and to make humorous remarks when on an exam table or in a dentist chair or an optometrist's chair. In fact, my eye doctor and I have a wonderful conversation whenever I see her. I've remained her patient for more than a decade despite her relocating twice, and she was my eye doctor when I lived in Maine for two years.

I want the same from my dentist, and the woman in Malden listens to me and laughs at my often self-deprecating jokes (as I am terrified of the dentist office -- especially the implement I refer to as "the pointy thing" the hygienist uses during cleanings). I'm happy to have found a dentist I feel comfortable with. Some friends laughed when I told them my criteria, but it works for me.

Uncle Pete R.I.P.

I just received news of the death of Pete Cucchiara, the owner of Uncle Pete's Hickory Ribs, which opened originally in East Boston and then relocated to Revere a few years ago. Those who visited the restaurant know that Pete was a familiar sight, stopping to chat with people at every table. His wife, Pha, is friendly as well, and hopefully she will carry on with the business.

Update (4/1): I went to Uncle Pete's with friends this evening and Pete's wife, Pha, confirmed what we'd heard: that the restaurant is shutting down. This Saturday, April 4, is the last day.

Don't forget the marshmallows

The state's Department of Conservation and Recreation is hosting oceanside campfires at area beaches in February, including Feb. 7 at Winthrop Beach, Feb. 14 at Revere Beach and Feb. 28 at East Boston's Constitution Beach. Sounds like fun.

The DCR's winter program also includes winter tracking (Feb. 14) and nature photography for beginners (Feb. 21), both at the Belle Isle Marsh. Click here for details.

Track team?

Suffolk Downs is in negotiations to partner with, or buy outright, Wonderland Greyhound Park, according to stories in the Globe and Herald today. Wonderland apparently owes nearly $800,000 in back taxes, and "Revere officials recently began foreclosure proceedings against the track."

Speculation in the stories is that combining forces gives the tracks more leverage in their bid to bring casino gambling to the region. Wonderland, the thinking goes, may be able to keep dog racing if it has slot machines. However, there is also the November ballot question that would outlaw greyhound racing in the state to consider.

I'd like to see an end to dog racing. I also believe that it's a bad idea to bring casinos to this state and, more specifically, to East Boston. As we can see, Suffolk's principal owner Richard Fields is spending a good deal of money and expending a good deal of effort to put himself in a better position to get what he wants.

Update: It seems that Suffolk Downs and Wonderland have reached an agreement. In the statement released today (8/13), Wonderland principal owner Charles Sarkis says, "“All along during discussions with Suffolk Downs, we had one big goal in mind: protect the jobs of nearby residents..." Ha! That crock is the same line business owners always use. In reality it translates as, "I am going to get as much cash out of this deal as possible."

Kelly's ditches unhealthy oil

Boston.com reports that Kelly's Roast Beef -- the venerable North Shore purveyor of sandwiches, fries and fish plates -- has switched to vegetable oil from soybeans for frying. This follows a national trend in which eateries are abandoning unhealthy trans-fat oil in their food.

Kelly's, which now has five locations, started out Revere Beach in 1951. I remember many occasions -- day and night, summer and winter -- when the sidewalk around the Kelly's windows would be filled with people. You don't see that any more, but -- as far as I'm concerned -- they still make the best roast beef sandwich around.

Spring cleaning

***East Boston resident Robert DeCoste is organizing a clean-up of Peddocks Island, located in Boston Harbor, for Saturday, June 7. A student at Mass. Maritime Academy, DeCoste is working with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Boston Harbor Island Alliance, and the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands on the project, and he is looking for donors and volunteers. DeCoste has made a video of some of the five thousand pounds of trash and debris that litters the island's shoreline and you can watch that by clicking here. If you'd like to contact him, his email address is robdmma@hotmail.com.

***This just in from Mary Berninger: "East Boston Kiwanis Club, in conjunction with its sister clubs in Revere and Winthrop, is spearheading a cleanup of the Belle Isle Reservation for this Saturday, April 5. The event is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation will be supplying rakes, trash bags, gloves and other equipment."

Local Asian eats

A story today at Boston.com mentions a Cambodian restaurant in Revere called Floating Rock, so I Googled the place and found some excellent reviews.

"The dining room is drab, with only a few pictures on the walls. The exterior is equally bland. But the food is anything but," said a Globe article from a few years ago. The Harvard Crimson wrote, "The food is so alive, so bursting with flavor, that all else is forgiven. Eating at Floating Rock is a strange and wonderful journey..."

I will have to check the place out, and speaking of Southeast Asian hole-in-the-wall gems in the vicinity, this seems like a good place to mention Saigon Hut. I've been eating at this little Vietnamese restaurant for more than a decade. Located at the corner of Meridian and Lexington streets in East Boston, Saigon Hut is genuine, tasty and inexpensive. The menu includes pho, Vietnamese noodle soup, as well as a number of rice, noodle, vegetable, chicken, beef and seafood dishes. I always start off with the fresh spring rolls.

In the news

Boston.com reports this evening that the toxicology report on two Boston firefighters who were killed in an August restaurant fire revealed some surprises: one of the men had enough alcohol in his bloodstream to be legally intoxicated, while the other had traces of cocaine in his system.

While there is no reason to think that the condition the firefighters were in was responsible for their deaths, it is still a shocking finding and one that will need to be investigated and addressed. A state Superior Court judge has "barred Channel 7 from reporting on findings," according to the Boston Globe's web site. Such an exercise of prior restraint is virtually unheard of in the US, and Channel 7 is appealing today to the Supreme Judicial Court.

In another story with loose ends, a 17-year-old was arraigned yesterday for his involvement in the death of a Revere police officer over the weekend. It's still unclear what the cop and fellow officers were doing behind the city's high school and how a shootout broke out between them and the defendant and some of his friends.

Now hear this...

A couple of hearings have been scheduled on issues that affect East Boston.

First, the city's Licensing Board is holding a hearing on the proposal by Two Guys Food, Inc. to open a Burger King in Maverick Square. The board is coming out to the Umana Middle School on Wednesday at the behest of Maverick Square and Jeffries Point residents. The hearing begins at 6:30 p.m.

Second, a hearing will be held in the next two weeks on a proposal to allow slot machines at the state's four tracks, including Suffolk Downs in Eastie and Wonderland in Revere. According to the The Enterprise newspaper's web site, the host communities -- which would get a piece of the action -- must approve of the slots as well.

Also, the Westford Eagle reports that the town's board of selectmen have been discussing issues related to East Boston Camps, which has been run on town property in Westford for decades. The issues include "overseeing [that] the lessee was upholding their end of the lease" as well as electrical problems that resulted in "a toxic substance from old electrical power transformers" being found on the property.