What are/aren't we short of in the Lakes Region area?

[Grady223]

The same thing the rest of the state needs, good pizza.

[ghfromaltonbay]

Originally Posted by Grady223

The same thing the rest of the state needs, good pizza.

Grady,

Try the pizza at Waldo Peppers. Since Waldo is from Joisey (NJ - which Exit?) his pizza is the real thing.

Now that you know where to get good pizza, can you tell me where to get a decent bagel and bread with real crust? Being from the NY metro area, we're spoiled as far as good bagels, crusty bread and great German wursts and cold cuts.

[Grady223]

Yo Clifton,

Thanks for the tip on the pizza, I will try it out. If a guy from Clifton likes it, it must be good.

A guy from Hackensack I knew owned a bagel shop in Center Harbor (BayGuls) and I understand the bagels were good. I can't vouch because I haven't been there. He passed away a year ago but the place was still there this past summer.

Garfield

[ghfromaltonbay]

Originally Posted by Grady223

Yo Clifton,

Thanks for the tip on the pizza, I will try it out. If a guy from Clifton likes it, it must be good.

Actually, I'm a gal from Clifton, but in any case, the pizza is the thinner crispy crust type with lots of air bubbles in the crust. Just the way I like it.

I'll have to try out the bagels in CH, I know just where they are located. Hackensack is 4 miles from where I live. gtxrider just bought some great ones this past weekend from Fair Lawn, NJ which has a large Jewish population and has a lot of good delicatessens and bagel shops. These bagels were almost as big as the spare tire that came with my Malibu. Just as a point of reference, their "mini-bagels" are the size of the Lenders bagels you can buy in the freezer section at the supermarket.

[fatlazyless]

Looks like the Home Depot has changed their mind about putting a store right next to the Gilford Lowe's due to not enuf business. And the proposed Cumberland Farms gas station near Nadia's Trattoria at the old PSNH building was sold to Irwin Ford-Toyota. Cumby sold it to Irwin for 1,050,000.

Having a Lowes move into the neighborhood has got to be like the worst nightmare for local independant hardware stores. Just a short drive up the road to Lowes, parking, free coffee/hot chocolate, atm, rest rooms, lumber and a big box full of stuff...and even yellow tagged bargain close-outs...a lot of the Lowe's employees are women. Even this time of year there's always maybe 30 cars in the lot. Gilford has it assessed for like 12 million dollars, too. So close to Laconia, but so far away, believe it almost sits on the border. Laconia would be moving their border to include the Lowe's if Laconia could get away with it.

I've read that big-box, home improvement stores in places like Brazil, Mexico, Germany & France grow a following of therapeutic massage businesses close by the store. A place where weary tradespeople can go to get their overworked bodies realigned. And, if the Gilford Lowe's could get that going at their reasonable Lowe's prices, that would be my big hope for improving home improvement here in the Lakes Region. Maybe, just across the border in economically depressed Laconia?

[Grady223]

Sorry, Gal from Clifton

Know Fairlawn well, lived 8 years in Glen Rock. My history has been: Garfield, Teaneck, Wayne, Riverdale, Sparta, Glen Rock and now Bucks County PA - summers on the Lake.

Seems that bagels in the NYC area are getting bigger and bigger. Still, if you get traditional Brooklyn bagels they are small, compact and crispy.

I, too, will try BayGuls and we can compare notes this summer.

Grady223

[ghfromaltonbay]

Originally Posted by Grady223

Sorry, Gal from Clifton

Know Fairlawn well, lived 8 years in Glen Rock. My history has been: Garfield, Teaneck, Wayne, Riverdale, Sparta, Glen Rock and now Bucks County PA - summers on the Lake.

That's ok, a lot of people are thrown off by just the initials gh. GTXrider (my brother) and I have a similar history: I'm Clifton, Ridgefield, Rochelle Park and back to Clifton. My Dad was born in Garfield - Sampson St. GTX is: Clifton, Ridgefield, Union, Piscataway. Hopefully one day we will both add Alton Bay or some place close as the next stop.

It's definitely worth the 5-6 hour drive to Winni, you can't compare any of the lakes in NJ or PA with it.

[CanisLupusArctos]

The lakes region towns could use more community. More of that humble small-town feel that caused so many of us to fall in love with the area in the first place. The essentials are getting increasingly spread out, requiring long drives in different directions.

20 years ago, Center Harbor had a pharmacy (now a law firm)... next to Robbin's General Store (also part of the Canoe & Kayak place) which was next to Andersen's Bakery (also part of the Canoe and Kayak place.) The Wine store used to be a sports shop.

It was possible to park once (boat or car) and walk around to all the places you needed. It even had boat gas pumps. People would come by boat and by car to the same point, and walk around to buy groceries, fresh bread and donuts, a prescription refill, fishing tackle, a couple of outdoor floodlights... and you were likely to bump into people you knew... or get to know people after meeting them a few times. It was centralized community.

I miss that.

[nj2nh]

I think Alton Bay is hanging on to its community feel by its fingernails. Once the roller skating rink closed and McGrath's (not the supermarkey) disappeared and Busy Corner stopped being, well, Busy Corner, things began to disappear. Now the Blue Jay Mini-Golf is for sale. Once that goes, there won't be anything left in Alton Bay.

nj2nh

[ghfromaltonbay]

Originally Posted by nj2nh

I think Alton Bay is hanging on to its community feel by its fingernails. Once the roller skating rink closed and McGrath's (not the supermarkey) disappeared and Busy Corner stopped being, well, Busy Corner, things began to disappear. Now the Blue Jay Mini-Golf is for sale. Once that goes, there won't be anything left in Alton Bay.
nj2nh

From the Baysider article that McDude posted yesterday, it looks like the Blue Jay will remain as a mini-golf course. The new owner also has the mini-golf in Chichester (near the Weathervane) and that looks really nice. The upgrades he mentioned in the article should see an improvement. If he also adds a pizza shop in the vacant store that will also make that corner a little busier again. The previous owners weren't going to make any improvements, they were looking to retire as their family had left the nest, and weren't going to put any $ into the place.

I'm with you though, nj2nh, the place isn't the same without the old McGraths and Busy Corner. I still remember going by boat to do laundry for my mother at the little laundromat behind Busy Corner (I wasn't old enough to drive a car). A load of wash was 25 cents back then. At that time the post office was also in that building where the "gift shop" is located in Amilynne's.

[fatlazyless]

A post office can relocate to almost anywhere in a town and attract local postal patrons. Let me just guess, not being all that familiar with Alton Bay. The post office's moving out of the general store started the economic slide of the Alton Bay business neighborhood at the point area?

Did any businesses follow, or spring up at the po's new Alton location?

[ghfromaltonbay]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

A post office can relocate to almost anywhere in a town and attract local postal patrons. Let me just guess, not being all that familiar with Alton Bay. The post office's moving out of the general store started the economic slide of the Alton Bay business neighborhood at the point area?

Did any businesses follow, or spring up at the po's new Alton location?

Not in this case. The PO only moved across the street into the building owned by the Blue Jay. I think the fire in McGrath's was the beginning of the end for the Alton Bay "business district". McGrath's was a combination grocery, 5&10 and clothing store. Once it burned down and the new smaller store opened on that site (it was more like a mini-mart on the lower level and clothing boutique upstairs) the traffic declined. That smaller store is now Gillan Marine. McGrath's reopened as a small supermarket down in Alton and remained there until last year when it became the new 5&10. With Hannafords now at the circle in Alton and most other businesses on Alton's Main St., I don't see Alton Bay's busy corner making a comeback. This may not be a bad thing--that corner is a dangerous spot for pedestrians with Route 11 making the bend there. Unfortunately, not too many drivers observe the 15 mph limit heading around that turn.