Harvard Square memories

Having heard that Out of Town News might be forced to shut down, the mathematician and novelist Jordan Ellenberg reminisces at Quomodocumque about other Harvard Square institutions whose passing should be mourned -- or not.
The landmark newsstand falls into the to-be-missed category ("I often browsed there, never bought anything. Apparently a lot of people were like me"), as do the sandwich shop Elsie's, Nick's Beer and Beef House, and C'est Bon.
Unmourned, to put it mildly, by Ellenberg are The Tasty ("Foul no redeeming qualities"), Cafe Avventura ("Upstairs in the Garage; named for the intestinal adventure enjoyed by all who patronized it"), and The Crimson Sports Grille ("noxious"). Ah, sweet nostalgia.
(Photo: Essdras Suarez/Globe Staff)
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