Fall River, MA

The image of this diner (it closed as a diner back in 2002) conjures memories of when I was a little boy visiting my Memere and Pepere (Acadian French for Grandmother and Grandfather)... My Pepere would always go here (with us in tow) to smoke his cigarettes and basically get out of the house. They just lived up the street from here (actually most of their lives from I remember and from what my father tells me - thanks for the cell phone tour of the city Dad!) and there was a barber shop that my Pepere used to take me to around here as well (although I didn't see any signs of it on this trip - perhaps it's closed as well). There is a restaurant (pizza joint) just around the corner called Atlas Pizza... I think this is where we used to go to get something that everyone should try (at least once)... A Chourico and Chips sandwich... Anyway, I had to stop in... WOW... this is like the best think on a roll... it is this greasy mixture of ground (although I don't remember it being ground when I was younger) chourico with french fries on a medium hard roll... Yeah.. I can hear it now, the arteries hardening, but it is the best... As for the rest of my day in Fall River, there happened to be a festival going on called "Fall River Celebrates America! http://www.fallrivercelebrates.com/about.shtml" It was pretty cool... It was taking place down by the river (near Battleship Cove, site of the old Battleship Massachusetts http://www.battleshipcove.org/bb59-history.htm) There was a carnival, food stands (which I'll get into in a minute), and FIREWORKS!

I noticed the festival as I was driving into town, and figured that on my way out of town, I'd stop by to check it out.. I am soooo glad I did. The fireworks were wonderful; I even got to see them from the deck of the Massachusetts (for ONLY $3.00 - what a bargain), but the highlight of the festival, for me, was the food... I seem to be talking about food a lot here so far, but this one is worth mentioning... There was a place called Lincoln Park that we used to like to go to whenever we could when we would visit the grandparents (when I refer to "we", I mean my family; Mom, Dad, and Sister - and of course Memere and Pepere) This place was an OLD (my mom used to go there growing up) theme park complete with roller coasters (big and small) and the other typical rides you'd find at an amusement park... but for me (and my sister), the best part were these little balls of heaven called "clam cakes!" Basically, fried dough balls with some (very little) clam meat in them (I think mainly for the flavor). Think of a hushpuppy, just a little lighter and fluffier, with clam pieces in them, and there you go... Anyway, this festival had a food stand that was selling them... I couldn't resist, and I wasn't disappointed, they tasted just like I remembered from the old days at Lincoln Park. Well, that was about it, after the fireworks, I decided to drive back to my hotel for the night, but I will never forget this excursion into my past... Hey, by the way... here is a little video I made of the Fireworks... Enjoy!