Having grown up in Winchester, I always loved driving by the Town Hall because of how beautiful it…read moreis, but turns out its facade is the ONLY thing good about it. My fiancee and I attempted to go apply for our intent to marriage license. Online, all it said that we needed was our IDs and both of our presences at the Town Hall. I should know. I checked at least once a week for the past two months. So much was my surprise when we entered the entirely empty office and are told that it would take two whole weeks for them to process a single email and to make an appointment to complete the state application for a marriage license. Massachusetts already has a three day waiting period so we'd be SOL. The absolutely unhelpful clerks- all three of them- wouldn't look my fiancee and I in the eye as they turned us down. They couldn't help us, even though when we got there, they were gossiping like mean girls in a COMPLETELY EMPTY office. Mind you, every single town around us has the appointment requirement explicitly listed on their website. The whole experience was awful and the clerks were rude. DO NOT GO HERE.

The Town Hall of Winchester, Massachusetts. A gorgeous old building. Recently restored, as well…read moreas a new veteran memorial just outside, this beautiful building is at the heart of Winchester. They've managed to keep it's exterior intact while updating the interior, and it all just looks awesome. The main hall inside is big enough for medium-sized events. They held the first Octoberfest there last fall. Elections are held here, many public services can be found here. It's a great office in a beautiful location with free parking all around.

Old town hall transforms into an indoor flea market w/ unique finds. It is a must visit in Salem,MA…read morein October.It's packed w/ a mix of vendors that have all sorts of goodies from delicious foods & chocolates to all kinds of Halloween items that capture the spooky Salem vibe perfectly. You can wander through different vendor spaces full of treats, handmade crafts, & seasonal décor, picking up everything from sweet snacks to quirky Halloween treasures. The atmosphere is lively & festive, making it more than just shopping it's an experience. If you're hunting for gifts, indulging in some chocolate, or just soaking up the Halloween spirit, this flea market has a little something for everyone. It's a fun, colorful stop that really shows off Salem's charm.

We checked off Old Town Hall from our Hocus Pocus movie sets tour while walking around Salem last…read moreweek! While it was not open to explore, it was still really cool to see the outside of where the movie was filmed - the Halloween party that Max and Dani's parents attend. If you're a fan like me, I highly recommend taking a quick photo outside! I hope to check out the inside next time we visit Salem!

As someone who has never had a great experience dealing with government services, this place has…read morebeen a pleasant surprise. I wouldn't say they were friendly but were still very professional and direct when I came here to get my parking permits for my movers arriving in a van. And I also came here to hand in an application for a mail in ballot several minutes prior to the 5pm deadline that day and a clerk was readily available to take it; that's something that would never happen in any of the other places I've lived.

I was here to attend an elopement. Town clerk, a very nice gentleman who officiated the ceremony…read morewas able to accommodate his off day to fit couple's schedule. They have a metered lot in addition to more metered spots on Washington St & Holden St.

I cannot believe I am writing a review on the Town Tax Collector but after I had a REALLY POSITIVE…read moreinteraction with Paul Douglas via email, I was curious as to who this small town hero (okay, okay, a *town tax hero* but seriously, anyone who is a superstar on town taxes is a hero in my book) was so I did a ye 'olde Google machine search and found a TERRIBLE review of him - what?? Obviously I have no idea what was going on on that day in August 2017 but I can tell you that I had a great experience. Using the "contact us" form on the town website, I dropped a long winded question into the ether, figuring I'd get a scripted auto reply back and that would be it. NOPE - a day later Paul sent me a very detailed and customized reply, in which he offered SEVERAL MODES of being able to help me, and asking me to get back to him with "what would work best" for me. What?? AMAZING. No one *enjoys* paying taxes, and chances are that if you are asking for a history of all the taxes you paid to the town you are under some significant personal financial and/or legal duress... Paul's response significantly eased my stress, like, there are people out there who are going the extra mile to make a mundane and potentially painful interaction a shining example of amazing customer service. Kudos to Paul Douglas (Assistant Town Collector) and the Lexington Town Tax Office.

Really overwhelming disappointed in the LACK OF CONSIDERATION and SERVICE (none whatsoever) from…read moreMr. Paul Douglas, Asst Tax Collector. When I had tried repeatedly to pay my RE taxes due Aug 1st via the online Unibank payment system, and the system kept failing on me (their fault, nothing wrong w/my computer), I knew I was faced with going personally to the Lexington Town Hall to pay my taxes on August 2nd. The Unibank Rep had emailed me that she had contacted the Town Hall re/my problems, and I was anticipating someone who would be understanding at the Town Hall. But NO! Yikes! To my surprise, I encountered a very arrogant black man Paul Douglas who didn't have any time to spend eve

The Lincoln Old Town Hall Exchange is appropriately named, since the little shop is located in…read moreLincoln's former town hall and it's a place to go if you want to exchange money for locally made products or awesome antiques. I try to stop in once every month or so to see what's for sale, to pick up a kitschy gift, or to browse the robust collection of antique kitchenware in the basement of the beautiful building. The folks that work there are exceedingly friendly, helpful and happy to point you in the direction of anything you could possibly need, whether it's made of paper, chocolate, metal, wood or solid sugar.

From the owner: Handcrafted gifts, antiques, baby clothes, books and stationery. All profits are returned to…read moreconsignors and go towards keeping our precious antique building maintained. We are all volunteers, come join us!

This experience officially solidified my belief that my girlfriend is a long line repellent. (see…read moreBoston RMV review) I'm not exactly sure that the Cambridge City Clerk's office is normally a high traffic area, but as I understand it, anything having to do with the city or state requires a minimum 2 hour wait and donation of your non dominant hand's pinky finger. We were there to get a domestic partnership (not a marriage. Lets be clear) because since Health insurance is required now (gripe mumble gripe) well you know. Anyway, since my company is national, they offer health benies to domestic partners. Thus we found ourselves at City Hall. We walked in. No Line... We were helped right away and with a smile..... We filled out the paperwork, raised our right hand, said we were telling the truth, and didn't have to show any documentation whatsoever........ We were in and out in 5 minutes. WHAT?!?!?! Not complaining, just baffled. The clerk also told us that our license/documentation or whatever would be in the mail tomorrow, but we'll see if that happens. So now we are happily partnered in domesticity, I didn't waste my entire day, we both have all our fingers and health insurance in case we do lose one. Sweet. EDIT: Our paperwork did indeed arrive that Saturday, and retains its 5 star rating.

NEWS FEED ------------ ------------ ------------…read more------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ You have been invited to join the group 'Lets Go To Green Street 'Cos It's Snowing' You have joined the group 'Lets Go To Green Street 'Cos It's Snowing' You, Tracee D, Kabir H, Annie P, Melissa A and Chad have been tagged in the album 'Drinking Absinthe And Prank-Calling Joc' You have changed your status to 'Stumbling Out Of Green Street' Kabir H is 'Trying To Snowboard Down Green St' Four of your friends have thrown SNOWBALLS at each other Annie P has added the TRASHCAN LID application You have started the group 'Lets Trying Sledding At City Hall' Chad has been hit by THE SIDEWALK application Melissa A has invited you to join the group 'White Cellphone Lost In The Snow' Kabir H, Annie P, Melissa A and Chad have joined your group 'Lets Trying Sledding At City Hall' You have been hit by a SNOWBALL Throw a snowball back? Download the SNOW application to throw one now. Kabir H, Annie P, Melissa A and Chad have been tagged in the album 'Lost In Deep Snow In Central Square' Melissa A has commented on Chad's photo "You're wrecked, you can't walk let's go home" You have joined the group 'Sledding At City Hall Was Awesome But Let's Go Drink At The Field' You have changed your status to 'Drunk And Bruised'

Like Fenway Park, some older venues are worth saving. Medford City Hall is like going back in time…read moreand it's beautiful circular center stairway and ceiling and gorgeous marble construction is just fun to visit. I've had nothing but friendly help from different city hall departments. And the early voting is always well run, friendly and efficient.

Every form is pen and paper, but boy are the employees friendly! It may seem progressively…read morecounter-intuitive, but this is township living. Parking permit? They mail it to you. Voter registration? Fill the form, and the lovely ladies of the voter affairs desk will take what you wrote, hunt-and-peck it into the system and send you off with a smile. Why does this happen? Is this the bass-ackwards source of bureaucratic inefficiency? Shouldn't this make Gen X and Yers flip their "there's an app for that" mentalities for the lack of immediate gratification? Yes, it is. But I've got to say, for someone with limited needs (like, say, a recent move-in to a township) and the freedom to do a fly-by during quiet hours, the anachronistic approach to local governance actually has quite a bit of old world charm. Fine, fine - here's a tech enabled shortcut. Print your necessary forms at home, pop them in a postage-free envelope addressed to the appropriate dept and drop it in the "mailbox" along the side of City Hall. You won't have to take a number or talk to a person, but I'm telling you, you're robbing yourself of a little genuine person-to-person interaction.

We had an unexpected trip to the area that morning to visit a local store…read more When we were done, we noticed it was just about lunch time and decided to find a place to eat. There were many options to choose from but we do like to try places that are not always traditional. Hoping for a local favorite. Right on the corner, it is easy to find and with street parking easy to get to and enjoy a good meal and probably a late night gathering with friends. Rustic looking, it definitely put off the vibe of the local establishment for Arlington. We were the first customers that early afternoon. They were literally unlocking the doors when we arrived. The menu offered enough options to satisfy our dietary and personal preferences. Meats, chicken, fish and veggie options. You can find something. Staff was very friendly and attentive, but we were the only guest that early in the day. The crowd did pick up as we ate our meal. Large windows allowed you to sit and people watch on, what I would imagine is the Main Street for the town. It was Sunday so a little quiet so not a lot people watching today. Food was great and the presentation was a lot more than expected for a tavern. Full bar options and a good list of local craft beers. I love trying local beers when possible. A lot of space for seating during the day and I can only imagine the evening bar scene. Based on the number of people who did walk in while we were there to recover their credit card from the night before. Sounds weird but it totally gave off the local vibe. Love it. Very clean and tidy for a Tavern. Respectful place. Plenty of TVs to watch your favorite game so I enjoyed a chance to see one of the Sweet 16 games that day. So, if you are in town, give Town Tavern a visit.

I met some colleagues from Harvard University and we went to Town Tavern…read more We were greeted nicely, had a corner table and then had a wonderful meal with appetizers, entrees, coffee and desert. Atmosphere was pleasant as we intermittently watched a football game on the monitor. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Property management is often thankless, I suspect. I can just say that my condo building and…read moreassociation have benefited from good value for the property management services we've paid for (we've also been blessed with knowledgeable, experienced, caring trustees). At a unit owners' (virtual--Zoom) meeting in mid-December 2021, in fact, our BRIGS (formerly Barrington Management) property manager, Debbie Davie, was given UNANIMOUS commendations, thanks, and applause from a quorum of owners. For 15+ years. Debbie has cared for our property, owners, and residents as best she can. For example, last year as I was installing an outdoors a/c cover, I mentioned to Debbie, who was walking by, that in the past two years, covers had been stolen from my air conditioner, which is too big for me to move indoors. Debbie stopped for a few minutes to discuss security--mentioning some worrisome situations that she herself had endured at properties. Many times she has responded in a timely fashion to my calls and emails (I haven't really needed to contact her since BRIGS' merger, so can't say whether that has changed...I did have good experience with a number of BRIGS staff in July 2020 while dealing with an insurance company and adjusters about water damage: At the time, Myra in BRIGS' Arlington office helped find essential info for my claim--and stayed after BRIGS' business hours to do so--on short notice during the COVID pandemic, when many businesses were operating with reduced staff. I noticed a supervisor's email address in Myra's signature lines (for unit owners/residents to offer feedback), so I offered my thanks up the line to BRIGS' Daniel Scarry, Andy Mirsky, and Scott Wolf, with especial commendations for Myra's wonderful service, which had helped me file a claim as soon as possible. While unit owners and residents here admittedly have needed patience about some things (e.g., extended buzzer functionality issues, exterminators...and once, a property manager-on-call wouldn't take my calls to BRIGS' answering service after my second call-- to which, if I recall correctly, he replied that a plumber could come on Monday...but I was calling on a Thursday (Thanksgiving) night, when my unit was flooding...I finally found a plumber to come that night to alleviate the situation), BRIGS has had to exercise some patience, too: residents in my building stack can be hard to reach, especially on short notice, to give permission for plumbers to check their unit for a leak or to turn off the water supply, for example. I'd like to thank Debbie once more for her part in my whole building complex's positive experiences with BRIGS. Thank you, Debbie and BRIGS!

My experience renting from Briggs Management was extremely frustrating. We had a shattered window…read morein our apartment throughout the winter that was simply covered with tape and never properly repaired despite multiple requests. Leaving tenants with a broken window for that long is unacceptable. Communication with management was consistently poor. Emails and phone calls frequently went unanswered, making it very difficult to get even basic maintenance issues addressed. Our interactions with Jessica Rosa were particularly frustrating due to the lack of responsiveness and clear communication. I've rented in multiple apartments across Boston and have never dealt with a management company this unresponsive. If reliable maintenance and communication matter to you as a tenant, I would strongly think twice before renting from any property managed by Briggs.