Moody street on a perfect summer evening

I've been on a negative tear over the last few days, so I thought I would blog about the beautiful Sunday evening scene on Moody Street a few days ago.

My wife and I had just finished fixing up the patio with plants and furniture, had given the kids (and ourselves) baths, and needed to get out of the house. It had been months since we had gone down to downtown Waltham for a meal, and I wanted to try something new. The previous day, exiting the Citizen's Bank parking lot on Charles St., I had seen a cozy little restaurant, Taquiera Mexicana, with an outdoor seating area. A perfect place for a breezy, warm Sunday evening dinner.

And it was perfect. We had a table at the corner of the outdoor patio, each had a beer, and some pretty darn good Mexican food. There were lots of options, familiar and otherwise, and we tried a stewed pork platter (served with tortillas) and a type of fried taco. Our daughter had chicken strips and fries, and our son chewed on a green plastic turtle that we had brought along. The breeze was nice, and we could watch people seated around us and on the street, and all was good with the world. The price: About $33, inc. tips.

I thought, what a perfect night for an ice cream. We piled in the car and headed up Moody Street toward Lizzy's. There were tons of people out for a stroll in their shorts and short-sleeved shirts, and the Mexican restaurant fronting the river was packed, with all of the outdoor tables occupied. Lizzy's was packed too, with a line coming out of the door. Not surprising -- who can resist an ice cream on an evening like this?