Good morning, Waltham.
Welcome to Issue 13. I owe you a small apology before we get into it. Thursday came and went without an issue in your inbox this week. I was under the weather and honestly just needed a day. Thank you for your patience.
Summer is fully here on Moody Street now. The pedestrian season is in swing, the Common is busy again, and this weekend has two things happening right outside your door worth knowing about.
Let's get into it.
🏆 INSIDER TRIVIA CHALLENGE
Time for Issue 13's trivia challenge. The first person to reply to this email with the correct answer wins a shoutout in Issue 14.
The question:
Waltham produced one of the most powerful politicians in American history. He was born in this city, dropped out of school at 14 to work in the local cotton mills, earned a famous nickname on the factory floor, and eventually rose all the way to become Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
What was his nickname, earned working in the Waltham mills as a boy?
Hit reply and send me your answer. Good luck.
🍽️ THIS WEEK'S EAT
Vinotta, 361 Moody Street
If you have been walking down Moody Street and never stepped into Vinotta, you have been walking past one of the best Italian restaurants on the block.
Chef Dante has been cooking since 1979. He grew up in Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy, learning his craft along the Adriatic coast before making his way to Boston. He ran the acclaimed Tartufo Restaurant in Newton Centre for fifteen years before opening Vinotta right here on Moody Street in 2020. Everything on the menu is made from scratch using fresh, organic, locally sourced ingredients. The calamari is excellent, the veal chop is what regulars order on repeat, and the burrata with San Daniele prosciutto on toasted Italian bread is a perfect way to start the meal. The home baked bread that comes to the table is worth the trip on its own.
📍 361 Moody St | Mon 4:00pm to 9:30pm | Wed to Thu 4:00pm to 9:30pm | Fri to Sat 4:00pm to 10:00pm | Sun 4:00pm to 9:30pm | Closed Tuesday
Moody Street is a pedestrian way through October. Park in the lots on Walnut, Crescent, Spruce, or Chestnut Streets.
📅 2 THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND
1. Waltham Pride Festival
Sunday June 14 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm on the Waltham Common. The fifth annual Waltham Pride Festival is back with live musical acts, drag performances, speeches, and food. Free and open to everyone.
2. Waltham Farmers Market
Saturday June 14 from 9:30am to 2:00pm at 65 Lexington Street. Over 35 local vendors selling produce, meat, seafood, baked goods, and coffee, every Saturday through October 31. SNAP and EBT accepted and matched up to $10 per visit. Rain or shine.
🛍️ LOCAL FIND
The Waltham Museum, 25 Lexington Street
Most people know the Waltham Museum exists but have never actually walked through the door. That is worth fixing.
The museum covers the full sweep of what makes this city unusual: the indigenous history of the valley before European settlement, the early colonial period, the watchmaking era that put Waltham on the global map, and the military history that runs through every generation of residents. There is a reproduction 1911 Bleriot airplane on the floor, original blacksmith tools from the watch era, and a collection of local history books in the gift shop that you genuinely cannot find anywhere else.
It is small, focused, and worth an hour of your Saturday. The staff know the city's history better than anyone.
📍 25 Lexington St | Check current hours at walthammuseum.org | Small admission fee
💬 ONE GOOD THING
Nathaniel Prentiss Banks was born in Waltham on January 30, 1816. His father was a foreman at the Boston Manufacturing Company, the very mill that sparked the American Industrial Revolution right here on the Charles River. Nathaniel dropped out of school at fourteen to work alongside him.
He taught himself law, got elected to Congress, and in 1856 won the speakership of the House of Representatives on the 133rd ballot, after one of the most contested votes in congressional history. He went on to become the 24th Governor of Massachusetts and a Union Army General in the Civil War. He died in Waltham in 1894 and is buried at Grove Hill Cemetery.
A kid who quit school at fourteen to wind bobbins in a Waltham mill became one of the most powerful people in the country. Most people who walk past his statue on the Common have no idea who he is.
See you next Thursday,
Pankhi
The Waltham Insider
P.S. Know someone who'd love this? Forward it - it's free.