Open House: 5Br Arlington Home

Open House Dates and Times:
Saturday & Sunday, June 14th and 15th, 1-3PM

68 Randolph St
Arlington, MA 02474

Seller’s Comments

Coffee shop of choice: We love to walk to Quebrada Bakery in the neighborhood for delicious breakfast pastries and their famous Dancing Goats blend coffee. On Saturday and Sunday mornings a great place to eat brunch is The Arlington Diner. Try their great pancakes and don’t forget the homefries. Another favorite coffee shop is Gail Ann’s for donuts or the ever reliable Starbucks in Arlington Center. The bike path, just a few streets from the house, is a great way to get to Jamin’ Java in Arlington Center and a nice morning walk.

Favorite places to go: The Capital Theater, just a few blocks away, is a gem in the area and a great way to spend your weekend evening. We take the shortcut two streets away to the Minuteman Bikepath and turn left to walk to Alewife. We like to spend weekends exploring Cambridge and Boston since we have easy access to the Red Line. Or, we turn to the right on the bike path and bike, run or rollerblade the path all the way out through historic Lexington and to the path’s end in Bedford. We love spending evenings watching the sun set over nearby Spy Pond, or packing a picnic lunch to eat on the new picnic tables within the Spy Pond recreation area. Other “must-mentions” in the neighborhood include the new wine shop in E. Arlington, Giles Fine Wines, and a great women’s clothing store, Art Wear.

Favorite restaurants in the area: Our E. Arlington neighborhood has several of the area’s top restaurants including Olivio’s and Flora. Olivio’s makes outstanding, fresh pasta while Flora will give you a great night out eating innovative and high quality entrees. On busy week days, a great place to grab dinner is Sabatino’s just a few streets away from the house. They make fresh pasta, pizza and salads. Don’t forget to pick up an amazing chocolate fudge cake at the Arlington Bakery on Mass Ave. Arlington is a food lover’s paradise. Some favorites to try out in Arlington Center include Tango (great Argentinean), Rio (the new Brazilin BBQ), Punjab (our all-time favorite Indian restaurant) and Tryst (our top all-around choice with a great atmosphere).

Best features of the home: Our favorite feature is the Jack& Jill style staircase with one side going down into the dining room and the other into the living room. It’s one of those unique features found in the beautiful homes in this area of the country. The front entry is another favorite spot with new river stones on the floor and great new trim. The house has many original details including a woman’s dressing room with a big built-in mirror and dresser – a perfect alternative to a master bath. The sun porch off the master bedroom is full of sun and adds extra depth and space to the master. We love the big driveway that can fit several cars and the big yard – both a huge bonus for a home so close to urban amenities. The automatic, underground sprinkler system is another great feature. Don’t worry about watering on hot days! Speaking of summer weather, having a built-in AC unit on the first floor is another perk.

Favorite room: The best room is the dining room. The bay windows add extra depth to fit large family holidays and gatherings with friends. The sun shines beautifully in the dining room. The kitchen ties for our other favorite room. With all new high-end stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops, the kitchen is an inviting place to cook, entertain and just hang out with the family.

Any remodeling since last purchase?: The house was significantly remodeled over the past year. We remodeled to live in it, and you can tell the work was done well. The biggest bonus is the newly remodeled kitchen with high-end stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. We added a new roof, upgraded the electric to 200 AMPS, put in many new windows including all new basement windows and a new basement door, brand new LG front-load washer and dryer with new laundry tub, many new Restoration Hardware lights and fixtures, freshly painted (and we used non-VOC paints in as many rooms and hallways as possible), both bathrooms were remodeled, we put in a new Venitlux lining in the chimney and installed a cap for a workable wood burning fireplace, the foundation was re-pointed, new insulation in attic and crawl space for efficient heating and cooling, not to mention new plumbing to the outside…you get the picture. It was a pleasure fixing up this beautiful home.

Most romantic spot: Tryst Restaurant in Arlington Center, and sunsets at Spy Pond.

What I will miss the most: Having the best of city life and a place to call home with a good yard. It’s really the perfect blend of comfortable and spacious living near mass transit and good restaurants, and yet walking distance to a pond and bike path. It doesn’t get better than that.