Back when I moved into college my mom and my dad and I naturally got hungry at some point and needed to find somewhere to eat. I think we walked down into Kenmore Square. (It’s possible we drove.)

I moved to Boston at an interesting time for Kenmore Square. In September 1996 it was a time of transition from the gritty scene it used to represent to a more mainstream, cleaned-up version.

But the transition really happened during my college years.

And in September (or late August?) 1996, it was pretty gritty.

I don’t remember which of the dark, loud establishments we had a quick bite in that afternoon/evening - if I had to guess maybe I would say Deli Haus?

But it wasn’t exactly a family establishment.

I thought about that recently because when we moved my daughter in we had dinner together at Jack Brown’s, a burger place a few minutes from the campus.

It was a nicer place than I went to with my parents…but it reminded me of the same kind of vibe…a dinner where the freshman student knows the parents are about to leave town and you’re about to live on your own for the first time.

The funny thing about Jack Brown’s is there was a Harry Potter movie on the TV in the restaurant. (Which might have been coincidence or it might be all they show - there were quite a few Harry Potter stickers around the interior of the restaurant.)

I thought that was funny because one of the scenes involved the kids moving in to Hogwart’s, which was what we spent the day doing, although it was a non-magical dormitory.

I had the Friday special burger - there are menu burgers and each day has its own special burger - and it was delicious.

I imagine over the years we’ll become familiar with a few establishments around campus, but some of them we’ll visit more than others.

This one probably falls into that latter category.

In fact, we went there because Kathy and our daughter had already been there with Kevin and Danielle during their orientation visit, and they liked the burgers so much.

And Kathy already has plans to go back with our other daughters the next time they visit.

We were lucky when we went, because I didn’t even realize until we were seated that it was a Friday evening. We didn’t have a wait - we were seated immediately - but it was crowded and it was a busy night.

I had the thought that, since it was a week before the full move-in, it was probably the last Friday night there would be no wait at the time we went. I imagine Friday nights during the school year are a different scene in Columbia.

But our experience was a great one.

I can't imagine what my mom was thinking after we left our dinner together in a fairly dive-y place my first night in Boston.

I can’t imagine she was looking forward to going back…and I think when my parents left, even though I had some nerves, I was probably more ready for it than she was.

Our restaurant experience in South Carolina might have been the opposite experience for me.

I am looking forward to going back…and I’m pretty sure my daughter is more ready for this than I am.