Time slip? Clinton, MA—the restaurant that never was?

I debated posting this here or in the Grey Area...so here we go!

A headline in my home area’s local daily newspaper caught my eye and had me scratching my head: “Longtime customers of Old Timer lament Clinton pub closing, 'like a death in the family'”

Link to the whole story is here. Synopsis is that a supposedly-beloved eating and drinking establishment known as The Old Timer in Clinton, MA, is about to close after 87 years in business.

I am the third generation of my family to grow up in the general area where this establishment is located. I have driven past its alleged location hundreds, if not thousands, of times. Same with my parents, siblings, and most of my grandparents. But…none of us can recall ever seeing this restaurant exist!

From the sound of the news article and a brief look at their Yelp reviews, it appears the place has been in business for over 80 years and has quite a following. I have worked in Clinton, I have traveled through for both business and pleasure, I have had friends who lived in Clinton, however I have not seen, nor even heard of, been invited to, or heard people discuss, the Old Timer before now. My mother’s lifelong best friend lives about two miles from where the restaurant is supposedly located, and has lived in Clinton for about 40 years, and has never heard of it or seen it before.

My family and I are bewildered. I think ATS is the only place I can share this without someone thinking that we are a bunch of nuts! What on earth could be going on here? I now live hundreds of miles away, so I cannot go look and see, but my only guess is that the place may be so small and innocuous that nobody notices it unless they are already familiar with it. Then again I have two Irish-American friends in the town of Clinton, and I would think that one of them would have at least known the place existed if it is truly a bastion of Irish heritage, however neither has heard of it before. Since the news article linked above first appeared, I have asked 27 people from the area (including 11 current and former Clinton residents), and my parents have asked at least a dozen people, and nobody can recall having seen or heard of The Old Timer before. I even spoke to one person who has parked his car within about 100 feet of the location, at least once a week for over ten years, and he said he has no recollection of seeing the place!

Honestly, the Old Timer looks like the kind of older mom-and-pop place I would love to go to, as well as many of my friends, so it is difficult to believe that in all of my years in that area, nobody I know ever suggested we meet there for dinner or drinks.

Does anyone have an idea of what is going on here? How could a supposedly well-known business be both invisible to the eye as well as never mentioned socially, even among those who "should" know about it? My outrageous idea is a time slip of some sort. Other than that...well, I don't have a rational, normal explanation at all!

Or you are wrong.

It's not sexy, but it is more likely.

Umm,

1. It's a legitimate newspaper article.
2. There are many quotes from local residents.
3. There are two videos.
4. There's a slide show.
5. There are Yelp reviews
6. Here's its web page
7. It's on Facebook and Trip Advisor

Are you seriously suggesting that it was never really there because you never saw it?

Seems like there is an obvious answer here.

www.oldtimerrestaurant.com...

Let us know.

Yeesh sounds almost exactly as Spider Roberson had described the Calihands Pub to be in his books, the kind of place that has always been there but only those who need to know about it can find it.

I wonder if it was the inspiration for those books...

a reply to: therainmaker

I think you have just accidentally strengthened the argument against this time slip nonsense.

This place clearly existed, and you and the people you have spoken to prove just how fallible our memories are.

a reply to: therainmaker

It is your civic duty to call the cops in that little town and tell them that as far as you can discern, that business has disappeared and you want to know why. They should have an answer for you.

As this is a conspiracy site - Maybe its being readied for some sorta false flag?

I don't remember it .. therefore it can't be real. Interesting.

I live in Pennsylvania, but my wife and I had the occasion to eat there last year.

My daughter goes to school in Amherst, MA, and my wife and I decided to take a trip to Portsmouth, ME after visiting our daughter at Amherst. We are always looking for a good authentic Irish pub, and this one was (according to people's online recommendations) a relatively well-known authentic pub -- and it was about half way between Amherst and Portsmouth, and only a short detour from our route. I remember we were also considering a pub in Boylston, but the Old Timer got better reviews.

And, yes -- it was there. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have shepherd's pie (at least not when we were there), but their burgers were good.

Perhaps it's you that 'slipped'

What the op is trying to say, as far as I can discern, is that this is some sort of Mandela Effect/Berenstein Bears thing... There's no need to ridicule anybody here, folks. They were just pointing out something they found to be rather odd. If I were in that situation, I would think it was strange too. They never said it wasn't there or never existed, just that they and everyone they asked did not remember ever seeing or hearing of it. A couple of you, in a round about way, put words in the mouth of the op which he or she did not speak/type. Very old members. Members who should know better. Members I expect more, much much more from...

That being said, I forgive you. As far as the op, that's another question entirely.

originally posted by: 3n19m470


What the op is trying to say, as far as I can discern, is that this is some sort of Mandela Effect/Berenstein Bears thing... There's no need to ridicule anybody here, folks. They were just pointing out something they found to be rather odd. If I were in that situation, I would think it was strange too. They never said it wasn't there or never existed, just that they and everyone they asked did not remember ever seeing or hearing of it. A couple of you, in a round about way, put words in the mouth of the op which he or she did not speak/type. Very old members. Members who should know better. Members I expect more, much much more from...

It seems to me that your attempt to take a superior tone and shame others for their comments commits the very same thing you are accusing others of doing. What, pray tell, is a Mandela/Berenstein Bears thing? "Mandela' is a sort of art. The Bernstein Bears is a series of children's books which purport to teach moral lessons and civilized behavior. It seems nonsensical to bring it up.

OP didn't say anything like that. He pretty clearly said he thought it was a time slip, which, for those of us who have heard of them, is a real issue. We have disabused him of this notion. He could have done the same thing himself with a simple Google Search. He chose to make it a Skunk Works post instead so we had to do the research for him.

You're the one who put words in his mouth. Bernstein Bears? Good Lord!

The OP needs to take a picture of this address and we can compare.

155 Church Street.
Clinton
Massachusetts

I have a friend that works at a cocktail bar in Houston. It looks like an abandoned building in the front. You have to knock on the back door to gain access.

I have caught on two occasions in the past couple of days ppl saying "burning the candle at all ends"... Now I always heard the saying as "Burning the candle at both ends" Besides there in my thoughts only 2 ends to a candle.

Odd and from 2 totally different TV figures.

Where I come from this is something you just learn to live with, so my best suggestion to you would be to start asking all the people you know if they remember it. This is odd to say the least. If you cant figure it out just let it go.

That is the issue with The Mandela effect and similar new agey explanations..

The human mind or memory is not infallible.

What's more likely that every copy on the planet of Empire Strikes Back was covertly modified or some people remember it wrong?

What's more likely, the OP never saw this place or all the other proof of it is fair?

a reply to: schuyler

mandelaeffect.com... Interesting wiki page. WE have had many threads here on this subject, I in this timeline do not recall it being called the Madelaeeffect???

originally posted by: antar
a reply to: schuyler

mandelaeffect.com... Interesting wiki page. WE have had many threads here on this subject, I in this timeline do not recall it being called the Madelaeeffect???

That sort of proves the point proof that the human mind makes mistakes.

1. Goto Google
2. Search on abovetopsecret.com mandela effect
3. First 5 threads listed are from ATS and the Mandela Effect

a reply to: opethPA

Ah ok, my memory is not what it once was and I do not have the ability to recall threads I may have only hit and run in and not stood up to fight for, hehe.