That unmistakable cling of crystal bouncing on oak follows before time rushes forward with a splashing flood of white wine. Annie Siano has tended bar here at the Linwood Inn for the last two years. It's nothing she can't handle, and she quickly wipes away the mess. About a dozen customers are pulled up to the diamond-shaped bar, talking and laughing, while some just keep to themselves. Like most neighborhood taverns, the Linwood is dimly lit.
Cigarette smoke catches sunlight from small, square windows facing out into the street.
No one's eating at the time, but eight wooden tables in the back offer customers a place to munch on snow crabs, hot wings and clams. On his return from the head, Dee Billani gets a refill of his toppled wine glass. After all, he's been coming here for years. He says it's just a short walk from the bus company he operates down the street. For more than 100 years, the Linwood Inn has sat on the corner of North Wood and Linden avenues.