Norm! Plus, Wax Taber

A belated Monday hello.

Growing up in Boston, there was always one easy way to tell the tourists from the locals: the tourists always asked for directions to Cheers.

The Bull & Finch Pub had been around since the 1960s, but found international fame when it was used for exterior shots for the bar in NBC’s hugely successful sitcom Cheers. Over time the venue became less of a local watering hole and more of a tourist trap, and at some point in time the original Bull & Finch name was changed to, yep, Cheers.

I don’t know any Bostonians that ever went to the bar, particularly after it became famous. I do know, though, that as much as we griped about those “damn tourists looking for that stupid bah,” we loved the show that brought about its popularity.

Every Thursday night I’d watch the series, usually with my Nana—a woman whose loud, almost barking laugh belied her slight stature. Nothing made her laugh harder than Cliff and Norm, and I know she would’ve been heartbroken to hear of George “Norm” Wendt’s passing las…