I’m heading southbound on the Amtrak train out of Greenfield, the second time I’ve taken this journey. Today my destination is Baltimore, where I am going to check out a new hotel that’s been opened by Red Lion hotels. Once again, I marvel at the amount of debris that the […]
We’re heading for four days of relaxation around the campfire at Tully Lake in nearby Athol. This state park is unique, because the camp-sites are located away from where the cars are parked. So we don’t have to put up with that familiar car-camping sound of car doors opening, alarms […]
It’s been quite a long road for Cinda Jones, who has a vision of her North Amherst Mill District becoming the next bustling commercial neighborhood in Amherst, and yesterday was a big day. Cinda knows that food and drink are the keys to get people to visit a new shopping destination, […]
Are the empty storefronts in our little town indicators of what is to come in the future? I was saddened recently when the one high-end restaurant in South Deerfield, called MRKT, closed its doors in July. There is now a sign that says ‘for lease’ and like the general store […]
We had a magical summer evening last week when we visited the Park Hill Orchards in the rolling hills around Easthampton for their bi-annual celebration of outdoor art known as Art in the Orchard. New for this year are spiffy handicap accessible men’s and women’s bathrooms, along with a […]
What if there was a safe and easy route to ride a bicycle between South Deerfield and Greenfield? I think a lot of people would ride this route. I have a dream that we could create such a bike path, and provide not only a tourist attractor, but an alternative […]
On a rainy day in the office, there are all kinds of things coming at me. I enjoy the fast pace of being in publishing–and the connectedness of people reaching out at you by email from all parts of the world. I got some interesting messages today, here is a […]
On Saturday I’m going to a concert next to very very tall plants….20 feet high, beautiful green hops plants are what they grow at Four Star Farms. It’s their first ever Aeronaut Field Day, sponsored by the Somerville brewer of the same name. The brewers are celebrating their hops supplier […]
As the Bart Simpson and Mr Burns characters sang what felt like a nearly endless string of songs about dying in the third act of “Mr Burns a post-electric play,” I gazed at my watch. My God, man, just die, so this long, long series of songs can finally end, […]
Tanglewood almost made the cut last week, except for our fear of pending rains that detoured us to another destination to the north. Every season Tanglewood looms as an important event I don’t want to miss, but when I examine the calendar, the window seems to shrink and shrink. But […]
Two local retail businesses have closed down in South Deerfield. Sadly, it was a chef-owned bistro, a small celebration sort of restaurant, which could not keep going. The staff was notified by a text, then the next day, they were closed and gone. When MRKT first opened, it took me […]
