Reasonably So

Happy 2009! I hope the new year has brought you joy and excitement, or at the very least, a little optimism. As I sit here in my parlor, thinking about how I have to shovel wet snow from the drive way (in freezing rain!) in about an hour, I am trying to maintain my optimism. Mostly I’m just not all that excited to be busy with chores and work again. Even after a solid two week break, I had not gotten to the point where I was bored enough to be excited for work. This winter vacation, I spent lots of time with my family and friends, and it was wonderful and fun and relaxing. On top of that, Alex and I also went on our first grown-up vacation. It was… perfect.

What you see there is a glass of Belgian Beer and a bubble bath. What you don’t see is that the bath tub is a Jacuzzi.  Jealous? I’m even envious of myself. Last week, we spent two nights in North Adams, MA. I’d like to tack on an interesting adjective for you, but North Adams isn’t exactly the kind of place that gets that when you see it at face value. The town itself is an old, run-down, New England former mill town (if you have ever been in one of these, you know exactly what I’m talking about), with large, empty buildings and a downtown area that appears totally abandoned after 8pm. Some of these old mill towns have been refurbished, with their large and looming buildings gutted and turned into loft apartments and art galleries. Others, like North Adams, are a little behind the curve in their redevelopment.

In 1999, the town got a jump start from the opening of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA–we’ll come back to this). One of the new businesses that sprang up as a result of the museum’s opening was the Porches Inn, directly across the street from the museum. That’s where we stayed, in coziness and luxury, for our two night vacation.

Porches is a row of old worker’s houses that have been renovated and rejuvinated to serve the museum-goers and skiiers that pass through North Adams. As you see above, the houses are beautiful and embrace the modern art aesthetic that was such an important part of their birth. They, like the museum, preserve as much of their own history as possible. It’s all in the details:

The mirrors throughout the inn are made from the old window and doorframes of the worker’s houses. Many of the small decorations (the tissue box holder, the dish that holds the washcloths) are made of simple tin, seemingly inspired by the industrial history of the area. The contemporary art notions pop up in places like the birdhouse-shaped, perforated tin nightlight (underneath the makeup mirror mounted on the wall), and the simple linen panel curtains that afforded us much privacy in our first floor suite.

In trying to find a place to vacation, we hoped that we could find an inn or B&B that would not have creepy pictures of old men on the walls and lace bedspreads all over the place. But we did want the friendliness and familiarity of a place like that. We found all of these things at Porches. Our suite was modern and completely comfortable, the grounds were well kept, with a lit nature trail leading up to a rustic looking hut and platform that appear to be a party-zone in warmer months and look out over the inn, the museum, and the town.

The bed was perfect, just like what I always imagined sleeping on a cloud would be like (pulling a chunk of cloud over me to serve as a cozy blanket).

The continental breakfast was so much better than the stale doughnut, unripe fruit kind that I’ve experienced before. I enjoyed Stonyfield Farm strawberry yogurt with what appeared to be homemade granola, a cup of Harney & Sons Earl Grey, and a juicy Bosc pear.

I keep going on and on about the hotel, and you’re probably thinking I got hired to advertise for them… NOT SO. I just absolutely loved it and would recommend it to anyone and everyone I know. On top of all of it, Mass MoCA was amazing. It was one of the coolest contemporary art museums I’ve ever been to… not the kind of place where you feel like you could make all the pictures with a box of crayons and 20 minutes, but the kind of place where you’re actually amazed at the thought and effor that has gone into the pieces you’re looking at. The same holds true for the museum, itself. It is enormous, and like Porches, despite its recent architectural overhaul, it maintains the industrial beauty of its old factory buildings (once the home of Sprague Electric Works).  The Sol Lewitt Wall Drawing Retrospective is absolutely astonishing, taking up three floors of gallery space in one portion of the museum. Do yourself a favor and read up on it before you go (and you SHOULD go); it will only continue to stupefy you. Even the cafe at the museum is spectacular and only a little overpriced.

Since I’ve already written an epic novel about how wonderful our vacation was, I’ll keep the rest simple. While you’re in North Adams, you are required to go to the Gramercy Bistro. Our dinner there was simply one of the best meals I have ever eaten. I also recommend that you take someone you like a lot on your vacation with you.

Sharing the simple beauty of this place is better than I imagine seeing it alone might be. Bennington Pottery is a beautiful 30 minute drive away from North Adams, and you can stop at Madison Brewing Company for a tasty beer before you head back. Take a board game with you since you’ll never know what time it is, but it’s always time for a board game.

Leave your watch at home, enjoy the beauty of the Berkshire Mountains and go for a soak in the year-round hot tub (or heated pool, or sauna). And invite me, if you want. I’m already ready to go back.