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I'm in love with North Adams


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What a wonderful town. :) So much of what makes SSF fantastic has to do with the utterly charming and friendly locale. One of my souvenirs from this year's SSF is a book by Joe Manning that I picked up in Hardware, the Mass MoCA giftstore. It's called "Disappearing into North Adams" and it gives a history of the town dating back to the controversial urban renewal project of the late 60's/early 70's that drastically changed the character of North Adams' downtown...many old-timers feel, for the worse. It's well told using photos of the demolition work, articles from the North Adams Transcript (local newspaper) from the time, and many photos. It's a terrific read!

 

I've been to North Adams 3 times now, and have a headfull of great memories of interactions with various townspeople. Even in the first year, when the townspeople could have been forgiven some trepidation about this crowd of rock 'n' roll fans descending on their peaceful town, we were welcomed and well-treated. This year our vanful of fans blew into town past midnight on Thursday night. About the only place open was the McDonalds, and the woman working the window greeted us as happily as if she'd been the town mayor, welcoming us to North Adams. A one-woman welcoming committee. :wub

 

I have felt so at home in North Adams ever since our first visit. Coming back each SSF feels like coming into a sort of second home. I hope the town brought in fistfulls of money this year to support the struggling local economy. If ever a town was deserving of a break, this sweetheart of a town is it.

 

Those of you who were able to attend SSF3, tell us about your experiences in the town and local areas. I know some of you had the time to drive up Mt. Greylock. I'm told the view from its peak takes in 4 states. Obviously, MA, and I'm guessing Vermont & New York, but what's the 4th? NJ? NH?

Also if you have photos from up there, I'd love to see them.

 

Thanks for everything, North Adams. You are the perfect location for the celebration that is the Solid Sound Festival! :worship

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I was only able to go to Solid Sound this year because an old friend recently moved there from Cambridge, MA. (She works in Williamstown but commutes because housing in North Adams is much more affordable.) It was fun having a "local" guide.

 

Prunella (not her real name) said North Adams is a bit of a ghost town, and that the museum is usually has more guards than visitors. There were some beautifully constructed period homes around her neighbhorhood, but many are now derelict. 

 

During the midnight snack/post-show dinner on Saturday we sat across from a woman who also recently moved to NA, originally from New York, and runs an independent cinema in Williamstown. It was interesting to hear their take on the town. Seems to portend well that there would be work in the cultural industries in this economic climate -- both of them are new in their jobs and to the area.

 

Prunella said that though many people in North Adams struggle to make a living, they are kind and friendly. And I found that to be true during my short stay. 

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During the midnight snack/post-show dinner on Saturday we sat across from a woman who also recently moved to NA, originally from New York, and runs an independent cinema in Williamstown. 

 
Her name is Sandra? I stayed at her house!
I went to North Adams with my husband and a couple of friends and we all love the city, the museum and the festival!
My husband is not a big fan of Wilco and was the first to say "we should come back next year" :) 
North Adams is adorable, the houses look like big doll houses! And the people are really nice! For me it was interesting to compare an american small town with the small town where I grew up in Bahia/Brazil.
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Yeah, I have to agree -  North Adams is such a nice, unassuming little town (with a very, very hip and world class museum). We've been to SSF2 as well as this year's, and both times, we had a blast. We stayed in Williamstown (also very, very charming), and managed to get up to Vermont a little bit, too. Love the whole area, and can't wait for SSF4!

 

We were amazed how well both towns (and the whole area, really) absorbed the influx of people, media, bands etc. - they really were gracious hosts.

 

And, this might sound like small stuff (and I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it), but the parking (at and around MASS MoCA) was free. The town could have EASILY charged $20 or more to park and everybody would have ponied up - yet, instead, they opened up their lots, with attendants, no less. Very cool, and something you don't see in larger cities, that's for sure.

 

Wilco and North Adams/MASS MoCA are a beautiful fit. 

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Wilco and North Adams/MASS MoCA are a beautiful fit. 

Yes!

 

We took in a North Adams Steeplecats baseball game (New England Collegiate Baseball League) on Thursday night, and it was a good time. The stadium is falling apart, but the fans around us (all 212 of them - that was the announced attendance) seemed to know their baseball.

 

We also ate at Jack's, a hot dog/burger/fries place that was excellent. The place opened in 1917, I believe. Wicked inexpensive, too. And they only serve hot dogs, burgers, and fries; my vegetarian daughter had to be content with fries. Five of us ate for $28.

 

Love the free parking. We got into Lot 3 each day. So close to the museum!

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Yes!

 

We took in a North Adams Steeplecats baseball game (New England Collegiate Baseball League) on Thursday night, and it was a good time. The stadium is falling apart, but the fans around us (all 212 of them - that was the announced attendance) seemed to know their baseball.

 

We also ate at Jack's, a hot dog/burger/fries place that was excellent. The place opened in 1917, I believe. Wicked inexpensive, too. And they only serve hot dogs, burgers, and fries; my vegetarian daughter had to be content with fries. Five of us ate for $28.

 

Love the free parking. We got into Lot 3 each day. So close to the museum!

We didn't get a chance to check out the Steeplecats this year, but we did in 2011, and it was a lot of fun - I think it's a level below A ball or something - really a cool experience! Yeah, we just couldn't believe how easy the parking was (same thing at SSF2) - we parked at the front lot (literally in front of MASS MoCA, by the overpass - not sure if that was Lot 3...) Friday, and then Sat/Sun the bigger lots - none were far, nor a hassle and all lots were attended at all times - likely by volunteers. Very impressive.

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It was our first time at Solid Sound, and obviously our first time in N.Adams, and I couldn't agree more.

 

Not only were the people kind, the city was just pretty and clean as can be. Nevermind that musuem which was not only an amazing place for a concert, but an incredible art exhibit.

 

We stayed in Adams, about 10 mins South of the action, which worked out great because the town was relatively quiet. The innskeeper (Halflinger Haus) even told us a "secret" route that basically made the entire weekend traffic free.

 

We found a place to park all three days on a side road only two blocks from the museum, so never had a problem parking.

 

We ate at The Hub for lunch on Friday, and Public Eat + Drink for lunch on Saturday, both places were excellent. We even went back to Public for a bit of post show after party on Sunday, they had a great craft beer selection and a friendly bartender.

 

Sunday morning we drove to Mount Greylock which was WELL worth the 20 min drive. I have attached a picture of the view from the summitt. Simply breathtaking. We even ate lunch up there at the lodge, there were plenty of people with Solid Sound wrist bands on as well..

 

Overall, we REALLY enjoyed ourselves, and definitely want to go back again....

photo.JPG

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To be honest, I'm not sure as we never really asked the local guides any questions. Definitely need a GPS to find this place, it's on a strange side road without much signage. The south side of the mountain has a visitor center which probably has all that info.

 

If you are going to Solid Sound again I would definitely not miss that excursion, as long as you wake up early enough you shouldn't miss anything at the fest. There are also walking trails and waterfalls, but we were running short on time so we didn't do any hikes.

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We drove from Route 2 up Notch Road to the summit, and rhino4evr is right, the signage is minimal, but the reward is that amazing view.  We were short on time, too, but I plan on returning for a proper hike next time.  Here'a the link for the state's web site.  http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/mt-greylock-state-reservation-generic.html

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I haven't made it to a Steeplecats game yet as I like to get to the fest early and get a good spot up front.  Maybe one of the years I'll arrive a day early to see a game. Baseball fans might also want to make the not-too-far trek to Pittsfield to see summer collegiate ball at Wahconah Park, one of the oldest stadiums in the country.

 

I stayed near Williamstown and checked out the Clark Museum and the Williams College Museum of Art (free) on my way in to North Adams. There's also some good places to eat there including Papa Charlie's Deli. In North Adams that Public place had a 45 minute wait after the Sunday show. We went to MediTerra instead which was really great and had more vegetarian options.

 

Nice shout out to Joe Manning, he is a cool guy and his work is great. If you're into that kind of stuff, check out this book Run Of The Mill which has lots of photos of New England mill towns in the 70s when those factories were shutting down.

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I'm better than halfway through Joe Manning's "Disappearing into North Adams" now, and it is so atmospheric that it runs through my thoughts all day and my dreams at night. I find myself really wanting to return to North Adams sometime when there isn't a Solid Sound Festival going on, so that I could just mosey about the town and really take it all in. I could spend a long while just admiring the old Victorian houses or walking in the old hillside cemetery. What a beautiful, beautiful area, and what a great town!

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