Posts Tagged ‘northampton’
Northampton Top Ten #4: The bike trails
Northampton has many bike trails that connect the town with other locations. The most popular is the Norwottock Trail connecting Northampton to Hadley and Amherst. This trail is 8.5 miles long and runs along the old Boston & Main Railroad. Biking from Northampton takes about thirty to forty five minutes. There are also other bike trails going to Easthampton, Leeds and Florence. For the convenience of bikers, all Pioneer Valley Transit Authority buses are equipped with bike racks.
Northampton Top Ten #5: The Coffee Shops
Being a college/artsy town it is not a surprise that coffee shops are everywhere in Northampton. These places are the heart of downtown where people hang out with friends or bring their laptops to work. During summer and spring you can find customers sitting on front of these establishments relaxing and sipping some good coffee. We have taken refuge in many of these coffee shops for fabulous drink and food and the free wi-fi! Some of the most popular coffee shops include Woodstar Cafe, Haymarket, Yellow Sofa, The Elbow Room and Northampton Coffee.
Northampton Top Ten #7: The music scene
Northampton’s music scene is well know for its liveliness and variety. From small shows at local bars to music theaters there is so much going on at Northampton. You can check the Northampton Box Office to buy tickets. Big music halls include the Calvin Theater and The Academy of Music. Also check places like the Iron Horse, The Basement and Bishop’s Lounge for up and coming bands and the Yellow Sofa for the open mike nights.
Our favorite local bands are Dust Savior, Sylphid, The Trials and Tribulations, and Ponds.
Walter playing some tunes on Main Street.
Northampton Top Ten #8: The Community
Northampton is a tight knit community of very supportive people. The community supports many programs that address the needs and goals of the community. Organizations like the Northampton Survival Center and Tapestry Health provide medical assistance at affordable prices and free food. Also, a large part of the community from individuals to local restaurants support local agriculture. The community is also supportive of the LGBT community.
Northampton Top Ten: #6 Rachel Maddow
Political commentator and television host Rachel Maddow started her career in the media in Western Massachusetts. After winning a contest by WRNX radio station to find a new radio personality she co-hosted the The Dave Morning Show. She then worked on Big Breakfast, another radio show by the station WRSI, in Northampton. She did more work on radio, moved to television and the rest is history.
Rachel lives in New York and Northampton and she buys her comic books at Modern Myths, her favorite comic book store. Last May she delivered the commencement address for the Smith College class of 2010. You can watch her speech here.
Photo from: feministteacher.com
