September 27-30            Massachusetts

We enjoyed very much spending two nights at The Williamstown Inn, a lovely new building which houses a hotel established more than one hundred years ago.  We gave it a five-star rating. 

We traveled only a few miles to North Adams to visit MASSMoCa, an awe-inspiring collection of contemporary art exhibited in several renovated factory buildings.  One of the largest museums of its kind in the country, it attracts major installations from many known artists.  Several galleries are devoted to the intricate wall drawings of Sol LeWitt and a huge gallery contains a complex work with LED lights by Jenny Holzer.....

I research museums and David researches restaurants.  At Lenox, he found The Portico at The Wheatley.  Located in a magnificent country setting, The Wheatley is the former home of the wealthy Cook family of Boston.  It is a lovely Mediterranean style mansion now a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.  They graciously accepted our last-minute request for lunch and we dined in splendor!  A reservation was made for dinner on the following evening.

Stockbridge was our next destination and the Red Lion Inn, a former stagecoach stop, was our hotel.  It was old (naturally) and quaint with a birdcage elevator dating from the late 1880’s.  Another modern one was available but less convenient. With roses on the wallpaper and a tall, four-poster bed, our room was small and shared noise with the traffic on the street below.  Nevertheless, I found it charming; David was far from thrilled.  Stockbridge is the quintessential New England town with tiny shops, large impressive churches and tall trees.

The next day was busy.  Our first stop was The Mount, the lovely country home of Edith Wharton, the renowned author.  Located on acres of magnificent wooded terrain, the house still maintained its grandeur after being neglected for many years following the exodus of the author and her mentally deranged husband (they divorced).  The grounds held a large collection of contemporary art (for sale) and was worth a visit.

The Norman Rockwell Museum of Illustrative Art is near the artist’s former home in Stockbridge and is a favorite tourist destination.  We joined the crowd to view his many oil paintings meant for magazine illustrations as well as more than 280 framed actual covers for The Saturday Evening Post and other magazines.  It was a sentimental experience for us.

We were impressed with a large exhibition (sponsored by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas) depicting Black people in illustrations through the years.  Who did not know Aunt Jemima or Uncle |Remus? Of course, Rockwell’s depiction of the little Black girl accompanied by Federal marshals in New Orleans was the show stopper.

Our final evening was a return to The Wheatley for a special prix fixe four course dinner with several amuses from the chef.  Presentation, service, food and ambiance were outstanding.  It was a memorable evening and a great climax to a wonderful trip.