Category Archives: Around Town

by | March 24, 2010 · 8:15 am

Highland Falls, NY: The Greatest Place to Live in the World

View of the Hudson River from Highland Falls. Photo by Kelly Carroll

Ok, maybe not the world, but my hometown recently graced the pages of Hudson Valley magazine as one of the Top Ten Towns in all of the Hudson River Valley.

While I completely agree with this assessment, I do have a bit of a bone to pick with the blurb. Highland Falls, a village surrounding the United States Military Academy, has many more redeeming qualities than just being the gateway to West Point. It has a small community feel, families who have lived there for generations, breathtaking views of the Hudson River and Bear Mountain, and a kick-ass, three-day 4th of July celebration (complete with a parade, bed races, and a whole-town electric slide. I’m not kidding.) It’s also the place that inspired Billy Joel to write those iconic words: “Our reason coexisits with our insanity,” which I’ve always thought should be the Highland Falls motto.

So Highland Falls, congratulations. We always knew you were great and now so do the 20-plus people who will read this blog today!

Also making the cut: Garrison, NY

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by | March 23, 2010 · 9:55 am

FREE CONE DAY!

Stop in to your local Ben and Jerry's between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. for Free Cone Day!

This snuck up on me because I’m so used to Ben and Jerry’s Free Cone Day being in April and there actually being sunshine, but I did Google it and it is official!

Stop in to your local Ben and Jerry’s anytime between noon and 8 p.m. today and receive a complimentary scoop of your favorite flavor atop a lovely sugar cone. For your ease (because free ice cream shouldn’t be hard work), here is Ben and Jerry’s “Scoop Shop Locator” for you to find the nearest one to your home, school or office.

Enjoy!

Update: Just visited the Ben and Jerry’s at 20 Park Plaza in Boston and received my free coffee ice cream cone! Now proceeding to go into a sugar coma for the next hour.

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by | March 15, 2010 · 8:33 pm

The Clayroom – Brookline, MA

Katie and her Clayroom Cupcake!

So, I’m trying to branch out and try new things, and last week I dragged (ok, she went willingly) my friend Katie to the Clayroom in Coolidge Corner to paint some pottery. Two words: Awe. Some. At first I was a little disappointed that the Clayroom doesn’t have a studio to actually make pottery pieces. I was sad I wasn’t going to be able to make misshapen mugs that I would have to later try and pass off as ashtrays. But the Clayroom had a fun selection to choose from (me: a large platter. Katie: a bowl and cupcake, obvi.).

Doug, owner of the business, was there to walk us through the steps before we even picked out our colors, which I am eternally grateful for because I had no idea what I was doing. The Clayroom is definitely first-time friendly. The basic process: paint three times, dry after each layer of paint. According to Doug, dark colors can go over light colors, but not vice-versa, and you REALLY need to glob on that paint!

Me, a hairdryer and my platter

While the experience would have been fun regardless, Katie and I had actually stumbled into the Clayroom just in time for Wine and Cheese night. At a cost of $30 a person, we got a piece of our choosing to paint, a studio fee, tons of food, and of course – WINE! I didn’t drink, because I wanted to concentrate on my artistic abilities, but I will definitely be back for the next one, now that I know I am a pottery painting savant. I can’t sing the praises of this experience more – so if you’re a 20-something girl looking for something interesting to do in the middle of the week, GO to the Clayroom. Meet Doug. Have him make fun of your artistic abilities for a few hours and come home with a new plate. It’s worth it!

We are so talented!

The Clayroom
1408 Beacon Street
Brookline, MA 02446
617-566-7575
http://www.clayroom.com/brookline

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