Yummy Ice Cream
There is almost an overwhelming amount of fancy, artisinal ice creams out there but Soco is worth a mention.
From a Massachusettes family owned “micro-creamery” which has a brick and mortar shop in the Berkshires.
You can find it locally at Whole Foods and other places where you usually find this kind of stuff as well as Fresh Direct.
We’ve tried the Espresso Cookie but am on the look out for Earl Grey – a flavor I fell in love with at Van Leeuwin.
Special thanks to Ashleigh, for writing this post!
Every one knows the “forty whacks” story of the Borden family murders.?Lizzie Borden was acquitted, but ask any vox pop, and you will be assured of her incontrovertible guilt.?Now, thanks to the Lizzie Borden LLC, you can visit the actual crime scene, look at photographic evidence, witness a live reenactment, and decide for yourself.
Located in Fall River, the tomb of what was once one of the leading textile producers in the world, the Borden family house has been restored to its Victorian-era splendor and is open to the public.?Tours are given daily from 11:00-3:00 and many special events such as crime and trial reenactments by the Pear Essential Players are scheduled throughout the year.?Red Hatters are welcome for “Tea & Murder”!
The museum also doubles as a bed & breakfast.?You can rest your head and test your nerve in the room where Abby Durfee Borden was hatcheted to death.?The rooms are beautifully appointed in antique Queen Anne furniture, though the pieces are not original to the Borden family.?In case you get too comfortable lounging on the feather duvet, there is a large photograph on the nightstand of Mrs. Borden lying prostrate on the carpet, skull caved-in, gore abounding, in the very spot where you left your slippers before climbing into bed.
If you are ever in the Boston or Providence area, this place is well worth the 20-40 min ride.?The all-female staff of docents are wonderfully cheerful, exceedingly knowledgeable, and always dressed in sunshine and springtime-colored track suits.?There is a well-stocked gift shop where one can purchase Lizzie bobble-heads, hatchet earrings, and other essential Goth accouterments.?(By the way, Fall River is amazing.?You have not seen the real New England until you've driven over the Braga Bridge at dusk.)
It's easy to describe the Brimfield Flea Market in southern Massachusetts as eight football fields long, but it's really difficult to keep that finite image in mind when you're faced with the reality of its overwhelming enormity. You just have to dig in (preferably with comfortable footwear) and weave through as much as you can bear; undoubtedly you'll emerge with something unique and special. In the four hours that we spent, I think we managed to see a little less that half of everything, but we still brought back a bag full of fun goodies (here are a number of photos we took that give a pretty good sense of what it's like).
Costume jewelry is everywhere and it's usually reasonably priced, and don't forget to take home some Pakistani jingly necklaces and great African beads – though be sure to barter for the latter, different tents sell the same items for drastically different prices. There are some clothes, though having gotten there on the second-to-last day, I think it's safe to assume a number of industry people had already picked over the selection pretty well.
One of our favorite purchases was an ogre/naked lady mug by Jim Rumph (who you can read more about in this week's style icon section) and some amazing old gag gifts from the 1950's. These Korean War era Tijuana Bible type comics and off color gag boxes were all from a mind-blowing collection a guy purchased when an old Philadelphian shop went out of business. We spent lots of time going through the boxes and boxes of zany adult novelties on sale (I posted a number of photos on RC).
And speaking of adult, we found some spectacular (but way too pervy) pen and ink drawings that we only declined to buy because they were too hard core and we were concerned that it might give anyone who came to our house the wrong weirdo vibe. The best thing about them was that the artist refused to sign any of his work out of fear that his mother might see them some day.
Midway through the concourse is the food area, and believe me you'll want to rest your feet and refuel by the time you reach it; the lobster roll was acceptable and some guy was singing Jimmy Buffett songs. Make sure you drink something to stay hydrated too.
Other tips: park at the small white church, they have a bathroom, a cookie stand, and their lot is the easiest to get out of; also, bring some bags – we had our trusty Baggu and a couple of canvas totes (designed by the talented Adam Fedderly) which made carrying stuff around a lot easier; you can take photos – but if someone looks cranky, ask permission first; and just make sure to buy something if you really love it. Not only will it probably not be there when you return for it, the place is so big that you may never be able to even find the vendor again.
We drove up one winter night and ate french food by a fire. It was one of the most romantic evenings of my life.