Like every year, my sister Rae’s birthday was coming up and I had no idea what to get her. In the past, I’ve avoided the whole issue by buying tickets for a concert or show, but this year nothing very interesting was on the horizon. Instead of ordering some item I wasn’t sure she’d like, I designed a birthday choose-your-own-adventure weekend. It was choose-your-own-adventure in the sense that Rae would pick how many of my preselected activities she wanted to do. I had a little fear that I would be forcing her into a weekend full of activity when all she wanted to do was relax after her trip to Europe. Luckily for me, she chose to do all the things! And so we left bright and early on Saturday, headed 2.5 hours west to:
Mt. Greylock (or, as we kept calling it, Mt. Greyjoy. We are Game of Thrones fans!)
I had been paying attention lately when Rae had been lamenting that she hadn’t been on a hike all summer. I decided to go big and bring her to the highest peak in Massachusetts! It’s apparently a grueling 10 mile hike to the top, but since I’m definitely not fit enough to do that, we opted to drive to the top.
Along the way we stopped to hike a short loop trail.
We saw some views.
And ate some wild blueberries.
The top was different than what I’d seen on other mountains (probably because you can’t drive to the summit of most of them!). It was a lot more like a pretty park that ends in a steep cliff than what I’m used to from growing up in the Adirondacks.
There were a whole group of paragliders waiting for the winds to change so they could jump off the edge with their parachutes. We waited around to watch them, but after half an hour or so it was clear that the wind was not cooperating and they were going to be waiting for a long time!
We headed down the other side of the mountain toward North Adams, where the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is located. North Adams, MA isn’t exactly known for its night life, so I bought tickets for what was pretty much the only game in town — a self-proclaimed “circus-punk marching band” playing as part of the Mass MoCA’s concert series. The band was called Mucca Pazza and they were AMAZING! I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but the whole thing was really fun.
http://instagram.com/p/dIkNCBwSZo/
We started by following them as they marched (actually, they RAN) around the campus. At one point they had us form a circle around them as they played only to then break through our circle and trap us in the middle while they played all around us. It was pretty exciting but also a little anxiety-inducing as I usually don’t expect to interact with the band when I go to a show! Eventually we made it back to the stage where they put on a crazily energetic show — jumping all over the place and doing dance moves as they played their various instruments. They are definitely worth a listen, and you should totally see them if they come to a place near you.
The next morning, we saw many of the band members in the cafe where we had breakfast. Then we headed to the Mass MoCA again, but to see the museum this time.
Even though it’s in the middle of nowhere, I love this museum! I went last year, but this visit it felt like the exhibits were almost completely new. They had some amazing installations in their industrial galleries. The highlight was the huge phoenixes by Xu Bing. They were so large that I couldn’t really get a photo, so you’ll have to go see them yourself.
Giant phoenix head.
I pretty much want to paint my walls in Sol LeWitt sytle!
Unfortunately, George does not approve of Candy Land-style wall coverings!
The last stop on our trip was Natural Bridge State Park, a small state park featuring a natural marble bridge. We drove by it on the way out of town, so we figured it was worth a look.
The water used to power a mill.
In order to see under the bridge, you have to walk out onto suspended platforms that feel like they are ready to collapse at any time. Scary!!!
Standing on top of the bridge.
So far down! :[
On our way home, we took the back roads through the Berkshire mountains. There were so many cute, quaint shops that I would have explored if we hadn’t been so exhausted! We did eventually stop for a snack:
Presenting my “Mass Mocha” ice cream! I knew someone, somewhere had to be using that pun!!!
For Science! 