In a world of fast-paced music downloads and impersonal MP3s, Mystery Train Records strives to keep the tactile world of music alive through their little shop in downtown Amherst.
Norwich is a beautiful, thriving college town that is situated about an hour from the eastern coast, and about two hours northeast of London by train. It is surrounded by a river and guarded by a large castle at the top of a hill; one of its acclaimed universities is the University of East Anglia.
Students who wish winter would pass swiftly by can find any reason to stay inside between the months of December and March. But that’s why there are places like The Central Rock Gym in Hadley which provide the thrill of outdoor fun, indoors. The kind of outdoor fun that sends a shiver up your spine.
Last semester we published a piece about bungee jumping while on study abroad in Costa Rica. Erin Wolosz, the author of the piece, has finally returned from her adventures in the jungles of Costa Rica and has brought with her footage of her jump.
The room emanates a bluish-gray color as the right side wall illustrates Pac-Man eating Pac-Dots and ghosts. Its hardwood floors stage red, yellow, and green plastic bar stools. Shelves line above the windows holding old school board games, Pokémon stuffed animals, and action figures. The Quarters is a video game in itself. Even the food and drink menus display items in a digital pixel-like font.
An Irish living taught me to – perhaps both literally and figuratively – always spill over the rim. To take the pint, to sing along, to embrace all uncertainties: to find warmth in the coldest of places.
Gather your capes and swords and settle in for a quick journey through the best in geek culture here in the Pioneer Valley as you read about these four “nerd havens.”
One might think that the largest contemporary art museum in the United States would be located in an art mecca like New York City or Boston. Instead, North Adams gets the bragging rights, having the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) located in town.
