Exploring Northampton, and back to New York, (with a stop in New Britain)!
I have an extraordinary breakfast at the B&B I’m staying at, McKinley House B&B, and a nice long talk with the co-owner Ramses. Then I’m off to explore the exquisite town of Northampton. Mark, the owner of Pride & Joy Bookshop, where I did the book-signing last night, has told me all about this great town. I’d heard it was a big lesbian town, but Mark assured me the gay male population is growing now, too. ( And judging by those very handsome and thoughtful guys at my book-signing the previous night, this town has quite a fine selection of potential husbands!). The town is great….full of art galleries, several bookshops, live music venues. A pretty Main Street bustling with activity. Like Burlington, another college town….and also, like Burlington, more than just a college town. I wish that I had more time to explore; I vow to come back again. Let me put in a plug for Mark’s great store, Pride & Joy Bookshop & Gifts, that features not only a great gay book selection, but a spectacular collection of gay-themed T-shirts, Bumper Stickers, Buttons, DVDs, magazines, and many other unique gift items. (He’s also got some signed copies of the Kyle’s B&B book now, too, so you can contact him to mail order one, if you’d like!). I’m grateful to Mark, and his partner, Steve, for their hospitality. I leave mid-afternoon for NY, but I realize by the time I hit Hartford, CT, that I’m going to not only get stuck in rush hour NY traffic but rush hour CT traffic. So instead of crawling home from CT in stop-and-go bumper to bumper traffic at 10 mph, I make the decision to stop for a couple of hours where I am and travel by night, when there’s no traffic. Bizarrely enough, I’m in New Britain, CT, where Brad from Kyle’s B&B recently spent his summer on a minor league baseball team! So, I spend a couple of hours in New Britain, and then I’m off to Long Island under much better travel conditions, (save for the slashing rain which intermittently assails the highways on my journey. But, hey, I’m glad it held out ‘til now, as opposed to while I was up in VT or MA). I arrive home on Long Island at about 10:00 pm….weary from traveling, but so very grateful for the spectacular time I had. And my head full of questions about the future: Vermont? Northampton? This story is unfinished!
