Rural Intelligence (Page 674)

Parties

BIFF's "White Irish Drinkers" Screening at the Mahaiwe

Cultural correspondent Bess J.M. Hochstein reports from Great Barrington: Don’t ever doubt that Berkshire cineastes are a hardy bunch; film fans braved perilously icy roads and slippery sidewalks to arrive at the The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Saturday, February 5 for Berkshire International Film Festival’s latest

By Editor

Community

Club Helsinki and The Next Stage in Hudson's Evolution

Once construction was finally done, Club Helsinki Hudson proceeded to have such a prolonged, soft opening—months of sound checks, followed by a long wait for the chef, Hugh Horner, to finally take up his post—there was never a clear ta-dum! moment for the rejoicing to begin. Even

By Editor

Arts

Twenty Minutes with Actress Karen Allen

White Irish Drinkers at the Mahaiwe on February 5 The most famous person you are likely to run into on any given day in Great Barrington is also one of the nicest: Karen Allen, the actress who first became famous for her roles in Animal House and Raiders of The

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Style

Style Shopping: griffinGB, A Comedy of Manners

Some resale shops specialize in couture, others in labels straight from the mall. Some reject any garment that is more than three years old; others would dismiss anything that new as merely "used." At griffinGB, a store in Great Barrington that debuted on Black Friday, there are no

By Editor

Style

Wandering Eye: A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ears, Noses & Throats

Our blogger, interior designer Carey Maloney, and his partner Hermes Mallea, an architect, are principals in the M (Group). I don’t know about the rest of you out there, but me, I am interested in SUN and HEAT right now. It might be bright outside, but it’s cold.

By Editor

Food

Restaurant at The Rhinecliff Finds Its Groove

By Kathryn Matthews As owners of the historic Rhinecliff Hotel, James and David Chapman—Englishmen and brothers—like to keep it fun. They spent five years and $5 million transforming the once dilapidated Queen Anne-style building into a nine-room boutique country hotel that re-opened three years ago.

By Editor

Parties

Spencertown Revels: A Chinese New Year Celebration

The 37th annual Spencertown Revels, a mid-winter movable feast to benefit Spencertown Academy Arts Center, celebrated the Chinese New Year 4709, the year of the rabbit, on Saturday January 29. Academy member Ektoras Binikos, one of NYC's most in-demand mixologists, created a special cocktail for the

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Community

20 Questions for 'Playdate' Author Thelma Adams

Thelma Adams's just published novel, Playdate (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press) is more than a comedy of manners about living the good life in Southern California. It's an affectionate and empathetic portrait of a house husband, whose dirty little secret is how much

By Editor

Parties

The M.C. Escher Opening at Berkshire Museum

Cultural correspondent Bess J. M. Hochstein reports from Pittsfield: With its latest exhibition, Berkshire Museum has struck a popular vein. A large, enthusiastic, multigenerational crowd (including Ken & Laurie Green of Museum Facsimiles, left) turned out on Saturday, January 22, for the opening of M.C. Escher: Seeing the Unseen.

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Community

Staycation: A Better Way to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Candlelight, wine, a sumptuous dinner a deux topped off with a shared molten chocolate something-or-other. Finally, she kicks off her stilettos…to pull on her snow boots. As the couple bundles up in coats, hats, mufflers and gloves, they brace themselves for the ardor-squelching frigid night air

By Editor

Food

The Boathouse

Warm and rustic, infusing traditional New England style with fine dining elegance

By Lisa Green

Parties

'Celebrating Pittsfield' Photo Show Opens at the Lichtenstein

Cultural correspondent Bess J. M. Hochstein reports from Pittsfield: The city at the heart of the Berkshires kicked off its 250th anniversary with a juried photography show, Celebrating Pittsfield, at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. Judging from the crowds at the opening reception on Friday, January 14, a good

By Editor