Allston-Brighton

In a blur of one-way streets and bustling movement my Mother and I found ourselves lost amongst one of Boston's many quaint neighborhoods.  At the time the area was busy and exceptionally appealing because of it's vast diversity and abundant choices of places to eat, shop and more.  While driving through this area it seemed quite eclectic but after some research I found out it had way more to offer than what meets the eye. 

This underestimated town of Allston-Brighton, or Allston as it's "hipster" inhabitants call it, is known mostly for it's small ethnic restaurants, private karaoke studios, hookah bars and lively music scene.  If you're looking for something to do in this area, there are endless possibilities.  Liquid prizes are offered at Rock 'N' Roll bingo night at Model Cafe; Urban Renewal sells secondhand clothing and unique home furnishings in a secret home-goods section; and Big City, Boston's pool hall, pizza kitchen, and beer bar offers competitive foosball on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights.  But the fun doesn't stop there.


One thing that most New Englander's miss out on is the freedom and fun found in city life.  One thing present in Allston that you can't find in a quiet little country town of Connecticut is karaoke.  When people think of karaoke, they often associate it with large rowdy crowds and an eager willingness to drunkenly belt out their favorite tune- but in Allston the karaoke crowds wish to be more secretive and unknown.  Within a strip of auto shops there is a world of "private karaoke suites" that can be rented out for private parties.  You can rent out a karaoke suite at Do Re Mi Karaoke on Cambridge Street by the hour and portray your inner rockstar in a secluded setting with leather couches and shiny disco balls. A regular room for 1-5 people start at $30 an hour and party rooms for 1-10 people start at $80.  Do Re Mi provides 19 private suites with new state of the art equipment including wide screen tv's, karaoke systems with new songs and a newly renovated lobby.  Do Re Mi also features 13 different language choices to suite the town's diverse community.  The options include languages from French to Vietnamese to Portuguese and a little bit of everything in between.

One hang out spot that is particularly underestimated is that of the hookah bar.  It is often given a negative connotation but in actuality it can be a trendy and interesting way to spice up an evening.  Habibi's Hookah Lounge in Allston is considered "Boston's most authentic hookah lounge." Walking down the steps into the underground lounge enters you into a new exotic world.  Although the menu is small the atmosphere is grand and eclectic.  Their food menu consists of drinks, snacks, sides and desserts but the main course is "Starbuzz" or "Al-Crakher" tobacco.  The flavors are especially enticing and should potentially catch the attention of even the least interested individual.   The list includes delicious flavors of apple cinnamon, classic mojito, bubblegum, licorice, cola, mango, honey, cafe latte and more.

What draws in most people to Allston is it's abundant character and and many charming qualities. This charm lures in artistic and expressive people to the area and provides a substantially positive stigma for incoming college students.  Like college students in any area, they thrive on the abundant options of cuisine such as vegetarian and vegan asian cuisine at Grasshopper, curry from Madina's Kitchen, Japanese ramen noodles from Ken's Noodle House, and traditional southern comfort food from Deep Ellum.  These restaurants are just few of the many hiding away in Allston waiting to be found and favored.

Although some see it's reputation fading as Harvard takes over and it becomes more of a college party town, it remains a lively and bustling area full of character and endless possibilities.







Sources:
http://mysecretboston.com/top-secret/rock-city-ramble
http://clearflourbread.com/
http://doremikaraoke.net/
http://Habibislounge.com/menu.html
http://mysecretboston.com/nightlife/bingo-night
http://allstonsfinest.com/allstonsfinest/bigcity/bigcity.swf

Jonathan Pasco's

Located on South Main Street in East Windsor, Connecticut, Jonathan Pasco's restaurant provides a homey environment, exceptional food and a lively history.  As a member of the Christmas campaign fighting in the Battle of Trenton, Pasco helped renew British spirit in the Revolutionary War.   Legends suggest that Pasco was captured by the Indians during this war along with hundreds of other soldiers.  As encouragement to not attempt an escape, he was forced to marry an Indian wife and carry around the skin of a fellow tortured soldiers. He managed to return from the war unharmed and built his home in East Windsor at 31 South Main Street.

The unique environment provides the perfect space for small weddings and rehearsal dinners, christenings, baby showers and bridal showers.  They offer special menu options for private parties as well.  Different menu options include special occasion, dinner buffet, lunch buffet, brunch party, cocktail party and dinner party appetizers. Their traditional menus include a wine and beer list, a dinner and brunch menu, and a lounge menu.  They also serve Thanksgiving dinner and provide a special menu for that including appetizers, salads, desserts, and traditional entrees, such as fresh roasted turkey, black oak ham and rotisserie prime rib of beef.

Not only is it home to traditional eats, but it's home to paranormal activity as well.  The Greater Hartford Paranormal Society visited the restaurant in 2010 and observed experiences that confirmed the events reported by it's staff and patrons.  Employees of the restaurant reported sightings of a tall old man as well as the paper towel dispenser automatically going off even with no movement in front of it.  They also heard unfamiliar voices after the restaurant had closed, and glasses would tip over.  The manager, Mary Jane Hill explained to a Coventry student interviewer in 1996 for a student news story, that an employee kept turning the heat off and it would repeatedly get turned back on. This happened 8 times to the same employee within that one night. She also explained that it is believed that two of the ghosts are those of Jonathan Pasco's children who died during a smallpox epidemic.  Patrons reported a cold uneasiness in particular corners of the restaurant. The team experienced a spirit running back and forth across the restaurant and communicated with the spirit to find that it's name was Ames and he was there for protection from men with guns.

Once they entered one of Jonathan Pasco's son's old rooms, they encountered a woman sitting in the corner wearing a long white dress.  After questioning, they learned that she didn't know where she was and that she was injured.  Her name was Jeannie and she suffered a miscarriage at age 18.  

Located on the first floor was the spirit of a young boy named Peter who was seriously injured.  There was another spirit named Billy who wandered into the room often to check on Peter. The last stop of the Paranormal Society was the ladies restroom which employees reported was the place of many strange occurrences in the restaurant.  Right as they walked in, they encountered a spirit walking back and forth repeatedly.  They found that her name was Beth and she was there because it was her job to clean the bathroom.

Although you may feel a cold spot, or see a spooky apparition, it is worth the risk for this unique restaurant.  The old brick home provides a place of tradition and delectable food for anyone with a big appetite and a curious mind.



Sources:
http://jonathanpascos.net/
http://www.myhouseishaunted.org/?p=2535
http://articles.courant.com/1996-10-08/news/9610080509_1_ghosts-haunts-project-restaurant-manager-challenge-program

Danvers State Hospital

With it's overwhelming immensity and distinct characteristics, the Danvers State Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts was home to thousands of mentally ill patients.  It was built in 1874 to relieve other asylums of their overcrowded populations in Boston.  The new hospital was built on a site known as Hawthorne Hill and was chosen for the new psychiatric hospital for it's scenic beauty and vast acreage. It was thought that a welcoming and fresh environment would be the most therapeutic treatment to cure insanity. The creation of the hospital sparked some controversy with the public because of its magnitude and cost.  The 70,000 square foot building cost $1.5 million.

Like most mental hospitals during the 1800 and 1900s, Danvers faced overcrowding, limited funding and staff shortages.  At its inception, it was meant to hold only 500 patients but the hospital faced over 2,000 residents by the 1930s.  Patients began to receive lower levels of care and endured a plethora of new treatment techniques being administered as ways of therapy in psychiatric hospitals across the world.  These treatments were used to restrict and control any unruly patients and included the lobotomy, electroshock therapy, insulin shock therapy, and drug therapy.   These harmful and abolishing treatments were created to subdue difficult patients.  After initial research on animals, the lobotomy became a popular way to make patients more calm.  In order to do so, the nerves running from the frontal cortex to the thalamus needed to be cut and removed from the brain. As said by Walter Freeman, an American physician, it would be a procedure recommended "for everything from psychosis to depression to neurosis to criminality." It was also considered to "short-circuit" the problem psychotic patients faced such as repetitive thoughts.
Danvers underwent the deinstitutionalization process in the 1960s, and patients were transfered to community-based group homes and other mental hospitals in Massachusetts. In the mid-1980s the farthest wings of the building were closed and the entire building was shuttered in 1989.  The entire facility was closed in June of 1992.

Although the hospital closed, it faced it's debut in 2001.  It was the filming site for a movie called Session 9.

The horror thriller highlighted an asbestos cleaning crew within an abandoned mental hospital who witnessed the hospital's past coming back to haunt them.  It was also the site for another film called Home Before Dark in 1958.  It included footage of the hospital during it's operation.
Since its closure the site has drawn photographers and ghost hunters alike, causing the arrest of over 120 people for trespassing.  These thrill seekers believe the assumption that the building still remains home to the once disturbed and troubled spirits of the patients that lived there. The original building as well as 2 other wings, were later turned into a residential community called Avalon Ban Danvers with 500 apartments and condominiums.  Although it's true form was altered, the beauty and sheer vastness of Danvers State Hospital along with it's history will always remain.

 Resources:
http://www.opacity.us/site22_danvers_state_hospital.htm
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/lobotomy.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0261983/
http://www.opacity.us/article9_all_souls_that_haunt_this_site_can_expect_arrest.htm

Ten Thousand Villages

Although some things sound too good to be true, it's true that third world countries can be directly impacted by your purchase of a fair trade item. Connecticut is home to a unique fair trade, non-profit retailer named Ten Thousand Villages. Located in South Windsor and West Hartford, just 2 of its 390 retail outlets, this non-profit retailer provides amazing opportunities to artisans in third world countries in exchange for their hand-made goods.

 Ten Thousand Villages takes pride in creating long-term relationships with talented artisans in hopes to improve their quality of life.  The purpose of these relationships is to provide an income for artisans through the sale of their hand-made and authentic products in America.  The most important part of these long-term relationships is commitment.  Ten Thousand Villages stays committed to working with an artisan group to lengthen and hopefully increase their success.  This commitment involves consistent buying from the artisan groups so as to not decrease their "full business potential."

Ten Thousand Villages sells products from more than 130 artisan groups from 38 different countries and 5 continents. Many artisans working with TTV use recycled materials such as newspaper, magazines and glass as well as natural materials and natural dyes. Some artisans also use sustainable wood or “good wood” which comes from farms that replant trees after they are harvested.
Their products range from jewelry, stationery, musical instruments, home and festive décor, toys, games, and spices and spreads. You can snuggle up to a “Gold Horizons” alpaca throw, hand-made in Peru, or use green tea lemongrass shea butter soap handcrafted in Ghana. The option to purchase goods made in such remote places promotes a way to infuse one culture with the ideals and traditions of another.

When purchasing a product from Ten Thousand Villages you are not only receiving a completely hand-crafted item, but you are encouraging the fair trade market and sustaining the artisan's ability to thrive in their environment.  This valuable income helps previously under or unemployed artisans pay for food, healthcare, housing, and education, providing them with opportunities that would have never been presented to them before.

Fair Trade is described as providing the consumer with the opportunity to “enliven developing countries, relieve exploitation and promote environmental sustainability by purchasing fair-trade labeled products. The beauty of fair trade is that the organizations that participate don't decide what the profits are used for. Each community can determine this on their own. The most beneficial part though is that they can use these funds to reinvest in their efforts to produce goods.

Fair Trade USA is an organization like Ten Thousand Villages dedicated to promoting fair trade and creating innovative ways to elevate the benefits for third world farmers and artisans. They are innovating fair trade in the following three ways; strengthening farming communities, including more farmers and farming communities and engaging consumers to increase market demands. Since 1998, the fair trade movement has helped families earn more than $225 million in income.

Resources:

http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/tenthousandvillages/videos?view=0

http://www.fairtradeusa.org/

Poor Old Shine

Poor Old Shine, a newly born, up-and coming band full of musical promise was established in Storrs at the University of Connecticut.  Their performance packs a punch of unique sound, and dance-and-sing along kind of style.  Their musical roots lie in bluegrass and “Appalachian mountain music tradition.” Although they are not nearly identical to Mumford & Sons, they strive for the same essence; a powerful and emotional performance of true harmonies and flawless instrumental abilities.  Their unique style and bona fide sound is none other than pure, raw talent.   In a world fueled by technology, the music scene isn't as true and sincere as it used to be, but Poor Old Shine illuminates the scene with an authentic folk-Americana sound.  Their confidence and energy on stage provides a rivetingly creative performance.  They play with a wide variety of instruments including guitars, fiddles, drums, a banjo, mandolin, and pump organ; all accompanied by a powerhouse lead vocalist.

The band consists of Chris Freeman, Max Shakun, Harrison Goodale, Antonio Alcorn, and Brian Conlon.  They originally began to play together at the Folk Music Society at UCONN, but soon after played for their first audience in December of 2010.  Since then they have played locally and across the country as well.  They went from only playing together, to performing for sellout crowds at Infinity Music Hall, Bridge Street Live, and The Somerville Armory Theatre.  At the Infinity Music Hall their performance was recorded for a live album.  This album is for sale on their website, www.pooroldshine.com as well as their first EP titled “Treadless Soles.”

The 16-song albums are given a nice touch with a homemade sleeve made out of cereal boxes sized to fit with a painted cover and song titles on the back.  Each song breathes new technique and immaculate vocals with a strong backdrop of assorted instruments.  They play traditional songs and add their own modern flare while sticking true to bluegrass nature and continuing to push a “folk music revival of sorts.”

Although they typically perform locally, they don’t always stay that way.  This summer included trips to New York and California for several performances, one being at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.  Their next upcoming shows include one at the Farmer’s Market in Coventry on the 21st as well as another performance at the Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk on November 25th.

You can like them on Facebook as well as follow them on Twitter to receive updates on upcoming events that you don’t want to miss!  

References

¹ Hernandez, Rick. "About." Poor Old Shine. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sep 2012. <www.pooroldshine.com>.

² Quinion, Greg. "Poor Old Shine, July 8th Concert Review." Infinity Hall Blog. N.p., July 11th 2012. Web. Web. 24 Sep. 2012. <http://infinityhallblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/poor-old-shine-july-8th-concert-review.html>.

³ Hernandez, Rick. "About." Poor Old Shine. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sep 2012. <www.pooroldshine.com>.

⁴ Fitts, John. West Hartford Patch. N.p., April 20, 2011. Web. 24 Sep 2012. <http://westhartford.patch.com/articles/poor-old-shine-to-open-for-the-steel-wheels-at-bridge-street-live-thursday>.

⁵ "Poor Old Shine Tour Dates." Bands In Town. N.p., 2012. Web. 24 Sep 2012. <http://www.bandsintown.com/PoorOldShine/upcoming_events>.

Holy Land USA

High atop Pine Hill in Waterbury, Connecticut rests the remains of the former park known as Holy Land USA.   Before being closed to the public in 1984 it was a popular Connecticut landmark attaining close to 40,000 visitors a year.  The original creator, John Greco, wanted to recreate Holy Land in Israel and did so by imitating "miniature versions of Bethlehem and Jerusalem" and other biblical figures.  The 18-acre park houses over 200 structures made out of a plethora of miscellaneous items.  It's centerpieces include a 56-foot cross and a sign of Holy Land USA, almost replicating the Hollywood sign in California.  The original cross was later replaced by a 50-foot more modern, stainless steal model.  

It was reported that Greco created this park after receiving a message from God.  This is only one aspect of Holy Land's story that gives the landmark such an eerie vibe.  After Greco passed on, he left the park to an order of nuns known as the Religious Teachers Fillipini of Bristol.  Since being closed from the public, the nuns up kept the property but its appearance continued to dwindle due to vandals and the ever-curious public which still managed to find its way onto the grounds.  The handmade structures and displays are in ruins which contribute to it's definitive character.  The eerily compelling grounds are found to be a photographers paradise with its appealing views and eye-catching structures like the big Holy Land cross high up on the hill.  One man claims it has a "literal post-apocalyptic feel."  It's natural and forced deterioration as well as the religious undertones associated with the site attribute to the creepy aura.  It was also the site of a rape-murder 2010.

It was originally closed off to the public for renovation purposes but Greco passed and left it to the nuns who never reopened it. The not so well-known landmark is still an in demand destination though, seeing as the Waterbury Visitors Bureau still receives over 150 calls a year from people asking for directions to Holy Land.  Its religious pride and eclectic dioramas are still evident from I-84 and still provide a unique view to be seen for miles.

References

Frances, Chamberlain (November 4, 2001). "The View From/Waterbury; A Hilltop Landmark Undergoes a Revival". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2012.

Grossman, Andrew (July 22, 2010). "A Murder Puts Focus on Holy Land U.S.A.". The Wall Street Journal. .Retrieved 17 September 2012

"Holy Land USA". Roadside America. Retrieved 17 September 2012.

Paul, Zielbauer (November 12, 2001). "A Sight That Inspires Ambivalence; Ruins of a Religious Park Await Restorers or the Bulldozer".The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2012.