Cloudy and cool this morning but no rain. First surprise of the trip was our bus was “yellow”, not the usual white color of other Insight buses we have been on. Again the bus is roomy, with big leather seats and plenty of leg room, electrical outlets to keep electronics charged and wireless internet, and a bathroom for emergencies.   What more can you ask for?

The breakfast buffet at the hotel was better than normal with a coffee pot on each table so you were not at the mercy of servers.

We started off with a short driving tour of the downtown area of Boston where some of the famous landmarks were pointed out, like the bar that served as the backdrop for the Cheers TV show, the building where both the Boston massacre occurred and where the Declaration of Independence was first read, old graveyards holding the tombs of early Puritans and other famous Americans of the era. Trivia of the day: Paul Revere got all the fame but  no one knows of his riding partner that day, a gentleman by the name of William Dawes.

We walked part of the well-known Freedom Trail finding our way to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market where we had some free time to explore. It was at this point that a “glitch” in the tour occurred. Someone in the front of the bus noted that there had been a bad odor near their seats from the time we left the hotel. Our guide, Gary, immediately contacted the bus company who agreed to change out the bus before we left Quincy Market. They felt it could be done in 20-30 minutes. Mind you, we were in a city where they thought the Big Dig project would only take 9 years (it took over 25 years)! Actually it only took about an hour which is not bad.  No one was upset as we all know things happen and we are in no hurry- we are in vacation!

We left Boston around 11:45, heading west on the Massachusetts Turnpike to our first stop in Stockbridge. More trivia:  the first turnpike in the US was built in the 1790s between Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By 1 PM the clouds started to part and some blue sky started to appear. We also began seeing rolling hills (the Berkshire mountains) and trees showing their fall colors. I was surprised how rural things got as soon as we left Boston.

Our lunch stop was in the town of Stockbridge, a small town of about 2,000 people first settled in 1734. Today it is a popular tourist stop. Way back when this area was fashionable for very large “cottages” (defined as having 30 rooms or more and at least 20 acres of land) for the rich who summered here. It is the former home of Norman Rockwell and the Norman Rockwell Museum is located here. Chesterwood, the studio of Daniel Chester French, who is well-known for his work creating the Lincoln memorial statue, is also in Stockbridge.

After a quick sandwich and a local ice cream we proceeded to the Norman Rockwell museum for a one hour visit. We all remember his famous Saturday Evening Post covers portraying his paintings of everyday American life. I learned that he actually created 323 covers for the Post, the last one being his portrait of Jack Kennedy in 1963. Norman was a gifted “illustrator” who used photographs, live models and sketches to create his scenes which he then painted on canvas. He dropped out of high school at the age of 14 and attended a series of art schools, becoming the official artist for Boy’s Life magazine at the age of 18 and creating his first Saturday Evening Post cover at the age of 22. During his career he created over 4,000 pieces of art. As is typical one could spend a lot more time then we had to really appreciate all his art.

Our hotel, the Crandell Spa & Golf Resort, was only 15 minutes away in Lenox, MA. It turned out to be a pretty posh spot that was originally a large estate dating back to the 19th century, originally called Wyndhurst. President McKinley visited it. Frederick Olmsted (of NY Central Park fame) designed the gardens. Our dinner was held in the original mansion which now houses their restaurant. It was an elegant setting (almost like eating in a private home) and the meal was excellent.

Everyone is excited about tomorrow as we will be visiting Ben & Jerry’s!