A beautiful Saturday

A beautiful Saturday: Gardeners swarm the Farmers Market. The
peace vigil is on, with no contenders today. Little Leaguers with sweet smiles
beseech passersby for donations.

It’s also Springfest, with young musicians playing all over downtown
and unfortunately being forced to vie with the jackhammers, as construction of
the police station’s parking garage gets under way.

Adding to the excitement, it’s Smith College commencement
eve (Ivy Day) in Northampton. The city at high noon sees seniors and alumnae in
promenading the sidewalks in white dresses, out-of-towners looking for parking
place--and the governor of Massachusetts having lunch with his wife and
daughter at Amanouz Café.

As the campus gets dark, the lanterns are lit for
Illumination Night. Though the evening glow is often a casualty of the weather--wind
and rain tend to wreck the paper lanterns--tonight promises to be fine.

The Smith campus is a lovely sight any day, but at this
high point of the academic year, it’s perfection.

And it’s time for those responsible for that perfection to
rest, however briefly, on their laurels. Down by the physical plant building on
West Street, the atmosphere is festive--lunch and dinner under a tent, courtesy
of the college.

Lunatic fringe

That crazy, beautiful fringe tree always takes me by
surprise. The air is sweet in May, but this glorious ornamental has a
particularly heady scent. I knew of only two in Northampton, one at the corner
of Clark and Old South Street and the other on the Smith campus, just off Green
Street opposite Kumon.

Walking on Round Hill Road the other day, though, I caught a
dreamy whiff, and sure enough, there was a fringe tree--a big one--blooming outside
the Galbraith Center at the Clarke Schools.

When I shared my delight with a man taking down the flag
across the street, he smiled and said there was another fringe tree, deeper
into the campus. He’s looking for one for his home garden.

Chionanthus virginicus is native to the eastern United
States, New Jersey and south, but it seems to do fine in Massachusetts.

Spring edibles

New restaurants bloom in batches in our city, like the
spring trees. Restaurant row in recent weeks has seen the addition of three on
Main below King Street: Hinge, the Foundry and Pho.

The dynamic young
restaurateurs of West Street’s Bistro les Gras opened Grub Sandwich Shop on
Pleasant Street a few months ago.

Grub, which opened Feb. 28, features “street cart style”
sandwiches and hot dogs, “over the top” flavors, according to co-owner Beth
Verson—“local and organic, when we can get it.” The chef, her husband Dan
Martinez, and other staff, divide their time between the Bistro and Grub. Grub
is busiest at lunchtime; Bistro
les Gras is an evening affair.

“It’s a lot of work,” Verson said, “but two such different
environments feel like two different things, so it’s a bit of a break.”

Hinge is getting its start in the former home of the Vermont
Deli. It’s an evening place advertising “Food and drink. Finely crafted.” Music
and poetry slams will be regular features. Hinge (the name is all caps with a
backwards N) is open Tuesday through Sunday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., with food until
midnight.

The day I stopped in, the afternoon mix of hip sounds was a
pleasant background. Longtime local bartender Matthew Ford was on the job. He
said to be sure to check out the upper levels.

I did. There’s a pool table, another bar, a stage and more
seating. Looks like fun.

The downstairs bar is a long, shiny slab of polyurethaned
wood; craft beers and wine are on offer with dinner (a half dozen interesting
entrees, as well as sandwiches and salads) and what looks like good bar food
(apps include samosas). There are desserts, and even a kids’ menu. Prices are
standard.

The Foundry took over Yellow Sofa’s spot. A “longtime dream”
of Smith graduate Sally Noble (she gets her diploma this weekend) and her
partner, Sonny Han, the place was full the weekday I visited. Most customers were
working on their laptops.

Right now, the Foundry offers assorted sandwiches and salads
from 8 a.m. to 10 pm Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Breakfasts are light, by preference: toast, yogurt, granola. I spoke with Sonny
Han, who pointed to “unique sauces and spreads” for the sandwiches, for example,
the Hatori Hanzo (a roast beef sandwich with a wasabi sauce).

Han said the hours will change soon, when the eatery gets
its full beer and wine license.

“We’re not ‘just another coffee shop,’” Han said. He pointed
to the 24-foot bar, and said they wanted to encourage people to sit at the bar,
“like Europe,” he said.

The Foundry has a “unique beverage,” Han said: the Firenzi.
Hot espresso floats on cold milk or milk-like product, so you don’t burn your
tongue but get that hot and cold at the same time.

Pho is a Vietnamese restaurant—a cuisine new to Northampton
and long desired in the city. The restaurant’s grand opening was May 3.

With a sweet smile, co-owner Nina Truong said she and her
husband decided to open here because “there’s no Vietnamese food here.” We’ve
been yearning.

The restaurant will be open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.
to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to
10:30 p.m.

Pho’s signature dish is, of course, the delightful pho—a rice
noodle dish with beef that’s not spicy and takes hours to cook.

Vietnamese cuisine is light, Truong said: more vegetables,
with lots of vegetarian options. Diners can choose from an assortment of
condiments including Asian basil, bean sprouts, mint leaves, cilantro and lime:
“like cooking your own meal, in a way,” she said.

So far, the restaurant lacks an alcohol license, but the
owners are seeking one.

In Fast- spring

The hits just keep on coming. With the cherry and pear,
magnolia, forsythia and others gone by, now it’s the redbud (looks more
purplish pink to me, and there are even white ones by the Smith art museum);
dogwood, apple and crabapple setting their blooms. The bees are crazed with
delight.

That heat was bad—everything went by too fast. The daffodils
are crumpled paper, the tulips gasping. But cooler days should help. Maybe
it’ll rain this weekend. Please.

The water is on at the Community Garden: people are trying
to keep their peas alive in Santa Ana-like wind.

On Round Hill Road Tuesday, I saw a guy mowing in a cloud of
dust, without a mask. Why mow? All it’s doing is raising dust. The grass will
be happier protecting itself by growing long. Just wait until it rains.

The cross at the bottom of Hospital/Village Hill has its
spring decoration.

Phonies

I see people talking to other (actual in-the-flesh) people—friends,
perhaps--on the street, while fiddling with their iPhones. Likewise, people
cross the street looking down and fiddling with their phones. It’s not just
driving and texting that’s a problem. We need a new etiquette.

Skate Park/Bike Path

Twelve boys on concrete,

still no helmets; fair-skinned girl

lying in the sun.

Girl rollerblading

a spontaneous bike path

yell of joy, clapped hands.

Boys toss a football

back and forth under the bridge;

stay out of the sun.

Spring beauty and the cleanup

I walked with friends today on the Smith College campus.
It’s in its glory, and that glory should continue for at least a month or so.
Spring is the best, as Smith gets ready for its big moment: graduation
and alumnae weekends. As noted before, every tree, every bush is labeled, and
every vista pleases. Look for the magnolia-white doubled bloodroot in the rock
garden. And reverence the Camperdown elm--it’s actually a cutting from a single
mutant ground-creeping elm, grafted onto upright elm stock, more than 100
years ago when Frederick Law Olmsted planned the garden.

With Smith and BID-spiffed downtown looking good, it’s citywide cleanup time for places the Business Improvement District doesn't reach. Friends of Northampton Trails
and Greenways is looking for volunteers for an April 14 cleanup (April 15 is
the rain date). Contact Julie Riseman at jriseman@mac.com for details if you
can help. Spread the word. Even if you can't make the cleanup day, it’s so easy to pick up a stray bottle, can,
plastic bag--anything you see lying by the road or bike path--and dispose of it
properly, recycling as necessary.

The police station is completely unwrapped. With the
department expecting to start moving in early in May, the building appears
nearly ready.

On their way

It was a cool, foggy morning downtown, brightened by saffron
robes and banners, as the march on Vernon to block Vermont Yankee passed
through town. The participants--monks, nuns, Occupiers, young and old and
mostly somewhere in the middle, “a convergence of several groups,” according to
marcher Andy Larkin of Northampton--are marching as far as Leverett to the Peace Pagoda today.

They spent Sunday night at the Unitarian Universalist church downtown and will sleep tonight at the Mount Toby Friends meeting house. The marchers expect to arrive in Vernon Wednesday.

Some of these sturdy folks have walked all the way from New
Jersey, site of Oyster Creek, the oldest nuke plant of the 104 in operation in
the nation. Oyster Creek is slated to close in 2019.

Along the way, said Kenji Kanaeda, a Buddhist monk from
Bainbridge, Wash., they met with “a good reaction.” “I think people react
differently after Fukushima,” he said, referring to the nuclear plant disaster
following the earthquake and tsunami a year ago in Japan.

“It’s a very important moment,” said Sister Clare Carter.
“People are hearing the messages of Fukushima on a soul level.”

The food vehicle packed and ready, the marchers set off a little before 9 a.m. to the stirring beat of hand-held drums.

Besides this march, a nonviolent action by SAGE affinity groups is planned in Brattleboro Thursday, with a rally and march on the headquarters of Vermont Yankee operator Entergy. 

Wearing o' the green

Spring is sudden this year. It’s early yet, but amid the mud
and stone, daffodils bloom along the bike path. Every home you pass has its own
expression of bulb beauty. Crocus and scilla are first. Keep your eyes open—this
bulb show will go by fast.

Also in bloom: the young people downtown. They express with
vibrant color and creative fashion, everyone slightly dazed by the warmth.

Up on Hospital Hill, St. Patrick’s Day brought the usual
green chrysanthemum wreath to the memorial honoring two Irishmen, Dominic Daley
and James Halligan, believed wrongfully hanged for murder in 1806, before a
crowd of 15,000. Once upon a time, a hanging was entertainment. 

Downtown, Tully O’Reilly’s was open at 9 a.m. on St. Paddy’s
Day, and the Guinness was flowing. Seen through the windows, a crowd of
green-clad revelers kept the waiters busy.

Graffiti Park

Two days of melting, rivulets and birdsong, conducive to walking.
Today the wind was wild but--no wind chill.

On my way, graffiti turn up everywhere, but among the stylized
signatures a few messages appear. A heart with two names in it is emblazoned on
the fence along the bike path behind the Smith College stables. Written around
it (perhaps not by the same tagger): “Love Is Awesome.” The stop sign that
marks the break in the path at Earle Street reads “STOP WAR.” And the derelict
Northampton Housing Authority property on Laurel Street is sporting a new tag: “Love
Every One.”

Spring delay

The cornelian cherry in the courtyard at Smith College’s
Hallie Flanagan theater center is full of fat buds. It’s an early bloomer, but
still--it's February. Quince bushes seem ready too. Hope the snow doesn’t
discourage them.

In the springlike Tuesday before the storm, two young women
sunned themselves at lunchtime in a sheltered spot against the white wall of
Lia Toyota on King Street. A girlfriend in a pickup truck had the radio turned
up loud, playing a sweet country song. All three sang along, and laughed. 

Station update

The new Northampton police station has half emerged from its
flame-retardant chrysalis--and it looks just like its picture, displayed a few feet
farther along Center Street. The work continues inside.

Police Chief Russell Sienkiewicz said Thursday that the
project is on schedule and within budget, as it has been all along. The
exterior work is mostly complete, he said, and key systems--communications,
HVAC, etc.--are being installed. Sienkiewicz expects that the move to the new
building will commence in early May, “slowly transitioning into the building”
through that month.

Skate unprotected

What is with these kids at the skate park? I walk by every
day, and this excellent weather has brought them out in droves, but not a
single helmet is in sight, not for BMXers, razor scooters or skaters. It’s just
not cool to wear one, I guess, but I’ve seen some amazing spills. 

South America's valentine

 I walked past a lot of flowers today. And lined up, with
armsful of roses, were guys. Lots of guys.

 At Stop & Shop, the queue was three deep. Most held
varying versions of the rose bouquet for their sweetie. But one young man held
up for consideration a potted white orchid, clearly thinking: “This is really
beautiful, as beautiful as s/he is.”

 Down Crafts Avenue, past all the little shops, Forget Me Not
Florists had once again scattered a rose petal path leading to the store in the
Roundhouse Plaza.

 At Petals in Bloom, in Thornes, at the eleventh hour (that
would be 5:30 p.m., after work): the line was six deep. All guys, except for
one woman in a sweet green half-hat, all looking for the perfect bouquet to
express their love.

 Heavenly Chocolates was doing big business too.

 It’s a big day for Colombia, for Ecuador. Those flowers all flew
from South America. With a few exceptions: there’s a rose farm in Connecticut
that supplies some, such as River Valley Market.

 A day devoted to love. Tell me, how could that be bad? No, don't tell me. I choose to believe in love.