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Tell me about Pittsfield, MA (1 Viewer)

Bob Graham

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Pittsfield is my hometown, but I haven't lived there for 30 years and it's not the same town I grew up in.


When I went to college, people from out of state used to say to me "I know where Pittsfield is, the bus stops there."


Summers are beautiful; autumn is spectacular. If you're into winter sports, there are a lot of smaller, less crowded ski slopes there.


Pittsfield contains the first recorded mention of baseball in North America. It was in the late 18th century. Of course, Pittsfield being Pittsfield, it was a law against playing baseball too close to the courthouse.


But the place in Pittsfield that everyone should visit is Teo's Hot Dogs on West Housatonic St. To say it is nothing fancy is an understatement. It's a working class bar in the vicinity of the huge GE plants that once fueled the City's economy. The specialty of the house are small hot dogs in steamed buns with mustard, diced onions and a special God-knows-what's-in-it sauce. They are delicious and go great with a frosted mug of beer. People usually order 4-6 at a time. I have eaten as many as 10 in a sitting (I only get back once a year, so I gorge myself). You won't see tourists here, only locals. If you ask for ketchup on your hot dog, you'll immediately be branded an outsider.
 

Jay H

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Oh boy, I like ketchup on my hot dogs, I am not a fan of mustard, on anything... Hmmm, thanks for the suggestion, maybe I'll have to get them to-go.. :)


Just like many smaller cities with few big industries to anchor it, pittsfield seems to me to be a town of flux, as the anchors lose employees, so does the town. It appears that both GE and GD have gone through periods of seriously downsizing but at least talking to the GD folks, it seems to be on the rise again. In fact, the folks on Craigslist that I talk to about housing seem to indicate that there are a lot of new GD employees looking for rentals...


Jay
 

Sumnernor

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No reflection on Jay but my friends who live in Pittsfield did not want me to give their phone number to someone that I don't really know in person


I am an ice cream lover and my favorite brand is by Boston's Brighams. There are still places there that sell the ice cream directly. It can be had in the Stop and Shop or Star markets which I assume are in Pittsfield or the area. I have gotten it as far south in Fairfield, CT and I believe in the Poughkeepsie area.
 

Jeff Gatie

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Sumner, Brighams still sells ice cream by the carton in supermarkets, but unfortunately all their ice cream shops were closed last year, except for a very few non-corporate shops. It's too bad, because outside of Caswell's in my hometown of Weymouth, Brighams made the best Lime Rickey in New England.


PS - For those of you outside of New England, a Lime Rickey is fresh lime juice, sugar syrup and soda water. You can also have raspberry syrup instead of plain. The menu at the above mentioned Caswell's still claims they are "Seasonal" just like when I was a kid, even though limes have been available year round for decades.


http://www.bigbigmenu.com/dispmenus.asp?args=Caswell's Seafood:weymouth&instant=yes
 

Bob Graham

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In New England, ketchup is for hamburgers; mustard is for hot dogs and never the twain shall meet.

When Friendly's was based in Wilbraham (near Springfield) their ice cream was outstanding. It hasn't been the same since they were bought out by Hershey's.


Another piece of New England food Nirvana, State Line Potato Chips.
 

Sumnernor

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Originally Posted by Bob Graham


When Friendly's was based in Wilbraham (near Springfield) their ice cream was outstanding. It hasn't been the same since they were bought out by Hershey's.
How does someone in Texas know about Friendlys? I agree that currently the chain isn't as good as earlier. I first learned about Friendlys when I was at a boys camp on Lake Buel when Great Barrington had one of the first stores. At that time they had a very good thick milkshake called an "Awful Awful". Years later they had to change the name to "Fribble" because of liscence problems.


I don't know if it is still true today, but a "milkshake" in the US would be called in Boston "Frappe".
 

Jay H

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Ack, cancel the move, I don't like mustard on anything so I use ketchup on hamburgers and hot dogs.


At least Pittsfield is about 132 miles from Boston so perhaps I'll be more considered New York City than Boston... though Mustard is a NYC thing too. I just don't like mustard at all.


Jay
 

Jeff Gatie

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As my father used to say "Nobody puts ketchup on a hot dog unless they are under the age of 10."
 

Bob Graham

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Originally Posted by Sumnernor



How does someone in Texas know about Friendlys? I agree that currently the chain isn't as good as earlier. I first learned about Friendlys when I was at a boys camp on Lake Buel when Great Barrington had one of the first stores. At that time they had a very good thick milkshake called an "Awful Awful". Years later they had to change the name to "Fribble" because of liscence problems.


I don't know if it is still true today, but a "milkshake" in the US would be called in Boston "Frappe".

I refer you to post #25. I may be in Texas now, but Pittsfield (affectionately referred to by locals as "The Pitts") is my home town.


Another recommended eating spot in Pittsfield is the Highland Restaurant. It one of the few reaming family restaurants (both in terms of being owned by a family and targeting families as patrons) left and the food is outstanding American comfort-style cuisine.


People in the Berkshires don't indulge in Boston speak. You won't hear the fabled "paaahk my caaahr" accent and they don't go to Boston unless they want to see a baseball game. So yes, a milkshake in Boston is still called a "frappe" and soda of any type is called a "tonic" ("I'll have a choc late frappe and the wife will have an orange tonic."), but you won't hear either of them referred to that way in the Berkshires And Frappe rhymes with "wrap", don't pronounce the e on the end. And for those occasional sojourns to Boston (which is never called "Beantown" in the Berkshires) remember the Boston progression of superlatives:


"pissah" = good

"wicked pissah" = really good

"wicked f****** pissah" = outstanding!


Sumnernor, speaking of Munich, do they still have that great restaurant on the Sparkassenstrassse that specializes in roast pork and has all of those pork roasts turning on spigots in the window? That's the first thing I think of when I think of Munich.
 

Jeff Gatie

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Originally Posted by Sumnernor

And Frappe rhymes with "wrap", don't pronounce the e on the end. And for those occasional sojourns to Boston (which is never called "Beantown" in the Berkshires)

Doing either of these things can get you beat up in some neighborhoods.
 

Sumnernor

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Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie


Check the menu link above, they offer "Frappes" in chocolate, vanilla and strwaberry.

I didn't see a menue link above. Besides at Friendlys they had a very good milk shape called "Awful Awful" which eventually became a "Fribble" due to liscensing problems.
 

Sumnernor

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When I hit enter to the above post, I saw some waiting due to some connection to Facebook??

I don't belong to Facebook nor do I want too.
 

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