Grocery stores in Westen Mass (Pittsfield, North Adams: loan, budget, house hunting)

[Giantone]

Can anyone give me some help?Anything along rt7 from Stockbridge to Williams or N.Adams?


Sorry...that's WESTERN Mass

[litlux]

Originally Posted by Giantone

Can anyone give me some help?Anything along rt7 from Stockbridge to Williams or N.Adams?


Sorry...that's WESTERN Mass

There are plenty of supermarkets in the Berkshires, and Route 7 is just one artery. So to Route 7 specifically. On the Pittsfield-Lenox line there is a Stop and Shop which has many branches in the Berkshires. A few blocks further on Route 7 and there is the far more interesting Guido's (Pittsfield and Great Barrington) which has two stores in the Berkshires, and specializes in the finest vegetables and meats you can get in the region. Go elsewhere for your Oreos and other packaged foods, but check out this store if you like real food, not food-like substances.

Near to Route 7 are the other chains, Big Y and Price Chopper. I live in North Adams where we have all three. But I travel to Pittsfield for Guidos produce and meats. And they have a sensational bakery, too, as does the Pittsfield Price Chopper. Behind Guidos is the Pittsfield Rye Bakery which is only open two days a week (Friday and Saturday) but worth going out of your way for. Their Farmers Bread and Death by Chocolate Bread are to die for.

Keep in mind that the Berkshires are also full of farm stands and farmers markets, and they are often off the beaten path and take some resourcefulness to locate. Just a few minutes off of Route 7 in Williiamstown are the Green River Farmstand on Route 43, and at the end of Sloan Street is the Cricket Creek Farm with raw milk and cream, local beef and pork, and free range eggs. They are slowly becoming a cooperative operation with fresh baked goods and a small selection of salad greens from neighboring farms.

The Berkshires are often viewed as a rural location, and it certainly is 180 degrees from a big city. But for culture and food, it doesn't get better than the choices I have here. It just takes a little detective work to find it all. I rely on Berkshire Fine Arts to keep me up to date. They cover far more than just the arts. The daily North Adams Transcript and Berkshire Eagle have the supermarket flyers as well.

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by litlux

There are plenty of supermarkets in the Berkshires, and Route 7 is just one artery. So to Route 7 specifically. On the Pittsfield-Lenox line there is a Stop and Shop which has many branches in the Berkshires. A few blocks further on Route 7 and there is the far more interesting Guido's (Pittsfield and Great Barrington) which has two stores in the Berkshires, and specializes in the finest vegetables and meats you can get in the region. Go elsewhere for your Oreos and other packaged foods, but check out this store if you like real food, not food-like substances.

Near to Route 7 are the other chains, Big Y and Price Chopper. I live in North Adams where we have all three. But I travel to Pittsfield for Guidos produce and meats. And they have a sensational bakery, too, as does the Pittsfield Price Chopper. Behind Guidos is the Pittsfield Rye Bakery which is only open two days a week (Friday and Saturday) but worth going out of your way for. Their Farmers Bread and Death by Chocolate Bread are to die for.

Keep in mind that the Berkshires are also full of farm stands and farmers markets, and they are often off the beaten path and take some resourcefulness to locate. Just a few minutes off of Route 7 in Williiamstown are the Green River Farmstand on Route 43, and at the end of Sloan Street is the Cricket Creek Farm with raw milk and cream, local beef and pork, and free range eggs. They are slowly becoming a cooperative operation with fresh baked goods and a small selection of salad greens from neighboring farms.

The Berkshires are often viewed as a rural location, and it certainly is 180 degrees from a big city. But for culture and food, it doesn't get better than the choices I have here. It just takes a little detective work to find it all. I rely on Berkshire Fine Arts to keep me up to date. They cover far more than just the arts. The daily North Adams Transcript and Berkshire Eagle have the supermarket flyers as well.

Thank You, that's great now I need to find a house!

[litlux]

Originally Posted by Giantone

Thank You, that's great now I need to find a house!

One tip on house hunting...the further north you go in Berkshire county, the lower the prices, generally speaking. There are lots of Victorian and early 10th Century houses in North Adams that are ridiculously cheap. The Northern Berkshires are hot for those on limited budgets, and newcomers have been helping turn the old factory city around with internet businesses, culture and health care operations.

[kaday]

I kind of remember there being a Mazzeos meat market (same as in Guidos) on Rt 7 in Williamstown. It was by the little farm with the petting zoo. Guidos is great! I had the pleasure of living across the street in Pittsfield from the Mazzeo family. Probably the best steak I ever had was purchased at Guidos in Pittsfield!!!

[willdufauve]

There are no grocery store in western Mass. We hunt squirrels and eat other varmints, or forage for roots and berries. You must be thinking of New York or Connecticut. They have grocery stores.

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by willdufauve

There are no grocery store in western Mass. We hunt squirrels and eat other varmints, or forage for roots and berries. You must be thinking of New York or Connecticut. They have grocery stores.

LOL...........compared to the rest of the East coast ....no you don't.

My wife and I go to Stockbridge and Lennox about once or twice a year and we love it .I want to retire in the area but she isn't so sure,the Town in Maryland where we would come from is about the size of Pittsfield it has a Giant ,2 Safeways ,2 Foodlions and a Sams Club and a BJ's .We notice (and I like it that way) that there are not that many Food Stores in one place in Western Mass.Thanks to some very helpful people I have cured her of at least one worry,250 to go.

[willdufauve]

Originally Posted by Giantone

Thanks to some very helpful people I have cured her of at least one worry,250 to go.

Well, throw out a couple dozen of those fears and we will give her some more great advice.

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by willdufauve

Well, throw out a couple dozen of those fears and we will give her some more great advice.

......Ok ,can you help me with a weather report?Exactly how bad are your winters and how long?

[willdufauve]

Originally Posted by Giantone

......Ok ,can you help me with a weather report?Exactly how bad are your winters and how long?

Honestly Giant, it's hard to generalize. It varies from one year to another but even more so by location. Cities are warmer; higher elevations are colder and spring comes later to them.

Last winter it just kept snowing one storm after another from Nov to spring but the temps were relatively mild all winter. The winter before last it didn't snow much but overall it was a lot colder. The snowy winters tend to be milder temps, the drier ones colder.

It's not nearly as bad in Mass as in upstate New York or northern Maine. Cape Cod winters are usually milder than western Mass.