I need some suggestions. Pittsfield? (Boston, North Adams: hotels, travel, work)

[SoCalMomma]

We are going to be visiting some colleges, Willams for one. We'll be driving from PA (Bucknell in Lewisburg). For the final portion of our trip, we are staying in Boston. Originally I was thinking of driving from Boston to Willamstown and back in one day, but that may be too much driving so I think we'll just stay along the path from Lewisburg PA to Williamstown for a night BEFORE we go to Boston.

I can't find too many 'chain' hotels (I need some flexibility with cancellations/changes because this is a roadtrip and things happen and you can get delayed a day or two.. Well, most of the smaller b&b or small hotels have a 7 day cancellation policy - I dont want to risk it). So I am looking for regular chain hotels, hilton, holiday inns, clarions, courtyards, etc. There are not many along the west portion of MA that we'll be traveling. I did find a Ramada in Pittsfield (about a half hour south of Williams College), the reviews on Trip Advisor were ok, but I was hoping for more info..

If you have any suggestions of other cities along our route that might be better, let me know. If you have any info on Pittsfield, the Ramada, or anything else to suggest, Im open to it all

Thanks!!!

[tao777]

Hi SoCalMomma,
If you're going to go down to Pittsfield -stay out of Pittsfield. There are alot of motels (suitable enough) in Lenox along rte 7 which is just 'below' Pittsfield and goes right up to Williamstown...it's such a pretty area, it can't hurt to be 30 min. away.
I'll try to jog my memory about the route your traveling, but check it out. I just know there are plenty of places to stay in Lenox/rt 7.

If you're traveling into MA via the Mass Pike, Lee has quite a few options as well and is a nice 'hub'.

[SoCalMomma]

Our route:

It looks like (maps.google.com - from Lewisburg PA to Williamstown MA) has us going up the 87 through New York and then over to Williamstown via the 2. I dont entirely trust the google maps to find the 'best' route, what do you think?

Any good areas to stay along the 87 in NY? Somewhere near Albany? or Troy? Those appear to be the largest cities. I mainly want somewhere safe, and not costing an arm & a leg. We will pretty much just be having dinner & then going to sleep. Getting up early in the morning to go tour the college.

If its better to come up the 7, we can do that too. There are TONS of hotels/motels/B&Bs listed, but the ones I have checked all have a 7 day cancellation policy and that just wont work for us. I appreciate your help!!!

[ontheroad]

In Albany, I can recommend the Mansion Hill, a B&B that also has a restaurant.

Albany proper does have large chains but not many in town, and all the better restaurants are in the City.

All the chains, btw, are on Western Avenue going towards the airport.

Originally Posted by SoCalMomma

Our route:

It looks like (maps.google.com - from Lewisburg PA to Williamstown MA) has us going up the 87 through New York and then over to Williamstown via the 2. I dont entirely trust the google maps to find the 'best' route, what do you think?

Any good areas to stay along the 87 in NY? Somewhere near Albany? or Troy? Those appear to be the largest cities. I mainly want somewhere safe, and not costing an arm & a leg. We will pretty much just be having dinner & then going to sleep. Getting up early in the morning to go tour the college.

If its better to come up the 7, we can do that too. There are TONS of hotels/motels/B&Bs listed, but the ones I have checked all have a 7 day cancellation policy and that just wont work for us. I appreciate your help!!!

[Roadismyhome]

There is a Holiday Inn in North Adams, which is about 10 minutes away from Williamstown. On US-7 you will find some of the other chain hotels - ie Super 8
and that ilk - and several options for places to eat. Most of the other places to stay close by are mom & pop operations.

If you do head to Lee, I would recommend getting a bite at the Morgan House Inn. It's been awhile since I've eaten there, but the last time I stopped in, it was very good.

[vter]

You could always head 15 minutes north of Williamstown to Bennington, VT. There is a brand new Hampton Inn there that is nice.
The next day you take NYS 7 (not to be confused with VT 7) to the Albany area.

[SoCalMomma]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I went ahead and made a reservation at the Holiday Inn in North Adams. It looks fine

Can you recommend any good restaurants in that area? Anything interesting or fun that we should try to see while we are there?

Thanks!!!

[Roadismyhome]

In North Adams a good pub-style restaurant is the Freightyard, right off of MA-8. On the Pittsfield-Lenox line is Dakota Steakhouse. Even the Holiday Inn had decent food (I essentially lived there while working in the area a few years back).

If the weather is good, you could head up Mt. Greylock - it's the highest point in the state of Massachusetts, and/or travel East on MA-2 along the Mohawk Trail http://www.berkshireweb.com/mohawktrail/ and take in some of the sites; this was the major route across the state until I-90 was built. There are still some kitschy sites left from that heyday.

[Relopoint]

Hope you have a good trip. Many chain motels as posted earlier include Days Inn, Knights Inn, Best Western, or more upscale is Crowne Plaza. Ramada is out of the way and not recommended. Sounds like you are all set, however.

Culture is paramount here - consider Williams College Museum of Art, Clark Museum (art), MASS MOCA (very modern, large scale art installments). Also oftentimes there is someone surprisingly great performing at Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield and nearby great food at Spice (also in Pittsfield). There is also a lot of outdoor sports including skiing (try Jiminy Peak). I am new to area and am surprised and thrilled by the quality of culture and life here!

[chionactis]

I grew up in Lee, MA and I have family in the lodging and restaurant business in Lenox on RTE 7.
My brother-in-law (and my sister) own and run The Yankee Home Comfort Inn. It is on the west side of Rte 7. There are other chain motels on the same road - plenty of choices. However, I have stayed at The Yankee and can guarantee you will be happy for the time you stay. If you are looking for a nice restaurant, ASTERS up the road heading north on Rte 7 (on the east side of rte 7) is also his business. It is a nice nice place and the food is always very good. I have eaten there, of course, and am happy to reccommend it. Go to berkshireinns.com to read about both places, get phone #'s and other information (you can look at the Asters menu, too).
I used to live in Bennington, VT also, and would drive by Williams College all the time going back and forth to Lee, MA. It would take me about an hour to drive from Bennington to Lee, so figure 30-45 minutes to get to Williams from Lenox, MA on rte 7.
SOOOOO, hey, if you end up staying at the Yankee and/or eating at Asters, make sure you ask for Mr. Toole (Joe) and tell him his sis-in-law Andie in AZ sent ya!