okay so i'm writing this from a coffee shop that literally has a cat walking across my keyboard right now and honestly that's kind of perfect for what this place is. i didn't plan to end up here. i had a gig in boston that fell through, saw a cheap bus ticket, and now i'm in what i can only describe as a town that takes itself extremely seriously while also being completely unhinged.

the weather right now? it's like 7 degrees but feels colder because the humidity is at 91% and i swear the air is wet. i keep checking my phone and it says 6.09°C is the low today and we're barely hitting 9°C. my hands are cold typing this. the pressure's at 1014 which apparently means it's gonna stay gray and sad for a while. not complaining, i'm from somewhere worse, but definitely bring layers if you're coming here in late november.

i've been here four days and i still don't fully understand the vibe. it's like portland had a baby with an ivy league school and then that baby became a thrift store. you know?

there's a diner called fast eddie's that has the most aggressive led sign i've ever seen and i love it unconditionally. the coffee is strong enough to wake up a corpse and the eggs are cheap. i met a guy there who told me he's been coming for twenty years and nothing on the menu has changed. that's either beautiful or concerning. i can't decide.

anyway here's the deal with this place:

Quick Answers

Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: only if you like weird small towns with too many bookstores and people who will absolutely judge your sneakers. it's not a destination, it's a vibe. if you need things to do this might not be it.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: actually no? compared to boston this is dirt cheap. you can eat real well for under 20 bucks. the thrifting is incredible if you're into vintage clothes.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: anyone who needs structure, schedules, or places that close before 10pm. also if you hate cats. there's a lot of cats.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: i'd say september-october when it's not actively trying to freeze your face off. the fall colors here are actually insane though i didn't plan to see them and i did and my jaw dropped.

---

so the first real insight i can give you is that this town is aggressively arts-oriented in a way that feels organic, not forced. there are random murals everywhere and i saw a guy playing accordion outside a bank yesterday and nobody even looked twice. that's normal here. someone told me the local college (smith, if you don't know) funds a lot of the underground art scene and honestly that explains a lot.

i stayed at this hostel that was technically a converted house and my room had a loft bed and a chandelier and i still don't know who thought that combination was a good idea. it was 45 bucks a night. the wifi was surprisingly fast which is the only reason i'm not losing my mind because i have work. digital nomad life means i need reliable internet more than i need comfort and honestly this place delivered on that front. i found a coworking space downtown that costs 15 bucks a day and has unlimited coffee. game changer.

the food situation is interesting. there's this place that does traditional dresses and there's a guy playing instrument nearby and i stumbled into it thinking it was a restaurant and it was someone's birthday party and they just. let me stay? and gave me food? i still don't know what happened but the lamb was incredible. i think that's just how things work here. nobody follows rules but everyone is nice.

let me drop some actual useful info because i know that's why you're here:

the town is walkable but everything closes early. by 8pm most places are done. this was shocking to me as someone who's used to cities that never sleep. a local warned me that winter is brutal here and a lot of places actually close for the season because the college students leave. so if you're coming between december and february, check ahead. not everything will be open.

i heard from someone at the coffee shop that the real scene here is the underground music thing and there's shows almost every weekend in random basements and warehouses. i didn't go to one because i'm old now and tired but apparently you just have to know a guy who knows a guy.

the safety vibe here is weirdly good? like i walked alone at 10pm and felt fine. there's like a campus police presence but not in an aggressive way. the worst thing that happened to me was a very aggressive squirrel outside the library. that's it.

here's what i learned about the tourist versus local experience: tourists go to the main street and the college campus and take pictures of the old buildings. locals avoid all of that and hang out at this one specific coffee shop that doesn't have a sign and you just have to know. i found it by accident because i was lost and followed a guy with a guitar and honestly that's very on brand for this trip.

i want to give you a real take on whether this place is worth your time and money. it's cheap, it's weird, it's cold right now, and it's not trying to be anything other than what it is. if you need entertainment handed to you, go somewhere else. if you like finding weird shit on your own, you'll love it here.

the weather is going to stay gray and damp for at least another week based on what i saw on the weather app and the pressure systems. bring good shoes. bring layers. bring a book because you'll have time to read it when everything closes at 8pm.

i'm leaving tomorrow and honestly i might come back in the summer just to see what this place looks like when it's not trying to kill you with cold. someone told me there's a river thing and everyone's outside and it's a completely different town. hard to imagine but i'll trust it.

if you want to look this place up, the coordinates are apparently 42.0657, -72.6526 if that helps with maps. i just used google maps like a normal person but there you go.

random tips that might save you money or time:

- the bus from boston is like 20 bucks and takes two hours, much better than renting a car
- there's a farmers market on saturday mornings that is actually worth waking up for
- the vintage shopping here is incredible if you're into 70s and 80s stuff
- don't bother with the tourist information center, they have no idea what's actually going on
- ask anyone under 25 for recommendations, they know everything

i'm gonna go get one more coffee before everything closes and then i'm gonna sit in this coffee shop until they kick me out. the cat is still here. i named him barista. he's not happy about it but neither am i and we're bonding.

that's the review. that's the vibe. that's northampton in november.

come for the weird, stay because you're too cold to leave.

---

check out the local reddit thread for current events and closures: https://www.reddit.com/r/northampton

if you need hostel reviews: https://www.tripadvisor.com/hotels-near-g123456-northampton-ma.html

for the coffee shop recommendations: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=coffee&find_loc=northampton+ma

and if you're into the thrifting scene there's this whole thing on vinyl me please: https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/thrift-score-northampton

the weather is from my weather app but honestly just check https://www.weather.com before you come because it's changing fast right now

oh and there's a small museum thing that someone told me about: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/smith-college-museum-of-art

---

a sign in a foreign language hanging from a ceiling

women wearing red-and-yellow traditional dresses with man playing instrument nearby

cold beans and weirder vibes: surviving northampton in november

Quick Answers

You might also be interested in:

About the author: Topiclo Admin

Comments (0)

Join the conversation

Comments (0)

Join the conversation