Here is a subject I have never written about…sports bars around Hampton Terrace in Lenox.   This was inspired by a couple that just checked in.   SInce tonight's important game is only being televised by the NFL Network, which is not carried by 65% of cable providers, they wanted to know where they could go to watch the game.

Although not a "sports bar" per se, The Heritage Tavern is the closest thing within walking distance.    A place where the locals hang, there is a pool table, peanut shells on the floor and wide screens in key places.   Recently remodeled, The Heritage has a typical bar menu of wings, burgers, wraps, pizzas and baskets of fried food.   Also within walking distance, many of the upscale restaurants in Lenox have televisions behind the bar:   Alta, Firefly, Prime Italian Steakhouse.    A different experience:   depends how you enjoy your game…with a $12 martini or a $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Open for less than a month, Halpins Pub and Grub is located on 7/20 North about a five minute drive from Hampton Terrace.   Jeff and Sue Halpin used to be regulars at The Heritage, so it will be interesting to see how their dive into the bar business might divide the Lenox bar crowd…but there is no doubt that Halpin's is more of a sports bar model.   There are wide screens on every wall and the current renovation of the old "Sophie's" restaurant is about as complete a gut job as you could do.   So since our couple was looking for a place where the game would be treated as more an event, than something that happened to be on the televisions, I sent them there.   The menu is very similar to The Heritage.

Another five minute drive north takes you into Pittsfield, where there are multiple choices….Bobby Hudpucker's on North Street, Patrick's Pub in the center of town (the best food on the list) and a new one, opening next week called "Jae's Press Room," which I am sure will be great.   Jae recently bought the "Spice" restaurant on North Street, which has been met with immediate success and lines at the front door.   Adjoining Spice was "Burger," an extension of the same restaurant which recently closed so that Jae could transform that space into what I am sure will be the most upscale sports bar in the region.

At Hampton Terrace, we have twin 15-year-old sons, so our televisions are usually tuned to Sports Center or whatever the important game of the minute is.   Most of our guests are into the Patriots, Jets, Giants, Red Sox, Yankees, Celtics, Nets, or Knicks (well, maybe not the Knicks) and the Berkshire sports bars are a good mix of fans rooting for both sides of a rivalry.   Join us at Hampton Terrace and let us send you out to watch the game.

Sun, Dec 7th '08, The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Massachusetts

7:30PM A: $40 B: $25

With Special Guests Susan McKeown and Boo Reiners

The Klezmatics have forever transcended genres, blending klezmer with aching shtetl melodies, raucous Latin stomps, wild jazz riffs and provocative Arabic, African, American and Balkan rhythms. The Klezmatics present a contagious celebration of Hanukkah—a marriage of the group’s soulful and ebullient Jewish roots to Woody Guthrie’s poignantly mesmerizing and newly discovered lyrics. This program highlights the band’s two most recent CD releases: the multicultural folk sounds of Wonder Wheel and the ecstatically danceable, hoedown-worthy Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah. Special guests include acclaimed Celtic singer Susan McKeown and multi-instrumentalist Boo Reiners.

Combine this special show with a visit to the Berkshires….just 2 hours from Boston and less than 3 hours from New York City.   Hampton Terrace is considered the top-rated Lenox inn by Trip Advisor rankings and one the leading Berkshire bed and breakfasts.   Our off-season rates apply until mid-June 2009, and a weekend stay includes a $30 Gift Certificate to Nejaimes, the gourmet wine and food shop in Lenox.

Most of you know that our off-season Romantic Weekend Package (now through late June) includes a $30 Gift Certificate to Nejaimes….the extraordinary wine and gourmet food shop located in Lenox and Stockbridge.

But during the month of November, Nejaimes features their WINE SPECTACULAR SALE, when they discount much of the store from 15% to 30%.   And these are not discontinued, expiring, or less popular selections.   In fact, they include some of their most popular wines, because they stock up for the summer and Fall crowd, and what is still left by November is offered for prices designed to reduce their inventory.  For example, ALL Australian reds in the store are 25% off.  

So if you are a wine lover who takes advantage of wine discounts by buying in bulk, and you consider our $30 "starter," you could significantly reduce…or maybe even off-set the cost of your  2-night stay at Hampton Terrace with your savings.

And always, regardless of the season, Nejaimes gives a 15% discount for wine by the case…even mixed cases.   Extraordinary.

Hampton Terrace continues to be ranked #1 by Trip Advisor reviews, and our off-season rate is $189/night for all rooms in our two main buildings and $249 for the king suites.  

We include full breakfast, and most of our rooms feature fireplaces and Jacuzzis.  We have a private heirloom bar on the property, stocked with glasses and openers…just in case you can't resist the urge to start digging into your case of wine.   Enjoy!

We've had relatively well-known people stay here before.   But this was different.   As someone who worked for Dick Clark, spent 20+ years in the concert promotion business, and was affiliated with the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the National Music Foundation, it is not as if I have not met plenty of "celebrities."   I have.

And it is not that Ken Jennings wants to be a celebrity, or acts like one.   He does not, although he continues to maintain a high profile with books and television show appearances.

But I am among the millions who became addicted to the nightly drama of Ken's relentless march through six months of daily victories and $2.6 million in earnings.   Ken Jennings is someone whom I RESPECT.

And he and his wife Mindy were as nice and unassuming as the persona he projected while appearing on your television screen every night.   Winning at Jeopardy is not about guessing cases or spinning a wheel.  Over the months, you KNOW that some of the most intelligent people in the country sought out the challenge of being the one to wrestle the buzzer out of Ken's hand….    As it turns out, the person who beat him ended up losing the next night…so if an occasional mulligan were ever allowed, he'd probably still be on the show.

So when I took a reservation from a Ken Jennings for a fall foliage mid-week stay, I made a mental note that the caller had the same name as the Jeopardy winner and then I forgot about it.   But when Ken walked in the inn, and I pulled out the Ken Jennings paperwork, I knew it was him.   We know that everyone who stays at our inn is here for a reason, and that reason NEVER includes being made to feel uncomfortable…..so I never let on that I knew who he was….and if any of our guests recognized him, they did not let on to me (or hopefully not to him).

After he left, however, I did e-mail him to see if he would mail a personalized and signed copy of his book, Brainiac, to us as a gift for my mother-in-law, one of the Jeopardy faithful since before Alex Trebek.   It came today.

I do feel okay about putting him in my blog, however.   If you look at his blog, you'll find a list of the celebrities he saw during his vacation to the East Coast.   Turnabout is fair play…

If anyone reading this would like to get an autographed copy of Ken's books, read his daily blog, or hear of his upcoming appearances, I recommend his website, www.ken-jennings.com.

It's too late to turn back now.   For at least 6 years, we have offered a $30 Gift Certificate to our local wine/gourmet food shop to every couple who stays at Hampton Terrace for 2 weekend nights (or more) from November 1 to June 20, plus September.  For starters, Nejaimes is a GREAT shop, full of the best choices in wine, beer and spirits and a trained staff that can help our guests find exactly what they want.   But more than that, Nejaimes is also 50% gourmet food….a by-product of the fact that it is a key place for people who are shopping for their lawn picnics at Tanglewood.   Huge selection of cheeses, breads, home-made sides and other things that compliment your bottle of wine.

What I mean, "it's too late to turn back now" is that this is such a popular amenity, that people come back year after year to Hampton Terrace because they feel the gift certificate is such an integral part of their stay.   We have a family heirloom bar that is open only to our guests and is stocked with glasses, openers, plates, knives, etc., and we have four public room fireplaces where our guests can settle in and enjoy their bounty.

The owners of Nejaimes told us that another local inn asked if they could start offering the gift certificates as well.   The inn said that one of their inquirers had chosen Hampton Terrace over them because of the promotion.   But that was several years ago, we know we are still the only ones doing it.

So the Romantic Weekend Package is here to stay and we welcome anyone who is looking for a Lenox bed and breakfast to give us a call and lock in your weekend.   Most of our rooms feature fireplaces and Jacuzzis and we are very proud to be currently rated #1 in the Trip Advisor rankings from over 30 Lenox inns.  

Hampton Terrace is a proud member of the Berkshire Visitors Bureau,and  the Lenox Chamber of Commerce and was recently chosen by the editors of BedandBreakfast.com as one of the top places to stay for foliage.  

As of the November 1st weekend, our rates drop 30% from the current level and include the $30 gift certificate mentioned and full breakfast buffet.

I was struck this past weekend at how many couples were here for reasons beyond just "getting away."    We had two honeymoons, a 5th anniversary, a 20th anniversary, and a guest who popped the question right in one of our king suites! 

I was thinking, why do people choose us for special occasion weekends?   It could be because virtually all of our rooms have fireplaces and Jacuzzis.   For everyone who stays at least two weekend nights during the off-season we give them a $30 gift certificate to the local wine/gourmet food shop in town to buy their own nice bottle of wine or champagne.   We provide glasses, plates, etc. at our private BYOB heirloom bar.   We also help our couples pre-plan their stay by providing a list of the best restaurants in the area, and lists of activities such as hikes, historic house tours, museums, night-life, theaters, spas…   Speaking of spas, we have a selected list of places to go for massages and spa services…or it is possible to have a massage right in your room.   During warm months we have an outdoor heated pool (always at 87 degrees) and six outdoor porches and decks.   Our breakfast consists of comfort food choices by candlelight, and we have two living rooms consisting of overstuffed or leather couches and chairs…..  During the winter months there are four public roaring fireplaces…. 

I guess I have answered my own question.   For our last anniversary, we stayed on the property and enjoyed one of our own king suites!

I know more are coming.   I received an e-mail from someone a few minutes ago who said friends were coming this Thursday for their 20th anniversary and she wanted to arrange chilled wine waiting in the room.   Happy to oblige.

Internationally celebrated director Irina Brook and her company of talented Shakespeare & Company artists have freely adapted Oscar Wilde's story about a very American family that blusters its way into a haunted English manor, thoroughly annoying the stuffy old ghost who can't seem to scare them a whit. In this roaringly original adaptation, Sir Simon the Canterville Ghost is re-imagined as an over-the-hill illusionist reliving his glory days in the 1940's. Beneath the outrageous veneer of Wilde's achingly funny story is a depth of emotion, as the old ghost's long-delayed salvation rests upon a family's ability to trust, and a young girl's desire to believe.

This show runs from now through November 9th and tickets can be purchased by e-mailing boxoffice@shakespeare.org, going to their website and buying on-line, or calling 413-637-1199.

Hampton Terrace is located a block from Shakespeare & Company and frequently serves as a place the company houses its special guests and actors.   We are ranked #1 by Trip Advisor from among 30 Lenox inns, and recommended by BedandBreakfast.com as one of the top places in the country to stay while viewing fall foliage.

So pick a beautiful fall foliage weekend, choose a fireplace/Jacuzzi room at Hampton Terrace, one of the premier Berkshire inns, and prepare for Halloween with The Canterville Ghost at Shakespeare & Company.