Ever since I stayed in White River Junction last summer, I've been trying to convince people that they should visit the town. "Oh, that's that place I drive through on the way to real places." seems to be the stock reply when I mention WRJ. I try to explain why they should go, they feebly feign interest or openly resist. I remind them how I'm always right about everything, they roll their eyes. I despair.
Okay, that's not entirely true. Last Friday I had to travel down to Dartmouth-Hitchcock hospital in Lebanon, NH for medical stuff (AKA anal probing) for the third time since last summer. S.R. Wild kindly accompanied me for the whole day to keep me company and see the alleged wonders of WRJ. We went first to my two testing appointments (into which he was not allowed, despite his tenacious pleading) then hopped over to WRJ, a drive of maybe 5-10 minutes. There he almost vomited with excitement in the Main Street Museum, scored a dapper black cotton shirt with rare French cuffs at the awesome, awesome, awesome Revolution (vintage clothing boutique and espresso bar), and we had a really lovely dinner at an Asian restaurant walking distance from the museum, on the recommendation of it's friendly curator David Fairbanks Ford. As we meandered around the awe-inspiring wunderkammer discussing our plans to move into it, Mr. Ford paused in his bustling to and fro to direct our attention to wreath he is in the process of making entirely out of human hair. It took my breath away, like the most beautiful and elaborate mourning wreaths I'd seen in photos but never in person.
This picture makes it look gross. It's not.
Also, I managed to convince my beautiful and talented bosom friend Eva that the little junction perfectly embodies the spirit of her popular vlog, Stuck in Vermont. People who like living in metropolitan areas do not understand why anyone would want to live in Vermont. Harsh climate, nothing to do, nowhere to go, crushing boredom. It's all true, but the part they don't get is that to live contentedly here you have to be an appreciative connoisseur of contrasts. An embarrassment of riches leads to ennui, apathy, and spiritual death. Though we complain bitterly at times, we like the contrasts here. You can't experience the fullest joy of smelling the spring mud and seeing the first crocus shoots in April unless you are taking them in for the first time after six months of bleakest winter. We like being Stuck in Vermont. It sort of enforces a way of life that requires never taking anything for granted - not a friend, an art show, or a single day of our fleeting seasons. I know, I know. You're either nodding your head in understanding right now or shaking it in pity because you think I'm delusional.
What was I talking about? Oh, right. Eva. So Eva went down and covered the 7th annual Gory Daze parade last November.
Did you see that? That's so many things I love about Vermont rolled into five minutes of finely crafted, expertly edited footage. White River Junction is this totally overlooked town that people drive through on Interstate 89 on the way to "real" destinations like Boston. Hardly anyone is paying attention to them and they don't care! They just persevere, making their own fun and being quietly fucking brilliant. They're not doing any of this for press coverage or money or attention, it's out of the love of art, culture, and community.
Even though it isn't their primary motive, I'm really glad that WRJ is getting some recognition these days because there is a lot of poverty in the area. They have a lot of spunk, but spunk don't pay the bills. Unless you're a tall, handsome Nobel Prize winner making a spunk/sperm bank double entendre.
Boston Globe article
Budget Travel named WRJ one of it's Top Ten Coolest Small Towns!
Seven Days story on Revolution Vintage
Center for Cartoon Studies in The Christian Science Monitor...
... The Chicago Tribune...
... and The Washington Post.
Okay, that's not entirely true. Last Friday I had to travel down to Dartmouth-Hitchcock hospital in Lebanon, NH for medical stuff (AKA anal probing) for the third time since last summer. S.R. Wild kindly accompanied me for the whole day to keep me company and see the alleged wonders of WRJ. We went first to my two testing appointments (into which he was not allowed, despite his tenacious pleading) then hopped over to WRJ, a drive of maybe 5-10 minutes. There he almost vomited with excitement in the Main Street Museum, scored a dapper black cotton shirt with rare French cuffs at the awesome, awesome, awesome Revolution (vintage clothing boutique and espresso bar), and we had a really lovely dinner at an Asian restaurant walking distance from the museum, on the recommendation of it's friendly curator David Fairbanks Ford. As we meandered around the awe-inspiring wunderkammer discussing our plans to move into it, Mr. Ford paused in his bustling to and fro to direct our attention to wreath he is in the process of making entirely out of human hair. It took my breath away, like the most beautiful and elaborate mourning wreaths I'd seen in photos but never in person.
This picture makes it look gross. It's not. Also, I managed to convince my beautiful and talented bosom friend Eva that the little junction perfectly embodies the spirit of her popular vlog, Stuck in Vermont. People who like living in metropolitan areas do not understand why anyone would want to live in Vermont. Harsh climate, nothing to do, nowhere to go, crushing boredom. It's all true, but the part they don't get is that to live contentedly here you have to be an appreciative connoisseur of contrasts. An embarrassment of riches leads to ennui, apathy, and spiritual death. Though we complain bitterly at times, we like the contrasts here. You can't experience the fullest joy of smelling the spring mud and seeing the first crocus shoots in April unless you are taking them in for the first time after six months of bleakest winter. We like being Stuck in Vermont. It sort of enforces a way of life that requires never taking anything for granted - not a friend, an art show, or a single day of our fleeting seasons. I know, I know. You're either nodding your head in understanding right now or shaking it in pity because you think I'm delusional.
What was I talking about? Oh, right. Eva. So Eva went down and covered the 7th annual Gory Daze parade last November.
Did you see that? That's so many things I love about Vermont rolled into five minutes of finely crafted, expertly edited footage. White River Junction is this totally overlooked town that people drive through on Interstate 89 on the way to "real" destinations like Boston. Hardly anyone is paying attention to them and they don't care! They just persevere, making their own fun and being quietly fucking brilliant. They're not doing any of this for press coverage or money or attention, it's out of the love of art, culture, and community.
Even though it isn't their primary motive, I'm really glad that WRJ is getting some recognition these days because there is a lot of poverty in the area. They have a lot of spunk, but spunk don't pay the bills. Unless you're a tall, handsome Nobel Prize winner making a spunk/sperm bank double entendre.
Boston Globe article
Budget Travel named WRJ one of it's Top Ten Coolest Small Towns!
Seven Days story on Revolution Vintage
Center for Cartoon Studies in The Christian Science Monitor...
... The Chicago Tribune...
... and The Washington Post.
Grosses bises, Rio Blanco!
2 comments:
oh Molly, i am so glad to know you my kindred spirit! and thank you for this lovely write up about WRJ, and for advising me to go there and for your stellar explanation of why it is GOOD to be stuck in VT. next time someone asks me about the title, i will direct them to your blog for clarification! xox
Nice picture, mostly the first one, that reminds me that I'm due for a check up at the doctors consulting room. White River Junction is also recommended in my town very much.
Post a Comment