kz1000ps
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 28, 2006
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The wife and I made a little weekend excursion to Brattleboro -- my childhood hometown from ages 1-7 -- two weeks back and once again I fell in love with the place all over. We stayed right in the heart of downtown (real mixed bag--more on that later) and wandered all over, including a hike up a mountain, a couple walks in the forests, a visit to the Farmers' Market, and lots of great food and drinks in between.
Now checked into our hotel. Here's the view from the heart of downtown with Wantastiquet Mountain looming from across the Connecticut River
Dinner was excellent
And so was the night sky
This is early in the morning on a Saturday so nobody is out walking yet, but these streets are normally very animated
And unfortunately, downtown Brattleboro has hit the same fate of downtowns all over the country if not the world with a major rise in the homeless and addicted
Downtown is also facing a rash of retail vacancies and I heard more than one person use the phrase "in transition" to describe its current state. On the other hand, the chains are still virtually nowhere to be found in the core and the quirky local establishments are continuing to chug along
This is a beloved local cafe and the coffee--cold brew, maple latte, dark roast whole beans for back home--were all excellent
Sam's closing left a massive vacancy in the heart of "DT Brat" as the locals call it
The beloved library
![53900388338_67eb75903d_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900388338_67eb75903d_3k.jpg)
![53900484484_e0cbc0bec8_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900484484_e0cbc0bec8_3k.jpg)
![53900589760_e7e4916a4b_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900589760_e7e4916a4b_3k.jpg)
![53899276142_f58c147476_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53899276142_f58c147476_3k.jpg)
Now checked into our hotel. Here's the view from the heart of downtown with Wantastiquet Mountain looming from across the Connecticut River
![53900573535_a2e9491cc1_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900573535_a2e9491cc1_3k.jpg)
Dinner was excellent
![53900573660_b19a82a92d_k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900573660_b19a82a92d_k.jpg)
And so was the night sky
![53900144951_34a7bc8255_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900144951_34a7bc8255_3k.jpg)
![53900576340_3b27b73a22_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900576340_3b27b73a22_3k.jpg)
![53900555334_628951acc8_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900555334_628951acc8_3k.jpg)
![53900209941_ef88be7189_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900209941_ef88be7189_3k.jpg)
This is early in the morning on a Saturday so nobody is out walking yet, but these streets are normally very animated
![53900555344_608ca6077b_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900555344_608ca6077b_3k.jpg)
And unfortunately, downtown Brattleboro has hit the same fate of downtowns all over the country if not the world with a major rise in the homeless and addicted
![53900208816_6efe2c2d35_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900208816_6efe2c2d35_3k.jpg)
![53900207976_c4335f002e_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900207976_c4335f002e_3k.jpg)
Downtown is also facing a rash of retail vacancies and I heard more than one person use the phrase "in transition" to describe its current state. On the other hand, the chains are still virtually nowhere to be found in the core and the quirky local establishments are continuing to chug along
![53900206871_3c6d9634e8_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900206871_3c6d9634e8_3k.jpg)
This is a beloved local cafe and the coffee--cold brew, maple latte, dark roast whole beans for back home--were all excellent
![53900213966_b68667338d_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900213966_b68667338d_3k.jpg)
Sam's closing left a massive vacancy in the heart of "DT Brat" as the locals call it
![53900560024_5d05d7c1b9_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900560024_5d05d7c1b9_3k.jpg)
![53900559859_e83391a5b2_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900559859_e83391a5b2_3k.jpg)
![53900212941_22aabae347_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900212941_22aabae347_3k.jpg)
The beloved library
![53900642120_c808345bdc_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53900642120_c808345bdc_3k.jpg)
![53899316797_4cc8622ef7_3k.jpg](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53899316797_4cc8622ef7_3k.jpg)