#walpole

#walpole

The analogue experience of turning a book's paper pages almost feels new again, as cities and towns around the globe nurture this return to reading.

"This is a wonderful day for the students to show their spirit and kind of shed the super-academic, super-intense [persona] and just really be fun College students enjoying a little healthy competition."

"In the past, I've never really found a place that I would commit to staying for so long, and without hesitation, I was like, 'Where do I sign?' That's how much I love living here."

Over five years, the pair gathered furnishings, art, and antiques to shape an inviting ode to the past-snug and soulful, sentimental and nature-filled, with earthy colors offset by bold, saturated moments of Americana. Like squirrels preparing a winter cache, they collected objects patiently, adding layers over time.

Vermont actually resembles California - not because of its beaches but due to its distinct regions. For example, Burlington correlates to the Bay Area. And in the Northeast Kingdom, where I grew up, we classified everything below White River Junction as 'Southern Vermont.' Down there, half the towns seem to channel Boston or New York City, kind of like Santa Barbara to L.A., which makes the Kingdom something like Humboldt County - rural and spectacular, with a recalcitrant outlaw streak.

The Boston Public Library, which dates back to 1848, features a beautiful central building in Copley Square with grand murals and fascinating exhibitions. McKim Courtyard, situated right in the middle, provides a perfect place to take a peaceful moment to relax before or after strolling through the stacks. The best part is that the library is free and open to the public.

As one of the region's last authentic vintage lunch cars, Buddy's was a time capsule, keeping the neighborhood well fed with hot platters of hand-cracked eggs and made-to-order bacon on the cheap. Now it's a mausoleum.

'I started crying,' Azar told me one afternoon last summer, as we sat on the sun-drenched porch of Gifford, overlooking the brick courtyard. Guests popped over to bid him hello, and he gently directed them over the lobby bar for a moment of respite from the heat. He continued the story: 'I was like, 'This is actually why I'm doing this.'

Originally known as the Charles Davis House, the colorful Newton Center home was constructed in the Second Empire style in 1860 by Davis, a well-to-do chemical manufacturer in Boston, according to historic documents. It later served as a nursing home before returning to a single-family dwelling. About 20 years ago, an architect purchased the home and transformed it for himself into a six-bedroom, eight-and-a-half-bathroom home that exudes vibrant color and historic features that effortlessly blend with modern amenities.

The Antinomian Controversy ( antinomian from the Greek "against the law") ended with the banishment of Anne Hutchinson in 1638. Wheelwright had been banished the year before, and Henry Vane had returned to England that same year (1637). After Hutchinson was expelled, another religious dissenter, Roger Williams (1603-1683), who had been banished in early 1636, began a literary duel with John Cotton over religious freedom and persecution, which addressed a number of points raised by the Antinomian Controversy.

Not every home is willing to play a supporting role. Jess Cooney's has always demanded top billing. "It's been a main character in my life-we've had a beautiful journey," says the AD PRO Directory member of her 6,000-square-foot house in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. "And it also drives me insane." More than two decades ago, Cooney returned home from Colorado to the Berkshires with her husband, Joe, and a new daughter in tow.

In New England, the official dipping buddy for creamy clam chowder is called a common cracker, and it's different than any other cracker in almost every possible way. For starters, it's larger (about the size of a Ritz cracker), rougher, and looks unmistakably old-school. The common cracker's flavor is also deliberately restrained. Wheaty, crunchy, and very hearty - these unleavened crackers swell slightly in creamy New England clam chowder. This makes them take on a dumpling-like quality, and it's not accidental.

Valentine's Day is about expressing love for special people in your life. One way to do so is to pamper that person as much as possible. That can mean starting the day off with delicious breakfast in bed. Muffins can be prepared in advance and are easy to enjoy in hand for a breakfast that involves lounging and love. Blackberry Crunch Muffins marry coffee cake and muffin elements and tart berries for something that is equal parts breakfast and dessert.

The new year is already off to a great start when it comes to restaurant openings and fresh updates in Greater Boston's dining scene. In the months ahead, we have major restaurant openings from Michelin chefs and famous New York restaurateurs, as well as a swell of diverse and delicious smaller restaurants joining our neighborhoods. Each week, Boston.com will highlight the restaurant openings worth knowing about across the region.

Located just outside of Boston in Winthrop, Massachusetts, with Boston Logan International Airport right across the water, Belle Isle Seafood is a no-frills sort of joint - the kind of place where walls covered in taxidermied fish and aging interior decor belie what you know will be an excellent menu. When Anthony Bourdain visited Belle Isle seafood in an episode of "No Reservations," the voiceover specifically noted that the restaurants chosen for this particular episode were "not the best of Boston,"

Logan Airport will soon get more options for Boston travelers and visitors to quell their hunger this spring. A press release Tuesday from Paradies Lagardère, a restaurant and retailer group that focuses on airports, confirmed the opening of Berkshire Farm to Flight and CAVA at Boston Logan International Airport. Paradies Lagardère said both new restaurant concepts would be located in Terminal B.