friendly It was Marissa Mazzucco’s enthusiasm for her home town that prompted me to visit Randolph Vermont when choosing to take Amtrak to spend a few days in someplace fun. And it took five minutes once I de-boarded at the historic little depot to learn on my own why she loves this little village in the heart of central Vermont so much. Marissa is Marissa Mazzucco, executive director of the White River Chamber of Commerce which covers the 11 or so villages along the White River. As a busy, cheerful, friendly, hardworking and staunch supporter of Orange County Vermont, Marissa boasts that the area is “a region of people with big smiles, big hearts, and big ideas.”
Arriving from the train after an eight-hour scenic and spectacular ride, I walked to the corner of the main street to try to orient myself to the town and locate Randolph Avenue, where the B&B I reserved was located.
On the corner, squeezed in between sidewalk and grass, was little ‘garden’ with one blooming tulip and some daffodils and a woman standing there just admiring them. As I passed, she called my attention to the colors and natural beauty of the flowers, with an invitation to stop and look at them myself. She asked where I came from, and when I said New Jersey, told me she had been employed in the Archives at Princeton, loved her work, loved the town, was originally from Chicago but came to Randolph after both she and her husband retired because he liked it here. Unlike him, she said, she enjoyed walking and walked all over different parts of the town every day.
We shared some more conversation, laughter, and stories about the differences between Princeton and the Jersey Shore, and then she THANKED me! She thanked me for stopping to talk with her. I thanked her for the great introduction to the town and we departed.
Marissa was right, I thought … people in Randolph are friendly!
When I got to the corner and noticed the street sign was topped with another sign apparently showing the way to one of the town’s newer restaurants, a James Beard award winning Thai restaurant, I stopped in the store on the corner, not sure if it were the restaurant or something else, seeing only the name was Red Door. Turns out it’s a large, neat, and fascinating jewelry store with cases of very unique and beautiful jewelry. Both a man and woman behind the counters welcomed me, asked if they could help, and when I said I only wanted directions to Randolph Avenue, they gave them, but not without an invitation to come back again to visit, look around, or shop.
Yep, Marissa, you’re right. The people are friendly!
I walked to the intersection, saw where Randolph Avenue started and began my way to 19 Randolph, past some more shops, an inviting little breakfast and lunch breakfast, the Wit and Grit, and headed towards #19, walking past some attractive turn of the century (20th) large residences. Passing one where a woman was just getting out of her car in the driveway on the opposite side, I responded to her cheery greeting and told her, in response to her asking if I needed any help … maybe it was toting my luggage that gave me away as a newcomer … that I was headed towards #19.
“Oh, that’s Leslie’s Air B&B,” she laughed. “She’s so nice, you’ll love it there. “ she enthused before once again asking if I needed help with my luggage.
Marissa, once again, knows the people and shops of Randolph and their personality.
Number 19 is about a block and a half from the center of town, up a couple of steps to an enclosed porch, and entry to an attractive inner foyer and steps to the second-floor apartment that would be my home for the next three nights. No need to bother anyone to gain access, Air B&B and Leslie had supplied me with the codes.
There’s a lot to be said for having a beautiful, comfortable, cozy apartment in a private home over a small hotel room in an inn. The welcome message explained everything, from how to operate the massive tv in the bedroom or the electric stove or microwave in the kitchen, to the electric towel warmer and hamper in the bathroom where I could dump after use any of the lush, thick large towels attractively arranged in a basket near the shower. I wasn’t planning on cooking any meals, but it only took me another day to realize food portions in what turned out to be my favorite restaurant, the Seasoned Skillet, were so large I’d be using the refrigerator to store enough for a second dinner and the stove to reheat not only muffins for breakfast but a sensational Chicken Pot Pie.
But that’s another story!.
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