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Lenox sans car
Walking turns up wonders
By Lynda Morgenroth
LENOX:
With horse-drawn carts and historic costumes, the annual Tub Parade marks the end of summer in Lenox. This year's parade is Sept. 19.
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 or those who love New England towns, the village of Lenox never loses its allure. Within moments of quitting the Mass. Pike, one arrives in this charmed setting, a place of inviting 19th-century houses beneath canopies of trees. Winding country roads - perfect for biking, or hiking, or piloting in a vintage roadster - are close to the village. The heart of the town is dominated by atmospheric shops and restaurants.
Take a bus to the town of Lenox, and its idyllic qualities are even sharper. Plus, tooling around on foot, you start to fantasize that you live there. Begin from the Peter Pan terminal at South Station, bury your head in a 19th-century novel, and pick up your head three hours later surrounded by gleaming white Greek Revival buildings.
The first bus from Boston is at 8 a.m. and arrives in Lenox at 11:10 a.m. (very quick change in Springfield); the last bus out of Lenox is 7:35 p.m., arriving in Boston at 11:20 p.m. Roundtrip fare is $55.80.
Cyclists can bring their bikes (no charge, but you need to remove the front wheel and attach it to the rear); or when you get there, rent from Main Street Sports & Leisure at 48 Main St. (800-952-9197). In season, music hounds might attend a Tanglewood concert, or Shakespeare & Company matinee, though sitting for two hours after a long bus ride is not for every posterior. (You can walk to Tanglewood - it's about 2 miles, or take a cab.) For most, simply perambulating through the village with passages in the book store, library, galleries, and antique shops, punctuated by a well-prepared lunch or bakery take-out, makes for a festive, leisurely day.
Getting there:
Peter Pan bus line, 800-343-9999.
Resources:
Chamber of Commerce, 65 Main St., 413-637-3646.
Lenox Village Association at 800-255-3669; on web at lva.tgo.com/index.html.
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What, you say go to the library and the book store after reading for three hours on the bus? Well, yes, if the book store is The Bookstore (9 Housatonic St., 413-637-3390), a homey store with an excellent, imaginative literary selection, including many small press titles and books by regional authors.
And yes, if it's First Lenox Library (18 Main St., 413-637-0197), on the National Register of Historic Places, a classical in 1815. The main reading room - with comfy couches and chairs to curl up in, and an extensive selection of periodicals - is heavenly, as is the outdoor ''reading park.'' Other architectural highlights on Main Street include the 1803 Lenox Academy and 1805 Church on the Hill. The sprawling Curtis Hotel in the center of town (now restored and converted to apartments) suggests a gilded past, when to stay at the Curtis was to stay at the Berkshire version of the Ritz.
Check out Church Street, home to several innovative clothing stores, art galleries, antique and crafts emporia, and Church Street Cafe (65 Church St., 413-637-2745), a fine place for lunch. You can dine on well-prepared seasonal bistro fare in an informal but pristine room decorated with artworks or outside on the patio. It's de rigueur to say hello to people at neighboring tables, or even passersby. The passeggiata in summer on Church Street can be quite theatrical. This time of year, no one is yet shouting ''Dahling!'' and throwing their scarves over their shoulders.
In season, the venerable Village Inn (16 Church St., 413-637-0020) serves proper English tea most afternoons, and high tea on some Sundays. As all Anglophiles and carb addicts know, high tea is a real meal - no trifle. The Village Inn version often ends, in fact, with trifle, the spongy, syrupy, decadent Brit dessert. Bev's (38 Housatonic St.) is the local haunt for homemade ice cream. In deference to its New York visitors, Bev's also prepares egg creams.
If you like sticky buns and fresh fruit pies, Suchele Bakers (27 Housatonic St.) is your spot. Wholesome whole grain loaves and fashionable baton-like breads - baguettes, ficelles, what-have-you - are also in abundance. It's fun to bring a few home on the bus, along with fancy cheeses and wines you'll find on Church Street, and the irresistible books you've bought.
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