Rain on my Sophisticated Parade

 

Much to my surprise, this past Saturday evening revealed itself as somewhat of a “turning point” in my young adult life.

 

My sister and I did our best to look effortlessly-hip (which takes much more effort than you would think) and traveled down the road to the Gramercy Bistro at Mass MoCA in North Adams. The cozy space has been home to numerous restaurants throughout the past decade, and it is always interesting to see how the newest one will compare to its predecessors.

 

Gramercy, however, is already well-known in the county for its classic-contemporary menu and chic atmosphere. In the summertime, one can often spot celebrities from the Williamstown Theatre Festival enjoying Gramercy’s fine dining. Given its great reputation, I believe this establishment will flourish in its new location at Mass MoCA.

 

On this particular evening my sister and I came to enjoy a jazz lounge performance by Samantha Farrell—Gramercy’s first live music performance since moving to the museum. Farrell’s sultry honey-smooth voice provided the perfect background to a relaxed summer evening. The warm night air settled in around us as we ordered from the special patio menu. Classic jazz numbers accompanied our delicious antipasti plate and salads, while Farrell’s original songs with acoustic guitar went down oh-so-smoothly with our local craft beers.

 

As I soaked in the lovely sounds wafting overhead, the good conversation, and the stylish atmosphere (MoCA’s well-known upside-down trees behind us, twinkling lights above, and stark white gallery walls through large factory windows all around), something strange occurred to me: I was actually, and comfortably, a part of this very sophisticated happening. Sure, I had been to similar events before, but always felt like I didn’t truly belong—thoughts of midterms and last night’s dorm party never seemed to mesh well with the refined surroundings. Yet here I was, completely submersed and feeling fine.

 

So I thought, “Wait a minute, am I sophisticated? Have I finally graduated into a fully functional member of the (gasp!) ‘real world’?”

 

My revelation did not last for long, however. The heat lightning that had previously added to the overall sultry mood of the evening brought with it a large ominous black cloud. As the rain started to fall and the music came to a halt, my sister and I scrambled back to the car in the midst of hail and sandy gusts of wind. My storm shelter of choice? The Pitcher’s Mound Pub, where it was '80s Night, and neon headbands and spandex abounded. So much for sophistication. While I look forward to more classy evenings such as this one, I’ve realized that it’s okay to feel a little out of place sometimes. Luckily I live in a place that can accommodate all of my fleeting desires, whether they’re sophisticated or not. After all, you can take the girl out of the college, but you can’t take the college out of the girl.