The Meat House in Walpole, Mass., to Add Sit-Down Dining Area

The Meat House, a national butcher shop chain specializing in meats and gourmet grocery items, will bring a sit-down dining area to its Walpole, Mass., location in the next few weeks.I spoke last night with Jeff, the general manager at the Walpole Meat House, who told me that the dining area will feature chairs and tables, a couch, wide screen televisions and free WiFi. Customers will be able to order from the deli sandwich menu at the counter. Additionally, an extensive salad bar will also be part of the new cafe. A partition will separate the...

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Plitvice Lakes: Croatia's Finest

Somewhere halfway between the capital city Zagreb and Zadar on the coast, and in the mountainous region of Licko-Seniska county, lies Croatia's largest national park and the oldest national park in Southeast Europe. This lush valley of 16 turquoise interconnected lakes, laced together by a series of waterfalls, separated by natural dams of travertine, set in a deep woodland and miles of pleasant wooden-plank walks that follow the rumbling water is...

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Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield, Mass., is More Than an Apple Picking Orchard

Brookfield Orchards, North Brookfield, Mass. (photo by Eric)Apple picking season is over at Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield, Mass., but you can still "pick your own" fun activity at this fourth generation Central Massachusetts family-run business.A great variety of apples is still available in the main indoor store. We bought a peck for $10 last week, and they are all gone -- the taste of the Cortland, Macs and Red Delicious we bought were...

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American Planning Association Chooses College Hill in Providence, R.I., in its "America's Best Neighborhoods"

A pleasing scene at Prospect Terrace Park, College Hill, Providence, R.I. (photo by Eric)Congratulations to the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, R.I., for making USA Today's "America's Best Neighborhoods", as designated by the American Planning Association (APA). The APA chose "10 neighborhoods, streets and public spaces" in our nation that met its high standards of community excellence criteria, and they clearly thought very highly of College...

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A "Nacho" Above the Rest at the Ninety Nine Restaurant in Billerica, Mass.

The Ninety Nine Restaurants chain set a Guinness Book of World Records achievement for building the world's largest nachos with a weight of 3,999 lbs. (notice the "99" in the total weight?) at its Billerica, Mass., restaurant. What a great idea to kick off Boys and Girls Club Fundraising month by raising $2,000 with this event.The Boston Channel reports that four teams of five people created the larger than life nachos plate with 1,105 lbs. of nachos, 825 lbs. of Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses (melted using oversized torch guns!), 439 lbs. of...

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Idyllic Grafton, Vt., Rebounding Nicely from Hurricane Irene Floods

Grafton, Vt., is perhaps the most idyllic Vermont community, in my mind. There's so little here, but, ultimately, this community has everything you could ever want as a Vermont traveler looking for a true getaway -- a classic old inn (the Grafton Inn), a few shops to enjoy (including the phenomenal Grafton Village Cheese), a covered bridge, tree-lined streets to stroll and beautiful southern Vermont mountain views. Unlike some of the fabricated, superficial Vermont towns (you know, restored to look more like an outdoor museum than a real town),...

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The Amazing Loch Lomond

Many of us live in cities with all the crowds, stress, noise and dirt in the environment. Most probably we have not often come across nature, searched for it or even be one with it. But there is this marvelous place in central Scotland that will surely blow you away; a dream place for those wanting to escape from a boring and almost monotonous pace of city life.With exuding natural beauty of a 24-mile-long freshwater lake interspersed with picturesque...

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