#survivalguide

Osada fue la aventura que Peter Ian Cummings emprendió en 1996 cuando, desde sus oficinas de West Hollywood, decidió lanzar “XY Magazine”, un emprendimiento editorial bimestral dedicado íntegramente a los varones adolescentes gays. Publicado bajo el concepto de “glossy magazine” (es decir, una revista cuyo papel es brillante y con contenido muy colorido), el objetivo, según lo anunciado en Amazon.com, fue llegar a los “varones gays desde los adolescentes hasta los de mediados de los veintes. Editada desde 1996 hasta 2007, esta publicación revolucionaria vio a la mayoría de la juventud gay de esta generación a través de los momentos más duros de sus vidas.”

Fueron 49 números en lo que se incluyeron artículos sobre política, cultura, reportajes fotográficos y aportes de sus lectores. Hubo ediciones especiales: dos “Survival Guide” (Guía de supervivencia) que, bajo una óptica más seria que la usual, trataban sobre la “salida del armario”, leyes de consentimiento o prevención del suicidio; el recopilatorio "The Best of XY" y dos ediciones de "XY: The Photos".

Hi All, 

Moving to college is overwhelming and for some of you, moving to a new city might be as well. Northampton is one of the smallest cities I have ever lived in but has by far the best charm. I thought I would share with you some of the tips I’ve learned from exploring Smith’s backyard this last year. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: In this post I will often be mentioning PVTA buses. These buses are free for 5 College Students if they present their OneCard (which you will receive at orientation on the first day) to the bus driver. Click here for the link to bus schedules. 

1. Nearest mall

Hampshire Mall - 367 Russel St. Hadley

Whether you’re first moving into Smith and need more hangers or you want to go see a movie or buy storage bins at the end of your first year, you’re going to want to head to the Hampshire Mall. The mall has a bunch of stores like Target, Trader Joe’s and Bed Bath and Beyond which will most definitely give you what you need. Click here for the Mall’s directory! To get there from Smith you can take the PVTA Bus B43 which will take you there in 30 minutes top. It might sound like a lot of time to be sitting on the bus, but I promise you, after you’ve done the ride as many times as I have, it really doesn’t feel like that long! If you want to get there quicker, Zipcar, Uber, Lyft and a friend’s car are always another option!

2. Nearest CVS

90 Main St. Northampton

CVS has been a vital part of my Northampton life, I go there at least once every three weeks to pick up my meds, grab snacks and things like toothpaste/shampoo etc if I’m running out. From Duckett House CVS is a 10 minute walk MAX and if you are just too tired to make that walk, the PVTA B43 bus has a stop one block up from CVS so you can cut your walk time in half. 

3. Help! My phone broke! Where do I go? 

AT&T - 140 Main St. Northampton

Verizon - 180 Main St. Northampton 

Apple Store - 50 Holyoke St. Holyoke

First of all, DON’T PANIC. Like every city, Northampton has all the resources to help you fix your phone. If it’s a technical difficulty like your service provider isn’t working right, Northampton has two providers who have stores downtown - Verizon and AT&T. So, if you’re lucky enough to have one of them as your provider you can stop by their store which is only a couple minutes away from Smith. If the problem is an Apple related problem, the town of Holyoke (where Mount Holyoke College is located) has an Apple store which you can use to fix the problem. Getting there is a little more of a hike, it takes at least an hour by bus (R43) but Zipcar, Uber and Lyft are available if you don’t want to take the bus. Or, you could ask a friend to drive you there if you know someone with a car! 

4. Nearest train / bus station

Northampton Train Station - 170 Pleasant St. Northampton 

Peter Pan Bus Terminal - 1 Roundhouse Plaza, Northampton

If you plan to go to a big city for the weekend, like Boston or NYC, chances are you will be leaving out of one of these two places. Northampton has a train that takes you directly into NYC Penn Station in about 4h30min. Depending on when you’re planning to take this adventure, it could cost you $40-80 round trip. The cost is why most Smithies choose Peter Pan Bus Lines as their preferred mode of transport. The bus will take you to NYC Port Authority in 4h and to Boston (South Station, Copley Sq, Park Sq or State House) in an average of 2h30min. Peter Pan Bus prices are pretty unpredictable, depending on if you’re traveling at a peak time (like October Break) the cost could be between $40-60 round trip. I have gotten tickets for Peter Pan for $40 round trip though, so I would say: plan ahead to make sure you get the best price. 

5. Best coffee shops

Woodstar Cafe - 60 Masonic St. Northampton 

Haymarket Cafe - 185 Main St. Northampton

Shelburne Falls Coffee Rosters - 273 Main St. Northampton 

If there’s one thing that you won’t miss while being in Northampton is coffee shops. You can find plenty of Smithies at any one of these three coffee shops which are an average of a 5/10 minute walk from the center of campus. Each of these three cafe’s have such different vibes and so it’s up to you to find your favorite one. My personal favorite is Woodstar because it’s filled with natural light and yummy desserts to snack on while studying. Remember, there are so many coffee shops in Northampton that these three are not the only options! I just picked the three I know that most people tend to go to. 

I hope that helps,

Yes please. Need this bad.

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