Category Archives: cars

September 5, 2017

Wheels & Waffles (West Springfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: August 19, 2017

Location: Eastern States Exposition Center, Avenue Of The States, 1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield, MA

Cost: Free

Parking: There is ample parking located at the entrance

Dog Friendly: Yes

Website: Wheels N Waffles

Highlights: classic cards dating back to the early 1900s, waffles

Tips:

The “Avenue of the States” (where the event was held) got the name because it has a replica of each state’s house of each state in New England on its premises
The Wheels & Waffles event is usually held at the Eastern States Exposition Center twice each summer, annually

What goes better together than wheels and….waffles? Well, that was what was on the menu at the Eastern Exposition Center last month.

There were some novelty card there too like this “General Lee” Dukes Of Hazzard replica car.

And this replica of Herbie The Love Bug

If only I was better at identifying cars with the years they were built. Unfortunately, that’s not my forte. But, I still appreciate the curves, style and power of these vehicles.

Look at those fins and designs. Those beautiful, beautiful fins…

Not all of the cars were from the 50’s and 60’s. In fact, some of you may have owned some of these more recent classics.

I’ve always loved long, shapely cars. So, of course this was my favorite.

Of course, as the name of the event suggests, there waffles provided by the Storrowton Tavern.

The “Avenue Of The States” didn’t get its name by accident. The grounds have a replica of each original state house for each of the six New England states. Below is the original state house of Massachusetts.

Here is what the Boston State House actually looks like (courtesy of everstockphoto.com)

Wheels & Waffles is a dog friendly event and I’m really not sure what I thought were more beautiful, the dogs or the cars. OK, it was the dogs.

CJ is a 5 or 6 year old Jack Russell Terrier.

Lola is a 3 year old Lab.

Gunner is a 2 and a half year old Lab mix.

Below is a video of the Wheels & Waffles event

Please like me on Facebook.

17 Comments | tags: dogs, Eastern States Exposition Center, Massachusetts, New England, West Springfield, Wheels & Waffles | posted in cars, dogs, Eastern States Exposition Center, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized, West Springfield, Wheels And Waffles

January 14, 2017

New England International Auto Show (Boston, MA)

By New England Nomad

Dates Of Event: January 12 – 16, 2017 (photos taken January 12)

Location: Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 415 Summer St, Boston, MA

Cost: Adult (13 and older): $15, child (6-12): $6, children under 6 get in free

Hours:

Thursday, January 12, 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday, January 13, 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday, January 14, 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday, January 15, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Monday, January 16, 10:00 am- 6:00 pm

*Box Office closes 1 hour prior to the end of the Show each day.

Parking: There is ample parking at the Exhibition Center ($17 to self-park, $30 for valet parking) .

*you can also take the red line on the MBTA. The Convention Center is about a mile walk from South Station, or you can take the Silver Line to the World Trade Center stop. The Convention Center is a short walk from the World Trade Center stop*

Handicapped Accessible: According to the website for the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the building is handicapped accessible and there is “ample” handicapped parking. There is also a golf cart that transports visitors from the entrance to the escalators.

Dog Friendly: Service dogs may be allowed

Web Site: New England International Auto Show

As a prelude to my post, I would like to acknowledge this as my 200th post. I wanted to thank everyone who has viewed, shared, liked and/or commented on my blog. I genuinely appreciate your support. Here’s to many more posts!

Please follow me on Facebook to view more of my photos, videos and other fun stuff!

Facebook

Are you in the market for a new car? Do you have an extra couple hundred thousand to throw around? Then, I’ve got the place for you.

The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center is hosting the New England International Auto Showthis weekend. But, if you haven’t hit your number yet there is still sure to be a car for you.

There are cars of all makes and models for the taking. All the major car companies showcased their vehicles.

While there were many mid priced vehicles, there was a special section for exotic and special vehicles, thankfully. I tend to find most “mid priced” vehicles to look all the same (it’s the reason why I walk up to at least 2 other vehicles before I find mine in a parking lot but I digress). The vehicles below do have this issue.

This Porsche 911 Targa 4S can be yours for the rock bottom price of $151.

And that wasn’t even the most expensive car on the show room. Some of these Ashton Martins were priced at over $300,000. They’re still waiting for my check to clear.

Of course, I had to stop by and check out the Mustangs!

There were a few other classic cars at the show as well.

Randy is a bomb sniffing dog. This 2 year old Labrador did a great job keeping everyone safe.

6 Comments | tags: Boston, cars, dogs, Massachussetts, New England, photographs, Photography, photos | posted in Boston, cars, dog, New England, photos, Uncategorized

August 19, 2016

Forever Young Cruisers (Westfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Event: July 30, 2016

Location: Zuber’s Ice Cream And Deli, 98 Southwick Rd, Westfield, MA

Hours: Saturdays, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m (until October 1)

Cost: Free (but make sure to stop in at Zuber’s for a cone or treat)

Parking: There are about 15-20 parking spots

Time To Allot For Visit: About 30 minutes to an hour

Dog Friendly: Yes

Fun For One: Yes

Highlights: Really cool antique cars, located in the parking lot of an ice cream shop/deli (Zuber’s)

Lowlights: Not a lot of cars

Summer means road trips, long days at the beach and car shows. Yes, car shows. Muscle cars and other hot rods are a staple of any summer road trip.

It was great seeing cars with the old gauges and front seat bench seating as opposed to the bucket seats we’ve all become accustomed to. It reminded me of the old Delta 88 I used to tool around in. I still miss that car.

Whenever I see older cars, I wonder what memories are attached to them. How many first dates were they driven on? How many times did different families pile in her en route to the destinations?

We attach so many memories and emotions to our cars. They’re more than just steel and iron to us (now they are more than just plastic and aluminum). Old cars, even if we never owned them or rode in them, bring us back to our earlier, more carefree days. I wonder how many special memories are attached to these cars.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

There were only about a dozen or so cars. So, if you’re looking to see a wide variety of cars you might be out of luck. But, what the event lacked in quantity it made up for in quality of cars like this 1970 Roadrunner, 440 engine.

One of the things I really liked was how the owners of the vehicles dressed up their vehicles and added decor and dolls from the era or that have something in common with their vehicle. For instance, the owner of the Road Runner pictured above has a bunch of Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote dolls in the backseat of his car.

The owner of this AMC 1973 Javelin dressed up his car with Bettie Boop collectibles.

This Buick Series 60 went with the traditional fuzzy dice motif

I have no idea what the motif of this decor is

This race car, which the owner still races, has a Chevrolet frame. But, it is made of mostly custom parts.

It did the Kessel Run in 7.88. Oh, sorry that was Han Solo I was thinking of. This car actually did a quarter mile in 7.88 (the number light up in the back side back window of the car) for a not so shabby 137 miles per hour.

This ’32 Roadster was the oldest vehicle that I could confirm at the car show. The owner was especially proud of the license plate.

A lot of the car owners are very proud of their vehicles and they have lots and lots of stories of their experiences in their cars (driving and otherwise). Often times, just talking to these people can be as entertaining as looking at the cars. It gives the cars some personality when you can talk to the people who drive them and hear about their driving experiences.

As an added bonus, you can stop by Zuber’s and get a cone or sandwich after looking over the cars!

Since it opened in 2006, Zuber”s has been serving up sandwiches, ice cream and a variety of other items to people from Westfield and surrounding areas. What makes the shop so cool is that it doesn’t just sell sandwiches and a variety of sweets. You can get your food to go or you can eat it in their outdoor dining area. They also sell everything from birdhouses to toys in their bargain section. You never know what you’ll find when you visit. And, if you’re like me and you like to collect things, you never know what you’ll end up going home with.