Down an old country road, tucked into the mountains in Becket, rests the 200-year-old Dream Away Lodge.

The romantic name suits the intimate atmosphere with dim lighting and couples in every nook.

It’s a lot like entering a good friend’s living room with unique, mismatched decor and a friendly black poodle hanging out. On this Saturday night, Ian O’Neil and Dennis Ryan of the folk rock band Deer Tick were performing an acoustic gig. I sat in a old armchair while my boyfriend sat on the ottoman in front of me. Listening intently to the unplugged music, my eyes wandered around the room: there’s a picture of a unicorn on the wall and at a table a barefoot woman is draped around her partner.

The room was filled with warmth and comfort, even though we were all strangers.

— Jennifer Levesque, jlevesque@valleyadvocate.com