A restaurant for readers, volleyball history and homemade baseballs – all in New England
Ted Reinstein visits Traveler Books & Food, the Volleyball Hall of Fame and Huntington Baseball Co. in search of fun facts
TED BRINGS US A STORY BEHIND A PROMINENT SIGN. >> LIKE COUNTLESS OTHERS OVER THE YEARS, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THE SIGN ON INTERSTATE 84 JUST ABOVE MASK ORDER IN UNION, CONNECTICUT. >> NOBODY KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT WITH OUR SIGN. THEY DON’T KNOW IF IT’S A RESTAURANT, A BOOKSHOP. THAT’S THE WHOLE IDEA. THIS IS TO GET YOUR ATTENTION. >> ATTENTION ENTRY. THEY HAVE OWNED AND MANAGED THE VOYAGEUR SINCE 1993. A BOOKSTORE RESTAURANT, YES. GREAT COMFORTABLE FOOD AND A COZY BOOK FRAME AND A UNIQUE SIDE DISH WITH EVERY MEAL. YOUR CHOICE OF THREE BOOKS. >> WE’VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR 20 YEARS. >> HOW MANY PLACES DID YOU GET PLACE? >> I WOULD HAVE GOT A GOOD 50 AT HOME. >> YOU USUALLY SIT IN YOUR SEAT AND STAY THERE. HERE, EVERYONE WALKS, INTERACTS AND FINDS THEIR BOOK. >> THIS ONE HAD MY NAME EVERYWHERE. THE APPROXIMATELY 9000 SECOND-HAND BOOKS ON THE MILLE PLUS RESTAURANT AND SAFETY AND THE BASEMENT STORE DOMINATE ALL DOCTORAL STUDENTS DONATED OR GATHERED DURING THEIR COLLECTING JOURNEYS. I HAVE BEEN SIGNED FOR CELEBRITY PHOTOS HERE, BUT LOTS OF RESPECTFUL NODS TO FAMOUS AUTHORS. I SEE YOU WENT FOR SOME SERIOUS CLASSICS. >> YES, I DID IT. MORE FOR MY DAUGHTER THAN FOR ME. I THINK SHE WILL APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. >> IMPOSSIBLE TO REST IT. SOME SIDES SEEN FROM THE INTERSTATE ARE WELL KNOWN AS THE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. HOWEVER, MOST PEOPLE, INCLUDING MOST SPORTS FANS, DON’T KNOW THAT VOLLEYBALL HALL OF FAME IS LESS THAN 10 MILES NORTH OF SPRINGFIELD IN HOLYOKE. OF COURSE, MANY PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THERE IS A VOLLEYBALL HALL OF FAME. >>THIS PHENOMENAL GYM IN THE CRADLE OF VOLLEYBALL OFF THE BEATEN TRACK BUT ONCE YOU COME TO US YOU WILL LEARN THE STORIES AND HISTORY OF OUR GREAT SPORT. >> INVENTED AT THE HOLYOKE YMCA IN 1895 BY GEORGE MORGAN, VOLLEYBALL IS TODAY THE FIFTH MOST POPULAR SPORT IN THE WORLD. >> WHAT IS UNIQUE FOR US COMPARED TO OTHER HALL OF FAME ACROSS NORTH AMERICA IS THAT WE ARE TRULY INTERNATIONAL, SO WE HAVE 155 READINGS AND OVER 25 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. >> INCLUDING LEGENDARY USA STAR, THE LATE FLOW HYMAN, WHO ALSO TALKS ABOUT HOW INCLUSIVE VOLLEYBALL HAS BEEN. >> WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, VOLLEYBALL IS THE NUMBER ONE BY DISSIPATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS. WE CAN’T SAY THAT ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD. >> THE BALL HAS EVOLVED FROM THE 1964 TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES TO TODAY’S AERODYNAMIC BALL THAT CAN LEAVE A SERVER’S HAND AT MORE THAN 100 MPH. WHAT CAN REALLY BE MOST AMAZING HERE IS WHERE IT ALL STARTED. >> YOU HAVE TWO OLYMPIC SPORTS. BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL. THE ORIGIN OATH WITHIN 10 MILES OF EACH OTHER. IN ADDITION, THE TWO INVENTORS WERE FRIENDS. >> IT’S A TOTAL WHO KNOWN FROM BEGINNING TO END. >> EVERYONE KNOWS WHERE THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME IS BUT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT EVERY BASEBALL FROM LITTLE LEAGUE TO MAJOR LEAGUES IS STILL Sew ENTIRELY BY HAND. >>>> EACH ONE. NO MATTER WHERE YOU BUY IT. >> WILLIAM IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE ANYWHERE WHO MAKES BASEBALLS BY HAND >> THIS IS A TRULY UNIQUE JOB. EVERYONE IS ALWAYS SURPRISED WHEN I MAKE EVENTS KIND OF RECOGNIZING WHAT IT IS BUT THEN THEY DON’T GET IT AND THEY SAY YOU ACTUALLY MAKE A BASEBALL. >> HE HAS ALWAYS LOVED BASEBALL. HE MAKES HIS FIRST BASEBALL AS AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STUDENT. >> IT DIDN’T GO SO WELL. IT WAS TERRIBLE. >> THE IDEA WAS STILL THERE. A DECADE LATER WHEN HIS WORK WAS DISAPPEARED. >> WHEN THE MARKET CLOSED IN 2008, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY AND AN EIGHT-WEEK-OLD DAUGHTER TO TAKE CARE OF. >> HOW DID THE SECOND BASEBALL COME OUT? >> MUCH BETTER. >> THEY HAVE IMPROVED SINCE. AND MORE THAN TODAY, HIS SINGLE HUNTINGTON BASEBALL COMPANY IN NORWELL PRODUCES CUSTOM HANDMADE BASEBALLS FOR A VARIETY – A WIDE RANGE OF CUSTOMERS. IT TURNS UP TO A DUCK – IT TURNS UP TO A DOZEN BALES A DAY. PREFABRICATED CORE. EVERYTHING IS DONE IN THIS ROOM. >> SEWING AND BOXING. PROBABLY 45 TO 50 MINUTES. >> AN ADULT CHILD STILL LINKED TO THE GAME HE LOVES ONE BASEBALL AT A TIME. >> I CAN LIVE BASEBALL EVERY DAY. THERE IS NO OFF-SEASON. LAST PTCH GOES IN WORLD SERIES, NEXT DAY I’M BACK HERE MAKING BASEBALLS. >> WILLIAM HAS CREATED BASEBALLS FOR FAMOUS PLAYERS, A FORMER PRESIDENT, THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME AND THE NEGRO LEAKS GUE’S MUSEUM, AMONG OTHERS. HE TRAINED SOME OF THE SPECIALS INCLUDING ONE FOR CHRONICLE. IT IS TO BELIEVE ON AVERAGE MAJORLY THAT BASEBALL MAKES MORE THAN 10
A restaurant for readers, volleyball history and homemade baseballs – all in New England
Ted Reinstein visits Traveler Books & Food, the Volleyball Hall of Fame and Huntington Baseball Co. in search of fun facts
Updated: 8:10 p.m. EDT June 23, 2022
Traveler Books & Food: Located off Interstate 84 in Union, Connecticut, just across the Massachusetts border, this restaurant is packed with shelves and offers diners a choice of three free books with every meal. Volleyball Hall of Fame: While most people couldn’t locate it on a map, the International Volleyball Hall of Fame is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and is the worldwide hall of fame for one of the most popular sports in the world. Huntington Baseball Co. is a rarity – a one-man business in Norwell, Mass., that manufactures professional quality handcrafted baseballs. Its creator, William Peebles, is sought after by former professional players, companies and organizations for his personalized and decorated baseballs.
Travel books and food: Located on Interstate 84 in Union, Connecticut, just across the Massachusetts border, this restaurant is packed with shelves and offers diners a choice of three free books with every meal.
Volleyball Hall of Fame: While most people couldn’t locate it on a map, the International Volleyball Hall of Fame is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and is the global hall of fame for one of the most popular sports in the world. .
Huntington Baseball Co. is a rarity – a one-man business in Norwell, Massachusetts, that manufactures professional-grade handcrafted baseballs. Its creator, William Peebles, is sought after by former professional players, companies and organizations for his personalized and decorated baseballs.