Solomon, Massachusetts

Solomon is a cozy New England college town of 40,000 people (and falling every day) with elements of Williamstown (where the Slayer's player went to college), Ann Arbor (where the GM went to college), Arkham (that fictional Lovecraftian college town), and a whole lot of Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (suitably New Englified). Its claim to fame is Martense College, a small liberal arts college of great history and reputation. Local attractions include the rolling hills, covered bridges and quaint stone walls that western Massachusetts is famous for. It's not that big, but like Sunnydale, it seems to have a lot more stuff that you'd think possible for a one Starbucks town, including more cemeteries per capita than any other town in New England. The fall colors are also not to be missed. And that confluence of ley lines is a real draw for the mystical and demonic sets.

Solomon is located in Western Massachusetts, just south of where you would find Great Barrington in the real world, at the intersection of the Green and Housatonic Rivers (though the local shape of the rivers is closer to the intersection of the Potomac and Shenandoah in Harper's Ferry). In fact, Harper's Ferry is the primary geographical model for the town itself. The Green river takes the place of the Shenandoah and the Housatonic takes the place of the Potomac, as seen below.

This photo shows the "Old Town" of Solomon, site of the original settlement, from the southeast. Note that Solomon only has one railroad bridge (the left one) and that the track follows the bank of the Housatonic (the near river), not the Green. The washed-out bridges are there, however. The Green River bridge just visible near the top of the photo is U.S. Highway 7. High Acre cemetery is in the upper-right section of the picture (high on the hill). The high school, college and most of the town proper are to the north (right) of this view. The banks of the Green River are home to a number of old historical buildings, mills, warehouses, and old fortifications.

Blaire's: Blaire's business venture, a failing demon bar. That is, the bar's failing, not the demons. Although, with the Slayer around, they're not doing so well, either.

The Coliseum: Recreational sports building on the Martense College campus. Hosts SCA meetings on Saturday afternoons.

Fielding's Department Store: The anchor of the local mall.

The Foundry: One of Solomon's nicest restaurants. Boasts a nice, cozy atmosphere and a scenic waterfront view.

Fun Times Party Supplies: Whether it's a birthday bash for your kid or a human sacrifice for your dark mistress, Fun Times can supply all your party needs.

Greenfields Cemetery: Located across the street from the high school, which you just know is going to be a real time saver on prom night.

Grace's Land: Clothing store owned and operated by Graham's Aunt Grace.

Hangman's Creek: One of Sam's favorite camping spots. A nice, quiet place. Maybe because the ghosts keep most other people away.

Harris's Hardware: Hardware store around the corner form the Scared Grounds. Favored by Sam and her father.

High Acre Cemetery: With a spectacular view overlooking the town, High Acre is prime real estate for the upwardly mobile vampire.

Kessler's Auto Body Shop: Solomon's best auto repair shop, not that we're biased or anything. Owned by Sam's dad. Off Rte. 7 in the bad part of town (as much as Solomon has a bad part).

Kevin's House: Home of Kevin, oddly enough.

The Kit 'N Cauldron: Solomon's only source for those hard to find spell components. The selection is excellent, although the security leaves a little to be desired.

Lake Pidawick: Near Fishkill New York. Site of Joshua's family's island cabin, probably along with an ancient Indian burial ground, mafia mass grave, or something equally senic.

Laurie's Flower Emporium: Does good business, particularly in funeral arrangements.

LazerLand: A favored hangout of Drew's, especially Monday nights when $20 lets you play all night. Now hiring.

Little Shop of Heroes: Comic shop where Drew gets most of his reading material and Erik gets rather less of his. It doubles as Solomon's only gaming store.

Luigi's: Solomon's finest Italian restaurant. If there was another, it would be Solomon's second finest Italian restaurant. Despite that, the lasagna is surprisingly not that bad.

Martense College: The liberal arts school that put Solomon on the map. It has an enrollment of 2,500 students and is one of the town's largest employers. It's located on the Housatonic, just north of Old Town.

McClaren: The local prison.

Old Salem Brew Pub: Trendy European-style pub. Closed down for selling Evil beer to minors.

The Orchards: Once Solomon's finest hotel. And it will be again, as soon as they get the medusa guts out of the second floor carpet.

O'Toole's Bar: Where Sam Sr. goes to drink. A lot.

Paradise Theater: Recently renovated old theater in Old Town. The renovations have proved to be less complete than originally thought.

Piercing Pagoda: If you're always wanted to have minimum wage employees punch holes in your body in a foux Chinese temple in a shopping mall, this is your kind of place.

Praestor Rock: A scenic overlook below High Acre cemetery where Sam likes to hang out.

The Quarterback Club: Diner known for big, sloppy burgers, shakes that you eat with a spoon, and pictures of the high school football team from back when they were all still alive.

Rose Hill Memorial Garden: The cemetery for the New Age set. What it lacks in mausoleums (just one) it makes up for in shruberies and fake flowers.

The Sacred Grounds: Coffee shop, bookstore, and Watcher front company located in the Old Town. A quiet place where Drew likes to hang out with Erik and meet girls (minus the whole meeting girls thing). We even have floor plans for the first and second floors (or the ground and first floors, if you're English).

St. Germain's Academy: A snooty co-ed prep school. Despite the presence of snooty co-eds on the cast, none of them actually attend St. Germain's.

Solomon Auction House: Where all Solomon's rich and famous go to buy bad art and evil artifacts.

Solomon Heights: Solomon's most popular tourist hike, for those who have the stamina to make the climb, features a breathtaking overlook of the town as well as archaeological ruins dating back to Revolutionary War and earlier. Nobody does the hike at night, however.

Solomon High School: Home of the Seals.

Solomon Savings & Loan: Bank where Drew's mother works.

Undergraduate Library: Martense college's undergrad library provides one-stop shopping for introductory college textbooks and tomes of forbidden lore.

U.S. Highway 7: The main highway through Solomon, running south to Danbury, Connecticut and north to Burlington, Vermont.

The Wisdom: Boarding house on the edge of town. Despite Preuter raising the average, really very few of its residents end up disemboweled.

Xavier's Funeral Home: Solomon's most successful funeral home. Being owned by the coroner and doubling as the city morgue is no doubt a help there.