Post-bombings, Gov. Patrick retreats to The Berkshires

RICHMOND – It’s nice to know that politicians, even those who hold the highest offices in government, are, in many ways, just like the rest of us. They get stressed out and sometimes come home to relax.

They also enjoy going out to a dinner in a good restaurant and having a little wine, all of which can help to de-stress.

That was definitely the case in April with the man holding the state’s highest office, Gov. Deval Patrick.

Last month, when two brothers, the late Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, set off bombs during the Boston Marathon, Massachusetts was in a state of alarm.

The aftermath of the horrendous scene included the shooting death of the older brother, a mad search, subsequent finding of the younger brother under a tarp-covered boat in Watertown and his arrest.

Much of the entire state’s population, as well as people throughout the country and around the world, had eyes glued on television and computer screens as events in Boston unfolded.

Gov. Patrick, of course, was at the helm and in the eye of the storm, talking with dozens of officials from numerous agencies, keeping President Barack Obama informed of goings on, re-assuring the people of Massachusetts everything possible was being done to restore order and dealing with the families who lost loved ones in the bombings.

It was a stressful couple of days for everyone, but especially for the governor.

When all was said and done, he came back to The Berkshires to de-stress.  He could have stayed in Boston, but he chose to go to his home in Richmond.

“He goes to The Berkshires to relax. Whenever his schedule allows, he goes to his home,” Bonnie McGilpin, the governor’s deputy press secretary, told The Beacon.

In an article that appeared in the Boston Herald online, it was noted that on  Sat., April 20, the governor left Boston and came to The Berkshires. He told a group of people in Cambridge that he went for a quick swim and then headed out alone to Rouge, a restaurant in West Stockbridge, the article stated.

William and Maggie Merelle own Rouge. The restaurant’s website notes that it serves French cuisine and offers “an ambiance of romance and passion.”

In the online article, it was noted the governor had dinner and “things to drink” at Rouge. He was quoted as saying, “And by the end of the meal, I was actually quite drunk, by myself.”

The restaurant’s co-owner is also quoted. She said she did not sense the governor was intoxicated. She also stated in the article that he had “a glass of chardonnay or two” along with his “duck confit, French fries, soup and salad.”

The Boston Herald article also stated the governor realized after dinner that  he had no money with him and paid his bill at the restaurant the following day.

Ms. McGilpin, the deputy press secretary, said the governor had been talking with a “young audience” at a Cambridge marketing firm and was “having fun” with his audience when he referred to eating and drinking at Rouge.

When he finished dinner that night at Rouge, his security “detail,” a state trooper who does all of the governor’s driving, drove him home to Richmond from West Stockbridge, the deputy press secretary said.

She indicated the governor and his press representatives are ready to move on.

They do not wish to discuss more details of the governor’s dinner in The Berkshires on April 20.

Reached by The Beacon at her West Stockbridge home on Friday morning, Maggie Merelle, co-owner of Rouge, declined to talk about the governor’s visit to the restaurant.

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on June 13, 2013. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry