Massachusetts

We drive into Massachusetts and the first real rain storm during daytime hours has set in. I’ve always wanted to see Salem, and with it being October 1, we definitely had to go. The first stop was to get some coffee at the Front Street Cafe. The cappuccino was decent, but the customer service of the manager was not. The rest of the employees seemed very friendly, but the manager acted overwhelmed and rude. It all started to go downhill when we ask for Dad’s coffee to go in his travel mug. The manager said, fine but he can’t have refills. I said okay whatever, just charge me for a cup of coffee. This is the first cafe I’ve ever had issue for bringing my own cup.

The morning crowd was filled with college kids and nannies, so there were lots of adorable kids running around. The crowd was friendly and warm. Even though they had no wifi, I decided to pull out my laptop and do some writing. Dad sat there people watching and playing with a few of the kids, including one that he got to sing Old McDonald with. It was way too cute.

But then suddenly a group of suits showed up and the manager got all huffy again. My dad was about to go up and by another cup of coffee, but before we could the manager came and asked me to move my laptop to another chair and to get off the internet. They needed to serve lunch. Fine, but I wasn’t using wifi, Dad and I both were sharing the table, and we had bought coffee and pastries. This poor manager just had an attitude. Unfortunately, it also means that the worst coffee shop experience I’ve had so far on this journey was at Front Street Cafe.

So we headed back to the car in hopes that the rain would lighten up before we wander around more, but there was no such luck. So we finally headed out and went to CVS to buy panchos. The rain kept coming down, as we wandered past the Essex Museum and finally over to the Salem Witch Trial Memorial. I do think the rain brought out the beauty of the memorial and the cemetery next door. Unfortunately, the panchos were barely keeping Dad and I dry so we just headed back to the car.

  

We had planned on going into Boston that day, but with no signs of the rain letting up it wasn’t looking that great. Luckily, Ellen and Sandy reached out and invited Dad and I over for tea. They do leave west of Boston, but with the rain we didn’t care about taking a drive. So we went and enjoyed tea, whoopee pies, and great conversation on a lake with the best name ever. Sandy can say the name of the lake perfectly. I tried and destroyed it 🙂

 

Then we headed off for a KOA just south of Boston, so we get cleaned up and do some laundry. Luckily, we found this great old diner in Middleboro for dinner. Dad did not think I could find a decent place to eat in this area, so Dave’s Diner was a treat.

Finally, the next morning the rain had broken. The clouds were still heavy and the air cool, but we could walk around without getting wet. So we headed into Boston to do some exploring. When I visited Boston in 2005, I took a walking history tour of Boston, which then started my addiction to walking history tours. I took Dad on a tour put on by the Freedom Walk Foundation, which was lead by a 18th century inn keeper Mary Clapham.  We saw all the historical sites and learned about revolutionary Boston. Tour was entertaining and educational, and Dad definitely enjoyed the experience. I loved doing the tour again as well!

    

After the tour, we headed to the Northend to grab some lunch and explore. Lunch was decent but not memorable, so I’ll skip the description. But for desert we headed over to the famous Mike’s Pastry for a cannoli. I have been to Mike’s before and I’m not a huge fan of cannoli’s, but we grabbed a chocolate chip one for Dad. We wandered over to Paul Revere Square and Dad enjoyed his treat!

 

Then we headed up to the Old North Church, where the lanterns were hung to warn how the British would come. It is a beautiful church, without ornamentation or pews. Families, would by boxes in the church, and Paul Revere’s family still owns one of the boxes.

 

After wandering around Boston, I wanted to rest for a bit so we headed to the Thinking Cup Cafe. This was the first cafe I’d been that made beautiful latte art. It was a great place to take a quick break.

 

There was one last treat I wanted to enjoy before leaving Boston – chowdah! So we headed back to Quincey Market and went to Boston Chowder Company. Quincy Market is a touristy food market, so I was surprised that a well-rated chowder company would be there. But the New England Clam Chowder was fantastic and so was the lobster bisque. So don’t judge a market by it’s cover!

After rush hour had run it’s course, we slipped out of Boston and headed south so we could explore Cape Cod in the morning. We only made as far as the Nirvana Cafe on Cape Cod. The roads are tree-lined beauties. However, the people hanging out at the Cafe were all trying too hard to be important. So I definitely did not feel like I fit in. So rather than stick around to explore, we decided to head straight to NYC so we would have the weekend to explore!