Modern Day Thoreau » Weekend Desitinations

New England Day Trip: Portsmouth, NH

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:59:01 +0000

Portsmouth, NH lies only about 1:15 minutes from downtown Boston, and provides a nice day retreat from the busy city life, to a relaxing and friendly north country coastal town. Portsmouth is a small and quaint town/city that has an overwhelming amount of excellent restaurants and bars that makes it very hard to choose which place. Luckily its close enough that you can come back frequently.

When you walk around the streets of Portsmouth, you get the feeling of a very relaxed and friendly community with a rich and diverse artistic side. The downtown area is kept very clean and the shops are all very unique. With the exception of a Banana Republic and and a few others, you won’t find any retail or restaurant chains in these parts. The city strives to maintain a unique and eclectic group of stores whose contents can only be found on Market Street and the surround streets in the downtown area. There is a pleasant mix of both shops and restaurants among the storefronts providing ample choice for whatever cuisine or item you might be in the mood for.

My first stop on this occasion (i’ve been there quite a few) was to the local coffee shop/ hangout spot, the Daily Grind. With an ever flowing line of customers you can be quite sure you are getting the best cup of joe or fresh brewed tea in the area. They also have a wide selection of delicious and fresh-baked pastry items for you enjoy on the go. The Daily Grind is located in the center of the downtown area.

After walking around a bit and exlporing the shops it was time for a light lunch. For this I choose to get a sandwich at The Works Bakery Cafe, where they have freshly made bread and sandwiches, and a very friendly staff. Most of all very reasonable prices. After some more exploring and shopping, we decided to head to Dover, where we were meeting some friends for drinks at Brick House and dinner at Thai Cuisine Restaurant.

The Brick House is a neat bar with comfy couches, great beer selection, and pool tables. There are two floors and it seemed they always have live music of some kind or another, even bands on the national platform occasionaly. Thai Cuisine Restaurant, on the other hand, was very nice and moderately authentic feeling, but the overall, the experience was just ok. The food was good, don’t get me wrong, just lacked a little something to give it the “Great” tag.

All in all, I love day trips to Portsmouth, as there is such an array of restaurants and shopping that every visit can be different. Let m e know what your favorite restaurants are in the greater Portsmouth area.

Perfect Fall Weekend in New England

admin — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:02:08 +0000

The Fall in New England is b y far one of the most special and beautiful places to be. The leaves changing colors, the crisp morning air, and of course the build up to Halloween. This weekend, the 9th and 10th of October, was a particularly beautiful time that embodied these very characteristics. Since the weather was going to be perfect for enjoying the outdoors and all it offers, I planned a day hike on Saturday with some friends at the Wompatuck State Park, on the south shore of Boston followed by a cookout back at the house. On sunday, Erin and I went to the Newburyport Fall Festival, in Newburyport, MA about 50 minutes north of the city.

Wompatuck State Park

The hike at Wompatuck was a perfect start to the weekend. We got there around 3pm, when the lighting in the Fall is perfect and went for about 3.5 miles and about 2 hours. We discovered and old abandoned “factory” that we later found out was part of the munitions depot used in WWII in the Battle of the Atlantic. The park is very large, so we were alone in the wilderness for the entire trip, which is always nice when your with friends. Wompatuck is located off of route 3A about 30 minutes south of Boston and has over 260 campsites, 12miles of paved bike trails and many more miles of hiking trails. You can see our track below:

Newburyport Fall Festival

On Sunday Erin and I went to the Newburyport Fall Festival for so good old family fun. Newburyport, if you don’t already know, is located about 50 minutes north of Boston on 95. Its a small coastal town there boasts a very eclectic and artsy crowd. There are plenty of restaurants in all different types of food, that you will surely find something delicious. The center square of downtown is always lively any time of year, but during the festival there are tons of vendors selling everything from food, to jewelry, to artwork. After walking around for a few hours and shopping all the vendors and shops, we stopped by Loretta. They have delicious sunday brunch/lunch in a small intimate atmosphere. They had the door open giving a nice fall breeze through the place. After strolling along the Merrimack river for a little while after eating, we decided to hit the road and head back to Boston.

Conclusion

I must admit, I don’t know if I’ve had a more perfect New England fall weekend before, as the weather was perfect, and all our activities worked out as we planned (as well as getting a great amount of exercise walking and hiking). You can check out more photos on my Photo Gallery page as well as my Flickr page.

Feel free to comment on YOUR favorite Fall activities!

World’s End Trail – Hingham, MA

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:27:51 +0000

So after a rather long summer hiatus from hiking of any kind, due to various life events, Erin and I decided to go for a like 4 mile hike during the beautiful Labor Day weekend here in New England. The temperatures have been a farcry from what they were a few days ago, so it was perfect weather for nice day hike.

World’s End Trail is part of the Trustees of Reservations trail system, so if you are a member it is free and if not its only $5, certainly not much to preserve such a beautiful piece of land on the South Shore of Boston. The trail is located on the border of Hingham and Nantasket about 25miles south of Boston. If your coming from the north just take 93 south to exit 12 and follow the signs for Quincy Center and then take a left turn on route 3A and that will bring you too the reservation.

In terms of equipment and things to bring, you don’t really need much else other than water and a camera for this hike as the whole loop is only 4.5miles and is easily done in under 1.5 hours. The trails are well groomed and allow bikers and hikers/walkers alike. If you prefer to spend a little more time, there are an abundance of areas why you could have a picnic at, many of which are off the main trail for a little privacy. Perfect for a bottle of whine, a french baguette, and some brie (just remember the wine opener of that could be a mood killer).

There are several variations to the trail that you could do, all of which are different lengths for your hiking tastes. Be sure to stop along the way and take pictures as the views of Nantasket, Hingham, Weymouth and of course Boston are amazing. Below is the GPS track for our trip and some pictures below that. Feel free to comment any other tips for this gem on the south shore. Also here is a link to the Trail Map.

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Rockland, Maine for Couples

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:36:31 +0000

Rockland ocean front

As the winter months approach in New England, I find myself desiring less day hikes and more multi day trips. New Enland in the fall and winter is one of the most beautiful places I know, and as such, I feel compelled to travel to all over it to take in as much as I can. This last weekend was my 25th birthday (or as my mother so nicely points out that I’m halfway to fifty) and I decided to take a 2day/1night trip to the beautiful coastal town of Rockland Maine. Rockland is an old fishing town whose roots are planted as deep as the great forests that surround it, and whose citizenry is kind and welcoming to visitor and local alike.

Background:

Rockland Maine is a coastal fishing town about halfway up the Maine coastline, about 1.5 hours from Portland. For most of its history Rockland was a fishing town, but in the early 1990s the town saw a shift to a more service related economy and with the help of famous arists like Andrew Wyeth and Leo Connellan, Rockland became a popular tourist destination for the mid-Maine coast. One of the most popular artistic destinations is the famed Farnsworth Art Museum which was commissioned in the will of Lucy Farnsworth. The downtown area of Rockland has transformed from a fish processing center of the Maine coast into an assortment of unique shops, boutiques, fine dining and art galleries. Rockland is now the commercial center of the midcoast Maine region, with many historic inns, a coffee roaster, a food co-op, a community radio station WRFR.

For my birthday my girlfriend reserved us a room at the Old Granite Inn in downtown Rockland. The Old Granite Inn is a classic Maine B&B with a modern and unique twist. The building is an old Elks Lodge that was renovated into a B&B by owners Ed and Joan. The inn is right at the far end of main street and provides unobstructed views of the harbor, pier and ocean beyond. Upon entering we were greeted by the owners’ dog Zack, a friendly English Springer Spaniel whose laid back personality fits his owners. The rooms here all have a bit of a modern zest that provides the feel of a luxory condo in the city, but the friendly and open atmostphere of the midcoast Maine region.

After checking in to the B&B, Erin and I ventured out into the heart of Rockland to explore what the town had to offer. The main street in town, aptly named Main Street, is riddled with cute boutiques and quaint art gallories. Each one seems more unique than the previous, and each one offers new treasures to uncover. Main Street also has its fair share of restaurants for

Old Granite Inn

your dining delight, and all have an excellent array of fresh seafood choices. But more on this later.

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the 7/8 mile long rock pier in the harbor of Rockland that leads to a lighthouse at the end. The pier (pictured below) is a little outside of town, but juts into the harbor very noticbly from anywhere in town. Its main purpose is as a breakwater for the boats in the harbor and also a lighthouse for incoming fisherman. The lighthouse is open in the summer months, but when we were there it had already closed for the seaon. Still there is something interesting about exploring abandoned buildings, even if seasonal. From the deck of the lighthouse you are privy to extravagant views of the Maine coastline that might stretch as far as Bar Harbor on a clear day. While the pier is very safe under most conditions, several locals told us that if the moon is right, and its been raining a lot they’ve been able to kayak across the pier covered in water. But there is no worry of a flash flood overtaking it, so tread confidently. The area around the pier is also a playground/sunbath for the local seal population, and even though it was mostly cloudy, we caught one lying on a rock a hundred meters or so away.

Back in town, it was getting close to dinner time, but we didn’t want to use our one meal on only one restaurant, so we decided to try a couple and break up the meal. For pre-dinner drinks and appetizers we went to In Good Company, an old bank that had been converted into a 8 table dining experience. The ceilings are high, the kitchen is inthe open (with only the head cook/owner making all the meals) and the wine cellar is the old vault. The food is a mixture between a french bistro and European cafe. The lighting is dim and romanitic, but still appropriate for a first date, and the menu is superb. The food constantly changes, so there isn’t a worry about having tried the whole menu and the wine selection. We ordered the proscuitto and provolone stuffed green peppers and the french baguette and cheese platter. The former of the two went great with the South American wine we had, providing a perfect blend of spices, salts, and fruits. The latter of the two was a

The Pier Lighthouse

fresh baguette from the bakery down the street and some freshly sliced cheddar and butter. And if it doesn’t sound decadent enough, then the icing on the proverbial cakes is that the entire menu is all locally grown foods (with the exception of the wine).

After our taste explosion of a pre-dinner meal, we decided to try out the local tavern up the street that touted local beef burgers and Maine-made beer from Sebago Brewery. When we got there the place was packed, which is always a good sign if the local eat there too, and we had to wait at the bar for a few minutes for a table to open up. We ordered a couple of Sebago beers and observed the local scene in all its glory. When we finally got seated, half a beer later, the service was friendly and welcoming. I ordered the aforementioned burger and Erin ordered the fish n’chips. Both were amazingly fresh and delicious, and Erin couldn’t stop raving that hers was “the best and most fresh fish n’chips she’d ever had”. We ended the night with a few beverages at Bull Fenney’s where we got a chance to meet some interesting characters. Now mind you it was the day before Halloween, but we ended up sitting next to a couple who had just gotten married and the entire wedding party had dressed as zombies. It was one of the coolest things we’d seen in a while.

To summarize, Rockland is a great little coastal town that has some quaint and special places. Its a great place to visit for romantic weekend away or just a fun getaway with friends.