Hey, why didn't anybody ever tell me Newburyport is cool?
By adamg - 7/19/09 - 7:33 pm
Yeah, yeah, what I don't know about Massachusetts could fill several books. In any case, we spent some time in Newburyport today, for the first time ever. It's sort of like what you'd get if you smushed Rockport and Portland, Maine together. Most cool - and there was a guy playing a harp down by the water.
And then we drove up to Seabrook simply so we could say we'd been in two states today (we much enjoyed the sign on the side of the fireworks store reminding customers not to set off purchases within 300 feet of the store).
Comments
If you liked Newburyport ....
you would also like nearby Portsmouth, NH. (I can't believe this is really your first trip there!)
You're right about Portsmouth
Been there a couple times (once on the way to Maine with family from New York who wanted to go to Maine just to say they'd been to Maine, hmm, this urge to step 5 feet into another state must be genetic - I've managed to pass it down to the kidlet).
But, yeah, there's this giant gaping void on my personal map of Massachusetts between Rockport and the New Hampshire line :-).
Personally I like the sign
Personally I like the sign that says "Beer, Cigarettes, Fireworks"
Ahhh, to be an American! :)
Shhhhhhh... don't say another word
We Porters and former Porters keep our mouths ZIPPED about our beloved town. We don't need any more tourists or millionaires buying up beachfront property. Please!
I lived there for 9 years. I hope to retire there next summer. It's about the best place on earth to live and raise kids. Schools aren't great, real estate is high, but if you're into raising free range kids...it can't be beat. So ZIP IT.
We took in the glories of Framingham
Panza Shoes, Garden in the Woods and Sichuan Gourmet (one of my favorite Chinese restaurants of the Boston metropolitan area).
We were supposed to take a tour of the Lighthouse on Little Breswter, but this boat trip got canceled due to "boat maintenance".
Newburyport (and Plum Island) are great .
Panza Shoes!
I bet 200 years from now, that place will still be open.
Panza Shoes
I had to buy some shoes that could be found only there and at some place in Brookline. Since Framingham had Sichuan Gourmet and Brookline disn't, the choice was easy.
Panza's is just like the kind of place I got shoes at when I was little. ;~}
I haven't been to Panza, but
I haven't been to Panza, but another place evocative of the old time shoe store experience (right down to foot measurement and lollipops) is Michelson's in Needham Center. Great place, great staff.
Glories of Framingham
One of them is the Garden in the Woods -- which i have yet to visit. Did you go there?
Although....
... I mistyped Garden in the Wood above, we did indeed go to Garden in the WoodS. ;~}
Very nice, there were still some (late?) rhododendrons and azaleas blooming (among other things). Unfortunately part of it is closed indefinitely (the part along Hop Brook) due to severe damage (erosion from flooding) caused during a storm earlier this month.
whoops
somehow I skipped right by where you said that. Need more caffeine, or maybe less.
you were in my neighborhood...
and i was kind of in yours, doing the shakespeare thing down close to and in the city.
we love NBPT. we go to church there, and there are dead bodies in the basement and you can go up in the steeple and take a tour. if you're interested in seeing a wonderful and amazing view and learning some revolutionary war history let me know... the pastor loves touring and showing off the town from above.
Bike to Train
One of my favorite free-day day trips:
Take the train to Newburyport with my bike
Bike into town - walk around, get lunch or stuff to eat on the beach
Bike over to Plum Island and bike around (or rent a kayak if that's convenient)
Bike down to Ipswich with a stop at a clam shack or ice cream place
Find a commuter rail station and head back to Boston
worth the trip
oh yeah! couple of great little bookshops around there, too
well
I've been to Newburyport a few times. I have a hard time getting past the tacky gift shops and the elderly, but there are a few gems hidden away (book store and a cafe that I like). Portsmouth is a little better; they have a great record store and some decent cafes. But we've traded the elderly for the standard issue North Face crowd. It's ok though. But I do love Portland, followed closely by Northampton, Ma, which is well worth the drive.