NESP Forum

I think Salem is close enough to Boston that the shops will be open. It's a fun town and I haven't been there for awhile. If we're looking for somewhere similar west of Boston, some other "seasonal" towns that could be fun would be Newport RI or Mystic CT (only 10 miles from Foxwoods for those who want some bright lights and Emerald City).

Went to Bar Harbor once, after the tourist season. Tom wanted a beer with dinner. They had ONE left. And it was some oddball brand. Lesson learned.

Newport would be wonderful, though many shops are not open. Mystic is great as well, Stacey would love it. Only 20 minutes from home!

Just got off the phone with the Salem Chamber of Commerce - - hey I'm a Past Pres it's my first thought if I want information. and the Bar Harbor thing made me curious  - - -  ironically the young man is originally from Madawaska - up the road a piece from me - so we had a really nice chat

What we talked about - - Reader's Digest version - -

Salem has a significanly larger population than Bar Harbor and is on the commuter transit run for downtown Boston so does manage to keep it's doors open and the lights on all winter.

Too bad we weren't looking at the weekend before Valentines because they are doing the 6th Annual Salem's So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival February 8 - 14, 2008

We talked about :

places like the House of Seven Gables, the maritime, pirate and wax museums, and of course the most popular museum - the Witch Museum,
pretty much the only things that shut down are the witch and ghost tours, some of the small tour sites, and some of the B&Bs

some other things to do  - trolley tours for one  [need to check for Feb but thought they run then ] - including train trips into Boston

retail shopping and restaurants.[some food specialty restaurants - one with an award winning Martini bar - and there is a microbrewery]

and ended up with info on accomodations with in house bar and restaurant

Almost everything is a comfortable walking distance from each other - even in winter [keep in mind he's from my area - lol]  

If we did Salem, I suppose I could stop and hit the outlets in Kittery or the mall in Portsmouth.  I want to shop somewhere different!!! This will most likely be one overnight for me anyway so I won't be doing much sight-seeing. Just seeing all of you!

Ooooh I haven't been to Kittery in years. Mental note for me to get there this year!

Let's hear from more CT and MA people about Wrentham vs. Salem ideas.

I used to work in Salem, and it's a cool place. It is better around
Halloween or height of summer, as more of the waterfront stuff is
open. We could find things to do this time of year though.

Wrentham's main draw besides the outlets is that Karen has wanted to host an NESP house party and she lives right near there. We could
combine the two if it works for her. I'm sure we could find an affordable
hotel too.

I love Mystic and am always up for going there. Cool stores, the
aquarium,etc.

I'm guessing that wherever we go we won't end up doing tons of
sightseeing Every NESP trip I say I'm going to check out the
surrounding area and I don't think I've ever done it I'm too
tired from staying up until 4:00 a.m.

Hell, we could keep it really simple and go to Hampton, hit the Happy
Clam and say "hi" to Kevin, and get a cheap hotel and take over the
town. Pretend Taylor is playing at the Casino

Liz,
I actually do love that thought !

and Amy could shop going in both directions  


Gee I recently renewed my Insider's Club - suppose Andrew would let us sneak in with some pre-mixed Red Snappers and your iPod for a quick trip down memory lane ??

Don't think I'll be able to make it, but I'll be sure to catch up with you guys sometime when Taylor's around this year. I can't get out much anymore, but I would love to see you guys again.

I think it is a fun idea too !! The kids are supposed to come down that week-end for Tom's birthday so I am not 100% sure it will work out for us, though.... but Hampton was a blast !