Days 19-21 May 28-30: Salem (Part 1)

Our destination after Plymouth is Salem. It is northeast of Boston, so we have to go through Bean Town to get there. The traffic through Boston is awful, even though it is the weekend. The Salem Inn is in the repurposed Captain Nathaniel West House in the heart of historic Salem. We arrive in the late afternoon, happy to have made only 2 wrong turns. We find the driveway, unload our bags, check in, then park the X3 at a companion property a couple of blocks away.

Since it is Saturday, May 28, Wayne asks where the closest Sports Bar is and is directed to Rockafella's, about 3 blocks away. He is only 5 minutes late to the start of the match and proceeds to enjoy (?) the Champion's League Final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. Not sure that enjoy is the right word, but certainly applies to the Guinness. To the match, not so much.

Rejoining Amy at the Inn, we rest, then prepare for dinner. The Ledger Restaurant, two doors down from Rockafella's, is our choice. Wayne has the Fade to Black (Bourbon & other spirits), Amy has an Aperol Spritz. We share the Popovers (deliciously light) and a Half Chicken. A very tasty meal.

Having just watched Liverpool, Wayne notices the Griffon (the Liverpool Mascot) in the name plate on the outside of the restaurant. He asks our server what the connection is; why the Griffon?

Ledger Restaurant Griffin Logo

She explains that this building/space used to be a bank. The restaurant's name, Ledger, is a tie-in to that lineage. The server further explains that much of the decor, such as the ornamentation on the ceiling beams, includes pictures of griffins and the new owners like the look. It makes a lot of sense when you add in that Griffons represent strength and intelligence, a perfect symbol for a bank. Having enjoyed both the food and the ambiance, we have a very nice 5 block walk back to the Inn.

The next day we explore Salem. The Salem Inn is a very centrally located place to stay. The Witch House is just down the street. Salem Common is 10 or so blocks away and throughout our stay, we see many walking tour groups very close by the Inn while we are wandering around. This morning, after a nice breakfast in the Inn's Dining Room, we head east. We pass many shops and are amazed at the wide variety of magic infused merchandise available. There's a statue of Samantha from the TV Show "Bewitched".

"Bewitched"

And yes, Harry Potter is now similarly incorporated into the "witch" vibe. You can get Harry Potter merch in most of the stores. There's even a Wand Store: Wynotts Wands, but they are very careful to tell you they are not affiliated with Warner Brothers, JK Rowling, EA Games, etc.

We continue on to Salem Common, a large public space that has been in use for hundreds of years.

We exit the Common in the Southeast corner and walk around a bit more before ending at the Peabody Essex Museum. As the result of trade with East Asia, Salem became the richest (per capita) city in the new United States at the end of the 18th century continuing into the 19th. This Museum is a byproduct of that wealth. It contains a wealth of art and artifacts from America, China, Japan.

We enter the museum and enjoy many exhibits of both American and Asian artists and artisans. There is so much to see here that we heartily recommend at least one visit.

The Museum even contains the large, rural, 250 year-old Yin Yu Tang house. Acquired by the Museum in 1996 as part of a local cultural heritage exchange project, it was removed from its location 250 miles from Shanghai and reconstructed here in Salem. It now displays how its residents lived in the 1970's.

After a lunch of caprese sandwiches and a bowl of chowder, we exit the PEM and walk a half mile to The House of Seven Gables.

House of Seven Gables

Hawthorne once stayed in this house and was inspired to create the tale he wrote in his book. The house is an interesting building to appreciate the changes over time (250 years) that occurred in how people lived in Salem. After "The House of Seven Gables" was published, a new owner bought the building and was only interested in profiting from the popularity of the novel by collecting money from tourists . Even though Hawthorne's fictional house was quite different from the real thing, she marketed the house as the exact template for the novel. She even went so far as to decomission a working fireplace to install the secret passageway that figures prominently in the story. The Tour was quite lively and the artifacts inside the house were as interesting as the house itself.

After a good amount of walking, we return to the Salem Inn to rest up for dinner. The place is the Adriatic Restaurant, a couple of doors south of Ledger from the previous night. Amy has an Aperol Spritz and Wayne has a John 75 (like a French 75). We decide to go full small plates and share the Grilled Meatballs, the Lollipop Lamb and the Scallops. Another delicious meal.

The next day is Memorial Day. We decide the weather is nice enough to visit Rockport, northeast of Salem. After another nice breakfast at the Inn, we walk to the Curwen House and reclaim our X3. We drive the Essex Scenic Byway. The seashore is beautiful and the drive very relaxing as we pass through Manchester-by-the-Sea as well as other coastal towns. When we get closer to Rockport, however, the traffic slows to a halt. This is Memorial Day and the locals are stopping all cars driving this way. They are checking for Beach Parking Permits and turning away anyone who doesn't have one and doesn't live nearby. After a few minutes of waiting, we finally inch forward enough to turn left and reroute to a different way into Rockport, which is well north of the Beaches.

We park in the middle of Rockport and our first order of business is Ray Moore's Fish Shack. Amy has the Haddock Basket, Wayne the Shrimp Basket. Plenty of food, and very tasty. During lunch, we can see into the harbor where a Memorial Day Celebration is occurring, complete with speeches and a High School Band.

After lunch, we walk to Bearskin Neck and do some shopping. We drive back to the Inn having thoroughly enjoyed our brief visit to this charming town. After a brief rest at the Inn, we take the self-guided walking tour of the McIntire Historic District, just across the street. Just about every building in this neighborhood is at least 150 years old and has a label stating when it was built and who built it.

For dinner, we venture to Finz. Amy orders the Blackberry Lime Rickey, Wayne the "Sunset Painkiller". This being a sushi/sashimi place, we order "The Fame", a spread of 32 varied sushi and sashimi bites. Excellent! We wander back to the Inn for a wonderful night's sleep.

My apologies for the lack of pictures. Somehow I set my iPhone camera to record videos, so all the "pictures" I around these places are too unwieldy for this blog.