Massachusetts

September 2021

I chose the word "falling" for a few reasons. A) It's Fall, obviously. B) We did so much traveling in just a weeks time that at time it literally felt like we were falling, gravity continuing to push us to our next point of interest. C) You know how people use the phrasing falling in love, well I think thats very true. I fell in love with New England.

30 states by 30. That was the goal I set for myself for my 30th birthday. Up until this trip I had been to 27 states in the US, I figured knocking out the farthest north of the east coast would be a realistic goal.... and it was! More on that in Part 2!

We set off a late and somewhat rainy Thursday afternoon, to avoid some of that dreaded NYC traffic. (It worked) We made it to a La Quinta in New Haven, CT with really low ceilings, not quite Being John Malcovich low, but getting there. The 2nd day of the trip was going to be a full one!

But first, coffee.

After coffee and driving around Yale we were off! First stop was the Cape... Cod that is. We made it there around lunch, with a few stops, thanks to Roadside America, along the way. Who doesn't want to see the grave of Lizzie Borden or a big rock blocking an intersection?! Oh and Mystic Pizza in Mystic, Connecticut was a must!

I have never seen a horseshoe crab in the wild, but this beach was littered with them! They were all dead and washed up and the lunch for some very hungry sea birds. It was a different type of beach than I'm used to. No miles of imperfect, white sand and about 1,000 tourist/square mile! Rather a few locals lounging about with mounds of sea weed and ocean debris. That plus the rocky jetty made a cool photo op!

Mmmmm... then it was lunch time at The Skipper restaurant... and yes, the Clam Chowder was damn good.

Back in the car we went, belly's satiated with the next stop stepped in history. Plymouth Rock!

If you've never stopped in Plymouth, you should! It was a really cool town with an apparently strong artistic vibe. Quite beautiful and thus began my love for small coastal towns. The rock, on the other hand, was a little disappointing. I think I had hoped it would be in the middle of nowhere that only a hike would take you too, but like the rest of the older regions of our country everything has built up right alongside history. The Founding Fathers monument made a really wonderful photography subject and getting there gave me that hike to history I was apparently craving.

You may be wondering who I am traveling with, so let me introduce you to my sister-from-another-mister/roommate Sarah! We became friends about 5 years ago while working together at Starbucks #tobeapartner. She practically demanded that we be "outside of work" friends so I invited her to go to a movie that I had wanted to go see, Manchester by the Sea. Little did we know, that crying together in a movie theater was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and lots of road trips--- including this one that let us actually visit Manchester By The Sea, Massachusetts!

Just a little town on the coast with quaint coffee shops, wonderful people, and boats. We even stumbled upon a war memorial dedication the morning we were there and why not stop by and try to blend in as a local?!

We went from being locals to tourists with stops in Salem, (Hocus Pocus filming locations, and the Salem Witch Museum is just as creepy as I remember from when I was 15 😧👹), Boston (Good Will Hunting bench, Mike's Pastries 😋, learning about the Molasses Flood, ALL the cemeteries, and the Freedom trail of course), Gloucester (7 Seas Whale Watch is the only and best whale watch you need) before continuing the trip north-bound to my unchecked states.

Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.... here we come!! Check out the un-edited sneak peak from our drive along the Kancamagus Highway through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 😍