Massachusetts - 2003
Updated: 11/30/08
Boston, MA and surrounding area
Gloucester, MA and surrounding area
House of Seven Gables Historic Site (Salem, MA)
Salem Witch Museum (Salem, MA)
Whale Watching (Gloucester, MA)
After we set up in our campground in the Cape Anne area, there was very little daylight left. Wingaersheek Beach was a few miles down the road from the campground. We had time to visit it before dark.
Boston, MA and surrounding area
Our bus tour of Boston started at 8:00am. It was the worst weather day we had the whole trip - an all day rain. The bus driver took us to areas we could view from the bus because we were unable/unwilling to walk around in the rain. We decide two things while on the bus ... first, we would not want to drive in Boston ... and ... second, it is tough making photographs from a moving bus on a rainy day.
Harvard University does not have a campus - it has a yard. It has a fence around it like other yards. We walked across Harvard Yard in a misty rain.
And,
what visit to Boston would be complete without a drive by Cheers.
This ship is docked at the location of the Boston Tea Party.
Another historic ship in Boston is the U.S.S. Constitution - a
54 gun frigate. Nicknamed 'Old Ironsides' in the war of 1812.
Our group was dropped off
at the Quincy Marketplace for lunch and shopping. This was the largest food court
we'd ever seen, providing many choices. We decided to eat lunch in a small
quiet inn across the street.
Two interesting things about Boston ...
Narrow
streets are common in Boston and many New England towns.
Half windows
were placed in homes to convince the tax collectors that it was a two and a
half story house not a three story house to reduce the owner's tax bill.
The
mother church for the First Church of Christ, Scientist is located in the Christian Science Plaza
in Boston.
The bus driver though this would be an interesting place on a rainy day. It was.
The new church and the old church are seen here. The two are connected, our tour guide took us from the new into the old. Both are impressive.
The new and old sanctuaries ...
The old
church has many magnificent stained glass windows depicting
biblical events.
The Christian Science Plaza contains many buildings
including a Mapparium. The Mapparium is a three story glass globe of the world.
You stand inside during a sound and light show.
The Christian Science Monitor is published here.
Because of the wet weather our visit to Minute Man National Historical Park was inside the bus except for our walk to the visitor center. We drove by most of the historic sites in both Lexington and Concord. In Lexington we saw a statue of Captain John Parker, the first man killed in the Revolutionary War. Nearby was the visitor center for the area.
Gloucester, MA and surrounding area
The city of Gloucester has a Fishermen's Memorial dedicated to the more than 10,000 Gloucester fishermen lost at sea. A new memorial to their families was dedicated in 2003.
Behind
a restaurant in Gloucester where we had lunch was a working pier. The entire New
England area is a magnet for boats of all shapes and sizes.
Instead
of a traffic control light or one road passing over or under another as we are accustomed to, this area
used a 'rotary' method. You drive around the 'rotary' until you get to the road
you want and hope you can turn into it the first time.
Another
interesting sight was a commuter train track ending behind a Dunkin Donut shop
in Rockport.
It parked there until morning and headed back to Boston.
At Halibut Point State Park, the quarry and ocean view was beautiful. We happen to meet a local resident jogging in the park who's grandfather had worked in the quarry. She was interesting to talk to - then she was off to meet someone for dinner.
House of Seven Gables Historic Site (Salem, MA)
The
collection of First Period buildings include the oldest surviving mansion
(1668) in New England - the Turner-Ingersoll mansion. It was the inspiration for
Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The House Of Seven Gables.
As
a side note, across the street is America's oldest operating candy company
established in 1806. We did not buy any candy. We did see the antique machines
they used to make hard candy and ribbon candy.
Castle Rock was our first stop in Marble Head.
The view from Castle Rock were spectacular.
Abbott Hall had a very nice display of naval items and a terrific collection of historical paintings. Residents claim Marblehead is the birthplace of the US Navy - so do the residents of Beverly, MA. The display includes the original "Spirit of '76" painted in 1876 by A.M. Williard.
Salem Witch Museum (Salem, MA)
The Salem Witch Museum was an interesting place. Their presentation is based on trial documents from the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. It is a series of 13 scenes with related narrative.
Whale Watching (Gloucester, MA)
On our whale watching cruse the naturalist was able to give us a lot of information regarding whales and ecology. We were fortunate to encounter two humpback whales.
The first one spotted was feeding. We were able to catch
glimpses of him as he surfaced. It
is incredibly exciting to spot the 'blow' from a surfacing whale.
The second 'performed' for us. His breeching lasted over twenty minutes - long enough to draw three whale watching boats to the area, including ours.
Then he swam by and waved to us.
On our return trip to Gloucester the captain sighted a Fin Whale. We followed it for a short time. Then, the day was over.
Our captain and naturalist said this trip was exactly what you want to experience on a whale watching adventure. We agree.