Coolidge Reservation

Sunday we visited the Coolidge Reservation in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. The reservation includes woodlands, wetlands, a beach, the famous Ocean Lawn, and rocky outcrops. It is a 66 acre reservation located on a peninsula known as Coolidge Point. It is named after the Coolidge family who acquired the property in 1871. There once stood a grand home known as the "Marble Palace" on the Ocean Lawn. That home was torn down in the 1950s. Two other family homes were built in its place over the years before the family donated the land in 1990. The Coolidge Reservation was established in 1992.

It was very easy to find. There is a parking area directly off of the road. The parking area is very small. It maybe holds 10 cars if everyone parks close together. When we arrived there were no parking spots available. We drove around a bit, but I'm not sure where else you would be able to park close by. Luckily when we circled back someone was leaving and we were able to get a spot. 

From the parking area you step right onto the trail. The trails are well worn and well maintained. It makes for a leisurely hike that just about anyone can do. The trail leads you through a wooded marshland. You pass by a small pond and over a wooden bridge. Once you reach a fork in the trail a left will bring you to Gray Beach and a right will bring you up to the famous Ocean Lawn. 

It is a short walk to Gray Beach. I'm not one for laying out on the beach and sunbathing, but I do like to feel the sand between my toes. This little beach was perfect for a quick walk and to wade out into the water. There are other ways to access the beach so there were a fair amount of people, but certainly less crowded than the main beaches. Dogs are allowed on the walking trails, but they are not allowed on the beach. 

The hike up the hill to the Ocean Lawn takes a little longer, but is still a short and fairly easy walk. As soon as you come over the top of the hill and step onto the lawn the view is breathtaking. I was immediately compelled to take a photo. I felt like I wanted to run across the lawn and get close to the ocean as quickly as I could. However, we took our time crossing the lawn. Stopping to take pictures as we got closer and closer. There were other beautiful sights along the way. There are several old, large trees. There was also plenty of beautiful flowers and wildlife. We saw a couple of rabbits and there was a large flock of Canada Geese that have made the lawn their home. We had to walk  past the geese to get to the edge of the lawn. We got hissed at a few times by cautious parents protecting their young, but made it through without being chased by any of them.  The view from the edge on the rocky cliff was spectacular. There are many gorgeous homes dotting the coastline. What a dream it would be to live in one of those! On a clear day you can also see the Boston skyline.

I could have easily spent hours up there. If I lived closer it would certainly be one of my regular hikes. It was very romantic and makes a fantastic date for nature lovers. It would also make a great solo trip if you are looking for a peaceful spot to clear your mind and relax. Just as with the beach, dogs are allowed on the trail, but not on the Ocean Lawn.


 - Meaghan

 The latter half of our trip started with one of my favorite places in the entire world to eat. Kelly's World Famous Roast Beef (Danvers location). A staple of summertime beach food, Kelly's is a must any time I am near one of their five locations especially the original restaurant at Revere Beach. I have been a loyal patron of Kelly's literally my entire life. I can vividly remember being 5 years old, sitting on the wall at Revere Beach, eating Kelly's chicken fingers and french fries. I have seen a lot of places and eaten at restaurants all over the world, but only one has kept me coming back for over 3 decades.

 Since 1951, Kelly's Roast Beef has been delighting guests daily with its freshly prepared sandwiches, succulent seafood, crisp salads, fries, onion rings and legendary roast beef. With their flagship walk-up window still operating on the shores of Revere Beach, Kelly's larger, suburban dine-in and drive-thru locations are reminiscent of their 1950s history, featuring carousel horses, colorful fish tanks, Revere Beach murals and boardwalk nostalgia. Little known fact: Kelly's Roast Beef is the Creator of the Original Roast Beef Sandwich. Before 1951, no one had ever heard of eating such a thing. 

  I had a large roast beef sandwich (with cheese), and because I can never get enough I also had a grilled cheese sandwich with fries. Meaghan opted for the cheese burger and fries. Of course you should absolutely try the roast beef at Kelly's but I will also recommend going with either the fish plate, or the chicken finger plate. Both will fill that void in your stomach that is aching for the best food New England has to offer, and all of the menu items will have you coming back for more. 

Our next stop was to yet another place that I have enjoyed since my childhood. Route 1 miniature golf and batting cages or as we used to call it "dinosaur mini golf". Meaghan challenged me to a round of mini golf, and I love a challenge.

 Family owned and operated since 1951, Route 1 Mini Golf is distinct in its classic design. It's almost like stepping into a time machine to the late 50's. With the large animal statues, and classic sign overlooking route 1 Saugus, you'll feel like a kid again (at least I do anyway). And of course you can't miss the HUGE orange dinosaur peering out towards the highway. Not only do they feature 18 holes of mini golf, but also batting cages, and an arcade. My favorite part is and has always been the last hole. If you get a hole in one, a siren goes off and you get a free game. Unfortunately for us, we didn't have very good luck or maybe skill to achieve that hole in one but we had fun none the less.

  
 Our last stop before heading home was to a place that is much more common in the south, than here in the north east. A short trip back up route 1 north brought us to Sonic. I know that a fast food restaurant doesn't seem worthy of mentioning, but there is only one location in all of New England, so we had to go try it at least once. Both of us had been to a Sonic in years prior, but have never been to this location since it was built a few years ago. I wish I could say that it was everything I hoped it would be, or at least everything I remembered it was about 10 years ago. But there's really nothing to write home about. The food wasn't that good, the wait time was long, and the menu has definitely changed quite a bit since my last visit to a location in Virginia back in 2003. It's just a southern fast food chain run by rude New England teenagers who clearly don't want to be there. The girl taking orders was rude to all of the cars around us who had questions about the menu, and or didn't understand the lingo. Other than the rude order taker, nearly 20 minute wait for the food, and lack of menu items the novelty of a drive up restaurant was still worth the experience.

So after a long day of so many little adventures it was time for us to hit the road and head back home. On this weeks trip I relived a few childhood memories, and started a few new ones as well. I couldn't have asked for a better day or a better companion to share it with.

 - Jay

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"The Travels Of Sun And Cloud" a song by Matt Pryor

This is going to be a quick post that isn't exactly travel related, however I think it is definitely worth mentioning.

 As you probably already have read in previous posts Meaghan and I are both big fans of Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids/New Amsterdams, etc), and I am an avid listener of his podcast (Nothing to Write Home About). While I was listening to said podcast a few weeks ago I heard Matt mention that he was finishing up recording a song that someone had commissioned him to write for them. This concept immediately intrigued me as Meaghan's birthday was coming up, and I wanted to get her something unforgettable. So I went onto Matt's website www.ntwha.com and clicked on the "downwrite" feature. The process was extremely easy to complete. I explained who the song was for, and give him some very specific terms/ideas on lyrics that I thought would work. All of the rest was up to him, I figure it's best to let the professionals do what they do best. I aslo asked Matt to visit this blog to get a sense of us and our passion. He was extremely generous in re-tweeting a link to the post we had done about seeing his Two for the Road Tour in Providence RI, and I figured he wouldn't mind reading back through the blog to help with this project. So I gave him all of the info, commissioned the song, and was told I would have a file sent to me within 2 weeks.

Matt Pryor, Nothing To Write Home About

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• DOWNWRITE

 What do you know, 2 weeks later I get an email from Matt via downwrite with the instructions on how to download my new song "The Travels Of Sun And Cloud". As you can imagine I immediately downloaded the file and gave it a listen. Holy Moly! Matt had outdone himself. He not only used all of my suggestions, but must have also used this blog as an influence because he nailed it. I litterally could not have been more happy with how the song turned out. Heres a section of the actual email :

Hi Jay 

Here's your custom track "The Travels Of Sun And Cloud" by Matt Pryor.

Thanks for commissioning the song. I hope you guys dig it. I kinda wrote it as the theme song for your blog.
-matt


 Now because I am like a little kid on Christmas Eve, I couldn't (and didn't want to) wait to give Meaghan her new song so she got it a few days early. I cannot speak for her but I'm assuming she loved it. At least that's what I think all of the tears, hugs, and kisses were all about.

  Basically I just wanted to thank Matt Pryor for allowing me the ability to give Meaghan the best birthday gift I could ever imagine. You are the best, all of the time, every time. And I also wanted to give my personal recommendation to anyone who is thinking about having Matt write a song for them. Do yourself a favor and do it. If you are a fan of his work, if someone you know is a fan of his, or if you are looking to purchase a one of a kind personal gift that you could never buy at any store.... this is it.

  Happy Birthday to the Sunshine in my life.

  ... the most 

 And to everyone reading this, please enjoy our new song:
"The Travels Of Sun And Cloud" by Matt Pryor

 
Jay

https://www.downwrite.com/artist/7/matt-pryor/
www.ntwha.com Follow @TravelsofSC

Gilford, NH

This past weekend our travels brought us to Gilford,NH. Gilford is nestled between the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknap Mountain range. This makes it a tourist attraction as there are plenty of summer and winter activities. The town motto is that Gilford is the "Recreation Center of New Hampshire". The purpose of our visit was for a concert on Saturday night.The Avett Brothers played a sold out show at Meadowbrook.

Gilford is just under a 3 hour drive for us so we spent the night to avoid a long drive back in the middle of the night. Booking a hotel room for the night proved to be difficult. Turns out it was Bike Week in Laconia (the next town over). That is a whole different story in and of itself. The only room left was a suite that felt like a condo at The Summit Resort (summitresortnh.com). If you are planning a week long family vacation to the area I would absolutely recommend this place, however it was a bit overkill for the two of us for only one night. Our suite included two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a living/dining room complete with fireplace and a sleeper sofa, and a balcony. The master bath had an enormous jacuzzi tub, but it would have taken more time to fill than we actually spent in the room. The decor wasn't the most modern, but it was clean and well maintained.  Your stay also comes with access to the pools (indoor and outdoor), a volleyball court, racquet ball court, playground, and grilling/picnic areas.

Meadowbrook was about a 10 minute drive from our hotel. I will admit the thought of concert traffic almost kept me from buying tickets to the show. Spending 45 minutes trying to get off an exit of a highway or spending 2 hours in the parking lot after a show is not my cup of tea. Lucky for me the parking/traffic situations were not an issue at all. There was hardly any traffic on our way in. The parking system is very organized and moved quickly. On our way out the traffic was measured in minutes not hours. 

The actual venue itself was very nice. Once inside the gates there is a large area for mingling before actually going to your seats in the Pavillion. The perimeter of this area is filled with beer and food vendors. There are picnic tables and a grassy area in the center to sit and enjoy a beverage or meal before the show. There was also a small stage on which two bands preformed before the show on the main stage. They also played an acoustic set on this stage immediately after the show. We didn't stay for that, but I suppose that would be one way to pass the time while letting most of the crowd clear out. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. There is always something special about a concert outdoors on a summer night. Old Crow Medicine Show opened the show. They finished their set with a cover of Tom Petty's "American Girl" and the crowd loved it. The Avett Brothers were amazing. This was my first time seeing them live and I had been looking forward to it for months. 

If you have the chance to catch a concert here don't miss it. You can make a trip of it if you aren't from the area. There are certainly plenty of hotels and activities in the Lake Winnipesaukee area.

Check out the full concert and event schedule here:  www.meadowbrook.net

Before our drive home on Sunday we stopped for breakfast and some outlet shopping. We ate at a small family run restaurant near the airport called Kitchen Cravings. We went at about 10:30 and it was packed. The wait was about a half hour. It was a cozy little place. They certainly could use some more space based on the crowd that was there. I thought the food was delicious. The menu had many unique choices. Jay had a veggie omelet with wheat toast and home fries and I had "the trainer" which consisted of one pancake, one egg, bacon, and home fries. I'd say its worth a visit if you are looking for a breakfast or lunch pit stop. Before getting back on the highway we stopped at a small outlet mall. We didn't buy much, but it was a beautiful day to walk around outside. After a quick ice cream cone at DQ we hit the road. It was a great time for such a short trip. 

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Two For The Road, Matt Pryor & James Dewees @ fete Providence RI

  Saturday April 27th took us to Providence RI for the evening, to see an intimate show at fete night club. We were there to see Matt Pryor & James Dewees on their Two For The Road Tour. For those of you who are not fimilar with these two gentleman, here is a brief summary of their careers.

Matt Pryor:
singer/ songwriter/ guitarist for such bands as The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams, The Terrible Twos, Reggie and the Full Effect, Lasorda. Matt is also the host of "Nothing to Write Home About", an interview podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with his musician friends and a weekly segment with James Dewees called "Tuesdays with Reggie".

James Dewees:
singer/songwriter/pianist/keyboardist/drummer for such bands as The Get Up Kids, Coalesce, Reggie and the Full Effect, New Found Glory, My Chemical Romance, Leathermouth, Death Spells.

  Now before I get into the review of the show and the club itself, I should explain my history with these two guys, and why this was a big deal for me. One of my favorite genres of music over the last 15 years or so has been what is known as "emo". It's a blend of indie rock/pop punk/ post hardcore music. And one of the founding bands to emerge in this genre was The Get Up Kids. In 1999 through the recommendation of a friend, I purchased 2 albums that would change the way I heard music from then on. First was "Can't Slow Down" by Saves the Day, the other was "Red Letter Day/Woodsen" by The Get Up Kids. I had never heard such unique voices as Matt Pryor (with James Dewees on background vocals) and Chris Conley (of Saves the Day). I was a fan of similar bands in the past (e.g. as Weezer), but these two bands took their sound above and beyond the typical indie rock or punk style. What stood out to me the most was the sound, and more importaintly the pitch of these guys voices. These guys were singing powerful and sometimes graveley vocals, but in a higher pitch than what you would expect. I knew as soon as I listened to these two albums that I was hooked. 14 years later, I own just about everything both of the two bands (and even their side projects) have released.

  So fast forward to present day. I have been listening to "Nothing to Write Home About" and hear that Matt and James are playing a two man acoustic tour in small clubs on the east coast. I thought I had previously lost my opportunity to see the duo as they had already played in Boston a few weeks earlier which was on a week day, preventing me from going. But much to my surprise they had added a few more shows to the tour, and Providence RI was one of the stops. A Saturday night show only 30 minutes from home, you can bet I was going to be there. After 14 years of following their careers there was no way I was going to let this opportunity slip through my fingers.
  The doors opened at 7:30pm and we arrived at the club at around 8:15pm. We sat in the back near the bar and had a beer while waiting for the opening band to start. I couldn't help but to notice that the club looked as if it had been converted from an old strip club into a music venue. There was a definite house of ill repute vibe going on in there, but hey who am I to judge. Just before the opening band went on I used the restroom, and on my way back I literally bumped into James Dewees. It should be noted that this was not the first instance in which I have awkwardly stumbled into one of the musicians I was there to see (i.e. Jack O'Shea of Bayside about 3 years ago). The opening band was a local Providence band The Tower and the Fool. A 3 piece (or at least they were for this show) band that consisted of a lead singer/guitarist, a drummer, and a slide guitarist/mandolin player. They played a collection of indie rock/folk songs that were fairly mellow. The singers lyrics were a bit wordy and jumbled at times, but his guitar playing was good as were the other two members. I'm not sure that the steel guitar absolutely fit into their sound but it was interesting none the less. The singer (Alex Correia?) kept referencing to his lack of witty banter in between songs, which in and of itself was ironically amusing.  They played for about 35-40 minutes which in my opinion was plenty for them. Any more and the songs would have started to seem redundant.

  After a quick set up, Matt and James took the stage. I wasn't sure of which songs they were going to play, as both of them have been a part of so many bands. Where do you start? They ended up playing a good mix of songs from The Get Up Kids, and The New Amsterdams, but they mostly played songs from Matt's solo albums, and Reggie and the Full Effect (of which James writes all of the songs). During the middle of the show we were all surprised when we witnessed a marriage proposal. In between songs Matt asked the gentleman to come up on stage. He took the microphone, explained that he and his girlfriend were here on vacation from Australia and then said to her "will you go on a date with me, for the rest of our lives?" The entire crowd, the staff, and even Matt and James burst into cheers and applause when he got down on one knee asked her to marry him and she said yes. Matt congratulated them and invited the newly engaged couple to dance to a song that he had written for his own wife "I'll Catch You". They played about 5 more songs after that, and since were are in New England they closed the show by playing "Mass Pike" a hit song made famous by The Get Up Kids.

  After the show Matt hung out at the merchandise table and met with fans. Meaghan and I both got our pictures taken with him which is very unusual for us as we are normally very shy when it comes to situations like that. But as I said earlier, when presented with the opportunity to spend some time with (or at least get a picture and a hand shake) from someone I have admired for well over a decade, I had to seize it.

  Sometimes we forget that you do not have to go far or for very long to have a fun adventure. For us it was only a 30 minute drive and a 3 hour show, but I'd say that we had just as much fun if not more so than many of our previous trips. Sometimes all you need is your best friend and good music.

For more information on Matt Pryor and James Dewees

www.ntwha.com
www.facebook.com/mattpryorsongs
www.mattpryor.bandcamp.com
twitter:
@mattpryorsongs
@thegetupkids
@shitdeweessays

www.fetemusic.com

- Jay Follow @TravelsofSC

Fenway Park

Sunday April 14th our travels brought us to Fenway Park in Boston, MA. Since we both grew up here we have both been to Fenway plenty of times, but a trip to Fenway Park is always exciting. Bostonians love their sports teams, especially the Red Sox. The ballpark reached its 100 year mark last year so there is a lot of history within its walls.

 If you are a baseball fan, no matter of what team, a trip to Fenway must be on your bucket list. In fact I would recommend everyone and anyone visit the park and experience the atmosphere of a game there. There have been updates to the park over the years, but most of it has remained unchanged. One of the newer additions to the park are the seats on top of the famous Green Monster( the 37' left field wall). Watching a game from these seats is absolutely on my bucket list. Learn a little more about the history of the ballpark here: http://www.fenwayticketking.com/fenway_history.html

I will caution you, if you are looking for an inexpensive activity for your family, this isn't going to be it. Tickets, parking, and concessions are all fairly pricey and add up quickly. We arrived in the city later than planned and we were unable to find street parking so we had to pay the hefty $35 to park in a lot near the park. There were some deals at the concession stand this month like two hot dogs for the price of one and $5 beers.

I bought our tickets as a gift for Jay and decided to splurge on Pavillion Street Club Seats. These seats are located in the upper level of the park. The price of the ticket also includes access to the Pavillion Street Club, which is an indoor bar/lounge area. We didn't visit this area, but it is a nice option to have for games where the weather may be too cold or too hot. The restroom and concession lines are somewhat shorter because the volume of people in this upper level is less than the lower level. These seats also include waiters and waitresses that will take your order and deliver your food or drink to you if you choose. The service is available through the 7th inning and you can pay cash or run a tab. Another small bonus is that the seats themselves have a small amount of padding. They definitely were a little more comfortable than the average stadium seats.

Overall I was extremely happy with our trip to Fenway. Admittedly, my opinion is biased. I have never had a bad experience visiting Fenway. It can be pricey, but a day at the ballpark is something almost everyone can appreciate and enjoy.

In closing I just want to take a minute to say my thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the tragedy at the Boston Marathon. I want to extend a big thank you to the police and first responders who worked so hard to save lives and keep our city safe.

~Meaghan Follow @TravelsofSC

Concord New Hampshire

 This weekends trip took us to the capitol city of Concord NH, and the Museum of New Hampshire History. Not unlike many of our other trips we started later in the afternoon on Saturday. What should have been about a 2 hour and 15 minute drive ended up taking more like 2 hours and 45 minutes due to my brain being in auto pilot mode. But like I've said many time before, it doesn't matter how fast you get there because sometimes the "getting there" is the adventure.

  We pulled into downtown Concord just before 8:00pm and headed right to the hotel to check in. On the list of places to stay in the Concord area, only one can top the list. The Centennial Hotel, billed by trip-advisor.com as the 4th highest ranked hotel in all of NH, it was my top choice for this trip. After searching around on a bunch of travel websites I decided to book the room directly through www.thecentennialhotel.com . This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I was not only able to select the exact room I wanted, but also add-on a few extra things to make the stay that much better. I chose a queen turret suite, which featured a circular sitting room with wall mounted flat screen tv (from the outside the room looks like a gun turret in an old castle), a private deck, an office with a desk, a large bedroom, and bathroom. When we got into the room we were greeted with a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, 2 large bottles of locally brewed beer, and a bowl of assorted nuts. Even though these items were all add-ons, they are absolutely worth every penny, especially if you are planning a romantic weekend getaway. 

  Don't let the the classic victorian exterior fool you into thinking that the interior is old and outdated. Everything from floor to ceiling is modern with an urban-contemporary feel. From the boutique furniture, pillow top queen bed, flat screen tvs, and artwork taken from the pages of Vogue Magazine.
 After relaxing for a while and enjoying our champagne and strawberries, we decided to order room service. Fortunately for us The Centennial Hotel is also home to Granite Restaurant and Bar which is located just off of the hotel lobby. Once we called in our order it took no longer then 20 minutes for the food to arrive. We started off our meal with the beef and potato pierogi. Meaghan had the half size Granite cesar salad and half size potato crusted haddock. I had the grilled fillet mignon with bacon mashed potatoes and steamed carrots. I wont get into how much all of that cost, but you can imagine that it wasn't cheap. Either way it was a great meal and it allowed us to just kick back, relax, and not have to worry about finding a place to eat.
 

  Sunday morning after check out, we headed over to The Common Man Restaurant for their Sunday morning brunch buffet. The buffet featured all of the usual suspects from the breakfast menu, as well as some lunch items and deserts. Nothing stood out as exceptional whether it was the food, the decor, or the service. Just an average restaurant filled with average food, and what I can only assume was mostly local regulars. The highlight of my morning was listening to the other patrons conversations and quietly laughing to myself. I like to consider myself a semi-professional people watcher, so being close enough to be able to hear what everyone was saying made the game that much better.

  We headed back downtown and found Pitchfork Records. This is a great record store right in the middle of the downtown shopping area. They had a good selection of new and used CDs, records, DVDs and cassette tapes. I could have easily spent all day in this store, but after picking out 3 CDs to listen to on the ride home and 5 records to add to our collections, I figured we had enough. 

  Our next point of interest was just around the block to The Museum of New Hampshire History. This is a fun place to visit on a weekend, and it only cost $11 for admission for both of us. When we got inside we found ourselves alone which was great because we were able to goof around freely. The museum was full of artifacts, artwork, and even a children's area all based on NH and it's past. Check it out if you get the chance, and if you're lucky you will have the place to yourself like we did.

  The last thing we did before heading home was to walk around the downtown shopping area. I must caution anyone who may be visiting Concord on a Sunday, because most of the businesses on North Main Street are closed. It is still worth walking around checking everything out and learning the city, but keep in mind that Sunday may not be the best day to do so. After popping our heads into the few places that were open we decided to head back home before it go too late. Overall I had fun on this trip, and as always I loved the adventure of visiting a new place.

On a scale of 5 stars, here are my rankings for our Concord NH trip

The Centennial Hotel - 4 1/2 stars
www.thecentennialhotel.com
Granite Restaurant and Bar - 4 stars
www.graniterestaurant.com
The Comman Man Restaurant - 2 1/2 stars
www.thecman.com
Pitchfork records - 4 stars
Museum of New Hampshire History - 3 stars
www.nhhistory.org/museum
Concord NH (downtown area/ N. Main street) 2 stars

Jay

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Road to Nowhere

 Yesterday was a beautiful day in central Mass. One of the first signs that this long cold winter may finally be over. I had spring fever and wanted to do absolutely anything that involved being outdoors. A friend of mine had posted some photos on Facebook the day before of a waterfall, so I thought that would be a fun adventure. I looked up a listing of waterfalls online and found one with a good rating that wasn't terribly far away. So we drove off in search of Royalston Falls.

 There is no exact address for the falls so I was reading directions off of the website instead of using a GPS. The closer we got the more confusing the directions got to us, as we are not familiar with the area. I decided to try using my gps in hopes that it would at least get us heading in the right direction.

 We drove down several long and winding back roads through the country side. Most of the homes we passed were small farms. I guess when you live that far from civilization you need to be somewhat self sustainable. One farm in particular really stands out in my mind. There were goats and sheep grazing in pens that were visible from the road. Lying in the middle of the field was a beautiful dog, a Great Pyranees. Being a dog groomer, I love all dogs, however, I find this breed to be particularly striking. They are loveable and gentle giants. The scene instantly reminded me of one of my favorite cartoons with Sam the large white sheepdog and a wolf named Ralph. If we could have stopped and spent the afternoon playing with the dog that would have been a perfect day for me.

 I may have been enjoying the cartoon playing in my brain and the imaginary play date I was having with that dog, but it soon became clear my gps was taking us in the wrong direction. I suppose I shouldn't blame the GPS, it's more likely that I just always manage to use it wrong. Jay did his best to look up directions and backtrack and find the falls. After a lot of driving around that ended with a trek down a dirt road which eventually turned out to be impassable, it became clear we had been defeated. Tails tucked between our legs we turned back. I'm sure when or if we decide to try finding it again it will be right there in front of us, but it just wasn't going to happen this day.

 Driving around for hours had us feeling worn down and hungry. A quick check on our phones found us The Gardner Ale House near by. I thought it was a cute place. The menu was mainly traditional pub style food. The cheeseburger I had was nothing spectacular, however the potato skins we ordered for an appetizer were clearly homemade and very good in comparison to the microwaved version you get in chain restaurants. We both ordered a Chair City Pale Ale. After all, we were in "The Chair City" and I always like to try a new beer. I would certainly stop in again if we were ever in the area. I'd like to go back later at night. I find it hard to appreciate the pub atmosphere during the day.

So we didn't find what we set out in search of, but it is the searching that is half of the fun right? We will be back Royalston Falls and we will find you!

-Meaghan

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North Adams MA / Mass MoCA

  This weekends trip took us to North Adams Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The drive time took about 2 hours and 20 minutes, which seemed to pass fairly quickly. Along the way we drove through the Berkshire Mountains which was very pretty, even during winter time. I  happened to notice a running theme once we got to the Berkshire area, Native American everything. All of the old tourist traps, shops, and restaurants in the area were Native American themed. I suppose that makes sense seeing how we were at that point, traveling along the Mohawk Trail.We arrived in North Adams at about 6:30 pm (Saturday). After literally driving up the side of a mountain, it was nice to finally see some civilization.
  Our first stop was to check into the hotel. I had searched online for a bit earlier in the day to find a hotel in the area, and after a quick glance on www.tripadvisor.com , it was clear that The Porches Inn was the place to stay. One of the first things I like to do when searching travel sites is to look at the guests pictures section. Anyone with a digital camera and a little photoshop knowledge can make a hotels website look nice, but the guests photos will always paint you a clear picture of what you're getting into. After only seeing about 4 guest pictures of The Porches Inn, I knew that this place was legit and I booked the room right then and there. Just as I was led to believe from both Trip Advisor and www.porches.com , the place was great.

   The Porches Inn is unlike any other inn I had ever seen before. It is a series of old mill workers cottages, revitalized and turned into a "retro-edgy" or "shabby-chic" hotel. Each house is color coded, and has a large front porch with antique rocking chairs for the guests to kick back, relax, and enjoy the view of downtown North Adams.

 We stayed in house #4 (the grey house) in a 1 bedroom suite.
  The first thing I noticed when we entered the suite was that the room definitely had that old rustic cottage feel. The living room area was adorned with several antiques including a dresser, desk, chair, and lounge. However a modern sofa, lamps, and touch screen telephone balanced the room out nicely. My favorite part of this room (by far) were the 2 antique paintings on either side of the doorway leading to the bedroom. The paintings were a pair of what I can only assume is a jester and ballerina. The painting on the left had the jester playing some sort of guitar while the ballerina seemed to be dancing in front of a cemetery gate. The painting on the right had them dancing by a lake. I could not find an artists signature on either one, however I was able to make out " '57 " on the bottom right corner of one of them. To be honest, they reminded me of an old bat-man comic or something of the like. Either way they were pretty cool old paintings.

  The bedroom kept the shabby-chic theme going with old hardwood floors, painted wood paneling on the walls, and sliding pocket doors separating the two rooms. The king bed was very comfortable (even though we broke tradition, because we  forgot to jump on the bed as soon as we walked in the door), and the modern headboard, side tables, lamps, and t.v./mini bar cabinet helped mix the old with the new.  The artwork in this room consisted of 2 portraits (a young man, and a young lady), and some antique hand painted plates hanging over the doorway.

  Don't let the rustic living room and bedroom fool you into thinking the bathroom is going to be tired and outdated. It was 100% modern from its glass door stand up shower (with rain shower head), to the jacuzzi tub, large marble counter top, new chrome fixtures, and slate tile floor. 2 bathrobes hung waiting for us by the door as if to say, come in and relax in this bathroom oasis. Overall I'd say that this place had everything we needed and much more. It was the perfect combination of old and new, and had plenty of character.

  Our next stop was dinner. We found Public eat + drink about a block away from the hotel. It was a nice, upscale eatery with both a bar and regular seating. They served classic American fare with a modern twist. The menu has a little of everything from burgers to pasta to sea food, and an entire page dedicated to all of the beer they serve (including 11 micro brews on tap). We started our meal with the arancini mozzarella, a bit of a let down for me. An appetizer that lists 2 kinds of cheese in the ingredients, should have had some cheese flavor. Meaghan had the BBQ burger with fries, and I had the grilled chicken pita. I can't speak for Meaghan, but my entree was delicious. She seemed to enjoy hers as well. We finished our meal by splitting the triple chocolate cake. As the night went on, live entertainment was provided by a young man playing an acoustic guitar in the corner of the restaurant. The service was good, and our waitress was very friendly. I would go back there if ever I find myself in the area again.

  After a good meal, and a few drinks we decided to call it a night. So back to the hotel we went, to rest up for an exciting day ahead.

  Meaghan and I decided to sleep in (which is not that unusual for us) so we did not get to sample the free breakfast offered by the hotel. We did however find a little coffee shop that serves breakfast all day. BrewHaHa, located across the street from our next destination (the museum). It was a small store front coffee shop with stuff everywhere to catch your eye. They have a large breakfast (all day) and lunch menu, as well as a 2 page coffee menu. They also have a table set up in front of the counter with several fresh baked goods to choose from. I recommend the oatmeal raisin cookie. The walls were lined with photos and paintings all created by local artists which can be purchased right then and there if you are so inclined.  I ordered an egg sandwich on a bagel and plain old black coffee. Any coffee shop worth opening it's doors should have a great (not ok, not pretty good...great) cup of plain old coffee. On a scale of 1 to 10 , I'd give this one a 7 1/2 . Meaghan had an egg sandwich on a croissant which so big, it made my bagel look like I had ordered from the kids menu, and an iced coffee. World music (not really my cup of tea) played while we sat in the back corner eating and drinking our coffees. The place was everything a good coffee shop should be (unlike the big chain coffee shops).

  The rest of the day was dedicated to the reason we came out to North Adams, which was to visit the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) We arrived at the museum at about 12:30pm (Sunday) and could have easily stayed all day long. The price of admission was $15 per person. The museum is currently running several exhibits right now including:

Oh, Canada: The largest survey of contemporary Canadian art ever produced outside of Canada. The exhibit features over 110 works by more the 60 artists.

Xu Bing , Phoenix: Chinese artist Xu Bing spent 2 years creating "Phoenix", two monumental birds fabricated entirely from materials harvested from construction sites in urban China.

Sol LeWitt, a Wall Drawing Retrospective: Comprised of 105 of LeWitt's large-scale drawings, spanning the artists career from 1969 to 2007. These works occupy nearly an acre of specially built interior walls. The exhibit opened on November 16, 2008 and will remain on view for twenty-five years.

 The museum also featured many other pieces and exhibits. Interestingly enough one of my favorite aspects of the museum was not the art itself, but the hallways between the mill buildings that house the museum. Long, narrow, and me being 6' tall, low head clearance. And yet I had a strange feeling while walking down along the pathway, like I was stepping back in time, or walking into an old mine.

 

 Not knowing much about contemporary art myself I found many of the pieces to be strange, but I suppose that is the point. I can however appreciate all forms of art no matter how strange, and I did enjoy our visit to the Mass MoCA quite a bit.

  After wondering around (and I'll admit, making a lot of jokes about the things I didn't understand) we left the museum and started out trek back home. Overall I'd say that we had a fun adventure not that far from home.

On a scale of 5 stars, here are my rankings for our North Adams,MA trip:

The Porches Inn - 4 stars
www.porches.com
Public eat+drink - 3.5 stars
www.publiceatanddrink.com
BrewHaHa - 3.5 stars
www.cafebrewhaha.com
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art - 3 stars
www.massmoca.org

Jay Follow @TravelsofSC