Where We Stayed In Salem

A perfect picture of the black cat who lives in an apartment that's in the building (it's enormous). We also saw another black cat the first hour we were in Salem. I guess it makes sense that black cats are popular there. The beagle is Charlie, the inn dog. He helped me eat my Chicken Marsala leftovers Sunday morning.

Oh Lord Help Me, I Am Wholly Innocent

The Witch Trials Memorial. One of the less tacky witch- themed attractions.
It also has the names of all the Salem people who were hanged (or pressed to death) for practicing witchcraft.

The Burying Point

Incredibly old graves. Probably a third to half had the skull and wings decoration on them.

Gloucester, Mass.

Yes, the place where the movie with George Clooney and Marky Mark as burly fishermen was based. The names of the crew of the Andrea Gail are under 1991. I felt like a tacky tourist, but I wasn't the only one taking pictures of it. "The Perfect Storm" is also a very interesting book. I have it somewhere in one of my bookcases. I must re-read it sometime.

This Is Laurie Cabot, Official Witch Of Salem

I've seen her on a couple of A&E specials about Salem.
I got a picture with her today in her store! Only it's on Peter's camera, so you can't see it just yet.
She walked in the store, looking if anything a little weirder than in this picture, carrying a Dunkin' Donut's coffee, and told the young witch-tart behind the cash that she was going to run out to Home Depot. I asked if I could get a picture with her, and she told me to sit down next to her for the shot because her sciatica had been acting up. She then made polite chitchat with Peter and I for a minute about Atlantic Canada.
For a witch, she was awfully sweet.

Hello, My Name Is Desperate Housewife...

and I'm a souvenir-aholic.

Plymouth Rock And The Mayflower Replica

The rock is actually pretty small.

Breakfast In Marblehead

"Flynnies On The Beach."
Seafood chowder and fried dough. Yum.
And, the view we looked at while we ate our, um, breakfast.
(Decent chowder, lots of big shrimp)

Multi-Million Dollar Marblehead Neck House Porn

Marblehead, Mass.

The lighthouse at Marblehead Neck, Marblehead Rock, the view of Marblehead from M. Neck.

Boston

We left for Boston at 2pm to catch the "Blue Man" show at 5pm.
We went through the tunnel, took a big bridge and saw all kinds of boats in the harbour, drove past a really beautiful park, a big crazy suspension bridge, and a gigantic T-Rex outside a museum. Unfortunately, we have shots of none of these, as Peter was busy driving and swearing, and I was too busy praying not to die, laptop perched on my lap, GPS bellowing out, "Off Route Off Route." We made it in time for the show, Peter did a great job of finding the theatre after we got into the city. He even parallel parked.
The show was amazing. Peter bought a painting they made by spraying paint out of their mouths.
Then, when it was time to leave the city, the GPS just stopped working.
I learned something I didn't know about Peter. When he's lost, he turns into A LITTLE GIRL!!
I asked a nice gentleman with a heavy Boston accent for directions, and after a few wrong turns, we made it out just fine.
I wish we could have seen more of Boston, maybe stayed in the city a day or two. Maybe next time.
Today we're checking out the Peabody Essex museum, then hitting Gloucester and Marblehead, and then, driving down to Cape Cod. Peter has mapped a route that doesn't go through Boston.

Memorial To Lincoln And Emancipation

A Hooker

Real Boston Clam Chowder In Boston

At the Legal Seafood restaurant. It was really tasty. I wasn't disappointed.

Salem Is Beautiful

It's a very green city, with trees everywhere, courtyards, and houseporn everywhere. Beautiful beautiful beautiful.
I'll have to post more pics later. I only 16 pics on my memory card, while Peter gets 500.

Salem Is A Tacky Tourist Trap

Peter and I left the inn yesterday at 7:30am, and walked and walked and walked until 10am when things started to open. We hit the Witch Dungeon Museum, the Witch Museum, and Nathaniel Hawthorne's House Of Seven Gables. The House of Seven Gables was actually very cool. The other two, not so much. But fun. With good souvenir shops. Look at all the crap I bought. I still need to buy a souvenir "kitchen witch," and some more things for the Boy.
There are "psychic advisors" on every street here, lots of "ghost walks," and every business has a witch-related name.