Exploring Boston, Part 1

My sister arrived in Boston on Saturday, and we are spending the next week and a half exploring Boston. I am calling this Part 1, because I'm only part of the way through the week ... We started the weekend with dinner on a rooftop garden, and meeting some of my new classmates at a house-party. Everyone at the party seemed really nice, so I am looking forward to meeting them again during pre-term and orientation.

On Sunday, we took the train to Salem. Salem seemed like a cute old northwestern town, but seeing some of the people dressed up in old clothes and all the witch memorabilia and accessories were just a bit odd. We had lunch at a hotdog stand that actually had vegetarian hotdogs! Then we took a tour from someone directly related to two of the victims of the witch trials, and he took us around Salem and told us about the witch-trial history. We also toured the house of the 7 gables, which was the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's book. Before we left, we stopped by the Salem Brew Works, and sampled 7 of their micro-brewery beers (and their nachos).

On Monday, we took a tour of the New England seacoast. We began by driving into Hampton Beach, in New Hampshire. The beach was really pretty, but it was very, very cold. I'd forgotten to bring a jacket, but I didn't realize I would need one in August! It was kind of bizarre seeing people walking around in coats and sweatshirts in the middle of summer. After Hampton Beach, we drove up to Maine, and visited the Nubble lighthouse. We finished the day in Kennebunkport with lunch & exploring the city, and drove by Walker's Point, which is the former President Bush (senior)'s summer home.

On Monday night, after we got back into town, we went to a show at the Paramount Rock Club. Judgment Day was the opener -- I had never heard of them, but really enjoyed the strings (they were composed of a violinist, celloist, and drummer). I hadn't heard anything quite like them before. After the opener was the main show - Mates of State. I've seen Mates of State twice before -- once back in 2003 when they were touring in KC, and again at Austin City Limits in 2007. They consist of a female keyboardist and male drummer, who are both married and parents. I really enjoyed the show -- they have a fun vibe to their songs, and the layout of the venue provided very good views of the band (there were about 3 levels in the building, all of which were pretty close to the stage). The strings from Judgment Day even came out to play with Mates of State during some of the songs.

On Tuesday, we went on a tour of Cape Cod. We started by visiting the JFK and Korea War Memorial. Then we stopped in Hyannis for lunch. After we ate, we went on an hour cruise around Cape Cod, and were able to catch a glimpse of the Kennedy compound, as well as some of the other mansions along to coast. Finally, we ended the day by stopping in town, and exploring the shops and Kennedy museum. It was really interesting to see all of the old pictures of JFK.The next few days we will spend exploring the city of Boston itself.

View more pictures from our trip.