Concord MA to Boston MA

As with any blog, the newer entries appear at the top, but for reading this trip report it would make more sense to start from the beginning of the trip, so head to 22 October : http://cooeeoz.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2012-10-30T21:17:00-07:00&max-results=5&start=5&by-date=false

WHAT WE DID

We went to Boston the long way!!!  Instead of going straight to Boston we thought we would have a bit more of a coastal treat and headed to Rockport via 128 then down via Salem on 127.  That was the plan but … somehow after Rockport we got tangled up in Gloucester and ended up heading south on 128 again … and I got a bad case of car sickness trying to convince the GPS to get us to Salem via 127 … so we gave up and headed to our hotel.

This was another bad choice.  We needed to be at the airport early the next morning for our marathon flight(s) home and we needed to return the rental car.  So I made our booking at the Embassy Suites neat the airport.  Again the failure was that it was a bland chain hotel.  But it was also a bland chain hotel that was the most expensive room of our trip.  My thoughts had been : last chance of comfort before that long flight, last chance for a comfortable bed, a last chance to spoil ourselves on our trip.  Wrong.  It was expensive but bad value.  It was valet parking ($35) with no help getting bags out of the car (with my husband’s disability this falls to me so I truly objected to the standover tactics to get a tip for doing nothing).  There were zero smiles on offer at the desk, uncommunicative and unfriendly on both check in and check out For the first time on our entire trip of over 5 weeks, there was a charge for Internet Access.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

I think on our last day I could have done without getting carsick!  All I wanted to do was get to our hotel and crash.  It would have been far better to have gone straight from Concord to Boston and done a Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour.  This would have taken a lot of the strain out of the day for me (Chief Navigator and Tour Guide).

Would not choose to stay at the Embassy Suites.  Ever.

http://www.santarpiospizza.com/
 

Newport RI to Concord MA

WHAT WE DID

This was a last minute change of route.  It was meant to be Concord via Connecticut’s quiet corner : head out on 163 & 138 to Jewett City then north on scenic 169, before heading to I-395 around Oxford, then via I290 and I-495 to Concord.  Problem was that the Last Green Valley was white – Athena had dropped the temperatures and there was snow.  And snow + us don’t make good driving companions … it looks great when you are at your destination, but not great for a sighseeing roadtrip.

So we went a less scenic, less slippery, less challenging for us hot climate people, way – via 24 to I-95 and got there safe and sound.  Concord looked extra pretty with a dusting of snow!!

Concord was a perfect way to end our road trip : everything was on offer : a quaint town complete with photographic church and memorial, beautiful architecture, a wonderful museum, places of historical significance (in fact a sense of living history) and of course that wonderful link to past authors in the cemetery and their homes : Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorn & Alcott.  Bliss

We stayed at the Best Western (see “What We Would Change”).  While the room was a disappointment, the location of the hotel had advantages.  It just out of town and was easy to access the two adjoining restaurants : Papa Razzi (great Italian) and the Asian Gourmet (Chinese/Taiwanese food but they also have a sushi house and a Hibachi bar)

I highly recommend a visit to the small but engaging museum to put you in the right mindset to appreciate the rich history of the area.

http://www.concordmuseum.org/

http://www.louisamayalcott.org/

http://www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm

http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/greater-boston/old-manse.html

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/walden/

http://www.bedfordfarmsicecream.com/

http://www.paparazzitrattoria.com/

http://www.asiangourmetma.com/

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

I had avoided “chain” hotels and here in Concord and in Boston I let my guard down for the sake of convenience.  Bad decision.  The Best Western looked ok from the outside but the room was small, very small, and reached by a jail block style internal concrete corridor.  Also, having emailed when making a booking, and specifying that stairs were not an option, it was disappointing to be told (after booking in) that the complimentary breakfast was upstairs.  They did offer me a piece of paper where my husband could tick a box to order if he would like to eat in our pokey room looking at the wall.  So, if we could do it all over again (yes please!) then I would look harder for different accommodation.

As I said, the weather made us reconsider our route, so, without that restriction, we would have preferred going via 169

Great Barrington MA to Mystic CT

WHAT WE DID

From Great Barrington we continued south on 7 and 63 to Litchfield then east on 4 to Hartford.  In Hartford, again pandering to my inner reader, we stopped at Mark Twain House and Harriet Beecher Stowe House.  After Hartford we headed towards the coast via I-91 then 9.  We made a minor detour in to Essex, then on to Mystic Via I-95.

The original plan had been to stop for a late lunch at the Griswold Inn in Essex but if I had paid attention to my travel plan I would have seen a major flaw!  It was Sunday and Essex was overrun with daytrippers.  Enjoying the charm was hampered by lots of traffic and no parking.  We didn’t stay long (maybe it was a case of lowered frustration levels after the previous drive).

Instead of exploring the coast between Old Lyme and Mystic, we decided to head straight to Mystic for lunch.  We could not check in to The Whalers Inn so we went the Mystic Seaport.  This worked well for us.  We ate at Latitude 41 and then walked it off in the seaport museum.  A most enjoyable afternoon.

The Whalers Inn was a good choice.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it (but not the surly bar staff in Bravo Bravo).  The management had been particularly good in letting me cancel and then remake my booking when they introduced a November special that changed the cost of the room from $161 to $99.  The Whalers is really well located for walking into town across the bridge.  It is quiet and the room and bed were comfortable.

That night we ate at the Riverwalk Restaurant, chosen mainly because it was raining, we didn’t need a booking and there was easy parking.  My Portuguese cod was delicious, DH’s pasta dish far less so.

http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/

http://www.marktwainhouse.org/

www.whalersinnmystic.com

http://www.mysticseaport.org/

http://www.coastalgourmetct.com/latitude41/

http://www.mysticriverwalk.com/

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Don’t arrive in Essex tired and hungry at lunchtime on a busy Sunday!  And I had been looking forward to lunch at The Griswold Inn!!

But not much else! 

We met a bit of traffic towards Hartford, but I imagine it would have been much worse if it hadn’t been a Sunday morning.  We missed out on a bit of coastal exploration, but that may have been a good thing as those communities were still recovering from Sandy (some were still without power).

http://www.griswoldinn.com

Woodstock VT to Great Barrington, MA

WHAT WE DID

We rejoined Route 100 and kept heading south, then followed 8 down through North Adams, Pittsfield and Stockbridge to Great Barrington.  Again it was an easy, scenic, interesting drive, though Pittsfield came a bit of a sensory shock after the bucolic countryside we had become used to.

We stayed at The Briarcliff Motel.  This was outstanding!  Richard and Clare are such amazing attentive hosts!!!  The accommodation is simple, stylish, comfortable.  The complimentary continental breakfast is excellent with lots of homemade and local selections.  Highly recommended!!!!!

We had a built in sightseeing day in the Berkshires and Richard and Clare were very helpful with multiple suggestions.  We are both avid readers so our sightseeing took us back into Vermont to Bennington for Robert Frost’s grave (and Stone House Museum which was closed for the season).  At the Bennington   Museum there was a wonderful Grandma Moses exhibition as well as other interesting historical sections. On our return trip we stopped at Arrowhead, Herman Melville’s home (also closed for the season).  Our sightseeing drive wound its way through many back roads so that we visited Stockbridge, Lenox, Lee and Williamstown.

The first night we were here we ate at the Barrington Brewery.  And the only drawback was that it was so enjoyable that we ate here again the second night (yes, we should have been more adventurous! Especially as it was not quite as good the second time.)

www.thebriarcliffmotel.com

http://www.barringtonbrewery.net/

http://scoopshops.benjerry.com/scoopshops/pittsfield/default.aspx

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

We weren’t enticed by anywhere in Woodstock to have breakfast before we left.  Big mistake.  Ohhhhh I need a strong coffee to start the day and there was a scarcity of places to stop.

Our second visit to the Barrington Brewery was not quite as good (very busy so maybe that had an impact on the quality) Yes, we should have been more adventurous!

It might have made sense to have changed our route south : from Wilmington head west on 9 to Bennington and then south on 7 (as you can see in the “what we did” in a way we doubled back on our tracks on our sightseeing day … but then again, we did it at a slow no-rush pace).  This would have meant that our sightseeing day could have headed off in a different direction (more of the Berkshires? The Litchfield Hills? Across to the Catskills?). 

Loved our stop here … and we never got to check out all those covered bridges, Clare!! So I wouldn’t hesitate to add an extra night here … there was a lot of exploration to be done and the Briarcliff is an excellent base!

Boston MA to Portsmouth NH

WHAT WE DID :

Flew in, arriving at Logan at around 5.15.  Picked up rental car from Alamo.  Headed to Portsmouth via I-95.  It was dark, there was a fair bit of traffic and we were tired and hungry.  Good advice from Alamo counter on exiting the airport and city, and it was good to have the GPS!

Stayed at Port Inn (easy to find, good value, nice roomy room, very ordinary continental breakfast included).  Ate at Jumping Jay’s Fish Café (excellent!  especially their clam chowder).  Next morning toured around Portsmouth (beautiful).

www.theportinn.com

http://www.jumpinjays.com/

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE :

Portsmouth deserved more!  Should have allocated two nights as we were very tired when we arrived and didn’t get the best value out of a fine restaurant.  We saw a little of Portsmouth the next day, but would have like to have explored a lot more.

New England Road Trip

Everyone has different agendas and wishlists, and so, for what it is worth, here is a trip report of our holiday.  I did my planning mainly with the help of Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet Guides (New England & Trips) and lots of great websites (my favourites were http://www.visitnewengland.com/ and http://byways.org/ and http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurants/ )

We are more into history than art, more into photography than shopping, more into road food than fine dining, more into rural than urban.  As the road trip accounted for 19 nights of accommodation, and wasn’t the sum total of our holiday, I was also looking for accommodation that was reasonable in price (and for this in particular Trip Advisor was excellent). 

WHAT WE DID

We did a 1300mi (or around 2000 km) road trip through the New England states from October 23 till November 11.  We did a loop, setting out from and returning to Boston.

We had pre-booked a car from Alamo and all of our accommodation.  We took our own GPS.  I also picked up some maps from AAA.  And I had already planned the road trip on Google.

Boston MA > Portsmouth NH : 1 night

Portsmouth > Portland ME : 1 night

Portland > Bar Harbor ME : 6 nights (last minute change)

Bar Harbor > North Conway NH : 1 night (last minute change)

North Conway > Woodstock VT : 1 night

Woodstock > Great Barrington MA : 2 nights

Great Barrington > Mystic CT : 2 nights

Mystic > Newport RI : 3 nights

Newport > Concord MA : 2 nights

Concord > Boston MA : 1 night

We were originally booked for 5 nights in Bar Harbor and 2 nights in North Conway but Hurricane Sandy gave us reason to wait and see if bigger changes were necessary.  We were lucky and our thoughts were with those who bore the brunt of what was known as Frankenstorm.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Yes!  We would have loved to have been in the New England for the peak colour!! (This was an add-on holiday to a visit to family on the West coast and that dictated our travel dates).  But not to worry … there were pluses (like no crowds)

With the rental car, I had checked and even printed out the fine detail from the Alamo website, but when we picked up the car they refused the extra driver at no cost (even though site said it was a perk of being in their “Insiders Club”). We were told that our Alamo included insurance (which as Aussies we have to take) didn’t cover it.  An extra driver just about doubled the cost so DH was to be the only driver.  Next time I would get confirmation via email.  The strange thing was that we had just handed in our Alamo rental in San Francisco where we were both listed with no extra charge!!  Someone was wrong but we were too tired to argue the point and needed to be on our way.

We were very happy with what we saw and did on our road trip.  In fact, we are hard pressed to say what our favourite part was.  But we may, when pushed over a wine or two, consider some tweaks, eg Portsmouth : 2 nights; Bar Harbor : 4 nights; Mystic : 2 nights; Great Barrington : 3 nights

READING LIST :

The Witch of Blackbird Pond ~ Elizabeth George Speare
Little Women ~ Louisa May Allcot
The Crucible ~ Arthur Miller
It and others~ Stephen King
Cider House Rules and others ~ John Irving
The Perfect Storm ~ Sebastian Junger (wow! That was a bit prophetic!!)
Mystic River and others ~ Dennis Lehane
Charlie Parker series ~ John Connolly
Caleb's Crossing ~ Geraldine Brooks
The Marriage Plot ~ Jeffrey Eugenides

Empire Falls ~ Richard Russo

Olive Kitterage ~ Elizabeth Strout

In The Heart of the Sea ~ Nathaniel Philbrick

Ethan Frome ~ Edith Wharton

Peyton Place by Grace Metalious

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

ROAD MUSIC : 

with a New England selection:

Connecticut ~ Judy Garland & Bing Crosby

Moonlight in Vermont ~ Willie Nelson

Massachusetts ~ Bee Gees

M.T.A ~ Kingston Trio

Old Cape Cod ~ Patti Page

Whoever’s in New England ~ Reba McEntire

Weekend in New England ~ Barry Manilow

The Last Resort ~ The Eagles

Please Come to Boston ~ Joan Baez

Cheers ~ TV Themes

I Will Find You (Last Of The Mohicans) ~ Clannad

with a little bit of travelling music thrown in:

On The Road Again ~ Willie Nelson

On The Road Again ~ Canned Heat

I’ve Been Everywhere ~ Johnny Cash

Going Up The Country ~ Canned Heat

No Particular Place To Go ~ Chuck Berry

King Of The Road ~ Roger Miller

Rockin’ Down The Highway ~ Doobie Brothers

Ramblin’ Man ~ The Allman Brothers

Travellin’ Man ~ Rick Nelson

America ~ Simon & Garfunkel