As shared in my previous blog, the first half of our Boston trip was not exactly smooth. That included no seafood for me, which made me very cranky. However we still had another 5 days to spend in the area, and our next stop was to my husband’s best friend’s house.
Tony’s childhood friend, Brian, and his wife, Sam, live in Newburyport, Massachusettes. Their home is one of the cutest I have ever seen, looking like it belongs in a home decor magazine. Each room showcases a bit of New England flavor, from the nautical curtains to the posters of cities in Maine.
Arriving at their home was an extra special occasion, as their daughter was born only 3 weeks before Matilda. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect if we had planned it. It was adorable to watch these future best friends interact with each other. It was even better to see the two new dads and lifelong besties in action with their baby girls.
Our time with Brian and Sam was wonderful and relaxing. We finally had the opportunity to do some of the things we had attempted with my family. This included eating oysters and lobster, and drinking quality New England beer. It also included doing some Halloween-type things given the proximity to the holiday.
On Friday night, we hit up two different seafood restaurants. We started off at Sea Level Oyster Bar for the delicious oysters. I seriously ate about 12 on my own. It had been such a long time since I’d enjoyed quality oysters and I relished every briny, tangy slurp. I wanted to keep ordering more but Tony quickly reminded me of the price tag so I slowed down.
After our oysters, we drove to New Hampshire for dinner. That is one thing I always find so cool about New England – you drive for 20 minutes and you’re in another state.
We were introduced to Petey’s, a divey-looking seaside restaurant. The decor and look of the restaurant almost gave it more credibility in terms of the food we were about to eat. It was right by the sea, and the outlet focused more on the quality of food than the decoration. It’s exactly the type of place you know will satisfy your taste buds.
Tony ordered a stuffed lobster and I ordered the “lazy man” lobster (no shell). I was trying to feed Matilda while enjoying the food. It was just as amazing as I had hoped. We coupled the dinner with pumpkin beers (cinnamon rim even!) and went to bed that night with full and happy bellies.
Saturday was our last full day before flying back to Zurich, and we took the opportunity to really celebrate Halloween. We started off at a pumpkin patch where we captured the most adorable photos of the baby girls with pumpkins. There were also fresh and warm cinnamon sugar donuts to be tried, and I almost passed out from the delicious taste.
We then drove to Salem, the city best known for the witch trials in the late 1600s. The Salem Witch trials have a lot of controversy and intrigue attached to them. Salem as a city itself had a spooky sense about it, with magic stores, fortune tellers, and stores dedicated to witchy-ness on every street.
I made a stop over to the cemetery and saw headstones dating back to the early 1700s. The cemetery also had a section bricked off and dedicated to those that were hanged in the witch trials. Everything about it felt eerie.
Salem also hosts a small and delicious brewery called Notch Brewing. The bar is held in an old warehouse garage, and the beers are all German or Czech inspired. It was surprisingly child-friendly, but they made sure to post plenty of signs about “no running” or “minding your children”. I guess it’s a good thing Matilda can’t walk.
We ended up leaving Boston extremely happy and satisfied. We spent time with my family and great friends, and enjoyed some delicious seafood and beer. I hope our next visit to New England is sooner rather than later.
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