BOSTON SEA PARTY
New England’s a delight for fans of wildlife from the deep.. both live and on your plate
“WHAT do you know about this place?”
This was my second trip to Massachusetts and my wife Rachel and I had just spent two days exploring Boston. But I had a feeling we were about to learn something new from Gloucester House restaurant owner and raconteur Lenny Linquata.
He began telling us how three of the world’s most important “inventions” (or their forerunners) were dreamed up in Cape Ann – central heating, frozen food and the remote control.
However, as enthralling as Lenny’s tales were, I couldn’t help but be distracted by what had just been placed in front of me – a bright red 1.5lb boiled lobster.
Unperturbed, Lenny continued with his anecdotes before beginning his lobster dissecting tutorial, saying: “Break the claws off… throw that bit away… get stuck right in there, but don’t beat it up.”
They were words of wisdom from a man who has obviously eaten thousands of lobsters down the years.
I could tell Lenny was a proud man and when it comes to his three big passions – history, food and sport – the area in and around Boston is a world leader.
New England is just six hours from the UK and, thanks to Norwegian’s new low-cost route from Edinburgh to Providence, Rhode Island, the trip can be inexpensive and comfortable.
After arriving in Boston, we checked into the swish Hotel Commonwealth.
After a quick change, we enjoyed a pasta supper and a few cocktails at the hotel’s elegant signature restaurant Eastern Standard.
CityPASS is a quick and economical way of getting around the city, as is the Go-Boston Card which entitles you to go up to the Skywalk Observatory atop the Prudential Building, among other things.
However, the best way to see the “Walking City” is via the Freedom Trail – a 2.5mile-long red brick path that takes in 16 of Boston’s major historical sites, including Massachusetts State House, the Boston Massacre Site and Faneuil Hall.
The trail also passes by Union Oyster House – the oldest restaurant in America and a favourite haunt of JFK in the 1960s.
We gulped down some of Joseph’s world-famous oysters, along with other New England specialities like lobster rolls and clam chowder.
Later, after walking back through Beacon Hill and Boston Common, we headed out for an evening of food, drinks and banter at Dick’s Last Resort Comedy Club.
The next day, we collected our pre-booked car from Hertz and headed north on the US-1 and MA-128 bound for Cape Ann.
Our first stop was the magnificent Great House on the Crane Estate in Ipswich.
The estate includes the Castle Hill mansion, which was used as the exterior of the Lenox Mansion in the 1987 film The Witches of Eastwick.
Heading east through Cape Ann,
we arrived in Essex and stumbled on a seafood treasure trove.
More than 100 years ago, Lawrence “Chubby” Woodman fried up a few clams on the side of the road as a way of making a few cents.
New England delicacy the fried clam was born, and five generations later, his grandson Steve is still serving up seafood treats at their restaurant Woodman’s of Essex.
Next, we visited America’s oldest seaport, Gloucester. Our base for two nights in the town was Beauport hotel, with its wonderful seafront restaurant and pool deck.
From there, we embarked on a voyage on board 7 Seas Whale Watch’s Privateer IV boat.
We saw cormorants, a harbour seal and a minke whale during our first two hours out in the Atlantic.
Then, we caught our first magical glimpse of humpback whales spraying water from their blowholes and turning over, before gracefully diving into the blue abyss with a swish of their massive tail fins.
On our final couple of days in Massachusetts, we learned more about the state’s history.
In Lowell, we took a boat ride in the National Park, a tour of the water-powered Boott Cotton Mill Museum and viewed the displays at The New England Quilt Museum.
Modern-day Lowell is an artistic and multicultural city, with a great array of cosmopolitan food and drink.
After a night at the Stonehedge Inn and Spa on the New Hampshire border, we arrived at the town considered by many as the birthplace of America – Lexington. During the hour-long Liberty Ride trolley bus tour, our guide recounted the events of April 19, 1775, when the “shot that was heard around the world” changed everything.
In the afternoon, we cooled down with a swim in the 102ft deep glacial kettle-hole Walden Pond, before checking in at The Inn Hastings Park.
The Inn is something special, as is the cuisine prepared in its elegant restaurant, Artistry on the Green.
So going back to Lenny’s question in Gloucester – what did I know about Massachusetts?
Over the course of six days, I was constantly told how Boston and Cape Ann had the biggest this, the oldest that, and the longest-standing something or other.
However, there was one adjective that the modest Bay Staters didn’t use nearly as much as they should – the best.