Exploring Salem: Day One

[Ever been to Salem, MA? Me neither. Fortunately, Jessica Tennant of My Path to Mommyhood took a road trip there this summer from her home in upstate New York and is telling us all about it! –S]

My husband Bryce and I go to Maine every summer. There is nothing quite so beautiful as coastal Maine, and we get to see many different parts of the state because my in-laws live in the capital area, which is central to just about everything.

It just takes a REALLY long time to get there, so we’ve started stopping partway on the way there and the way back, which gives us the added benefit of exploring New England.

Weekend in Salem

This year, we decided on a romantic weekend in Salem, Massachusetts to break up the trip to Maine.

I had actually never been to Salem before, which is a shame. Salem is a tremendously kooky town, full of serious and tragic history (ahem, witch trials) as well as an affinity for ghosties, ghoulies, and all things Halloween, and a literary history involving Nathaniel Hawthorne and H.P. Lovecraft. It has cobblestone streets, tremendously old houses, and a red line painted throughout town called the Heritage Trail – following it sends you past many interesting historical attractions.

Bed and Breakfast

We stayed in The Coach House Inn, a bed and breakfast on Lafayette Street. It was built as a Victorian ship captain’s house in 1879. The inn was great, the innkeeper was very helpful and hospitable, and the breakfasts were continental and came in a Red-Riding-Hood style basket to your door at 8:30 in the morning, like magic.

One thing about the Coach House that wasn’t so great was the location. It was right on the street that leads you straight into historic Salem, but, to get there, you had to walk through a fairly sketchy (and, as we heard from locals, heroin-plagued) section of town. We walked once and used Uber to go home and then took advantage of street parking after that…so if you don’t mind driving instead of walking, it’s perfectly lovely.

Geek Pizza

Our favorite place to eat was Flying Saucer Pizza Company, which sounds like a strange choice for me as a person with Celiac disease, but it had delicious and safe gluten-free options. AND, it was decked out in art and action figures and all kinds of paraphernalia from Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, the Avengers, Ghostbusters…it was a terrifically geeky place! All the pizzas were named after various things from sci-fi, and they have a Space Pug, Charlie, who is their mascot.

I had The Vision pizza, TWICE (for dinner the first night and lunch the next day, because it was THAT GOOD), which had walnut pesto, cheese blend, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and balsamic fig. Does that not sound amazing? The regular pizza was excellent too, with Bryce mumbling “This is THE BEST pizza I have EVER HAD” to the server with his mouth full of a Hawaiian-style pizza with jalapeño peppers.

Ghost Tour

It was an appropriately thunderstormy night for a ghost tour with Black Cat Tours. Our guide was dressed in old-timey clothing and delivered a great mix of historical and paranormal tales. He brought us through the burying ground, past an original house that was restored and, apparently, has a very Ring-like ghost of a girl who was quarantined in the attic for having scarlet fever and peeks out the windows.

Giles Corey

There was a section of the burying ground that had stone benches jutting from a stone wall, with each bench etched with one of the names of the witch trial victims and the date of their death.

All were hanged except one – Giles Corey, who was accused of witchcraft in his 80s (but, lest you think he’s a good guy, he also accused his wife), and knew that if he was convicted or confessed he would lose his property to pay for his time in jail (yup, they had to pay for their meals and everything they got in the deplorable jail conditions themselves). He refused to confess or consent to be tried. He was tortured to death through “pressing” – they lay a board on him laden with more and more stone weights every time he refused to consent.

Although he died, he saved his property from confiscation this way, and now you know what it really means to be pressed for an answer (!)

Supposedly, he haunted the head of law enforcement who had him arrested, hanging out at the end of his bed and causing chest pains.

Favorite Haunts

We also learned of an angry divorcee ghost who haunts the space where they have weddings and dances and other events, tries to push people down the stairs, and wreaks havoc on art displays, stomping around the top floor and going down invisible stairs that don’t exist anymore to frighten people on the first floor.

We didn’t personally see any of the ghosts, but thought the tour was fabulously spooky and informative. (Who knew the inspiration for The Tell-Tale Heart was a real-life murder of a stingy old captain by his caretaker right there in Salem?) I am a sucker for a good ghost tour, and this one was atmospheric and not corny at all.

So much to do and see in the first day, how could our second day in Salem compare?

[Part 2 is coming up on Monday!]

Photos –
1, 2, 6: Jessica Tennant.
5: Doug Kerr on Flickr, color corrected. CCL.
3, 4, 7: Robert Linsdell on Flickr, color corrected. CCL.

September 26, 2016September 26, 2016

Room with a View in Big Sur

I saw this image on Pinterest of what looked like a tiny cabin with large picture windows. The caption said “Big Sur,” but the link was broken.

A few years ago, Phillip and I drove down Highway 1 through Big Sur – wooded mountains on one side and cliffs dropping off into the ocean on the other. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

Which may be why, in a late-night, insomnia-fueled obsession, I had to find out more about the place in the photo.

Eventually, I spotted it in a vacation-rental listing in Big Sur.

The listed lodging is this cute vintage trailer nestled in a valley and off the grid.

A few yards away is the “cabin,” which turns out to actually be the bathroom, housing a cast iron tub with an ocean view.

It’d be a nice place to soak awhile, don’t you think?

—-

Photos:

June 23, 2016December 4, 2021

Would you sleep in a lookout tower?

Wildflowers at McCart Lookout, Bitterroot National Forest, Montana.

I was looking for National Park campground information online when I came across this:

“Bunk in a Fire Lookout Tower – These are mostly historic fire lookouts once used by wildland firefighters, like 55-foot tall Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout located at 10,000 feet.”

I’ve seen these towers in the distance, perched over Arizona forests, and thought how awesome it would be to see the view from there. I had no idea it was a possibility (without years of training and a Forest Service job) until I read that. I also hadn’t thought about them no longer being in use.

I guess nowadays fires just send a text-?

The catch:

“Most offer panoramic views of mountains, forests and wildlife but may not offer electricity, running water, or road access.”

You may have to pack in all your food, water, and gear. You may also have to climb down a ladder to use the bathroom.

Inconvenient, but still, I’d stay in one for a night.

How about you?

—

How to find fire towers you can stay in on recreation.gov:

Type “camp” in the search box.
Under category, choose “campgrounds.”
Under looking for, choose “lookouts.”

—

Images via recreation.gov (except #2).

Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout, Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming.
Via iOS7 Text generator.
Bald Butte Lookout, Fremont-Winema National Forest, Oregon. “The lookout was built in 1931 and served as a Forest Service fire detection site for over 50 years. It was constructed from an Aladdin L4 ground-mounted lookout kit in which all of the pieces were pre-cut in six-foot lengths or less so the entire kit could be packed by horses into the remote site.”
(+ top/featured image) McCart Lookout, Bitterroot National Forest, Montana. “It has been restored to reflect a lookout of the 1940s, including the stove, furniture, dishes and other small touches.”
Screenshot.

June 13, 2016January 11, 2017

May Photo: Cottage

We stayed in these cute little cottages in Williams, Arizona when my mom graduated from Northern Arizona University this May.

—

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016

The Ups and Downs of The Canyon Motel (Williams, AZ)

It’s not every day that your mom gets her master’s degree. So if her graduation is in another city, you make travel plans.

After getting back from our last big extended-family trip to my cousin’s wedding in Virginia, we started planning for Mom’s Northern Arizona University graduation in May. We were looking for somewhere that everyone making the trip to Flagstaff could stay.

Cast of Characters:

My mom (a.k.a. Graduate with honors) and dad (vital support system and expert pancake maker)

My brother Ian, sister-in-law Christine, niece and nephew (yep, they flew in from Seattle!)

My aunt (Sister of the Graduate), uncle, and their dog

Phillip and me

Turns out that, even four months ahead, we were a little late. Flagstaff hotels were filling up for graduation weekend, and the rooms that were available tended to cost double or triple their regular rates. We looked at cabins and Airbnb and weren’t finding anything that could accommodate all of us well. (Some of these places have like a million bedrooms but one bathroom. #badideas)

We were excited to find The Canyon Motel and RV Park, which fit what we were looking for:

Kitchenettes (microwave, mini-fridge, coffeemaker) so we could bring some of our own food.
Picnic tables for family meals.
ADA accessible rooms.
Playground for the kiddos.
Dogs allowed.

Williams

The motel is not actually in Flagstaff but in Williams, about 30 minutes away.

Williams, Arizona’s claims to fame:

“Gateway to the Grand Canyon” – most routes to the Grand Canyon go through Williams. It’s an hour south of the visitor center on the South Rim.
Grand Canyon Railway – train from Williams to the Grand Canyon
Route 66 – the historic route still goes through Williams and turns 90 this year!

The Property

Canyon Motel is minutes from historic downtown Williams one direction and Bearizona animal park the other.

The motel part is actually a series of renovated 1940s cottages with exteriors made from the local flagstone. There are 3 separate rooms next to each other in each building.

Besides the cottages, you have the option of staying in a vintage train car or caboose, pulling up your RV or tent camping.

There are fire pits and grills near the picnic tables, a heated indoor pool, and a “hidden patio” (for rent).

The office doubles as a general store selling snacks and Route 66 souvenirs.

Rooms

While each room is different, the whole place is decorated with a kitschy Route 66 / railroad theme. There are vintage travel posters, benches with backs made from Chevy truck tailgates, and lots of railroad and road signs.

All rooms include kitchenettes. Some also include sofa beds. Ours had shelves near the mini-fridge and also in the bathroom, which is nice. We didn’t have a closet but there was a clothes rack and hangers.

Service

Plot twist: A few weeks out, my aunt realized they wouldn’t be able to make the trip.

When she called to cancel their reservation, the motel couldn’t find it in the system. Which is disconcerting. If they had come with us, they may not have had a room when they arrived.

Check-in Drama

Although the motel had the rest of our reservations, our arrival still wasn’t exactly smooth.

Act I

A white minivan, carrying my parents and Ian’s family, pulls up in front of the Canyon Motel office.
Dad is told he can’t park there.
Misdirected by signs meant for RVs, he pulls forward a few feet, and sends me a warning text.
Meanwhile, Ian is checking in. The desk clerk goes over where everything is, circling recommended restaurants on a map.
They go into their respective rooms, where my niece promptly throws up on the bed.
Someone from the motel brings a change of bedding.

Intermission.

Act II

30 minutes later, Phillip and I arrive.
Confused, we follow Dad’s text and park in front of the office.
Phillip is told to move the car. (Exits)
I check in and receive a single room key.
The desk clerk patiently goes over where everything is, circling recommended restaurants on a map – as if she hadn’t just done that when Ian arrived and probably 10 times that day.
As we wrap up, Phillip returns from moving the car and is told to now park it next to our room.

And…scene.

I Saw the Sign

Of course, not all the check-in drama was the motel’s fault. (They did not, for example, ask my niece to get sick.) Actually, every employee we spoke with was friendly and helpful.

There are just a lot of things design- and policy-wise that make the place itself feel unwelcoming.

Besides the confusing parking, there are baffling rules about all kinds of things, like which picnic tables to use. There are do-and-don’t signs posted all over the place.

More importantly, even though our bed was comfortable, not everyone’s was. The sofa bed where my niece was slept was basically all springs. Fortunately, she’s small enough she could curl up on the one useable corner. (My even smaller nephew slept on a cushion. Awww…)

Conclusion

Our stay wasn’t all bad, but it was a mixed bag. It was great for multiple families to be close together, still have our own individual space (and bathrooms!), and room for the kids to run around. They loved the playground, and the picnic tables were a good gathering spot.

If we were to do this trip over, I’d probably still stay there, because it worked for what we needed at the time. In other circumstances, though, I’d probably opt to stay somewhere that made me feel less like an intruder – or a hassle – and more like a guest.

—

We received a media discount for our stay from The Canyon Motel and RV Park.