Massachusetts!

Maine to Massachusetts...

The drive from Maine to Massachusetts was approximately 4 hours. Our longest drive so far. By the time we got to our hotel (which was right outside of Boston), it was too late to do anything. We grabbed some maps and brochures from the lobby and planned the next day.

Plymouth-

The next morning, we decided to go to Plymouth. We went to Plimoth Plantation (yes, it's spelled correctly). http://www.plimoth.org/ Plimoth Plantation takes you back to the 1620's. You can also get tickets to go onto the Mayflower II which is near by. We did go on the Mayflower II which is a lifesize replica of the orginal. They even have actors staged around the Mayflower II in period clothing who don't go out of character. Any questions you have, they answer as if they were back on the actual Mayflower taking the journey from England to The New World. Crazy to think that there were 102 people on this tiny ship for so long!

We also went to see Plymouth Rock which is a short walk from the Mayflower II.

Mayflower II

Nutrition of the passengers....ek.

Cape Cod-

The same afternoon, we decided to drive out to Cape Cod. Apparently they practically have closed down for the season. It was tough to find anything open. Like at all! I took a really long time to find a place to have dinner. All of the restaurants were closed for the season. We finally found a restaurant where the bar section was open. The bartender explained that they close down for the whole season. It works out well for them because they are so busy during the summer with tourists.

Cape Cod is divided into a bunch of sections. We stopped in Hayannis and Chatham. Even though almost everything was closed, it was a nice drive and fun to see all of the little neighborhoods and main streets. We also found another lighthouse! Chatham Lighthouse. It was a great one with a nice view. Very windy though! Actually, all of the Lighthouses we saw were really windy. Duh, they are all on the water. ha ha.

Chatham Lighthouse

Near Chatham lighthouse

Chatham Lighthouse

Boston-

Our last day!!!!! :*( We decided to go to Boston finally! Pronounced Bahston to the locals. Oh how I loved Bahston. Well, actually the only thing we did was go to Faneuil Hall Market Place.....but I got a real taste for the city. I absolutely loved the people and their accents. Everyone was cracking me up. The Market is filled with shops, restaurants, tourists, locals and street performers. There was also a farmer's market going on. That's where all the locals were! There was also a dog Halloween costume contest going on. They had some hilarious costumes out there.

Cheers! Where everybody knows your name....

Faneuil Hall Market Place

Pretty much the most awesome sign EVER!

I learned a few Bahston words for you:

Bahston- Boston

Chowda- Chowder

Lobsta- Lobster

Awesome. Can't wait to go back and visit!!!

So, that was the trip. After going to Faneuil Hall, it was time to go to the airport and drop off our car. We flew out of Boston on Jet Blue again to Long Beach. We arrived at about 9:30pm. By the time we got home, it was after 10. My little niece (2 years) waited up for us so she could see her mom and big sister. It was the longest they had ever been apart. My nieces were so excited to see each other. Don't worry, we brought the little one tons of presents so she wouldn't feel left out. Sure, when she's older, she will most likely be bitter that we didn't take her. But there is no way we could have done it with both of them at these ages. When she gets older, we will definitely take her on a nice trip too. We should actually take her to NY or Boston because she totally has an east coast accent. She calls her pink bear, "Pink Bayer". ha ha.

Maine

Rocky coastlines, fresh seafood, loads of lighthouses and some amazing scenery.

Being as though we were here in October, it was the perfect time for the changing of the fall leaves. Bright orange, red and brown leaves were everywhere. I have to say, I knew the least about Maine before going on this trip. But the scenery was probably the most beautiful. I mean just from the freeway, all we could see were trees and bright leaves and blue lakes and rivers. It was amazing.




Portland Maine:

We decided to stop in Portland Maine. Again, we stopped at the Tourist Station and got our fill of maps and brochures.



Off of Highway 95, we took exit 44 towards route 1. We made a left at route 1 (Main Street). Right on Broadway and that took us all the way to two lighthouses. Bug Light and Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse. By this time, it was freezing out. (I'm trying to remember, but I believe it was in the low 40's) We had seen so many lighthouses at this point that basically I was kicked out of the car to take some pictures and that was that. Back into the car and back on our way.

I was actually able to walk out all the way to Bug Light. It was freaking freezing and windy, but for some reason I really wanted to go on it just for the reason that I could. On my way back, I could see my sister in law yelling at me to go back on so she could get a picture. It was absolutely freezing and water was splashing up under my feet. But hey, she got the picture!



Bug Light

Off to the next lighthouse which I do believe might be my favorite (definitely top 2). Portland Head Light near Fort Williams. This one is a must see. We all got out for this one.


Portland Head Light

While driving along the highway, we saw a lobster shack. It was so cute and very much what I had pictured to be in Maine. However, it was not open. Not sure if it was closed for the season or just because it was so early in the day.




Rockland:

We decided to head to Rockland, Maine. There was a downtown main street with shops, restaurants, museums, etc. We actually found a Puffin Visitor Center. It is a small gift shop/museum geared towards young children. They have a live video feed of Puffins and other sea birds being filmed 20 miles south of Rockland on Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge. They also have a movie about saving the Puffins, a crawl in Puffin burrow for kids, paper work and information regarding Puffins and adopting a Puffin and also small projects for kids to take home. My niece is a huge fan of animals and was thrilled to hang out here for a while. She even got a "Project Puffin" pin for her backpack. The proceeds go to saving the Puffins!
http://www.projectpuffin.org/PPVC.html



We also stopped by Rockland Cafe. Famous for their fish cakes. My mom and sister in law were dying for some "New England" clam chowder, so this seemed like the perfect spot. We were not looking for anything fancy. Just a typical small diner type place. Being as though, I do not particularly like seafood (but I really wanted to say I ate seafood in Maine), I decided to try some little shrimpys. (yes, I said "shrimpys") My mom and sister in law finally got their clam chowder.
http://www.rocklandcafe.com/



My shrimpys......

Another near by lighthouse we stopped to visit was Owl's Head Lighthouse in Owl's Head Maine.

Owl's Head

Somewhere in Maine.....










Hotel:

Again, being that I work for Marriott, we stayed at a Marriott brand property. The Marriott Fairfield Inns & Suites in Brunswick. Free internet & parking! Woo hoo!

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pwmbw-fairfield-inn-and-suites-brunswick-freeport/

Only one night in Maine and then it was back down the coast to...... Massachusetts!

New trip coming soon!

OMG....So after more than a year of "no big trips", I finally have a new trip planned. Going to New England in October, 2008.

Itinerary:
Long Beach to NYC
NYC for the night
Rent Car
NYC to Mystic, Connecticut (2 nights)
Connecticut to Providence, Rhode Island (2 nights)
Rhode Island to Brunswick, Maine (1 night)
Maine to Boston, Massachusetts (2 nights)
Boston to Long Beach

Out of all of those states, I've only been to NYC. Any suggestions on places to go while we are in any of these wonderful cities??