#new england lifestyle | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

camiswift · 1 year

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my dream home ⋆ ˚｡⋆ ♡ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

i want a 5 bedroom house (preferably pink) with 3 bathrooms, a big kitchen with green cabinets, a master bedroom with a ton of windows, a big backyard with a garden, and a pool

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halleehalfgallon · 2 years

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I made my son a tunic for cool nights this summer. my first article of clothing. 🥰

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foxspit · 11 months

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new work for evangeline linens with my friend Ruay. I am so proud of these

Links: Rauy - evangeline - collections - instagram - foxspit.com

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randadrives · 2 months

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Salem - Witch City

"Still making history"

If you’re anything like me, a millennial spooky kid obsessed with Halloween, you probably also grew up watching the standard movies annually in October: Scream, Halloween, Beetlejuice, every zombie and Halloween (the franchise) movie possible, and the reigning classic, Hocus Pocus. If you’re one of those weirdos who hasn’t watched it, the family-friendly feature is set in Salem, MA – home of the famous witch trials of 1692. Thanks to the dense history, the town being a Maritime National Historic Site, as well as pop culture such as Bewitched, Hocus Pocus, and later the terrible Hubie Halloween (2020), the New England town of Salem has boasted an increase in tourism, causing an extra MILLION visitors just last October. Now I’m going to take you through my firsthand visit to this beautiful city I adored visiting.

An old friend of mine and I decided we wanted to take a long weekend trip somewhere we could drive in the spring of 2023. Several people who had already been to Salem suggested going at a different time of year than the normal September/October time to avoid the crowds of tourists, as it can be quite congested and the prices of everything goes up as well. Early May sounded perfect for decent weather to experience all the city had to offer, and yes – Ten hours (Pittsburgh to Salem) is a perfectly acceptable distance to drive for a 4 day trip, in my opinion. We found an Airbnb (which may or may not have been haunted) in Marblehead, which was a 15-minute drive from downtown Salem. Marblehead is where most of Hubie Halloween was filmed, which may be a severely poorly rated Adam Sandler movie, but I still watched it 5 times. This aesthetic coastal town is rich in history. It’s arguably the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, and a great deal of the original architecture is still present today. We had a great time walking the streets and seeing normal businesses, such as dentists and law firms, in buildings marked with their original purpose and the year they were built, the oldest being 1663! Our first stop on the evening we arrived was the restaurant Sea Salt, because you know we were looking for seafood. If I had not taken photos, I honestly might not remember our experience here. The service was great, and the atmosphere was very nice. The food was a little pricey, but that was expected. I remember having fantastic Brussel sprouts as an appetizer, and tasty cocktails, but can’t tell you that much more about it. My favorite places to look for when I’m traveling are locally owned coffee shops and bakeries/donut shops, so in the morning I pulled up Google and found a café called Maria’s Java Sun that was just a 5 minute walk down the street. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that we ended up walking down there 3 mornings in a row for coffee and a breakfast sandwich or pastry! They were delightful. We had opted for an Airbnb because of course my two adventure dogs were making the trip with us, and I had to be sure they would be comfortable while we were away for a few hours at a time. It was a goal of mine for them to experience the ocean, so I looked up a dog-friendly beach nearby. The second morning we were there we took them to Devereux Beach just a short drive away. It was a Saturday, so the beach was full of families with A LOT of dogs. Mine are dog reactive, but we were able to get to a more secluded portion for some waves and sea salt to ourselves. Another staple of Marblehead that sticks out in my memory is our trip to the liquor store. I have never before this seen a liquor store of this massive proportion. By the end of our stay, my friend and I agreed we would visit the Marblehead area again in the future. In May, it was serene, the landscape was gorgeous, and there appeared to be a plethora of things to do there, many related to boating and fishing.

Now the main, wicked event! On our first day driving into Salem, we had two main items on the schedule: the Satanic Temple headquarters, and a walking tour of the city. Other than that, we knew we would meander and do some exploring, as well as chow down on some seafood again. We drove to the Satanic Temple first because it was not in walking distance of other attractions. I take full responsibility for this idea, forcing my friend to play along with me, and I do not regret it. The towering, charcoal colored Victorian building was a funeral home before purchased by the organization. It was $13 each to enter as a non-member of the church, and we were not too sure what to expect. If you’re interested in who and what the organization is, I’ll let you do your own research as that could be a lengthy essay itself, but I’m a big fan. In short, the headquarters building is essentially an art gallery with some rotating and permanent exhibitions. I was enchanted by the art on display, captured many photos, and left with a few trinkets from the gift shop. I sat on the statue of Baphomet, I’m not sure what else could have made my visit any better! My friend was also pleasantly surprised by the experience, agreeing it was enjoyable and worth the stop.

Next was our walking tour, but first we had to tackle the issue of parking. The infrastructure of Salem is not necessarily built for the influx of tourists. We ended up parking in a parking garage near the Peabody Essex museum and decided that was it, we would be walking anywhere we needed to go from here, no matter how far. There was a visitor center across the street where I learned Salem is a Maritime National Historic Site. Pro tip: if you have the National Park Passport, you can get a stamp here! I didn’t bring mine, so I bought one of the .99 cent sticker sheets to take a stamp with me.

As much as I would have loved to do an after-dark, ghostly tour, we both knew at our big age we would be back at the Airbnb watching documentaries at that point in the night. I let my friend do the online research and choose the walking tour, so I can’t remember which it was, but there are so many that you probably can’t go wrong with choosing. We met our group at the Town Hall. It was a small group led by a Salem native who was knowledgeable and passionate about the history of the city. From here we saw key spots such as the Bewitched sculpture, the Witch House, several churches, buildings that had been used by affluent figures of society, where they would hold parties and meetings, the Ropes Mansion, ending at the old cemetery and monument dedicated to those that were killed for allegations of witchcraft. It was interesting to have someone who grew up here share the information, and she had so much to add we probably could not have learned from Google. And she shared with us all the ghost stories! As we walked the city, we also couldn’t help but gush over all the residents, not just the businesses, who seemed to embrace the culture and had witchy decorations up that time of year. At the end of the tour, we insisted she tell us the best spot to go for a lobster roll and she was happy to oblige.

This leads me to my favorite stop for food, The Lobster Shanty. Looking online, I believe there are two different restaurants called the same name, but this one appeared to be a dive bar, full of locals, cheesy coastal décor, and a boisterous bartender who seemed more than happy to have us there. The lobster rolls were amazing, as were the cocktails we ordered, and I’m grateful our guide suggested this little place over the best rated online, which was a fancy (and extremely expensive looking) restaurant we would not have been as comfortable in. Several other places we stopped for drinks while exploring that weekend were The Derby, a horse racing themed bar that we had just missed a drag show in, and Rockafella’s, a casual restaurant that claims many hauntings from local spirits, and not just the liquor type. My friend’s favorite restaurant we went to was the Howling Taqueria, where we enjoyed steak quesadillas and blood orange palomas at the suggestion of our waiter. We ended that evening with a couple episodes of “I Survived” and wine on the couch with the dogs, naturally.

The next day, after our Maria’s and beach stop, I had to be the nerd I am and go to the Salem Police Department to trade patches. So far, I believe they do have the most badass patch with a witch on it. Then we took in some of the Salem Witch Village shops. There were metaphysical stores, tourist traps of souvenirs, antiques shops, gift/specialty stores, art galleries, and very niche horror themed stores. One store I was upset with myself for passing on was Black Craft, as I didn’t realize the largest witch statue is actually within the building. I was afraid of spending too much money unnecessarily on clothing!

We cut off our browsing for a scheduled appointment time we had with the Salem Witch Museum. The museum seemed to be busy at every time of day, so if you make this part of your sightseeing, be prepared for large crowds. Tickets were $17.50 each for adults and nonrefundable. It’s a massive, visually appealing building, and not actually a museum but more of a theatrical production and history lesson. To be completely transparent, I didn’t learn anything new that I hadn’t already learned from our walking tour or just reading information around the city. Also, it was a rushed, guided tour. We were disappointed we did not get to take our time in the portion where there were artifacts to look at. The entire thing just seemed like they wanted to herd us in and out as fast as possible, and the only portion we weren’t pushed through was the gift shop at the end. I would not suggest this one for small children, as there are some graphic depictions of the hangings (and rock smashings) of the victims of the trials. I personally would not say this stop is worth the price and time.

We had seen most of what we set out to at this point, so we decided fuck it – we are in Salem, let’s go do something witchy. We chose a random metaphysical shop to go have our tarot cards read, and lucked out because the two mediums were available at the same time. It was roughly $40 each, which seemed to be the standard when I was comparing shops. I had a really fun reading with a young woman who was empathetic, bright, and obviously had a great time interacting with the people who came to her. She told me I could record my reading if I wished, and I regret not doing so! I encourage embracing being a tourist once in a while and support the local economy.

We went to Salem Common to take a walk and some photos, and then found an arcade/bar to have a drink and round off the night. It felt appropriate to shoot some zombies while in Salem, even if guns were not quite Winifred Sanderson’s style. Alas, we were physically exhausted and probably slightly overstimulated from being in public so much, so left right before another drag show started. I was pretty torn on staying for it, but wine and a movie, along with sweatpants, were just too inviting. It was a successful second and last full day in Salem. Due to the recent increase in tourism, the city is strongly urging visitors in September and October to NOT drive into Salem. Commuter rail services have been expanded upon, and there is also the Salem Ferry to utilize. If I were you, I would choose a different time of year. There is still just as much Halloween magic to experience in the area when it isn’t the spooky season, less lines, and lower prices for lodging. If you are going to drive or fly in, there are many Airbnb’s, hotels, and even an RV park to stay in. As always, I emphasize being kind to the locals. This is their home, even if it is a bucket list item or a novelty to you. It especially hit hard when we were at crosswalks and school buses full of children were passing by. I’m sure it can be frustrating, or even annoying, to always have so many people on the streets gawking and taking photos. Be kind, use your manners, and tip your servers! Travel can be a welcoming experience for all involved when every party puts the effort in, and maybe form a calming circle if you need to.

#travel #lifestyle #blog #salem #massachusetts #new england #nature #vacation #marblehead #hocus pocus #halloween #massholes #coffee #foody #history

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lance-goes-hiking · 2 years

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Homemade Beef Phở (with home grown Veggies & Herbs) 🍜

#pho #phở #noodle soup #homemade #homegrown #home cooking #thai basil #vietnamese #beef #yummy #dinner #healthy food #healthy lifestyle #gay guy #new england #gay #gay man #macro #life

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jdiswriting · 6 months

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5-7-5 for the outer world, the traditional Haiku, 7-7 for the inner world as a reflection of the self, in the old style. Photo by @st0nemind

#haiku poetry #poem #poetry #haiku #haiku poem #life #autumn #new england #lifestyle #daily haiku

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travelingare · 7 months

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It's that time of year again! Swipe up to see why Vermont is a must for Fall color change 📸@kjp 📍Vermont New England. United States 🇺🇸

#lifestyle #myuploads #aesthetic #travel #vermont #new england #fall

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unknowndanish-blog · 1 year

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I'm really cheering for these two. They look happy and like they're good for eachother 😊😊

David Harbour and Lilly Allen - Architectural Digest

#david harbour #lily allen #david harbour and lily allen #lily allen and david harbour #architectural digest #new york #design #interiors #home & lifestyle #celebrities #love #england #america #english #american

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bornonthelake · 8 months

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leaving the lonesome dreams lifestyle for the stick season lifestyle

upper midwest -> rural new england here i come

#jk the lonesome dreams lifestyle will never leave me #very hyped to listen to stick season in rural new england in the fall though

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foreveranevilregal · 2 years

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It’s officially “it’s so cold how are you drinking iced coffee” season.

#personal #iced coffee #it’s a lifestyle #you will pry it out of my cold dead hands #it can be 10 degrees and I’ll still be drinking it #like a true New Englander

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thenewenglander · 2 years

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Views from the Chatham Fish Pier

Follow along on Instagram @courtneyjenney

#courtney jenney #mine #chatham #chatham massachusetts #cape cod #chatham fish pier #new england #new englander #preppy #coastal living #coastal home #fishing boat #summer on cape cod #preppy style #preppy lifestyle

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arwenisnthere · 2 years

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halleehalfgallon · 2 years

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I noticed plenty of rosy red leaves during my morningly tomato-gathering.

I made a little wool foraging bag to wear on our belts/apron strings. it feels really nice and is the first thing I’ve made in a while that makes me excited about making.

the only downside is, when I stoop down to pick, my son reaches into the bag on my side and eats the tomatoes as quickly as I put them in 🥲