Enchanted Village - Nostalgia Reigns

 

At this time of the year, nostalgia reigns. We remember those perfect holiday seasons in years past and all the things we did as kids when the snow was deeper, the ice wasn't as hard when we fell down and it took forever for Christmas to arrive every year.

Lin and I have been hearing an ad on the radio for the Enchanted Village in Avon, Massachusetts. It's a huge 20th century holiday village that used to be on display every holiday season at Jordan Marsh in Boston when we were kids. It was there for 30 years. I even took Lin to see it when she was little.

Then Jordan Marsh, a Boston department store icon since 1861, went out of business and the village lay dormant until the city of Boston bought it. When the city couldn't afford to display it any more, they put it up for auction. Along came Jordan's Furniture owner, Eliot Tatelman, who bought it, restored it and now it's on display once again … for free, no less!

Though we had no plans to buy any furniture, we headed to Jordan Furniture to check it out. We walked through acres and acres of furniture to get to the holiday activities. Then waited in long lines for our turn to have fun.

We followed the crowded queue through the storybook village enjoying the fine details that created an ambiance of holiday spirit from days gone by.

They've commercialized and added to the spectacle just a bit. There's a synthetic ice rink, which we saw, but didn't try and a holiday laser light show that we thought was pretty lame.

The 4-D 20 minute version of Polar Express was a multi-sensual experience and absolutely outstanding. We wore fashionable 3D glasses so the screen jumped out at us. We had to fasten our seat belts to hold us in our seats which moved in every possible direction as the Polar Express train went out of control on roller coaster hills before arriving at the North Pole. When hot chocolate was served on the train, we smelled hot chocolate and when the children were sitting by the Christmas tree, the scent of evergreen wafted through the theater. We felt snow and cold wind on our faces. It was hoot.

They even offered the huge blueberry muffins that we used to be able to buy at Jordan Marsh while we walked through the village. A touch of nostalgia … just what I needed to fight off the post-holiday blahs and missing David.

On the Third Day of Christmas, my true love sent to me...

Three e-mailed errands

Two bigger duffels

And a Christmas morning greeting on Skype

(feel free to sing this out loud … we certainly do)

Massachusetts' Other Cape - Cape Ann Pt. 2

Cape Ann's city of Gloucester is well known as a fishing port and of course, the setting for “The Perfect Storm”, but it's much more if you take the time to stroll around and visit. Founded in 1623, it was one of the first English settlements in America, part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and predates both the Salem and Boston settlements by several years. It's America's oldest seaport.

First of all, Gloucester is actually an island. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on three sides, the Blynman Cut /Annisquam River cut Gloucester off from the mainland on the west side. Fishing boats get in and out and kayaks circumnavigate the island, but it's not something Nine of Cups could do. The Blynman Cut Bridge connects Gloucester to the mainland and is the second busiest drawbridge on the US east coast. We watched little boats buck the tide and current getting in through the narrow cut. It's not something you'd approach lightly.

Gloucester (pronounced Glosta, just in case you were wondering) has a working waterfront and a fairly new Harbor Walk that allows visitors to get great views of the boats and harbor. We think the 1.2 mile self-guided walk encouraging tourists to “follow the green seaglass trail … ” along the waterfront and through the town was perhaps the idea of well-intentioned town council who didn't quite follow through. There's little explanation of what you're seeing and finding the trail to follow (must be a lack of seaglass) is sometimes a bit of a challenge. Granted, we did not have our GPS with us nor had we plotted our course in advance, but still …

The city claims a lot of firsts and superlatives. It's touted as having built the first schooner in the US (1723). Out of necessity, Gloucester fishermen invented the iconic Sou'wester hat. It has the oldest continuously operating marine railway in the US (1849). Gorton Seafood has had a processing plant here since 1849 and Clarence Birdseye, father of frozen foods, was freezing fish in Gloucester back in 1925. Gloucester even has its own sea serpent! We got a kick out of an historic city timeline which listed not only those firsts above, but makes reference to four men who were fined in 1648 for hunting raccoons instead of attending church!

Historically home to one of the largest fishing fleets in the US, Gloucester has lost over 10,000 men to the Atlantic Ocean in its nearly 400 year history, according to Wiki. The Man at the Wheel statue, Gloucester's fishermen's memorial, sits prominently on the shore walk facing the sea and lists those that have lost their lives.

A number of movies have been filmed here, “The Perfect Storm”, being the most famous in recent years. The events you watched or read about in The Perfect Storm were loosely based on true events which occurred in 1991 (after all, it is a Hollywood film). The Cape Pond Ice Company provides a landmarks map for tourists to check out the actual places talked about in the movie like the Crow's Nest Bar, Virgilio's Bakery and of course, the Cape Pond Ice Company.

Across the harbor on Rocky Neck is an active art colony. More important to sailors, however, is the historic Tarr and Wonson Paint Manufactory buildings, a quintessential part of Gloucester Harbor in since 1874 and best known for developing an innovative copper anti-fouling paint used on the bottom of boats prevent barnacles.

The waterfront is especially scenic. Gloucester dories line the docks and Gino at the Dory Shop down the way is responsible for making most of them.

We walked along the pier and watched the graceful schooner, Ardelle, return from a harbor tour.

An old lobster shack on the pier is used for demonstrating lobster traps to tourists.

We last visited Gloucester over a decade ago on our first trip in Nine of Cups up the US east coast. Revisiting by land was fun, but we think it would be great to bring Cups back here sometime, too. The view from the boat is always the best.

Witch City Walking Tour - Salem, Massachusetts Pt. 2

History AND Hysteria

Despite its colorful maritime history, Salem is really about all things witch. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 represent one of America's “most notorious cases of mass hysteria, and has been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as a vivid cautionary tale about the dangers of isolationism, religious extremism, false accusations and lapses in due process.”

I remember reading and having a bit part in Arthur Miller's The Crucible while in college. The play is set in Salem during the witch trials and explores the lives of those accused of witchcraft. Today, Salem embraces its witchy identity and infuses it into most everything in the town. Police cars sport a witch logo. There's Witchcraft Heights Elementary School, and the sports field on Gallows Hill was indeed the location for public hangings in centuries past. Whether its an overhead door company, the Coast Guard or a segway rental, there's no escaping from the witchy side of things. The Essex Street pedestrian mall is chock-a-block full of witch-y restaurants and boutiques. From t-shirts, to wine, to witchy costumes, to spell casting and tarot readings, it's all here in the Witch City and available for sale.

Along our path we came across the Johnathan Corwin House, the oldest house in Salem and an example of high-style First Period architecture. More important than its age is its nickname, “The Witch House”. Corwin was one of the judges in the infamous 1692 Salem Witch Trials. It's the only extant building directly associated with the witch trials. Its dark stained exterior and small windows give the house the illusion of being somewhat sinister and mysterious.

We just couldn't ignore the Bewitched statue celebrating the long-running TV show, parts of which were actually filmed in Salem. The movie Hocus Pocus was also filmed on site as were many other movies, all lending to the city's witchy credibility. The Wiccan influence here is strong.

We had a quick lunch at the Witches' Brew, an appropriately named cafe for “witch city” dining. No special concoctions or potions were served, but the club sandwich was good.

Back to the reality of happenings back in 1692. Here's the encapsulated, Cliff Notes version. There was rivalry between some of the families in town. Some young girls started acting weird and were diagnosed as being “afflicted”. This was blamed on spells cast by local women whom they claimed were witches. The town fathers and several townspeople, being staunch Puritans (who left England, mind you, because of religious intolerance) went crazy. When friends tried to defend the accused, they, too, were accused of witchcraft. Accusation after accusation ensued and before you know it, they were hanging people as witches. No burning at the stake occurred in Salem.

One poor fellow, Giles Corey, was pressed to death. In all, 20 people were executed and over 200 people were accused. Not a pleasant chapter in America's early history.

The Salem Witch Trials Memorial is quite the solemn place. Located next to the Old Burying Point, there's a small park surrounded by a stone wall in which are embedded granite benches. Each of the 20 benches bears the name of a person executed during the trials. Seven locust trees were planted in the plant and it's said when the leaves shed their leaves, it represents tears shed for those unjustly executed.

The Old Burying Point next door to the Witch Memorial is the second oldest cemetery in America and the oldest in Salem. Established in 1637, the gravestones are weathered and beaten, but most are discernible and it was interesting, as always, to view the stones and walk the grounds. Note that those accused and executed for witchcraft were not allowed to be buried here (a Christian cemetery and all) and it is thought that their families recovered their bodies and put them to rest in unmarked graves.

Walking the streets of Salem today is interesting. Meeting someone dressed as a witch is not uncommon.

Needless to say, Hallowe'en is the high holiday here and they're all prepared. The Annual Witches' Ball will be held soon in conjunction with the Annual Psychic Fair and Witchcraft Expo followed by the Festival of the Dead. Don't miss it. Grab your cat and your broom and fly on in ... parking's free.