November 12, 2024
Salem, MA
Though Halloween is behind us now, my brothers and I took a trip this past weekend to a rather spooky location: Salem, MA. You certainly do not need me to tell you that this town is rich with history, but, well, it is. If you are interested in learning more about the history of Salem while there, there are many options to do so: a guided tour, museum visits, or even picking up a book about the Salem Witch Trials in one of the several small bookstores.
Since it was a beautiful day and also because we are occasionally socially introverted, my brothers and I decided to do more of a self-guided walking tour. Before we began our journey, though, we were sure to pick up hot chocolates from Front Street Coffeehouse. I was in search of a local coffee shop, and we stumbled upon this one. Stepping foot inside, I realized that my previous estimation of how large this shop is was vastly incorrect. There is a large sitting section with smooth, wooden tables that leads into another elevated section, which is where the coffee bar is, as well as several other small tables. Local artwork hangs on the brick walls and windows, as well as posters for upcoming/recurring events, which creates a cozy atmosphere with the intention of visitors truly being engaged in their surroundings.
While their specials looked delicious (I believe I saw a s'mores latte on the menu), I was still set on my hot chocolate. Ordering a hot chocolate is risky business. There’s a 90% chance that it will burn your taste buds off, and your tongue will be suffering for the next week to follow. There’s about a 95% chance that it will taste like just hot water with a streak of artificial chocolate flavoring. There is a 100% chance, however, that if you order a hot chocolate from Front Street Coffeehouse, you’ll be happy with your purchase. It was the perfect temperature AND tasted like melted chocolate. The ideal combination. Hot chocolate season has approached us, and I’m glad to have started the season correctly. It’s also the season in which Tom Hanks’ “Hot Chocolate” from Polar Express replays incessantly in my mind. I can’t escape it. Help.
We had a wonderful time exploring the streets of Salem. Count Orlock’s Nightmare Gallery was one of our favorite locations, as it was a museum of highly impressive wax figures depicting so-called monsters from classic horror films. The eyes of the Tim Curry Pennywise wax figure penetrated my soul and I can still see them when I close my eyes. Anyway. We stopped in to Wicked Good Books, which had a great collection of books about Salem’s history, as well as some awesome Lego sets (including two Wicked ones, which was important to me because I had played "Defying Gravity" – as well as perhaps some other musical theatre songs featuring witches – in the car on the way over to Salem, and was then subsequently told that I could never have aux again because I’m too much of a theatre kid, to which I replied that these musicals are culturally significant and should be known. I digress). We ate dinner at a place called Boston Burger, where the meal ended in us splitting a giant cannoli milkshake, as all proper meals should.
Our final stop on our self-guided tour was the Pickering Wharf Marina, where I found one of my personal favorite stops: The Marble Faun Books and Gifts. Boy oh boy, do I want to marry the people that are responsible for making the cards and bookmarks on display. I bought Jane Eyre and George Eliot bookmarks, then a few of the glitter-filled cards. I spent way too long sifting through the different cookbooks, teas, handbags, gloves, and shawls – I could tell my brothers were becoming restless, so I had to stop myself. Luckily for me, and for all of you, they have a website where they sell all of their creations and products!! Yay!!
Our day ended at a restaurant called The Ledger, where I got a double espresso after my meal. Do I really enjoy espresso shots? I honestly can’t tell. It’s true that I cringe with every sip, but I continue to order them after dinners out at every opportunity I get. Just something I’m keeping in mind as I continue my self-analysis over the course of my existence. I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten to spend this time with my brothers in a new place that had been on my bucket list for a while now. We didn’t have a plan with what to do with our time when we got there, but the day sort of just morphed into something beautiful and fun.
I didn’t get aux on the way back, but if I had, I would have played “No One is Alone" from Into the Woods.
P.s. I also found a mini lighthouse on Pickering Wharf. -->
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