Budget summer vacations from Boston: Newburyport

by Brenda Yun on


Just one hour north of Boston, sandwiched between the Merrimack and Ipswich Rivers and the Atlantic Ocean is the adorable town of Newburyport — population: 7,500. This quaint coastal town, with its New England charm, boutique shops along State Street, and brick-lined pedestrian mall, makes a perfect weekend getaway. The great thing about Newburyport is that it’s easily accessible by train or by car. Either hop on the I-95 North and head east on Route 113 or take the commuter rail from Boston and walk to the center of town. Whatever you do, make this quintessential New England town your homebase for coastal explorations.

Where to Stay

  • Essex Street Inn: Built in 1880, the Inn stands on the site of Lucky Livery Stable, which burned down in the Great Fire of 1811. The old stable was razed and built into a conservative Victorian home. This cozy bed and breakfast is less than a block from the main action of State Street, and has a warm New England charm. Rooms start at $120 per night.
  • 167 Water B&B: Whether you are seeking a peaceful retreat, a romantic getaway, or simply want to experience a natural wonder, you will find comfort in this charming riverside home. There are just two rooms with a shared bath — both with tasteful European and African decor. Rooms start at $85 per night.

Where to Eat

  • Fowles Diner (State Street; M-F 7-3 p.m., Sat-Sun 7-4 p.m.): Having been a part of Newburyport since 1865, Fowles is a community icon. Part diner, part café, the place is always buzzing with locals and weekenders alike. Delectable breakfast dishes are served until 11 a.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. Even more appetizing is Fowle’s Summer Coolers, which filled with goodies for catered picnics ($14.99/adult; $9.95/kids under 12). Fowles Diner is not to be mistaken with Fowles Gourmet Market, located at 341 High Street (#978.465.9028), which since 1903 has been Newburyport’s main meat market and deli.
  • The Purple Onion: Serving up eclectic wraps and sandwiches since the fall of 2000, this is not your average fast food joint, the Onion’s generous portions and pleasantly bright seating area and courtyard make it one of the coziest places to grab some midday grub.
  • Agave Mexican Bistro (50 State Street, #978-499-0428): Newburyport’s only authentic Mexican restaurant with three floors of dining, each bringing its own unique atmosphere. The menu includes a wide variety of dishes.
  • The Grog: Newburyport’s ever-lively pub is the best place to drink some local brew and have a decent dinner at the same time. Closing in on 50 years of service, the Grog is Newburyport’s most beloved watering hole.

What to See & Do

  • Oldies Marketplace: An antique lover’s delight! Score some great deals at one of the state’s biggest antique market. From toy cars to old chests, this place has a perfect vintage feel and the best deals in New England.
  • Tannery Marketplace: If the Oldies’s knick-knacks aren’t your thing, head to the Tannery Marketplace for local gift shopping and relaxation. There’s a vibrant farmers market on Sunday’s from 10-2 p.m.
  • Plum Island: Take Water Street east of Newburyport and cross over the Plum Island Turnpike and Bridge to the quaint island of Plum Island. Check out the island’s photogenic range light on its northern peninsula, which borders the Merrimack River, or simply enjoy the sun on its sandy eastern shores. The salt-water marshes on the western edge of the island make Plum a popular migratory route for piping plovers, geese, ducks, and other birds.
  • Bike the Salisbury coastline: Bring your bike and hit the paved and bike-friendly roads of Salisbury’s eastern shores. Developed by the coastal trails coalition, Salisbury has some really scenic routes between Beach Road and State Reservation Road.

Check out more budget summer vacations here!

Welcome to America – our wacky food – part 1: extreme bacon

by Scott Carmichael on

Welcome to “welcome to America”, a fun and informative look at the subtle differences between the United States, and the rest of the world. Once again – if you are heading our way this summer – WELCOME. Please bring lots of your money, and spend it anywhere you can, we need it badly.

In the coming episodes, you’ll learn just how insane some of our food can be. The United States is often the topic of food related jokes, and rightfully so. Today’s topic – extreme bacon.

Seriously, nobody does bacon like the United States does bacon. Bacon is everywhere. Now, bacon in the form of a couple of strips on a burger, or for breakfast is nothing special. I’m pretty sure the British beat us when it comes to bacon consumed for breakfast. I am talking about extreme bacon. So, lets take a look at some of the insane ways bacon is consumed in this country.
The Krispy Kreme bacon cheeseburger

This is indeed a glazed yeast doughnut bacon cheeseburger. I can assure you that it is not a common dish found in the United States, but that did not stop the chefs at Google from preparing it for their hungry customers.

The Wendy’s Baconator

Wendy’s is one of the nations largest burger chains – you’ll have a hard time coming to the states and not being able to find a Wendy’s. Their food is generally pretty decent (if you like fast food), and if you are bored of your national McDonalds then they are worth checking out. Especially if you love Bacon.

The Wendy’s Baconator is a double burger with cheese, ketchup, mayo and 6 strips of bacon. Total sodium content is about 90% of what you are allowed daily, and at 51 grams of fat, you’d better be eating celery for the rest of the day.

Oddly enough, the world’s largest fast food chain is where you will not find any bacon (after breakfast). McDonalds in most parts of the world offers at least one burger with bacon, but in the US they have oddly enough decided against offering it. There is no McBacon in the US.

Baconnaise and Baconsalt

Baconnaise and Baconsalt – 2 products quickly becoming popular in the United States. The funny thing about these products is that neither actually contain bacon, but I can tell you from personal experience that they taste extremely similar to bacon. Baconnaise is even sold in a “light” version.

Baconsalt is exactly what the name implies- salt with bacon flavor. It tastes surprisingly good. Still, there is something quite weird about sprinkling bacon flavored salt on your food. but that is all part of “bacon to the extreme”.

Weird and wacky bacon products

The US novelty market loves bacon lovers. Bacon lovers love spending their money on anything bacony, so this is obviously a perfect match.

Online stores will sell you anything from bacon flavored toothpicks to bacon shaped bandaids and a bacon wallet.

If you really love your bacon, then how about a nice bacon scented car air freshener. I’m sure that will smell nice in the summer.

The madness doesn’t end there – on the right are “bacon mints”. They are supposed to taste like bacon flavored mints.

I’d love to say that the combination is better than it sounds, but I’d be lying. They taste like someone took a mint and added a bunch of salt to it.

10 passengers we love to hate: Day 2 — bringing a warm meal on the plane

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s annoying passenger is a tough one – I’d love to hate them more, but their annoying behavior is not entirely their fault.

Still, passengers who think it is cool to bring a huge bag of warm food on the plane are high on my list of airplane pet peeves.

Sure, they are probably hungry, and they need to bring their own food, as the airline won’t be feeding anyone. But many of these passengers bring really smelly food.

I’ve sat next to someone on a 6am flight who thought it would be fine to bring a massive breakfast platter on board. He had the works – eggs, bacon, sausages, hashbrowns and breads. The whole plane smelled of his breakfast, and many of the passengers were clearly annoyed.

Is it that hard to find a less smelly snack that early in the morning? International flights are worse, especially when the airport sells a large variety of really smelly foods. Next time you are waiting in line to order a meal for your flight, first check your watch to see if you have enough time to eat before you board, if not, then order something that is least likely to annoy your fellow passengers. If that is not an option, then you’d better have enough cash to order food for the entire plane.

Read about ALL the passengers we love to hate.

Next year’s planning for May: Think ahead

by Jamie Rhein on

May Day, May 1, Mother’s Day, the 2nd Sunday in May, and Memorial Day, the last Monday in May are the obvious “M” days for May celebrations. Then there’s Cinco de Mayo on May 5, a holiday I missed out on this year. I’ll buy a Dos Equis anyway. That’s not the only celebration opportunity that passed me by.

I have a calendar filled with hallmark days from around the world. Here are some of them that are significant in various parts of the world. It’s interesting to see which events or organizations have staked out a day as being special.

Don’t count on them being on the same date next year, however. Some are lunar which means, they move to match the moon’s cycle. Or some, like Memorial Day and Mother’s Day, are day specific.

  • May 2 and May 9–Both are Buddha related. May 2 was Buddha’s birthday. May 9, Vesak Day which was the biggie. It marks Buddha’s birth, death and enlightenment. Next year, meditate or head to a Buddhist temple. When we lived in Singapore, Vesak Day was a vacation day. It’s celebrated in across Asia with each country having it’s own mark. The photo is from the Lotus Lantern Festival in South Korea.
  • May 2–International Astronomy Day. Next spring, remember to look up at the stars. Better yet, head to a planetarium. One of my favorites is the one at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
  • May 8–World Red Cross Day– Next year, donate blood.
  • May 12—International Nurse’s Day–Next year, give a nurse a hug and some flowers. They make hospital stays bearable. You can also visit the
  • May 13–Tulip Time-Holland. Buy tulips. Give them to a nurse if you forgot Nurse’s Day. Better late than never. Or if your mother is a nurse and you forgot Mother’s Day, here’s a double opportunity to make amends. Or, to keep it simple go to the Tulip Time Festival in Holland Michigan.
  • May 14–Jamestown Day–Visit the living history museum, the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia. Or if you can’t visit, read a book about Jamestown.
  • May 17- Brown vs Board of Education–This isn’t exactly a holiday, but remember to be thankful that school segregation ended. Visit Topeka, Kansas, the centerpiece for this particular desegregation struggle.
  • May 29—John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s Birthday-Visit Kennedy’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery, unless you did that on Memorial Day.

This year, on Mother’s Day I saw the Broadway national touring company’s production of The Color Purple with my daughter. On Memorial Day, my mom, son and I went to a the Selma Walker Memorial Powwow. Sometime this year, I will donate blood to make amends for missing out on Red Cross Day. I donated last year and found out what my travel history means when it comes to giving.

Starting tomorrow, your cash is no longer welcome on American Airlines

by Scott Carmichael on

Starting tomorrow, Passengers on domestic American Airlines flights will be forced to use plastic for all on-board purchases.

This means you’ll need a credit or debit card to purchase headsets, alcoholic drinks or food.

In the lineup of frequently asked questions, this is the answer given to the question “can I still pay with cash”:

We anticipate that most of our customers will be prepared for cashless cabins as the vast majority of our domestic tickets are purchased with credit cards.

Awesome marketing spin – “we anticipate”, “most”, “vast majority”. All code for “some passengers will be screwed”.

I’m especially concerned about unaccompanied minors and (younger) tourists visiting the US from countries where plastic is not as popular. First the airlines take away free food and drinks, then they take away the ability to pay for it with cash.

If you do not have a credit card but still want access to on board purchases, I recommend finding a prepaid card (available from Walmart and most grocery stores). Still, that is a bit of a hassle to go through, just to get a drink and a bite to eat, so your best option is to get some real food at the airport and bring it on board. Airport concessions still love your cash.

American Airlines is not the first to go completely cashless, Midwest, JetBlue, Virgin American, AirTran and Frontier all converted to plastic payments ages ago, but American Airlines is the first of the big 5 to make the move. Expect the others to follow really soon.