Salem MA, Thanksgiving trip 2006 (Part 1)

So the much waited, long anticipated Thanksgiving trip has taken place without any loss of limbs, trips a mental ward, or my threatening to leave any family members either (a) home or (b) in Salem. I have to say it was a great trip, and I am so glad that mom came with us, wanted to come with us. Above is a photo of The House Of The Seven Gables....you know the book Nathanial Hawthorne had written way back when. But I guess as is true with any story, it's best to begin at the beginning.

The five of us: Mom, Ida, Pooka, Cro`i and myself left for Salem on Wednesday, 11/22/06 and took the ferry from Orient Point, to New London CT...where fromt here we'd drive 2 1/2 hours. I was nervous about how the mckittens would do on the ferry, and we opted to leave them in the car so as not to catch a draft while on the water. They didn't seem any worse for ware when we got back in to the car and began our driving portion. On occassion Pooka would cry for his sister, and Ida then decided it best to keep the two cats in one carrier except seperate. Making excellent time, we didn't hit much traffic until we neared Salem and Danvers (which is the town next to Salem.) Turned out that there had been a MASSIVE explosion at a chemical plant, so strong that residents in New Hampshire felt the vibrations. So many roadways were closed and cars detoured. We got to The Salem Inn just at 5pm, and I was glad for it. My bladder needed a break. Upon checking in, found out that our suite was on the 4th floor, and being that the Inn isn't handicapped accessible, I carried all the luggage up 4 flights of winding, narrow stairs. Mom and Ida followed, and we realized that the suite was (a) BEAUTIFUL, and (b) really too big for our needs. But this room was only for one night, so what the heck. Below you'll see Ida sitting in a rocker, and also I'm including some of the mansions from Chestnut ST.

For our first night in Salem, we ate at The Salem Beer Works, which is just your local brewery/restaraunt type of joint like a John Harvards. Mom and Ida both had burgers, and I had a chicken sandwich. Mom and Ida had soup, mom- the New England Clam Chowder (which was DELISH), and Ida had French Onion which she enjoyed. Mom and I both tried the beer sampler, which consists of 4 4oz. tastings of beers. We had: Pumpkinhead Ale, Red Witch, Seven Gables Pale Ale, and Salem Light. Our two favorites were the Pumpkinhead, and the Red Witch. We drove around a bit, and then hit the hay as we were exhausted. My roll-away bed was a bit squeeky.

Thanksgiving was a wet day, up in Salem, but from what I understand not as nasty as it was in NY. We tried not to over-do it at breakfast, as it is a continental buffett. But the lady who runs the dining area kept trying to fill us up. We got dressed, and headed down in to Boston to the Omni Parker House for an early dinner. Our room that we had moved in to, on the first floor of The Salem Inn was way smaller than the suite, but we made do and were comfortable. The Omni Parker House Thanksgiving dinner was served as a buffett, and we were left wanting NOTHING. Tables of food, ice sculpters adorning the buffett, staff waiting to fulfill your every whim. Table one was hors' durves and tropical shrimp salad, grilled veggies and Butternut Squash Soup. Table two was all different salads, pate, and breads and meats and cheeses. Table three had all the trimmings you would have at home, and then some. Table four had: turkey and stuffing, ham, poached filet, and beef tenderloin. Table five was EVERY delicious dessert you could dream up, from traditional pies, to flan, to cakes, and mousse filled chocolate pumpkins. We weren't piggies, and shared what we took for dessert, but even then we couldn't finish.