“Listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. . . . “

In Boston’s North End you’ll find the small wooden home that Paul Revere left on April 18th, 1775 when he began the ride that made him a legend.  He lived here with his wife, five children, and mother, and sold the house around 1800.
The Paul Revere House still stands today at 19 North Square, and is downtown Boston’s oldest building.  The home was opened as a museum in 1908, one of the first historic house museums in the country.  Today it is …read more

Today’s Matchbook Monday comes from a Boston favorite.
75 Chestnut is a small pub-style restaurant in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston.  While it was once an elegant, high end restaurant, it reinvented itself into a popular, and affordable, neighborhood establishment with a bistro-like interior.
The menu includes pub fare (burgers, soups, salads, and sandwiches) with a bit of an upscale twist, along with some additional dinner entrees.  Prices are reasonable, especially by Boston standards, and you can get a great meal in the $10-20 range.
The restaurant is located at 75 Chestnut Street, and is open Sunday – Thursday 5 pm …read more

A couple hour drive west of Boston, nearly to the New York state line in Stockbridge, is the Norman Rockwell Museum. 
The site was Rockwell’s home for the last 25 years of his life, and was turned into a museum housing over 700 of his paintings, drawings and studies (the largest collection in the world), along with a huge collection of personal artifacts.
Rockwell is perhaps best known for his 321 Saturday Evening Post covers, with his first in 1916, “Boy with Baby Carriage.”  His inspiring “Rosie the Riveter” and “Four Freedoms” series remain lasting visual tributes to World War …read more

Today I have a guest post from blogging pal Susan Johnston.
 
With the decline of the US dollar vs. international currencies, now is the perfect time to explore domestic destinations rather than flying overseas.
Spring is the ideal season to visit Boston, because the weather is warming up and many of Boston’s most popular attractions are getting ready for business. There’s a palpable excitement and anticipation in Boston as the Red Sox prepare for opening day at Fenway Park and the Public Gardens comes alive with spring flowers.
I have lived in or around Boston for over a decade, so here are …read more

Have you noticed how the nights are getting just a little bit cooler?  And in the mornings, there’s starting to be a little crispness in the air.
When the weather gets like this, I start thinking about the fall foliage, and how beautiful nature can be this time of year.
Word is that this year’s foliage New England foliage should be spectacular.  The warm days and cool evenings are perfect conditions for dramatic color and foliage.
If you’re interested in planning a driving tour to see the foliage, check out the Massachusetts Office of Travel Tourism site for a listing of New England …read more

June 2nd, 1692, is generally recognized as the commencing of the Salem Witch Trials.
Hindsight tells us that, despite the rampant hysteria running through the community at the time, none of these people (mostly women) were witches.  Fear does crazy things to people.
Salem, rather than denying it, or trying to distance itself from its less tolerant era, has embraced the trials, and has turned witchcraft into a sort of cottage industry.
You can visit the Salem Witch Museum, the Witch Dungeon Museum, the Witch House, or the Salem Witch Village.
While this is not my particular cup of tea, having skipped all of …read more