Essex Massachusetts

Get Your Thrills from the Sea on Route 133

Published September 21, 2020 | By Clark Norton

The inimitable box of fried clams has helped put Ipswich, Massachusetts, on the culinary map

In his latest guest post, Bob Waite had me hooked with his first mention of fried clams, one of my favorite culinary indulgences.

And by the time I had finished reading his piece, I was salivating for a return trip to Cape Ann, a seafood haven and resort area that includes Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Bob grew up in Ipswich on Cape Ann, and writes here about his hometown and nearby Essex — one of which invented the fried clam (though both claim it). But wherever it was born, the Cape Ann area indisputably remains king of the clam. And that’s good enough for me.

By Robert Waite

Ipswich, MA – While many Americans back in the day were getting their kicks on Route 66, I was getting my thrills from the sea on Route 133.… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, food, Getaways, Restaurants | Tagged Cape Ann Massachusetts, Clam Box restaurant, Clam Highway, Essex Massachusetts, fried clams, Ipswich Massachusetts, Ipswich Massachusetts clams, Ipswich Massachusetts restaurants, Woodman's fried clams | 10 Comments

5 Things I Didn’t Know About Gloucester, MA

Published August 17, 2018 | By Clark Norton

Fishing boats in Gloucester harbor. Photo from gloucester-ma-gov

Some terrific destinations just seem to fall through the cracks and when you finally visit, you wonder where they’ve been all your life.

My latest revelation is Gloucester, Massachusetts, a city of 30,000 about 30 miles northeast of Boston on the Atlantic Ocean.

It shares scenic Cape Ann with four other communities: Rockport, Essex, Ipswich, and Manchester-by-the-Sea, and if you like water views, boating, seafood, history, and art, you’re bound to love Gloucester and surroundings.

My wife, Catharine, and I spent a recent weekend there with old friends who live in a former sea captain’s house overlooking Gloucester harbor, where we dined on lobster as ocean breezes tempered the summer air and we watched a pink twilight settle on a parade of vessels — water shuttles, yachts, cruise ships, schooners, tour boats, party boats — passing by.

You can go whale-watching in… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Film Locations, History | Tagged America's Oldest Seaport, Birds Eye frozen foods, Clarence Birdseye, Essex Massachusetts, Gloucester Massachusetts, Hammond Castle Museum, John Hays Hammond, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport Massachusetts, Rocky Neck Art Colony, Shalin Liu Performance Center, The Crow's Nest Gloucester, The Perfect Storm, Woodman's fried clams, Woodman's seafood | 5 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.