New England

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For Part One of my 2015 Travel Recap, click here. You can access all of my travel blog posts here. In addition to week-or-longer trips to Africa, Ireland, and California, we took plenty of great weekend getaways in New England this year.

In April we enjoyed sunsets and oysters in one of my favorite New England towns, Newport, Rhode Island. After a long winter, being able to sit outside even for a little while felt like heaven. Despite winter, I fell even more in love with New England this year.

Newport Sunset 

oysters

Oysters at Midtown Oyster

2015 also included two visits to Mystic, Connecticut. The beautiful Inn at Mystic was kind enough to host us for the first visit in April, and we returned with family for dinner in August. We would have stayed there, but they didn’t have three rooms available at the time! Book early if you want to visit in the summer!

Harbour House Mystic

In Mystic Seaport we toured boats and took in blue skies, and we discovered, in general, that Mystic is quite the foodie town.

Gerda

Brunch at the Engine Room is not to be missed! It was the one recommendation we received over and over, and we had brunch there on both trips.

Engine Room Mystic

Our travels around Connecticut also introduced us to some great local wine and beer.

The Connecticut Chardonnay from Jonathan Edwards Winery won out over their Chardonnay from California, and their property was truly a delightful spot to visit.

Jonathan Edwards Winery

We loved Saltwater Farm Vineyard and were able to visit in both April and August.  Wandering around the fluffy warm grass barefoot on a hot summer day with a glass of wine in hand is a favorite memory from the season.

Saltwater Farm Chardonnay

Exploring New England was one of my goals in 2015, and that wouldn’t have been complete without a trip to Portland, Maine, another favorite New England town.

We spent the night on a ship, ate a late dinner at Fore Street (one of my favorite restaurants of all time), sunned ourselves over  breakfast at The Porthole, and window shopped through Portland, wishing we could afford everything!

Our Maine weekend didn’t end there though, as we made our way to Kennebunkport and the Colony Hotel then to Kennebunk for a perfect lobster roll, and finally to Crane Beach for one of the best sunsets of the year. It was a weekend of coastal New England perfection.

Colony Hotel, Kennebunkport

 

lobster roll, David's KPT

 

Crane Beach sunset

Closer to home, we visited Westport a few times this summer, dunking ourselves in the sea in our clothes (a theme with me in 2015. . . I should just bring a bathing suit everywhere next summer). A perfect summer weekend including bubbly at Westport Rivers with friends and the Hull Harbor Illumination with family. I absolutely love both Westport and Hull for swimming in the ocean and can’t wait until it is beach time. While our winter travels might include a warm destination, nothing compares to New England beaches!

Westport, MA

And last but not least, there was a visit to beautiful Ipswich for rum cocktails at Salt and seafood at CK Pearl, along with the discovery of a beautiful,, quiet locals beach for sunning and swimming.

beach in Ipswich

There was a lot more of New England in our 2015 travels, and these are just a few of the highlights. I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place with so much coastline, great food, great people, and nice weather, 3/4 of the year.

Tags: beaches, coastal living, Food, Maine, Massachusetts, New England, Newport, Travel, wine

I know it isn’t even Halloween yet, but it is mid-October and time is flying. I don’t usually get into holiday shopping until much, much later. . . think mid-December, but since I am working with a really great client this year, I wanted to share a different idea for your holiday shopping this year, if you live in the Northeast.

Hampshire County of Western Massachusetts is a perfect spot for boutique and artisan shopping. From art and handmade jewelry to antiques to specialty food gifts, you can find it all in this beautiful place.

Pottery work by Christy Knox | Photo by Lynne Graves

Pottery by Christy Knox. Photo by Lynn Graves (Source)

One of the great things about holiday shopping in Hampshire County is that special events for artisans are sprinkled throughout the fall, making it easy to plan a visit even if you have a busy schedule.

Get an early start in October with Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton and continue into November and December with an assortment of open studio events like Cottage Street Open Studios in Easthampton (December 4-6 & 12) and pop-up artisan shops at places like Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program in Williamsburg, which hosts “Seconds Sales” (November 13-15, 20-22 & 27-29) for almost-perfect items at a discount. I am really hoping to get to Snow Farm this year; it sounds beautiful.

Food gifts are delicious and easy to come by in Hampshire County. The County has six breweries and six wineries, including Black Birch Vineyard, a winery I visited last summer. I love their wine! There’s Heavenly Chocolate, Esselon Coffee, bakeries, maple sugar houses, and a ton more for foodies.

And since Amtrak now goes directly to Northampton from NYC, Hampshire County is easy to reach. It’s a great spot for a weekend getaway, with beautiful outdoor scenery, not-to-be-missed restaurants, farms, five beautiful college campuses (UMass Amherst, Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Hampshire College) and so much more. Plan to get away to do your shopping, then stay the night for some relaxation in one of the most beautiful places in New England.

Hampshire County is a client, but it is also one of my favorite places in New England, and I am thrilled to be able to share this little piece of heaven with you.

Tags: Hampshire County, holidays, Massachusetts, New England, shopping, Travel, Western Massachusetts

Fall has arrived! While summer will always have my heart, early fall is definitely my second favorite time of year. Sure, I hate the early darkness and slowing garden productivity, but brilliant blue skies and sunny days, apple picking, and fall cooking all help a little. I’ll let you in on a little secret.  . . as much as I live for summer produce, I really love fall cooking! I love roasting and braising and making hearty, comfy one pot meals to pair with red wine.

Last weekend we got an early start on autumn fun with a trip to Belkin Family Lookout Farm. I am obsessed with local food and growing or picking my own fruit and vegetables, and I was excited about the variety at Belkin. This Natick farm, founded in 1651, can be found after a really lovely drive through Wellesley, and had several types of apples, Asian pears, peaches, and plums, in addition to pumpkins, cider donuts, caramel corn, and tons of other fall flavors. For families, they have children’s play area. To get anywhere on the property, everyone must take a train, which is fun for all ages!

apple picking near Boston

We arrived and caught the train out to the orchards to get picking. We filled a giant bag with fruit and may have sampled a few pieces along the way. The air was fresh, the weather was perfect, and it felt amazing to have such a beautiful outdoor space to spend the day in.

apple picking plum

apple picking

plums

pumpkin picking

 

cider donuts

On the way out of the orchard, we browsed the farm store and picked up the requisite cider donuts, which we tucked into immediately. I don’t even like most donuts, but man, a fresh cider donut is pretty incredible and these were some of the best I have had.

Right on the property also sits the Lookout Farm Taproom, serving hard cider that they make, along with food items like charcuterie and flatbread. Of course we had to go in for a tasting! We shared a cider flight, with the two standouts being the pumpkin cider, which had nice baking spice notes, and the summer cider, which had lemongrass and ginger notes. All were crisp, refreshing, and easy to drink.

Lookout Farm Cider Lookout Farm hard cider cider at Lookout Farm

A visit to Belkin Lookout Farm is easy from Boston, and it opens up your day to a beautiful area with lots of open space. It’s only 20 minutes from Boston but feels like a real getaway. If you are looking for fun apple picking followed by delicious adult beverages ( and a TV for football), definitely add Belkin Lookout Farm to your fall fun list.

Tags: apple picking, apples, autumn, Boston, day trips from Boston, fall, harvest, New England, peaches, pears, plums, Travel

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