To the Farthest Ports of the Rich East

Salem was our next stop, but we weren't here for the touristy hocus-pocus witch stuff (and believe me, there is definitely a lot of *that* to be found all over town!) No, we came here to see the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, which interprets the maritime history of New England, and the merchant ships that carried cargo between America and "the farthest ports of the rich East".

I called ahead this morning to reserve spots for the 2:30PM tour of the U.S. Custom House and replica tall ship, Friendship of Salem.

Main deck

Berths on the 'tween deck

The weather has been really hot and muggy ever since we arrived on Tuesday, so it was quite oppressive when we went down below to the see the 'tween deck. Ugh.

Once back out in the fresh air, the tour moved across the street from the wharf to the Custom House.

"Over the entrance hovers an enormous specimen of the
American Eagle, with outspread wings, a shield before her breast,
and if I recollect aright, a bunch of intermingled thunderbolts
and barbed arrows in each claw."
- The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne worked in this building during his stint as surveyor for the U.S. government, describing his time there in the preface to "The Scarlet Letter." In one of the rooms upstairs sits the restored original eagle which had been perched on the roof of the Custom House.

After the ranger finished giving the tour, we were D-O-N-E! The heat and humidity had totally gotten to us spoiled Californians. But I still had one more place to see here in Salem. So, while R and the boys went in search of cold refreshment (ice cream!), I walked over to the House of the Seven Gables. My pre-trip "enrichment activity" was to slog through Hawthorne's book (which, honestly, I found to be an awful read!) However, I wasn't willing to spend the time or money for a tour of the house. The tour operators have completely fenced off the property, so this is the best glimpse I could get from the street...

The House of the One Visible Gable

I would have liked to watch the movie at the visitor center on the Salem Witch Trials (we missed the last showing) or to visit one of the factual (not kitschy witchy) museums. We'll just save those things for another visit someday.

Our hotel was nearby in Peabody. When we pulled in, I was excited to see that a restaurant I had read rave reviews about on TripAdvisor was next door. So after unloading and sitting in front of the air conditioner for awhile, we walked over to Santarpio's to try out Boston pizza. Pretty tasty, but Chicago pizza is still the best!

Lamb skewers (above)
1/2 sausage & garlic and 1/2 pepperoni (below)