A Tale of Two Capes: Steve and Sue - Some Massachusetts Magic Oct 2009 COMPLETE!! - UPDATED 12/15 About This Page:

[rescuesk]

Thanks, everyone, for the kind thoughts and words. He is permanently laid off, but he is job hunting, and he is teaching at our local hospital again (he is a CPR instructor and he loves to teach). Plus he is getting all sorts of stuff done at the house!

And here we go!

Day one:

We didn't really get up as early as we planned on Thursday. We were up around 8 and had coffee. I had gone to bed with a sore throat and woke up with a full blown head cold! Oh well, at least it wasn't the flu. We did some stuff, packed, got the cats settled, loaded the car (including a box of tissues for me! )...it was more like 10:30 when we were ready to hit the road. It was a beautiful day, and we were ready to roll with the top down in the convertible. We drove down our driveway, put down the top, turned on the heat for a warm breeze and heard....

"THUMP...THUMP...THUMP...THUMP"

Oh, c&*^! What is that noise? Turn off the fan, and it stopped. Steve's suggestion that we just don't use the fan didn't really sit well with me, so we turned right instead of left out of our driveway and drove to our mechanics. We told him what was going on, and he crawled under the dash, removed the fan and pulled out...... A DEAD MOUSE!!!! The Sebring sits very low to the ground, and even thought they have their choice of vehicles, the mice always seem to choose the Sebring. (It is also the most expensive one to fix, of course.) We have had issues with this before. My mechanic wouldn't take any money for it, so we gave them money towards their lunch and got back on the road at about 11:45.

By now, stopping for breakfast bagels was a distant memory, so we decided to drive north through the Park Service (our original route) and stop at a Wendy's on the other side of the park. Not exactly gourmet food, but what can you do.

I took a few rolling pictures as we drove north. Delaware National Recreation Area is a beautiful start to our trip, full of natural beauty and color!










Me in the mirror:


We stopped at Wendy's and continued on 84 across New York State:




These didn't turn out TOO bad, considering that we were moving. I would get some really incredible shots later in the trip when we were standing still. There is nothing prettier than a New England autumn!

The drive was uneventful, and except for some traffic around Boston, we were soon seeing signs that said "Gloucester". Since it was already getting dark, I didn't take pictures of arriving in town. That would come tomorrow.

We found Main Street, and after a correction to Garmin (oops, me!) we pulled up in front of the Crow's Nest!



Now, the first thing I noticed was that unlike in the movie, it is NOT right on the wharf or the dock. It's on a street, across from the wharf. You still have a great view of the harbor, but it's definitely different from the movie. We pulled up the side street next to it, and there was no parking and really tight turnaround space! Luckily, our car is small, so we looped around and parked in front on the street. We left everything in the car and went in. We walked into the bar, which also serves as the check in area. This is definitely not Disney! : Vanessa, the bartender, was expecting us, had our key and told us our car was fine on the street where it was. There were about 6 patrons in the bar, and no one made us feel like tourists or eyed us strangely. Despite it's basic appearance, I could tell we were going to like this place!

We hauled out the luggage we needed, and went around back to the back door. No fancy elevators, doormen or landscaping here! Our key unlocked the back door and our room. I took very few room shots, and the ones I took came out really blurry except for this one! This is a little blurry, not sure what was going on.

The room:


It was a basic room, two double beds, a bathroom, microwave, fridge and a dresser. But it was clean, and the beds seemed really comfortable!

We decided to head out for dinner. We stopped back at the bar and asked Vanessa where we could grab something to eat. She suggested the Seaport Grille, which was a pretty local place and good food. It was only two blocks away, so we walked down.

OK, it's called the "Sam Adams" Seaport Grille...I like it already!


We walked into a warm, friendly place with tables and a nice bar which had the ALCS pre-game show playing! Our hostess was a basesball fanatic and a die hard Red Sox fan, whose goal was to visit every single baseball park in the US! She had been to something like 17 already, and now needed to go back, as some newer ones had replaced some of the older ones she had already been to!

The entry:


The bar:


I ordered a Sam Octoberfest and Steve had a Coors light:


Steve opted for steamers and I went for the clam chowder. My chowder was normal size and awesomely good:


But Steve's steamers were a bit more than we expected:


We're from Pennsylvania, where an appetizer of steamers is 12! There had to be 60 clams in that bowl! They were delicious, but we didn't make as much of a dent in it as we had hoped! :

Dinner was ribeye for Steve:


And the special, lobster roll, for me:


If you don't know what a lobster roll is, it's sort of like a lobster salad sandwich. This one was fresh and delicious, served on a steak roll with lots of fries. Mmmmm....

I got up to use the ladies room, and Steve took that opportunity to order Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert:


This is us in the restaurant:


We rolled out of there, and wandered around the docks a bit. I snapped a few night shots, but I think the combination of my cold and feeling tired didn't give me great results. These are three of the better ones:






We walked back to The Crow's Nest, determined to have a drink at the very bar George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg had sat at! I ordered a regular Sam Adams, Steve had a Captain and Coke. We got to talking to Vanessa, who showed us the photo album taken when the celebrities were in town. It was incredibly cool seeing everyday working folks with the stars, sitting, talking, just hanging out. The bar itself looks very much like the movie set. I took pictures the next morning, so they will be in the next segment along with some local lore.

We watched the game along with about 12 other locals in the bar. We struck up a concersation with the women next to us named Marie. She worked in the Rite Aid and was an animal lover, so we got to talking about local history, animals, baseball and all sorts of things! The time passed quickly. Soon it was the 7th inning, and I was really beginning to fade. I told Steve he could stay down and have another drink, but I was going to bed. He decided to come up with me anyway, but not before a few pictures:
Steve behind the bar at the Crow's Nest:


Vanessa:


Steve and Marie:


Steve, Vanessa and I:


We went upstairs and I took a hot hot shower. It felt really good, but the tub was really slow to drain, and I was ankle deep in water for a bit! This would be the first "bathroom encounter" I would have...there would be more to come! But the hot steam really loosened my congestion, so I took a Tylenol PM and slept like a rock! I never even made the end of the game! :

Our first day had been eventful, but alot of fun. We met great people, had an awesome dinner, and got to cross the stay at the Crow's Nest off our life's list!

Next....Day 2, a walk around Gloucester.

[chezp]

What a wonderful day, despite the dead mouse starting it! Those fall colours are just stunning.

By the way, I'm glad to hear you're keeping Steve busy. Continued for his job hunt.

[Colexis Mom]

Great start Sue! Yikes for the mouse! Glad you had a great first day in Gloucester!

[LizardCop]

the pics, glad you guys had fun!!! More Please.....

[rescuesk]

Day 2, Part 1: Gloucester for a walk!

(the pictures get better...not sure what was up that first night...I am blaming the head cold! )

We were up fairly early and looked out over a cold gray sky. Uh-oh...this was not boding well for our planned itinerary, but hey, we were flexible! Steve showered and also left ankle deep water in the tub. I packed, we loaded the car and we were ready to check out. Today, we were spending the morning around Gloucester and then heading to the "other" cape, Cape Cod!

I took a few pictures of the back of The Crow's Nest. This is a working class area, low key, slightly run down and full of local color!

Steve bringing the luggage out:


A view from the back:




The hotel sat slightly below the houses in the back:








The bar was open (Yep, 8 AM the bar opened! ) so we went in and took some pictures. We ended up talking for a bit to one of the locals sitting there (he was having coffee! ) and he told us some of the Perfect Storm/Andrea Gail history.

The Andrea Gail of course, sailed into the Flemish Cap in 1991 and never came back. I believe a few oil drums and some floats with "AG" on it were all that were ever found of her. In addition, a Coast Guard parajumper lost his life in that storm. The Crow's Nest is filled with memorobilia from both the movie and the town that was so deeply affected by the tragedy.

This is one of the many collections of pictures on the walls. This shows the film actors and sets, as well as the Lady Grace, the ship that was used as the Andrea Gail in the movie:


A picture of the movie Andrea Gail autographed by the actors, Sebastion Junger and some of the production crew:


The actual crew of the Andrea Gail:

If you notice, the picture in the middle is missing. That was of Dale "Murph" Murphy, and someone stole it right off the wall!

And this is the real Andrea Gail:


We left The Crow's Nest richer in local history and with a better understanding of how dangerous a life on the sea can be.

We drove a few blocks over and parked in the municipal lot. We were in search of breakfast, so we walked down Main Street. Vanessa had told us last night that the town had recently revitalized this area, and it looked really pretty! The streets were brick, and it was full of quaint shops and businesses!






This is the back of the Gorton's Fish offices. Check out the ship's wheel facades on the building:


Loved this sign:


Local color:


Unfortunately, this place didn't open till 10:30, cause it looked right up our alley:


We ended up at a place called "The Savory Skillet", where I had eggs and home fries and Steve had French toast and bacon:






The restaurant was in a sort of office complex. I decided to use the bathroom prior to our town walk, so I went over, and the door was locked. Here comes bathroom issue number two! I waited for the person before me to get done, and when she came out, I went in. Ummm...it wasn't an individual type room, it was big, so why had the door been locked? I did my thing, left, and when the door slammed behind me, it locked again! I am really hoping that someone had a key in that building, otherwise it was going to be an awfully long day for the ladies of Gloucester!

We walked the rest of the way down Main Street and cut across the plaza located next to the town municipal building. The police are housed here, and they had a memorial in the courtyard:






Each bench had a name on it, and there were about 15 benches grouped around a small plaza. Very nice.

Down to the harbor we went, where I took a few pictures!

This is the Fitz Hugh Lane house. Fitz Hugh Lane was an artist that lived in Gloucester in the 1800's. He was affected by polio as a young child, and had limited mobility for the rest of his life. He became a painter of Gloucester landscapes as well as ocean scenes, with a stunning view of the harbor from this vantage point. The Cape Ann museum has a vast collection of his art.

The house:










The artist:






His view:








This is Ten Pound Island light. I will tell you a bit more about that later!


We walked down to the Coast Guard station:


Rescue Randy, ready to go!




The Harbormaster:


A working harbor:












Bait clams being off loaded (you can see them on the chute):


Local gulls:


It was cold and damp, but we were happy to be where we were. We decided to try someplace inside, and we walked back up towards town hall.

Next....the museum, Ten Pound Island and The Fisherman's Memorial

[Colexis Mom]

Originally Posted by rescuesk

Unfortunately, this place didn't open till 10:30, cause it looked right up our alley:

Too bad you missed this! The original one is in my hometown, and they have the BEST ROAST BEEF EVER!! I get one everytime I go home!

Great pictures from Gloucester! More please!

[chezp]

A great update Sue - it really is a beautiful area.

[DrDolphin]

Great updates Sue!! Can't wait to read more.

[pamcarey]

Great update! Very interesting to see my DH's hometown through someone else's eyes!

[Lemap760]

Great updates.

[rescuesk]

Day 2, part 2:

We left the wharf area, fed the meter some more coins, and walked towards Town Hall. We wandered around a bit, took a few pictures:









Right across the square stood The Cape Ann Museum. We decided to tour it, and we got in at 10:45, just in time for the 11:00 tour! There was no photography allowed in the museum, so I didn't risk getting expelled. The tour took us through the Fitzhugh Lane art collection, the collection of local artifacts and a really cool display of Gloucester's sea faring history. The tour took about an hour, and our guide was very knowledgable. We left, and I took some pictures in the courtyard:












Town Hall:


From there, we had one more stop to make. We drove down to the Fisherman's Memorial:






Erected in 1923, the statue pays tribute to thousands of men and women who have lost their lives to the sea. It is surrounded by a rock memorial wall with all the names inscribed on it. I took a picture of 1991, and the crew of the Andrea Gail:



This is the area surrounding the memorial:










Now, this is another view of Ten Pound Island Light:


I promised you more information on the lighthouse, and here it is:


Ten Pound Island Light is a big part of The Perfect Storm. One of the more poignant scenes in the movie is when George Clooney's character, Billy Tyne, describes what it feels like to be a swordboat captain. One of his memories is sailing past the lighthouse and "throwing a wave to the lighthouse keeper's kid". Weeelllll....The Andrea Gail went down in 1991. The lighhouse was decomissioned in 1965 and in 1985, the keeper's house was razed! Oh well, poetic license I guess! It still makes for a great scene in the movie!

A swordboat:


By now, it was really cold and windy. We decided it was time to leave this peaceful town and continue towards the other Cape.

We drove away from Gloucester with a whole bunch of new memories to keep!

On the way down, we stopped at a Macaroni Grill for lunch. It was really good! Our route took us right through Boston:

Cool bridge:




Through a fence:



Loved this building:

A windmill in Boston city!


Soon we were at the Sagamore Bridge:


And onto route 6 and into Yarmouth!

Next...The Cove and a great dinner!

[DawnK]

You drove right by my house!!!! I love that fortress building too. Great pictures of Gloucester. Can't wait for more!!! Oh yeah, we have those windmills in Worcester,too.

[DrDolphin]

Great update Sue!!

[lukeandbrookesmom]

Just found this Sue! Great memories for me That bridge in Boston basically put MA in debt - I'm sure many of you have heard of "The Big Dig!" Contractors were fired, one woman was killed due to inadequate construction, and politicians lost re-election bids due to the mess!

Now I see you're getting over the Sagamore toward my hometown on Cape Cod - can't wait for more!!! Thanks for all the pictures

[chezp]

Oh wow, I so want to go there now. It looks like a beautiful place.