Boston for grownups. BostonZest is your guide for enjoying a full-flavored life in an unbeatable city. We'll show you that there is life in Boston beyond the "club kids" and students.
Whether you live in Boston, plan to visit Boston, or you are moving to Boston; we'll help you locate great food, fun events, and reliable resources.
I love the look of these bulbous fenders on the seawall at Steamboat Wharf Marina in Hull. The area around Hull and Nantasket Beach is a great photography destination.
From 1818 to 1929, steamboats brought Bostonians to the beach at Nantasket for the day or for a stay in one of the hotels that lined the waterfront.
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We've been zipping down to Jake's Restaurant and Fish Market in Hull for years but we hadn't brought one of our dogs with us until recently. Our plan was to get some take-out and sit on one of the small stone benches they provide for folks waiting for tables on busy weekends.
I went in and asked the hostess if we could order take-out and if she had a menu I could bring outside to Ed so he could make his selection. I explained that we had our dog with us and would eat on one of their parking lot benches.
Her response was that we were welcome to eat on the patio if we didn't mind sharing one of the servers from inside. While the day had turned out perfect, the forecast had been for rain, so they had closed the patio for the day.
We didn't mind at all and set ourselves up at the corner table,
with this fantastic view!
I had a lobster roll on a grilled bun with fries and a bit of lemon and drawn butter on the side.
They have Jake's Original Lobster Roll. This is described on the menu as:
"Our classic! A full 1/4lb. of freshly picked lobster meat on a traditional hotdog bun (toasted with butter upon request), served with mayo on the side"
And, they have a Lobster Salad Sandwich:
"Freshly picked lobster mixed with our herb mayo & topped with sliced Hass avocado, lettuce & tomato, served on our toasted brioche roll"
The woman serving our lunch could not have been nicer, despite the fact that she had to leave her station inside and come out to the patio for one table. But, perhaps this great hospitality all around paid off because soon we were not alone out there.
If you take a ride to Jake's bring a cooler. The seafood market side of the business will have you taking home the makings of a second meal.
Thanks for the great hopitality Jake's, we'll be back soon!
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June was a great month for us. We took a lot of time off to play tourist in our own area. One of the things we did was take a daytrip for lobster rolls at the Lobster Pool in Rockport, MA. (map)
Yes, those are baked beans in the cup on the side. The folks at the Lobster Pool believe in giving you choices. They were happy to make our lobster rolls with just lobster and melted butter, but they do offer a lobster salad version if you're a mayo fan. And, you can have a side of fries, onion rings, baked beans, and other choices with your sandwich.
We did get some fries but the onion rings at the next picnic table where getting rave reviews, so we'll opt for those next time.
We added a cup of clam chowder to our lunch – they do a very nice version with an abundance of clams and not too thick broth.
Often, when a dining spot offers spectacular views like the one above, you don't get the high quality food that the folks at the Lobster Pool are proud to serve. Everything is freshly caught, freshly prepared, and plentiful.
What's more, they even announce on their website that they are dog friendly at their outdoor picnic tables. We brought Poppy along and she enjoyed meeting the nice people at the next table and had a picnic of her own when we finished our lunch.
The next time you're looking for a destination out of the city, point your GPS to the Lobster Pool and relax with a great meal by the rocky shore.
And, if you want to make a full day of this adventure, explore Halibut Point State Park. It's just a half mile away and offers its own spectacular views!
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I thought it would be a quick research project and that the town would have a map or a listing. But, after spending a few minutes searching and agreeing with the replies from fellow Provincetown lovers, I forgot about it.
When Ed, Poppy, and I visited this spring, we noticed new signs that had popped up on some access points. That made me curious and I did some deeper research.
TheYearRounder is one of my must-read sources of Provincetown information and I highly recommend you add it to your reading list if you plan to spend time at lands end.
Sometimes the right of way will look like this with a sign and obvious path.
Other times the tip off will be signage and trash barrels close to the beach like this spot next to one of our favorite places – Devon's restaurant.
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Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod is a place so beautiful that it has attracted generations of artists and writers who have found the light that bounces around from sea, sand, and sky inspiring.
"... the land on which Provincetown is built is essentially a sandbar, tenuously connected to the mainland, continually reconfigured by the actions of tides. When Thoreau went there in the mid-1800s, he called it 'a filmy sliver of land lying flat on the ocean, a mere reflection of a sand-bar on the haze above.' It has not changed much since then, at least not when seen from a distance. Built as it is at the very end of the Cape, which unfurls like a genie's shoe from the coastline of Massachusetts, it follows the curve of a long, lazy spiral and looks not out to sea but in, toward the thicker arm of the Cape."
This is a very special place. It's our escape when we need a break from Boston. At the same time, it is an urban space where you can arrive by ferry or park the car and not really need it for the time you are there.
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We just returned from a two week escape to Provincetown, MA. Early spring gave us a new perspective on the town and another time when we know we can enjoy this lovely place.
This was the view from our new favorite deck. The moorings were empty, the sea was stormy, there was a mist in the air, but it was a beautiful, restful, and peaceful day.
In the next couple of weeks, we'll drop in more photos and give you more reasons why you might want to enjoy Provincetown now as locals and visitors return, shops and restaurants begin to open, and the quiet is deeply soothing.
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Are you planning on traveling with your dog this summer? If so, you may want to make some reservations now.
Finding accomodations that are great for you and pet friendly takes some work. Many of the places we love the best are booked up quickly.
We have our first trip of the season planned and Poppy is already packed and ready to go. (How do we tell her she is way too early?) It seems that we take more bags for her than for us.
When we travel by car, she is tucked into this travel crate to keep her safe and secure and to keep her from distacting the driver.
If you are traveling by air and hope to tuck your small dog under the seat, you need to reserve that space early as well. Most airlines limit the number of dogs allowed in the cabin.
If your dog is not a good traveler and will need a kennel or a pet sitter, that too should be booked about now if you hope to get your first choice.
Here are a few posts with more resources for traveling with dogs:
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