Another fall weekend, another trip out of town. This time, to Salem, the day before my birthday! My sister Phoebe came all the way from NYC to celebrate with us for the weekend. We were all excited to spend so much time with her, and Miles especially adores his aunt.
Phoebe arrived to Northampton Friday night, and we all piled into the car Saturday morning to drive to Salem during the baby's first nap. I'm glad we went the day we did (Sept. 29) because come October, parking is closed to all except Salem residents, and visitors must park out of town and take a shuttle in.
Anyway, I looked things up ahead of time and decided we should visit the Howard Street Cemetery (allegedly where Giles Corey was pressed to death during the witch trials in 1692, but don't feel too bad – I also learned on this trip that he was an all-around jerk who beat one of his servants to death), the Charter Street Cemetery, and the Salem Witch Museum.
Little did we know...there was also a food truck festival going on! I'm considering it an early birthday present. Thank you, Salem :)
We bought our tickets for the museum (you have to do so ahead of time), and headed to the common to relax outside and get lunch from one of the dozens and dozens of trucks ringed around the park's edge. Phoebe walked one way and Kristie walked the other to scope out the menus, and Miles and I stayed put in the middle. It was a gorgeously warm day. I fed the baby the lunch we'd brought for him, and he danced to the festival's music. I'm glad we brought our picnic blanket!
The four of us strolled around with other tourists, ogling harvest-y decorated doors and kitschy shops. There's a red line painted on the sidewalk in Salem; if you follow it, you'll end up visiting many of the town's historical sites.
Despite the research ahead of time, I hadn't realized that the "tour" at the Salem Witch Museum is really more of a seated show – at least the first 20-ish minutes. Miles couldn't hang, so we bailed before the actual "tour" part started. When we make a return trip when he's older (which I'm sure we will) he'll like it better. Let's all take a minute, though, to appreciate the last four digits in their phone number: 1692. Spooky, huh? ;)
Also in the Common was a man making gigantic bubbles. Miles was enthralled (and Kristie too). It was so cool.
There were guides dressed in historically accurate garb in the Charter Street Cemetery who answered many of our questions. (This is when we learned about Giles's true character.) We also learned that none of the women who were executed as "witches" are actually buried in these cemeteries – apparently you couldn't be buried in an official town graveyard if you had been convicted of a capital crime.
It was a quick visit, but oh was it fun! Unlike our trip to the aquarium, Miles napped beautifully on the way home, with Kristie beside him in the backseat while my sister and I listened to old CD mixes she'd made for me in middle school. At home, we laid around in pj's for awhile and Kristie picked up Local Burger. Once the baby fell asleep, Phoebe and I went out to bring ice cream home from Herrell's. Then, she and Kristie and I watched The Witch, which was scary and gooo-ood. The next day our parents came to visit for a little birthday lunch and a hike (our brother Max is traveling in Europe) – and some birthday cupcakes Kristie made for me.
I'm so happy my seester came all the way up for this weekend. We have so much fun when we're together!
I almost forgot to tell you, I'm also listening to a very good podcast about the Salem witch trials called "Unobscured." It's from the creator of "Lore."
PS – A DIY ruffle sleeve sweatshirt, plus more ruffly tops.
