The visit to Salem

It’s been a whirlwind of travel recently for me. Some of it was unexpected and last minute, but this trip to Salem, Massachusetts was planned a while ago. Another friend of mine I met through acting/modeling had some vacation time coming to her and I had to use up a companion ticket, so we decided to pick a place we had never been. It ended up being Salem!

We knew we didn’t want to go during Halloween because according to various websites and for obvious reasons, that’s the busiest time of the year. We chose to head there early November. Be forewarned that after the first couple of weeks in November quite a few businesses close down during the beginning of the week since it slows down so much in the off season. We stayed at the Hawthorne Hotel and it was said to be haunted. We didn’t have any nighttime visitors, though.

Of course we wanted to see the witchy stuff and there are businesses galore that cater to the witches and all things Halloween. Whether it was the shops that had knick knacks and stuff for the otherworldly or the actual cemeteries that you could tour, your heart would be content to wander all day in and out of the stores. Some of them are on cobblestone streets!

One of the most disheartening experiences was the cemetery with headstones from the 1700s. The flat rocks look like they can barely withstand the elements any longer. But even worse were the stones set outside the actual cemetery. This was a place to honor the people (men and women) accused of being witches. They weren’t allowed to be buried with the rest of the people since they weren’t considered “Christians.” There were little ledges with their names, the date of their deaths, and the cause of their death.

But it isn’t just for the witches. We ended up on a tour that showed how Salem was a big booming shipping business back in the day. And the food is amazing! My friend doesn’t love seafood, but neither of us were disappointed when it came to the cuisine.

We also went on a tour of the House of the Seven Gables and we got to see Nathaniel Hawthorne’s home when he was a child. (He also wrote the Scarlett Letter) and that was a fascinating experience, too.

We weren’t quite positive how this trip would turn out because it landed on the time period when there was a government shutdown and TSA and some government folks weren’t even getting paid. Luckily we travelled without much difficulty and we were able to find joy in the experience.

I hope you’re able to stay safe this winter season and find joy in the time with friends. Until next time,

xoxo

Holly