Speaking of Boston...

[Selkie]

Date: 5/29/2008 9:07:41 PM
Author: Bia

I was born in Gloucester...at the only hospital IN Gloucester LOL...Manchester is right outside, as you know...near Magnolia. All great choices. The thing with Gloucester though is 128...that is a traffic nightmare. At least Salem is a bit closer. Haverill is nice, up near NH. Newburyport is also a great choice but is more quaint than ''happening.'' IMO, anywhere in Mass is great...well MOST anywhere LOL.

Hey, I got married in Gloucester. And my former high school is Manchester''s big "rival" in football (for what that''s worth

since if I recall, both teams pretty much sucked when I was in HS).

 

[Selkie]

Shigidigi, are you going to have a chance to visit the area before deciding where to rent? If you do, since you''re a seafood fan, you HAVE to go to Essex (north of Gloucester) to either Woodmans or Farnhams. Fried clams are their main claim to fame (I''m all rhyme-y today), but they have every other type of seafood you can imagine too. Mmmmm...

 

[Bia]

Date: 5/29/2008 9:44:01 PM
Author: Selkie

Date: 5/29/2008 9:07:41 PM

Author: Bia


I was born in Gloucester...at the only hospital IN Gloucester LOL...Manchester is right outside, as you know...near Magnolia. All great choices. The thing with Gloucester though is 128...that is a traffic nightmare. At least Salem is a bit closer. Haverill is nice, up near NH. Newburyport is also a great choice but is more quaint than ''happening.'' IMO, anywhere in Mass is great...well MOST anywhere LOL.

Hey, I got married in Gloucester. And my former high school is Manchester''s big ''rival'' in football (for what that''s worth

since if I recall, both teams pretty much sucked when I was in HS).

Thats so funny! I was a private school girl actually...started at St. Mels in Gloucester and continued from there.

Shigidigi: As for Revere...not so great. Peabody is okay...pretty average suburban town, little gritty in places. Definitely nothing spectacular. Try Ipswich, Essex, Rockport (although thats way out on the tip)...those towns are more quaint if that is what you''re looking for. Rockport is an artist colony/community. Lots of great sidewalks with displayed art and little shops by the water. Rocky cliffs and HUGE estates. My parents lived there before I came along and they loved it.

 

[shigidigi]

OMG Selkie, I LOVE clams!! Whoo hoo! I am hoping to be out in the next two-three weeks to scope out places to live and I will make it a point to make it out to Essex for the food you mentioned. That sounds so good!!

Thanks for everyone''s input on Peabody and Revere. Bia, I kinda like the sound of Rockport so I may have to check that out too.

I think more than anything the thought of living in an old colonial (even if it is an apt or condo) seems so romantic to me. Wood beams, hardwood floors, only one bathroom

- oh wait, just kidding on that last part!!

I am usually overwhelmed and stressed when it comes to moving, and although I am sure that part is going to rear its ugly head eventually, right now I am really enjoying talking with DH about all the possibilities and doing research online. I am a major research junky when it comes to stuff like this. Anyone else go way overboard with the internet when it comes to something you are plotting for the future?

 

[luckystar112]

Oh my gosh I am SUCH a researcher!!! I research everything I'm obsessed with. hehe.

BTW, have you search youtube to see the towns? I always find that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Confession: This video of my hometown Kennebunkport made me cry, I miss it so much.

Salem
Salem, Halloween
Newburyport
Jamaica Plain
Scituate (NEL is SO right!)
Quincy
Rockport beach
Gloucester

There are SO many more where that came from! Explore youtube!!!

 

[Selkie]

Luckystar, that''s cool! I never even thought of searching YouTube. I am definitely also an obsessive researcher with EVERYTHING that captures my interest. There''s actually a New England MLS site I check religiously, Carlson GMAC, even though moving back is years away.

Heh, Shigi, I grew up in an old house with wood floors, beams, and only one bathroom. No fun at all!

 

[shigidigi]

Youtube!?! I cant believe I never thought to look there! Thanks for all the fun links you found Luckystar! I have a bad feeling I wont be getting any work done tomorrow

Glad I am not the only one that obsesses!

Selkie, glad you feel my pain! I think if we just had one extra half a bath then it wouldnt be so bad. We are spoiled by having two bathrooms now. But after watching a ridiculous amount of HGTV I feel like if we had the room (and the pipes!), hiring someone to put in an extra bath wouldnt be so bad.

I really wish they were filming episodes of "My First Place" in the NE area- I LOVE that show! And they always do something nice like furnish a room for you as a surprise. Man, I watch way too much of that channel... If only removing wallpaper easily were a knack to boast about!!

 

[mercoledi]

Shigi, if you fly into Boston and rent a car (or if you do Zipcar, we have that) you can take Rt 1A all the way up the coast and drive through Essex, Ipswich, past Crane beach, Rye, all the way up to Glouster/Newburyport and the loop down on (495? I think?) to hit Salem and/or Haverhill(pronounced hAve-rill) on the way back. It's a really beautiful drive and there are even more the clam shacks are on the stretch around Ipswich.

Lynn- Steer clear of Lynn for now, it's not terrible, but it's not good.
Newburyport- Super cute, on the commuter rail, lots of little shops and things. Same goes for Portsmouth, NH.
Haverhill- I like Haverhill, it has a great brew pub and a nice river. It's an old mill town with a largish Asian population.
Rockport- totally quintessential NE beach town. Honestly, it would be too small for me (and it is or was until recently dry).

Really, there are tons of options. Moving to Salem and feeling out the rest in person is a great idea.

(I live in a one bedroom apartment in a victorian with hard wood floors, a 3/4 bath and a 1/2 bath, wanna trade?)

 

[zoebartlett]

Has anyone mentioned Beverly? That''s on the water and it has beautiful areas.

I''ll second Haverhill/Bradford and I''ll also mention Methuen. It''s not on the water but it''s a nice area. Salem, NH is a stone''s throw away from Methuen and it has the Rockingham Park mall (if that''s important to you).

There''s Andover and North Andover, but I have no idea what you''ll be able to find there, in terms of a house.

Newton is right outside the city and there are several sections to it (all with different names). Chestnut Hill is one of them.

West Roxbury is nice -- not to be confused with Roxbury, which isn''t the greatest area. West Roxbury is on the other side of Chestnut Hill.

 

[zoebartlett]

I love Portsmouth! I used to live there before we moved back to the area where I grew up so I could accept a new job (that was three years ago). We''d love to move back to the seacoast someday. That would be my vote, personally! Portsmouth is such a great town. It''s an hour from Boston, so it''s still close enough to go to all the time if you wanted. If you don''t mind a bit of a commute, that would be a great place to look. The quality of life is so great, and it''s better than paying Boston prices. It''s also super close to Maine, which became my second home.

 

[mercoledi]

Isn't it? There are great pictures of Portsmouth that a friend of a friend of mine takes, but PS won't let me link to it.

Go to flickr and search for username trigger25 .

Great town center, good food, good art, great coffee, another good brewery. What's not to like?


Newton is great, but is pretty pricey these days thanks to the awesome school system. West Roxbury and Roslindale are still affordable but are a tougher commute without a car.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 5/29/2008 4:52:29 PM
Author: SarFarSuperstar
We had a Konditor Meister cake for our wedding- banana cream and lemon citron. The best buttercream frosting in Quincy- This Takes the Cake across from St. Ann's on Hancock. We get ALL of our birthday cakes there- I've got my in-laws hooked!!

And, while we're on the topic of food, Acapulco's is the only acceptable Mexican food I've found anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon, as a Texan- this is important.

Haha, this is too funny. Acapulco's is the only Mexican food we eat--there used to be one down in Hingham and we ate there all the time before we moved. We'd been on a quest to find decent Mexican food and Acapulco's was the best. When we moved to Quincy we were very happy to have one 2 minutes away. We've probably seen each other in there and didn't even know it.

I agree about KM's buttercream...I love how it's not sugary sweet. This Takes The Cake is also good--they do have sugary sweet frosting, but it's perfect for birthday cakes. The cake is always nice and moist. Yum!

BTW, we ate at The Fat Cat last night and LOVED it. I took my leftover Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese into work today and am eagerly awaiting lunch time I'm so glad you mentioned it!

Oh, and one last thing--I'm from KC and am a little obsessed over barbeque. Since you're from Texas, you might feel the same Famous Dave's BBQ just opened near the Braintree T station. It's the only decent bbq in the area

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 5/29/2008 7:34:43 PM
Author: shigidigi
Do you guys know how hungry I am right now??? You are all bad at making me want to eat ALL THE TIME!

I have to say I never really cared about cupcakes until the cupcake thread and now that is all I ever crave. Babycakes here I come! Actually, this thread has been just as helpful in the food dept as it has regarding towns to live in!!

SoFar, thanks for the lowdown on Quincy- it was uber helpful to get an idea of the different parts of the area.

NEL I think you are right about maybe just going for Salem (I have done a ridiculously large amount of research on it anyways!) and then take frequent trips to the other towns we have all talked about. This way I wont freak out when trying to find an apt soon to be DH''s and my ''home base'' and yet we can enjoy learning about all the different areas in and around Boston. I have a strong feeling I could live in many of the places we have talked about and be perfectly happy. I feel pretty fortunate that there seem to be so many amazing places within a 60 mile radius in Mass!!

Oh, and I will be sure (once we actually get the wheels turning and like Cello- a Penske rented!!) about the long haul.

NEL- why dont we trade places. You can have our 2bd/2ba apt in SF (you can see the golden gate from our bedroom window and the entire skyline of downtown from the living room because we are so high up!) and I can come take over your place. It will be a longer version of house swap!! Any takers?? SF really does feel like the most east coast version of a west coast city. I really do love it here. I just wish my family wasnt 3000 miles and a 7-8 hour plane ride away (there are no direct flights to Tampa/Orlando from here!) I would stay for sure if they were closer. Well, maybe I would move to Portland, but that is another story entirely...

Shigi, I would LOVE to trade places with you, but there''s no way I would make you live in my very strange neighborhood in South Quincy, haha. Our apartment is fantastic and the rent is cheap (we needed to save for a house), but I''d be robbing you of a great New England experience!

I think you are going to enjoy the move and settling into a neighborhood--Salem has a lot of character (as most towns do) and I do think you can easily find the towns you like without really living in them first. I love the North Shore, it has a relaxed feeling to it and the dramatic rocky shore is beautiful. And the clams!! YUMMY! For me, JP Farnham''s is the best! Essex is great--I think you''ll have a great time when you''re up visiting in the next few weeks.

When you get settled, you''ll have to let us know so we can have another Boston GTG with you and cellosweet!

 

[Kismet]

Gosh, I feel like I''m letting Arlington down on the food front. :p

Our favorite would probably be Scutra on Summer Street. For Indian we go to Punjab on Mass Ave, for Korean/Japanese we go to Asiana Grill on Mass Ave, for BBQ we go to Blue Ribbon BBQ on Mass Ave, for Mexican we go to Ole Mexican Grill on Broadway. Flora, Tango (Argentinean), Olivio (Italian) and Tryst are all good choices as well. If there''s a good bakery in Arlington, I haven''t found it (I haven''t really been looking either because of the ol'' expanding waistline... you know).

 

[shigidigi]

Mercoledi, I might just be game!

Well if anyone is interested in San Francisco, now is your chance. We have the second bedroom in our apt as a guest bedroom and I am willing to house a "PSers interested in SF" trip! Come and get it while you can!!

I just love that you all have the best recommendations for food. Can you believe I have never had lobster mac n cheese? BUT I am obsessed with lobster rolls and we actually have a great place in North Beach here in SF that serves them NE style!!

Has anyone been to the StockPot in Portsmouth? DH and I were there back in 2004 and had the most amazing seafood gumbo and pints of beer! It had a great balcony outside and yet the upstairs had a great pub look too it. I loved Portsmouth and am excited I might end up living so close!!

Good BBQ is the one thing I have not found here in SF, and believe me I have looked

, I think it is because southern BBQ (be it NC or TN/MS style) are hard to replicate. Glad to hear the Braintree has one to try!

No one has mentioned Indian food. We have this place here I am obsessed with because they do the best Palak Saag (some call it Paneer) and Saffron rice. Are there any good Indian places I need to keep my eyes out for?

 

[Selkie]

Date: 5/30/2008 11:07:53 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady

Oh, and one last thing--I''m from KC and am a little obsessed over barbeque. Since you''re from Texas, you might feel the same Famous Dave''s BBQ just opened near the Braintree T station. It''s the only decent bbq in the area

NEL, I humbly beg to disagree with you here (unless you mean just in the South Shore) because Redbones in Somerville is an awesome BBQ place.

 

[Bia]

There is a pretty good place in Burlington...or is it Billerica? All I know is that the locals rave about it. I like BBQ but not like that. I was recently watching a BBQ special on the Foodnetwork (or maybe Travel Channel--damn my memory is horrible!) and it covered the top BBQ spots in each part of the country.

Massachusetts wasn't on the list.

Now for lobster...you are coming to the right place

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 5/30/2008 1:43:08 PM
Author: Selkie

Date: 5/30/2008 11:07:53 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady

Oh, and one last thing--I'm from KC and am a little obsessed over barbeque. Since you're from Texas, you might feel the same Famous Dave's BBQ just opened near the Braintree T station. It's the only decent bbq in the area

NEL, I humbly beg to disagree with you here (unless you mean just in the South Shore) because Redbones in Somerville is an awesome BBQ place.

Hehe, Selkie. Redbones isn't BAD, but it's not good, either Redbones is most definitely Nashville-style with more vinegar in the sauce. KC and Texas barbeque is very different...the sauces have more tomato than vinegar. The meat at Famous Daves is smoked longer, too, I believe. I am admittedly picky.

 

[mercoledi]

Date: 5/30/2008 2:00:52 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady

Date: 5/30/2008 1:43:08 PM

Author: Selkie

Date: 5/30/2008 11:07:53 AM

Author: NewEnglandLady


Oh, and one last thing--I''m from KC and am a little obsessed over barbeque. Since you''re from Texas, you might feel the same Famous Dave''s BBQ just opened near the Braintree T station. It''s the only decent bbq in the area

NEL, I humbly beg to disagree with you here (unless you mean just in the South Shore) because Redbones in Somerville is an awesome BBQ place.

Hehe, Selkie. Redbones isn''t BAD, but it''s not good, either Redbones is most definitely Nashville-style with more vinegar in the sauce. KC and Texas barbeque is very different...the sauces have more tomato than vinegar. The meat at Famous Daves is smoked longer, too, I believe. I am admittedly picky.

Ok, I was going to stay out of this but... I haven''t found any great BBQ up here. I''d put Blue Ribbon before RedBones, but they both do a pretty sorry job with pork. I grew up in VA, so to me BBQ=pork, texas BBQ=beef. I haven''t tried the places in Braintree or Billrica, but man it would be nice to find someplace that did it well!

I will give a shout out to Chris Schlesinger at East Coast Grill for some great _grilling_ but it still isn''t really BBQ.

Never fear Shigi- Indian we have but that might take another thread!

 

[Selkie]

Heehee, I''ll bow to the Southerners and Midwesterners on anything to do with BBQ, since I really have no good basis for comparison. I''ll stick to recommending seafood and roast beef!

 

[shigidigi]

Ok, this now means we have to have a "BBQ off"- come August I will be calling all of you ladies and we will go to both Famous Dave''s and Redbones! Actually we should hit up some jewelry stores first so we dont have greasy fingers when handling the goods!

 

[Kismet]

Date: 5/30/2008 12:51:28 PM
Author: shigidigi

No one has mentioned Indian food. We have this place here I am obsessed with because they do the best Palak Saag (some call it Paneer) and Saffron rice. Are there any good Indian places I need to keep my eyes out for?

I have *points up*! Try Punjab in Arlington on Mass Ave.

 

[mercoledi]

Punjab is really good. Have you tried the Himalayan place down the street?

My two favorites are India Quality in Kenmore and Namaskar in Davis. There''s supposed to be a place in Framingham that''s kick@ss but I never remember the name and we haven''t gone because DH doesn''t want to run into old co-workers

.

 

[SarFarSuperstar]

Punjab Cafe in Quincy on Southern Artery- yum!!!

I''ll have to go to Famous Dave''s- surprisingly I don''t ever really crave BBQ but I definitely enjoy it when I have it!!

 

[SarFarSuperstar]

Oh! NEL- SO glad you went to Fat Cat and enjoyed it. I love going to local joints that really just rock at what they do- yay for small businesses!

 

[luckystar112]

ok.....I''m going youtube crazy.

Does anyone know anything about Hull, MA? It looks beautiful. And pricey. hehe

I''m REALLY loving Southern RI right now too...

 

[Bia]

Date: 5/30/2008 11:40:00 PM
Author: luckystar112
ok.....I''m going youtube crazy.


Does anyone know anything about Hull, MA? It looks beautiful. And pricey. hehe


I''m REALLY loving Southern RI right now too...

Luckystar...where do you live? I know you mentioned being from Kennebunkport. I spend a lot of time in the summer in Maine, since I was a kid in fact. Are you familiar with Cape Elizabeth at all? It''s not far from Portland actually. Maine is so beautiful. So peaceful and quite. I remember the first time I took BF to Maine with me...he was like, "Why are the people so nice?" LOL...hes a little jaded being form NY and all.

I''m going there in July for a week...I can''t wait!

 

[luckystar112]

I live in Houston now.

I was 18, bored in Maine, and looking for any out possible.
My friend was heading down to Houston because her boyfriend got a job down there...and I tagged along....12 days after I graduated high school. The rest is history. I'll be here seven years on June 23rd. I really think it's the biggest mistake I ever made! Despite the fact that this is the place where I met my wonderful Hubby, of course.

Houston is basically the antithesis of Maine. Now that I'm getting married and thinking about having a family, I realize how good I had it! It's basically the "there's no place like home" syndrome....I really can't think of another place to live and raise a family that has so much history and character, and is as friendly and beautiful as New England.

It doesn't help that for the last two summers and last two Christmases I've been in Virginia with FI's family.
As a matter of fact, the last time I was in Maine was October 2006 for three days. Before that, it was Christmas of 2005...so I am soooooooo homesick. We'll be going there for xmas this year, and I'm more excited about that than getting married!

Edit: And yes, I LOVE Cape Elizabeth....and Portland! I'd really love to live in Maine again but FI is scared of all the snow.

And my mom. lol. So I'm trying to find an affordable place in New England with around 40 inches or less of snow per year (like Providence), and that has affordable housing that isn't too much of a jump from our insanely cheap prices down here.

 

[Kismet]

Date: 5/30/2008 6:41:36 PM
Author: mercoledi
Punjab is really good. Have you tried the Himalayan place down the street?

Himalayan place? That's not ringing any bells at all. What's it called?

ETA: oh look, I'm an Ideal Rock now and it only took me 3 years. :p

 

[mercoledi]

Date: 5/31/2008 9:27:08 AM
Author: Kismet

Date: 5/30/2008 6:41:36 PM

Author: mercoledi

Punjab is really good. Have you tried the Himalayan place down the street?

Himalayan place? That''s not ringing any bells at all. What''s it called?


ETA: oh look, I''m an Ideal Rock now and it only took me 3 years. :p

This one. Congrats on your new rank!

Lucky- Hull is really nice. I got to go out there once to someone''s parent''s home (and beach front). The housed come right out onto the beach, and it''s pretty clean and sandy. It gets hammered by Nor''easters though.