Exploring New England -- Gloucester

We finally made it to the North Shore! We've had it on our list of places to go for a while now and picked an absolutely beautiful fall day to explore.

Before we really got too far into our drive, we remembered that This Old House was working on a project in Bedford that was kind of on the way to Gloucester. We decided to drive by and see if it was complete -- it wasn't. There were Ask This Old House trailers in the yard and dumpsters etc. It appears they are in the process of painting the house gray. We wanted to stop and take pictures but it looked like the owner was in the yard and there really wasn't any place to park. We decided it might be a bit rude and intrusive to sit and take photos from the car so ... we kept going.

Then I remembered that Norm Abram lived in the area and pulled up his address. We went in search of his house in Carlisle (a beautiful little town with lots of historical landmark houses), hoping to get a glimpse of where he lives. We found it, but the house was down a private lane off the main road (according to the mailboxes, it appears there are 4 houses on the lane.) We again decided that it would be a tad bit over the top to drive down the lane just to see his house. So ... we made our way back to the highway and on to Gloucester. I will say I regret not at least getting a picture of his mailbox with the newspaper in it.

While our first intention was to have lunch at The Crow's Nest, the bar/restaurant depicted in the movie The Perfect Storm we decided it probably wasn't our cup of tea and opted for another place on the waterfront called Topside Grill and Pub. While the chowder was pretty good, the rest of the meal was just so-so. We had a rather crabby waitress and slow service (and not much of it) so chances are we won't go there again but we had a nice walk to the restaurant from where we parked and enjoyed checking out the shops, restaurants, and little points of interest along the way.

Here's a view of the street ... and I loved this doorway, steeple, and graffiti that we saw along the way ...

We parked along this street -- it was lined with trees and little shops.

I loved this doorway with the side windows and chipped paint.

This is the library? It was about 12' wide ... but has quite a unique history.

This steeple had seen better days but I loved the weather vane  at the very top.

Walking back to Main Street I spotted this bit of graffiti adorning the
painted image on the back of this shop.

After lunch we headed down the road to the Fishermen's Memorial along the waterfront. It's a beautiful statue and memorial to the fishermen who have been lost at sea. We met up with an older gentleman who grew up in Gloucester and still enjoys coming to the waterfront for walks (he lives in Rockport now.) He offered to take our picture and then shared a little bit about his life and what it was like to live in Gloucester. His grandfather (we think he probably meant his great-great-grandfather) was Angus McKay -- one of the men listed on the memorial wall as having been lost at sea in 1876.

The marker in front of the Fishermen's Memorial.

View of the harbor to the right when looking out to sea.

View of the lighthouse to the left of the memorial when looking out to sea.

The picture Mr. McKay took of us in front of the Fishermen's Memorial.

Mr. McKay's great-great-(great?) grandfather -- Angus McKay

The beginning of the memorial ... the rest of these plaques were all names of fishermen lost at sea.

The crew of the Andrea Gail -- as depicted in "The Perfect Storm"

To the right of the memorial, as you'd see from the water.

The Fishermen's Memorial at Gloucester MA

Looking out to the sea from the Fishermen's Memorial in Gloucester MA

Gloucester is definitely a working harbor and the town thrives on it's fishing industry. We were already feeling the day was getting away from us and wanted to get to Rockport so we didn't take too much time driving around. Off to Rockport!