Side Trips from Boston - Boston 2009 - page 251

You Do the Math
The MBTA ( & 800/392-6100 or 617/222-3200; www.mbta.com) serves most of
the destinations in this chapter, but public transit isn't necessarily cheaper than
renting a car for a day. For example, suppose you're visiting Gloucester with
three other adults, each paying a total of $15 to ride the commuter rail. Even
allowing for gas prices, a good deal on a rental car will be cheaper than $60 in
train fares. What's more, having a car allows you to make your own schedule
instead of being tethered to the train's timetable—and you don't have to leave
from North Station. Just make sure that the car-rental company accepts returns
at the time you anticipate returning to Boston, so that you don't get stuck with
the car and pricey overnight parking.

Tips

summer, or fall weekday; traffic is brutal on warm weekends. Many areas are practi-
cally ghost towns from November through March, but all of the destinations in this
chapter have enough of a year-round community to make an off-season excursion
worthwhile.
The North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, 17 Peabody Sq., Peabody,
MA 01960 ( & 800/742-5306 or 978/977-7760; www.northofboston.org), publishes
a map and a visitor guide that covers 34 municipalities, including Salem, Marblehead,
and all of Cape Ann. It also coordinates Escapes North (www.escapesnorth.com), a
clearinghouse for arts- and culture-oriented travel throughout the area. The Cape Ann
Chamber of Commerce information center (see “Gloucester,” later in this chapter) is
another good resource.
MARBLEHEAD
15 miles NE of Boston
Like an attractive person with a great personality, Marblehead has it all. Scenery, his-
tory, architecture, and shopping combine to make this one of the area's most popular
day trips for both locals and visitors. It's even polite—many speed-limit signs say
PLEASE . Allow at least a full morning, but be flexible, because you might want to hang
around.
One of the most picturesque neighborhoods in New England is Old Town ,
where narrow, twisting streets lead down to the magnificent harbor that helps make
this the self-proclaimed “Yachting Capital of America.” As you stroll the downtown
historic district, you'll see plaques on the houses bearing the date of construction, as
well as the names of the builder and original occupant—a history lesson without
studying. Many of the houses have stood since before the Revolutionary War, when
Marblehead was a center of merchant shipping. Two historic homes are open to the
public (see “Exploring the Town,” below).
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE By car, take Route 1A north through Revere and Lynn; bear
right at the signs for Nahant and Swampscott. Follow Lynn Shore Drive through
Swampscott to Route 129, which runs into town. Or take I-93 or Route 1 to Route
128, then follow Route 114 through Salem into Marblehead. Parking is tough, espe-
cially in Old Town—grab the first spot you see.