Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Salem Beer Works
PUB GRUB Beer is the headliner at this popular downtown
restaurant (a sibling of Boston Beer Works, p. 237), but the food is also worth men-
tioning. Piled-high burgers, salads, sandwiches, and buckets of fried delicacies such as
onion rings, jalapeño poppers, and pickles (yes, fried pickles) complement the house-
made brews.
278 Derby St.
&
978/745-BEER.
www.beerworks.net. Main courses $6-$17. AE, DISC, MC, V. Sun-Thurs 11:30am-
midnight; Fri-Sat 11:30am-1am.
A DETOUR TO ESSEX
If you approach or leave Cape Ann on Route 128, head west on Route 133 to
Essex.
It's a beautiful little town known for Essex clams, salt marshes, a long tradition of ship-
building, an incredible number of antiques shops, and one celebrated restaurant.
Legend has it that
Woodman's of Essex
, 121 Main St. (
&
800/649-1773
or 978/768-6057; www.woodmans.com), was the birthplace of the fried clam in
1916. Today, the thriving family-owned eatery is a great spot to join legions of locals
and visitors from around the world for lobster “in the rough,” chowder, steamers, corn
on the cob, onion rings, and (you guessed it) superb fried clams. In warm weather,
people from all over the world flock here, especially on the way back from the beach.
In the winter, the crowd is mostly locals desperate for a taste of summer (pass me a
moist towelette, please). The line is long, but it moves quickly and offers a good view
of the regimented commotion in the food-prep area. Eat inside, upstairs on the deck,
or out back at a picnic table. You'll want to be well fed before you set off to explore
the numerous antiques shops along Main Street. Long a cash-only business, Wood-
man's now accepts credit cards (AE, MC, V). Open daily in the summer from 11am
to 10pm; winter, Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 11am
to 9pm.
As with most cult-favorite foods, the fashion is to be contrarian and say that Wood-
man's is too crowded and too many people know about it. I disagree, but if you're
interested in comparison shopping—in the interest of science, of course—two other
excellent destinations are
J. T. Farnham's,
88 Eastern Ave., Essex (
&
978768-6643
),
about a mile east of Woodman's; and the
Clam Box,
246 High St. (
&
978/356-9707;
www.ipswichma.com/clambox), a little over 7 miles northwest of Woodman's.
GLOUCESTER
33 miles NE of Boston, 16 miles NE of Salem
The ocean has been Gloucester's lifeblood since long before the first European settle-
ment in 1623. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain called the harbor “Le Beau-
port” when he came across it in 1606, some 600 years after the Vikings. The harbor's
configuration and proximity to good fishing gave it the reputation it enjoys to this
day. If you read or saw
The Perfect Storm,
you'll have a sense of what to expect here.
Gloucester (which rhymes with “roster”) is a working city, not a cutesy tourist town.
It's home to one of the last commercial fishing fleets in New England, an internation-
ally celebrated artists' colony, a large Portuguese-American community, and just
enough historic attractions. Allow at least half a day, perhaps combined with a visit to
the tourist magnet of Rockport; a full day would be better, especially if you plan a
cruise or whale watch.
