The Lobster Shanty and Triple D

I talked to Diane at The Lobster Shanty after snapping this shot, and she said I could put it on the blog - so I'm putting it on the blog, because when Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives swings through with his crew, you've got to crow about it!

We were walking by as the Triple D crew was finishing their shoot, and Guy posed for this picture with the Shanty crew.
Diane didn't know when the show will air, but you know we'll be shouting it from the rooftops as soon as it is known.

Congrats to the Shanty. This is very cool.

Your Inivited! Bring Boston Pride to Salem!

Happy Pride Week!

It's Boston Pride Week, and if you are heading to town we hope you will include Salem in your plans. Check out the following specials, which are also on Salem.org/lgbtsalem. We have deals and promotions posted on Salem.org/deals all the time, so if you can't fit Salem into your plans this week... come back when you can be fully immersed in our historic and hip city.

BOSTON PRIDE WEEK PROMOTIONS & SPECIALS!

Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery

285 Derby Street, Salem, MA 01970

978.740.0500 | NightmareGallery.com

Boston Pride Deal! Mention BOSTON PRIDE and save $2.00 of admission. Valid June 4 - 13, 2010.

The Hawthorne Hotel

TAG Approved

18 Washington Square West, Salem, MA 01970

978.744.4080 | HawthorneHotel.com

Boston Pride Special: $85 rate valid Saturday, June 5th only. Call to make your reservation and mention BOSTON PRIDE WEEK!

Stepping Stone Inn

19 Washington Square North, Salem, MA 01970

978.741.8900 | TheSteppingStoneInn.com

Boston Pride Special! $105 per night (+tax), stay two nights and receive two passes to the Salem Witch Museum right next door!

The Witch House

310 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970

978.744.8815 | WitchHouse.info

Boston Pride Discount. Mention BOSTON PRIDE and save $2.00 off your admission June 4 - 13, 2010.

Salem Kayak

Salem Willows, Salem, MA 01970

978.270.8170 | KayakSalem.com

Boston Pride Discount! In Boston for Boston Pride Week? Come do the sunset kayak tour from 6 - 8pm on Sunday, June 12, and save 10%. Mention BOSTON PRIDE when you call to make your reservation!

Finz Seafood & Grill

76 Wharf Street, Salem, MA 01970

978.744.0000 | HipFinz.com

Boston Pride Discount: Mention BOSTON PRIDE WEEK and save 10% off your food purchase. Offer valid through June 13, 2010.

Nathaniel's at the Hawthorne Hotel

18 Washington Square West, Salem, MA 01970

978.744.4080 | HawthorneHotel.com

Boston Pride Special! Click here to print a coupon for 10% off your dinner at Nathaniel's. Valid through June 12, 2010.

Salem Witch Museum Gift Shop

19 1/2 Washington Square North, Salem, MA 01970

978.744.1692 | SalemWitchMuseum.com

The Salem Witch Museum celebrates Boston Pride Week! Click here to print a coupon for 10% off your purchase in the Salem Witch Museum Gift Shop.

Witch City Consignment & Thrift

301 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970

978.744.4433 | SellMeYourItems.com

Boston Pride Discount! Mention BOSTON PRIDE and save 15% off your purchase of $20 or more. Not to be combined with other discounts. Valid through June 13, 2010.

STC presents "Hair"

Salem Theatre Company is presenting Hair this weekend and next at the Marblehead Little Theater. Last night the theater was filled with a who's who of local personalities, theater enthusiasts, parents and STC sponsors. We were all given flowers by the cast as we entered the theater, a sure sign that an interactive experience would ensue.

And it did.

The cast, STC's largest ensemble according to North Shore ArtThrob, filled the space with the song, dance, incense and (fake, of course) marijuana smoke. We were transported back to the Sixties in the bat of an eye. Cast members worked the aisles, hung out during intermission, and were in character, interacting with the audience prior to the curtain going up. It was a great be-in!

The dawning of the age of Aquarius is a great excuse to take a trip to Marblehead and Let the Sun Shine In. Wear comfortable shoes - you may be dancing in the aisles by the end of the show!

Hair, Directed by Catherine M. Bertrand
Musical direction by Karen Gahagan
STC @ Marblehead Little Theater, 12 School Street, Marblehead (Map)
June 2- 12
Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun @ 7:30
Saturday matinee @ 2:00
Buy tickets online here
Adults $20 advance, $25 at the door
Students and Seniors $15 advance, $20 at door

Join the cast and directors for Free Q&A after the show on Thursday, June 10

Jazz Brunch to Go

I've been waiting for somebody to offer a Boxed Brunch for Sunday! It's the Jazz Brunch at Old Town Hall during the Salem Arts Festival, and Caffe Graziani will have brunch to go for you!

SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH
OLD TOWN HALL
JUNE 6, 2010

CAFFE GRAZIANI BOXED BRUNCH TO GO

* Croissant, Fresh Seasonal Fruit, Assorted Cheese and Salami $8.95

* Toasted Bagel, with Smoked Salmon And Cream Cheese $8.95

* Egg, Cheese & Bacon Sandwich On English Muffin with homefries $5.95


Call ahead to order: (978) 741-4282
133 Washington St, Salem MA
CaffeGraziani.com

June Magic in Salem

Looking for something to do in Salem this weekend and throughout June? We sent an email out today with some highlights to put on your calendar.

Check it out here: June Magic in Salem. You can sign up for Destination Salem emails on the bottom of the page.

If you want more, visit the Calendar on Salem.org - it's bursting at the seems!

Second Annual Salem Arts Festival this Weekend!

This weekend, June 4-6, the arts will come alive downtown during the second annual Salem Arts Festival. The weekend will feature 75 artists in a free, family-friendly festival at locations throughout the downtown.

Featured artists include Salem Scottish Dancers on Friday, June 4 at 7pm, Dan Covino who will be playing a 10' long musical instrument made out of a tree trunk on Salem Common on Saturday, June 5, at 4:30pm, and a Jazz Brunch bring your own "boxed brunch") on Sunday at 11:30 AM behind Old Town Hall. The Jazz Brunch will feature the East West Trio.

The weekend will also feature an Art Walk throughout downtown Salem on Saturday and Sunday. Meet the artists in their galleries or in local businesses on Saturday, and en plein air on Sunday.

In addition to Salem's rich artist community, businesses around town are getting into the Arts Festival by hosting special events. The Griffen Theatre is hosting a night of Improv Comedy - two shows, one for kids and one for adults! - on Friday night. Green Tea Yoga will be demonstrating Yoga with children on Saturday at 3:30pm on Salem Common. For a complete list of "Around Town" events, visit SalemArtsFestival.com.

There is a full schedule of events at SalemArtsFestival.com, where you will also find information on the participating artists, walking maps for the Art Walk and more details about the festival.

Getting out of Salem for a whale watch with Capt. Bill & Sons

We headed to Gloucester on this Memorial Day to check out the whale watching. This is a perfect addition to a three-day Salem weekend.Here's how I would do it:

Day 1: Arrive in Salem by 1 PM and grab lunch on the water and take in a few attractions in the afternoon. Perhaps there's a show at one of the theaters for after dinner.
Day 2: More Salem. Linger in the museums, galleries, shops, do a walking tour, play skee ball at Salem Willows.
Day 3: Head to Gloucester for a Whale Watch and a little bit of Gloucester history, all of which can be found on Harbor Loop.

Gloucester is a 30-minute drive from Salem via Route 128 and a few minutes longer if you drive the State Scenic Byway of Route 1A to Rte 127. Capt. Bill & Sons Whale Watch is located downtown on Harbor Loop where they offer free parking adjacent to their office.

Capt. Bill's works with naturalists from the Whale Center of New England. We arrived for a 10:30 whale watch at about 10:00 AM, bought the kids sunglasses in the gift shop, and boarded the Miss Cape Ann in time for a presentation about the whales we may see, done by Kelly from the Whale Center. Kelly was fantastic all day. Her enthusiasm for the whales we saw was contagious, making the experience even more exciting than it already was!

We departed the dock at 10:30 with Capt. Mark at the helm and First Mate Ray letting off the lines. We were advised that the whales are feeding on the southern edge of Stellwagen Bank, so our trip may be a bit longer than 4 hours (it was nearly 5 1/2 hours by the time we returned) so that we would have time to have a great experience with the whales. (Which we did!)


We entered the Stellwagen Bank feeding grounds and fairly quickly got a glimpse of a young whale named Bayou. And a bit further out we encountered four whales swimming together, which Kelly told us was incredibly unusual. Cajun, her as yet unnamed calf, Milkweed, and Freefall were feeding together and we followed them for almost an hour.

These whales were wonderful. They swam under the bow of the boat twice, provided us with lots of spouts, and many fluke shots as they dove for more food. At one point there was a double fluke as two of the whales dove for food, and I thought Kelly was going to leap off the deck with excitement. It was, in short, very cool.


The Miss Cape Ann is US Coast Guard certified to carry 150 passengers. She has a full galley, a large enclosed cabin, an upper deck that is partially covered, and four clean rest-rooms. After we said goodbye to the whales, my family and I settled in the cabin with sodas, grilled cheeses and a few good books for the trip back to Gloucester.

Back on land, adjacent to Capt. Bill & Sons Whale Watch is a free exhibit at the Whale Center of New England. The exhibit centers around the skeleton of a 28 foot humpback known as Inland. Whale Center staff is on hand to talk about the whales, their habits, and the Inland exhibit. There are also pieces of baleen that you can touch and look at to learn more about how Humpbacks eat.
Whale Watching is an expensive outing, but there are discounts to be had for Capt. Bills. If you have the Salem Visitor Guide, there is a coupon in their listing for $5 off your tickets. Visit MassVacation.com and download the Mass99 coupon for two $99 deals, one geared toward families and one for a couple. Capt. Bills also offers military, AAA, CAA, and AARP discounts.


After your whale watch you can wander to the top of the hill behind the Fitz Henry Lane house to see the sculpture of Lane painting, go over to the wonderful Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center Sea Pocket Lab and Aquarium. All of these things, and Capt. Carlos restaurant are located adjacent to Capt. Bill and Sons Whale Watch.

Every whale watch trip is different, and I can't wait to go out again!

Capt Bill & Sons Whale Watch
800-339-4523 | 978-283-6995 | info@captbillandsons.com
24 Harbor Loop, Gloucester, MA 01930