Dutch Masters at PEM, on NPR, at the National Gallery

The Dutch Masters seem to be gaining traction in America!  This morning there was a segment on NPR's Morning Edition about the new exhibition at the National Gallery in Washington, DC, of paintings by Gabriel Metsu ("The Dutch Master You Don't know"). 

Gabriël Metsu (Leiden 1629 – 1667 Amsterdam)

Old Woman Eating Porridge, ca. 1657

Oil on panel

14 x 11 inches (35.5 x 28 cm)

It is fantastic that the National Gallery and the Peabody Essex Museum are both celebrating the Golden Age of Dutch painting simultaneously.  Golden: Dutch and Flemish Masterworks from the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Oterloo Collection is on exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum through June 19th, and it includes a Metsu (Old Woman Eating Porridge, pictured above).

Come to Salem to see the Golden exhibit.  It is a stunning collection of 17th century Dutch painting.  And, if you are so lucky to go to Salem and Washington, DC, visit the National Gallery to expand your knowledge of Metsu! 

Click here for the NPR story by Susan Stamberg.  It's a wonderful review of both Metsu and Dutch Masterworks.

Urban Elements has the garlic press featured in Real Simple!

 

I'm a big fan of Real Simple Magazine, and I'm a big fan of Urban Elements, so when Real Simple featured a garlic press (or "rocker") that Urban Elements carries, I took notice!   

The Joseph Joseph garlic rocker is just one of the cool kitchen gadgets available at Urban Elements.  

Poetry on Display at Roost

As I flip through the awesome schedule of poetic events during this weekend's Massachusetts Poetry Festival, the only exhibit featured in the book is the Poetry Dress, which is on display in the window at Roost on Front Street.

They have created a wonderful Poetry window, so stop by and check it out - and then check out the festival at Old Town Hall and beyond! 

A Poetic Walking Tour with Salem Historian Jim McAllister

To celebrate the Massachusetts Poetry Festival and Salem’s poetic heritage, Salem historian, author and history columnist Jim McAllister, will offer a lively and entertaining walking tour called Poets, Poetry and Poetic Places in Salem.

The tour will meet on Friday, May 13^th at the main entrance to the Salem Visitor Center on New Liberty Street across from the Peabody Essex Museum at 2:30 p.m.

Come and take a 1 hour and 15 minute grand promenade and hear about important 19^th century poets and their real life or literary connections to Salem.

Stops will include Salem’s famed Lyceum Hall where Emerson lectured 36 times and where Very Jones witnessed Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone call. You will pass the Quaker Meeting House, Parker Brothers Game Company, the Charter Street Burial ground, the Salem Witch Trials memorial and other sites with surprising and  colorful poetic lore. The tour will end just before 4 p.m. at The Salem Athenaeum on Essex Street in time for Charlotte Gordon’s talk on the illustrious first published American woman poet, Anne Bradstreet. 

A $10 Button ($5 for seniors and students) will be your ticket of entry for all Massachusetts Poetry Festival events. Buttons can be purchased online at MassPoetry.org or in Salem at the following locations:

• Roost, 40 Front Street
• Salemdipity, 86 Wharf Street on Pickering Wharf
• Salem Witch Museum, 19 ½ Washington Square North
• Signatures Apparel, 181 Essex Street (on the Pedestrian Mall)
• Salem Trolley Depot “191 Essex Street (on the Pedestrian Mall)
• Gulu Gulu Cafe, 247 Essex Street

Boston Spirit Magazine features Out Night in Salem

We are so excited that our first Out Night in Salem has been featured in Boston Spirit magazine! 

Out Night in Salem will bring Boston Pride to the North Shore on Thursday, June 30th.  The Salem Ferry, Salem Witch Museum, House of the Seven Gables and Peabody Essex Museum will be open late, and there will be several Pride specials at local shops and restaurants.


We are still updating the schedule and list of specials.  For information and updates, visit Salem.org/LGBTSalem. 

Accommodations for the Massachusetts Poetry Festival

We have received word that people are seeking accommodations for this weekend's Massachusetts Poetry Festival.  Here is current availability, as of Tuesday morning.  Please note: Availability and rates are subject to change. Please contact the inns and hotels directly to make reservations. 

For a complete list of accommodations in Salem and the region, visit Salem.org.  For more information on the Poetry Festival, visit MassPoetry.org.

Amelia Payson House B&B - Salem 

Availability Thursday night

$135 per night for two (2) adults only, non-smoking. On-site parking 

978.744.8304 | AmeliaPaysonHouse.com

Coach House Inn - Salem

Availability Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights 

$130 plus tax, which includes continental breakfast, wireless internet access, and tickets to The Salem Witch Museum. Minimum stay is two nights. 

978.744.4092 | CoachHouseSalem.com

Cape Ann's Marina Resort - Gloucester 
Availability Thursday, limited availability Friday. 
10% discount if you mention Massachusetts Poetry Festival.
978.283.2116 | CapeAnnMarina.com

Harbor Light Inn - Marblehead

Availability Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights 

Rates start at $195 per night and include a full breakfast. 

781.631.2186 | HarborLightInn.com 

Hawthorne Hotel - Salem

Limited availability Friday night

Rates start at $210 per night. 

978.744.4080 | HawthorneHotel.com 


Stepping Stone Inn - Salem 
Availability Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights
Rates start at $125 plus tax per night, and include tickets to the Salem Witch Museum.
978.741.8900 | TheSteppingStoneInn.com

Wylie Inn & Conference Center  - Beverly 

Availability Thursday, Saturday, Sunday nights 

Rates start at $139

978.876.1800 | WylieCenter.com 

Salem Willows

Salem Willows is in full bloom, and as soon as the sun comes out, so do the people!  The Kiddie Land is open, with good weather come enthusiastic diners at the many restaurants (Chinese and pizza being the house specialties - have you had a Chop Suey Sandwich yet?).  

Salem Willows Park is a true local gem.  Home to Mahi Mahi Cruises (which opens on May 21st for their sixth season), a summer concert series, the annual Jazz & Soul Festival, a carousel, mini-golf, two arcades, a busy fishing pier and two beaches, you will always find something happening at the Willows.  

I love the popcorn at Hobbs.  My kids love the arcade games.  I have friends who are as passionate about Hobbs' ice cream as I am about their popcorn.  And I find people either love or hate the Chop Suey Sandwiches.  Whichever side of that fence you fall on, you have to try it once (it's just what it sounds like, a scoop of Chicken Chop Suey served on a hamburger roll and wrapped in paper for less than $2.)

Welcome to the Willows!

 

Walking toward the bandstand and fishing pier.

Climbing on the rocks.