Friday, January 31, 2020

USA TRAVEL GUIDE, “NORTHEAST” MASSACHUSETTS


 BY CLAY LARROY

MASSACHUSETTS: THE BAY STATE

When you choose to travel, whether it is for business or pleasure, it is important to plan your trip well before hand. Here are some tips to help you. Don't be afraid to cash in your airline miles. Many travelers let their miles accumulate and never bother using them. Reap the rewards of your traveling and spend the miles you've earned! Miles have expiration dates, so be sure to use them before they expire. Travelling is a great way to use your airline miles.  When you need to plan a vacation contact me!


Full of history and diversity, Massachusetts offers everything from cobblestone streets and village greens to space-age technology centers. You can explore the nation's early history in this Eastern Seaboard state, walk in the steps of the early pilgrims, tour battleships and lighthouses, catch the excitement of a Boston Red Sox baseball game or be awed by whales drifting along the coastline. The gateway to New England, Massachusetts was the destination of the Mayflower in 1620, site of the Boston Tea Party which helped ignite the American Revolution in 1773, and is one of the original 13 states. The Berkshire Hills cut across its western corner.
To the east the land rolls down to the sea, embracing the state capital, Boston, and the beaches of Cape Cod. Massachusetts has been named by the WWF as one of the world's Top 10 whale-watching spots, with a variety of species of whales found just 40km (25 miles) off the coast. Whale-watching cruises operate from April to October. All of New England is recognized for their varying accents, but Bostonians are especially notorious. They often drop the "r" sound after vowels, and the mocking phrase, "Pahk the cah in Hahvahd yahd" is used nationwide to imitate the unmistakable Boston accent. Boston's team in Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox, are dearly and fiercely beloved throughout all of New England. They are in a vicious rivalry with New York City's team, the New York Yankees, and it is one of the oldest sports rivalries in the country.


Things to see and do in Massachusetts
Battleship Cove
See Battleship Cove (www.battleshipcove.org) in Fall River. The cove harbors 20th-century US Navy vessels and is the world's largest historic naval exhibit.
Boston Skyline
Survey the Boston Skyline from atop the Prudential Tower (www.prudentialcenter.com). The Skywalk viewing platform on the 52nd floor offers spectacular views over the city.
Boston's museums
Also in Boston, see the 1822 USS Constitution at Charlestown Navy Shipyard, soak up the culture at the Museum of Fine Arts (www.mfa.org), learn of the planet's living creatures at the famous Museum of Science (www.mos.org), or hear Kennedy's famous speech at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (www.jfklibrary.org).
Concord
Visit Concord, one of the most historic and beautiful towns in the USA. Its Old North Bridge was the site of the 'shot heard round the world' in the opening engagement of the American War of Independence. The engagement commenced on what is now called Battle Road in Lexington on 15 April 1775.
Experience Cape Cod's beaches
Explore the wild marshes or take a solitary stroll along pristine beaches in Cape Cod. It has some 400km (250 miles) of beautiful beaches, seaside towns and fishing villages. The Cape Cod National Seashore (www.nps.gov/caco) features unspoilt sandy beaches and stunning desert-like sand dunes.
Follow the Freedom Trail in Boston
Travel the Freedom Trail, which is marked by signs and a red pavement line. It is a 5km (3-mile) walk that passes 16 points of historical interest, some of which are in the Boston National Historical Park (www.nps.gov/bost).
Harvard University
Tour Harvard University in Cambridge (www.harvard.edu), the USA's oldest university (1636).
Hear a performance of The Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (www.bso.org) is one of the greatest of all international ensembles. The orchestra has a full schedule of autumn and winter concerts, and makes its summer home at Tanglewood in the Berkshires (western Massachusetts). 'Boston Pops' concerts are staged in the spring and summer, as well as at Christmas.
Higgins Armory
Learn about the development of arms and armour at the Higgins Armory (www.higgins.org) in Worcester. Set in a medieval castle, it contains the largest on-display collection of medieval and Renaissance armour in the western hemisphere.

New Bedford Whaling Museum
Hear the story of American whaling at New Bedford Whaling Museum (www.whalingmuseum.org), the world's oldest museum of its kind, displaying the skeleton of a rare, 20m (66ft) blue whale. New Bedford's whaling chapel, Seamen's Bethel, inspired Herman Melville's description in Moby Dick (www.newbedford.com).
Old North Church
Explore the Old North Church (www.oldnorth.com), the oldest standing church in Boston, which witnessed the start of the American Revolution. From more modern time visit the Cheers Bar, upon which the popular TV series was based.
Relax on Nantucket Island
Once a great whaling port, now a popular sun resort, Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard (www.mvy.com), a picture-postcard island, both lie off the coast of Cape Cod and are easily accessible by air. Enjoy the slow pace of island life that has attracted writers, artists and designers, or dive into entertainment and nightlife.
Retrace history at Old Sturbridge Village
This village (www.osv.org) in central Massachusetts is a living history museum recreating an 1830s New England town.
Sail off the coast of Marblehead
Learn to sail off the coast of Marblehead (www.marblehead.org). The old town is full of 18th- and 19th-century homes of fishermen, merchants and artisans, and is one of the east coast's premier sailing centers.
Salem
Dare to venture into Salem (www.salemweb.com), famous for the 1692 witch trials and its seafaring history.
Travel back in time to Plymouth Plantation
Plymouth Plantation (www.plimoth.org) is an open-air museum recreating a 1627 Pilgrim village in the town of Plymouth. The Mayflower II, also in Plymouth, is a full-scale reproduction of the ship in which the pilgrims made their harrowing 66-day voyage from England.
Travel the Mohawk Trail
The legendary Native American trail (www.mohawktrail.com) winds through 202,347 hectares (500,000 acres) of state parks, forests and reservations, and is popular for foliage viewing in the autumn.

REFERENCE SITES:

I'm lucky to have been raised in the most beautiful place - Amherst, Massachusetts, state of my heart. I'm more patriotic to Massachusetts than to almost any place.
Uma Thurman

 


Travel to experience life and create spectacular memories!

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