October 10, 2016

Newburyport is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts. It has cobblestone walkways, shops, restaurants and museums. My fascination with the town is that it was the inspiration for the imaginary city of Innsmouth, the setting of the H. P. Lovecraft story The Shadow Over Innsmouth, part of the Cthulhu Mythos. It is a popular tourist location. October is a great time to visit, imagining that I’m walking through Innsmouth.

Lunch

The Grog is located on 13 Middle Street. It has an interesting history. Alfred W. Thompson opened a “Ladies and Gents Eating and Oyster House” after completing his service in the Civil War. The Restaurant’s customers were local sailors, travelers and statesmen until Prohibition began (1920).

R&R Traders

Right next to The Grog is an interesting store with a great collection of imported items, minerals and geodes. In preparation for Día de Muertos they had a great collection of Mexican skulls and other artifacts.

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

After lunch and a bit of window shopping, we headed out to Plum Island, a short drive out of town. It has two beach areas, and trails near a large salt marsh. However parking space is very limited., another reason to visit in October rather than mid-summer.

Then, just like that, it was time to leave.