Postcards From New England

Every year that I can remember, my family has packed into our car for a 10-15 hour drive to New England to visit extended family. It's how I learned to love road trips and read in the car. Among other things, I learned how to play pool, challenged my boyfriend to endless rounds of badminton, and played mini golf as per tradition. But the cities, the beaches, and the bookstores were the highlights.

maine

As a child, my mother would visit Pine Point Beach in Maine every summer. This year, we took a couple days out of our stay to travel there. The beach was beautiful, as expected, and we played skee-ball at the boardwalk arcade. However, my favorite place is called Two Lights State Park. I fell in love with this place in the early, fog-drenches hours of morning while watching the waves crash against the slate cliff-sides. It was a place that breathed wonder and was untouched by the nuisances of daily life. 

portland

We snuck on down to Portland for lunch on the second day. I really enjoyed just walking around this city. New England cities have a quaintness and quirkiness to them that the West Coast lacks. We ended up popping into some cute local stationery and bookstores (more on that later). Although we spent just a couple hours exploring, I know that next year I want to find its nooks and crannies with more time in hand.

boston

Boston is my favorite city. This year we only made it to the Boston Public Library (more below), Newbury Street, the Boston Public Gardens/Boston Commons, and another local bookstore. Again, I just enjoyed wandering the streets and taking an excessive amount of photos. I also adored the gardens, with the infamous swan boats and endless amounts of ducks. I admit that I'm not a city girl, so this little spot of green was a nice break from the noise. Highlight: watching an eager dog take a flying leap into the water and almost pull his owner in after him.

book stores & libraries

Portland's Sherman's Books and Stationery, which is reportedly the first bookstore in Maine, was the best find. As a lover of all things bookish and paper-related, I had a ball in here. There was a fantastic selection and they even had some posters from Litographs, which is a US book-merchandise brand that I love.

Being the nerd that I am, the Boston Public Library was my first stop on our trip. Not only is this library huge, it's stunning. The architecture is incredible, and I loved the pavilion in the center, as well as the study hall pictured above. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "impressive." Imagine having this as your local library! 

Last on the list was the Brattle Book Shop. We ended up getting there a little late and the outside book trolleys had already been brought inside, so I didn't get to dig through the books as much as I would have preferred. But hey, I'll try again next year! 

Have you taken any fun trips this year?