Saturday in Witch City

On Saturday afternoon into the evening I met these two lovely ladies for some much needed drinks and catching up.Erin and Tricia are posing with the bronze Bewitched statue situated in downtown Salem. This picturesque coastal Massachusetts town is known as "Witch City" in light of the infamous Witchcraft trials of 1692. No stranger to this destination, I've visited multiple times since Tricia purchased her condo here about a year ago and Adam and I took a day trip way back in the Fall of 2008 to experience what Salem had to offer during Halloween Season. (Probably the most notorious time to visit!)This time it was all about catching up with the girls over some food and lots of drinks. All week I pictured basking in the sun on Pickering Wharf but some unfortunate dark clouds made their way in leading to torrential downpours that spoiled the sun drenched patio dreams.But at least not the patio dreams all together. At Captain's Waterfront Grill & Pub located at 94 Wharf Street I tried the Lobster Bisque ($5.59) and a plate of 6 Oysters on the Halfshell ($12.95) in between sipping some fun tropical drinks. I also photographed Tricia's Capt's Special Salad ($7.95) boasting a presentation of a thinly shaved cucumber slice wrapped around chopped salad greens with a side of steak tips. The lobster bisque was underwhelming; the broth lacked flavor and the essential chunks of fresh lobster were amiss. The oysters didn't live up to my expectations either; an unremarkable batch of this delicate sea creature appeared mangled and tattered. Perhaps a salad would have been my best bet! Noted. The beverages fared much better than the seafood, I sipped on a Coco Loco ($5.59) a tropical island inspired beverage made with a blend of dark rum, Malibu rum, vodka, creme de banana, coco lopez and pineapple juice. Next I enjoyed a Dark N Stormy ($5.25) a favorite mixture of Goslings Rum and ginger beer. Not wanting to venture out into the ongoing downpours - we avoided the rain with another round at the bar downstairs. This time I went all out and ordered a 20 oz version (the latter two drinks being the 10 oz.) or as the menu creatively labels them "Half Mast" and "Full Rig". Oh and I switched up my choice to a Down Island Iced Tea ($8.50) containing rum, vodka, tequila, triple sec and amaretto blended with sour mix and pineapple juice and a dark rum floater. YUM. Captain's Waterfront Grill proved a relaxing location to enjoy a light lunch on the second floor patio overlooking Pickering Wharf and an extended liquid lunch while waiting out the storm at the sprawling downstairs bar. While the seafood didn't truly live up to my expectations, perhaps they were just having an off day.

Back at Tricia's condo we enjoyed some beers - including her boyfriend Dave's homemade batch of Belgian wheat ale while we watched Country Strong. Our kind of movie - drama, good country music and easy to follow after an afternoon spent boozing! We did make it out that evening for some nightlife at Rockafellas, where I drank a Watermelon Margarita ($8) with a delightful sugared rim and we enjoyed the live band. That's three Saturday nights in a row I've been away - first Cape Cod, then Connecticut, now Salem..... I'm hoping to stick around next weekend because as much as I love to venture about New England I can't wait for one where I'm not packing and unpacking all over again. Plus, it's not long before my bags will really be packed for a 4-day, long weekend jaunt to New Orleans!


Have you traveled anywhere near or far lately? Any upcoming travel plans you are looking forward to?