Monday, April 30, 2012

Guide: What to do in Rockport in one day

People say it's the journey that matters, not the destination. But i'm glad I'm finally at a pseudo destination in my life. The journey's been great, but sometimes it seemed like a long, arduous journey with no end in sight.

Anyway, one food entry coming up tomorrow, but I thought I would just add a entry about a place I visited last year around this time in the US- Rockport. It's a good short day trip from Boston and a very idyllic place. If you think you've seen everything in Boston, it will be nice to make a short day trip here.

From Boston, you can take the commuter trains using the Newbury/Rockport Line from North Station. It can be easily covered in one day, so check out the schedule of the returning train in order to make sure that you plan your time properly. It takes around an hour and costs less than $10.



1) Halibut Point State Park 
A place that you must definitely go is the Halibut Point State Park. You can kick yourself in the foot if you come here and don't visit the State Park. I haven't seen waters as blue as this, and it's a very leisurely walk around the place. Nothing too strenuous although it doesn't remove the adventure out of it because young people can climb down the rocks to get a better picture (beware of the slippery rocks!)


How do you get here? Google Maps says that it's impossible to get here for people who don't drive. But searches on Google also told me that it's possible to take the blue line to reach there. All you need to do is to politely ask the bus driver to tell you when you're near the area (that's what we did) because in all honesty, it's pretty secluded. It's possible to do a self-guided tour with the help of some leaflets collected from the visitor centre!


2) Motif #1
This is a favourite subject of artists. And if you watched Finding Nemo close enough, you would notice that there is a picture of this place hanging in the dentist's office as a tribute to the director's hometown. I would say there is nothing much to this place except to see what attracts painters to this place so much, such that it is called the "the most often painted building in America".



3) Seafood: Roy Moore's Fish Shack
Surely, all that walking is going to make you hungry. Make your way to Roy Moore's Fish Shack for some decently priced seafood! 


4) Elephant ears 
I've never heard of Elephant ears. But out of curiosity, we bought one. And the so-called elephant ears is a kind of French puffed pastry with cinnamon on it. It's likely to be bigger than your face so it'll be wise to share it. Fats shared is joy doubled. 

Get your elephant ears from the Fudgery. Step into the Fudgery and an instant whiff of fudge (were you expecting anything else) will overwhelm you. 


5) Random shops selling quirky things
Part of the charm of Rockport is the individual shops selling all kinds of items. Quirky things, art pieces, and small little food shops.



6) Apple strudel
When doing my research about this place, it seems that Helmut's Strudel served pretty good strudels. Unfortunately, there's only how much one can eat and how much one can spend. But if you have both the stomach space and the cash to spare, get a strudel here!


There you have it! One morning and afternoon around Rockport will bring you around these places in pretty comfortable timing! (without a car) Drop by the Rockport Art Association and Paper House if you have more time to spare. If you want to have a break from your mundane routine, you know where to go!

Disclaimer: You are not going to get around easily without a map or without planning ahead. Do take note of whether the shops are open all year round and whether the bus runs everyday! 

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