Category: Weekends and Day Trip from Boston

Belle Isle: Lobster Rolls at the Reservation

We dedicated an afternoon and a few of our Zipcar credits to exploring Winthrop last week. Our dog Poppy enjoys an occasional ride in her car crate so we took her along and were happy to find so many public spaces where our whole family was welcome, as long as we obeyed the rules.

Today, we'll tell you about the Belle Isle Marsh, one of the MDC reservations.

Airplanes landing and taking off are a part of the scene here. Ed was having a great time photographing them. This is a great destination for a photowalk. We plan to gather a group of friends with cameras and come back in the fall. Marshland is often overlooked as a place to enjoy autumn's colorful show.

Boston's last remaining salt marsh, this conservation area is right in the city and you can include houses in some of the views. You can also see the reservation's observation tower in the center of this photo.

Map courtesy of Friends of Belle Isle. Please visit their site for a larger view.

We originally had not planned to include Belle Isle in our explorations but needed a place to have lunch. Our hopes that the new outdoor seating at Belle Isle Seafood might be dog friendly were dashed since you have to go through the restaurant to get to it.

So, we ordered our lobster rolls to go and drove to a lovely picnic table at the Belle Isle Reservation to enjoy all that lovely lobster and great onion rings.

There was so much lobster in our rolls that we had leftovers and took some home for supper!

After a big seafood lunch, you can walk off some of the calories on the winding trails. We saw lots of folks with their dogs enjoying the day.

Here's the info to plan your visit!

Belle Isle Marsh Reservation

Bennington Street, East Boston, MA (Map)

Open year-round, 9:00 a.m. to dusk.

Belle Isle Seafood

Has relocated across the bridge to 1 Main Street, Winthrop MA (Map)

Phone: (617) 567-1619

What do you know about Amazon Prime?

We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month, free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

August 26, 2013
Belle Isle: Lobster Rolls at the Reservation

We dedicated an afternoon and a few of our Zipcar credits to exploring Winthrop last week. Our dog Poppy enjoys an occasional ride in her car crate so we took her along and were happy to find so many public spaces where our whole family was welcome, as long as we obeyed the rules.

Today, we'll tell you about the Belle Isle Marsh, one of the MDC reservations.

Airplanes landing and taking off are a part of the scene here. Ed was having a great time photographing them. This is a great destination for a photowalk. We plan to gather a group of friends with cameras and come back in the fall. Marshland is often overlooked as a place to enjoy autumn's colorful show.

Boston's last remaining salt marsh, this conservation area is right in the city and you can include houses in some of the views. You can also see the reservation's observation tower in the center of this photo.

Map courtesy of Friends of Belle Isle. Please visit their site for a larger view.

We originally had not planned to include Belle Isle in our explorations but needed a place to have lunch. Our hopes that the new outdoor seating at Belle Isle Seafood might be dog friendly were dashed since you have to go through the restaurant to get to it.

So, we ordered our lobster rolls to go and drove to a lovely picnic table at the Belle Isle Reservation to enjoy all that lovely lobster and great onion rings.

There was so much lobster in our rolls that we had leftovers and took some home for supper!

After a big seafood lunch, you can walk off some of the calories on the winding trails. We saw lots of folks with their dogs enjoying the day.

Here's the info to plan your visit!

Belle Isle Marsh Reservation

Bennington Street, East Boston, MA (Map)

Open year-round, 9:00 a.m. to dusk.

Belle Isle Seafood

Has relocated across the bridge to 1 Main Street, Winthrop MA (Map)

Phone: (617) 567-1619

What do you know about Amazon Prime?

We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month, free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

August 26, 2013
Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Drive: Then and Now

Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Reservation are a perfect destination when you want to grab a Zipcar and spend an hour or two at the shore. We like to go on weekdays when the crowds are moderate and we can relax and enjoy the views back to Boston and out to sea.

Just like in days of old, we pull into one of the angled spaces that line the beachside. (This postcard is from the Boston Public Library Collection.)

The state undertook the creation of this park in 1899 and opened it to the public on May 30, 1908. It was part of the historic Metropolitan Parks System designed to preserve open and natural spaces for Boston area residents.

A Quick Beach Escape

We sit on the seawall and "people watch." (We are not allowed on the beach in summer because we take our dog with us.) We join the constant stream of locals walking the wide 2.3 mile seaside walkway.

And, we have lunch at one of the seasonal beach restaurants across from the beach. The photo above is from Tony's Clam Shop. If the wait for a table on the patio is long, we'll order our meal to go and take it back to the seawall or if we're lucky, dine on a shaded bench.

Here's another postcard view of the Squantum and Wollaston Yacht clubs.

While it is very busy in summer, you'll find people drawn to this place all year long in good weather and on downright nasty days when surf pounds the seawall.

It's just 8.5 miles from downtown Boston. Without a traffic jam, you can be there in 20 minutes. And, if you are willing to walk a bit, it is only a mile from the Wollaston station on the MBTA Red line.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino with postcards from the Boston Public Library and a private collection.

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 8, 2013
Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Drive: Then and Now

Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Reservation are a perfect destination when you want to grab a Zipcar and spend an hour or two at the shore. We like to go on weekdays when the crowds are moderate and we can relax and enjoy the views back to Boston and out to sea.

Just like in days of old, we pull into one of the angled spaces that line the beachside. (This postcard is from the Boston Public Library Collection.)

The state undertook the creation of this park in 1899 and opened it to the public on May 30, 1908. It was part of the historic Metropolitan Parks System designed to preserve open and natural spaces for Boston area residents.

A Quick Beach Escape

We sit on the seawall and "people watch." (We are not allowed on the beach in summer because we take our dog with us.) We join the constant stream of locals walking the wide 2.3 mile seaside walkway.

And, we have lunch at one of the seasonal beach restaurants across from the beach. The photo above is from Tony's Clam Shop. If the wait for a table on the patio is long, we'll order our meal to go and take it back to the seawall or if we're lucky, dine on a shaded bench.

Here's another postcard view of the Squantum and Wollaston Yacht clubs.

While it is very busy in summer, you'll find people drawn to this place all year long in good weather and on downright nasty days when surf pounds the seawall.

It's just 8.5 miles from downtown Boston. Without a traffic jam, you can be there in 20 minutes. And, if you are willing to walk a bit, it is only a mile from the Wollaston station on the MBTA Red line.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino with postcards from the Boston Public Library and a private collection.

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 8, 2013
Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Drive: Then and Now

Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Reservation are a perfect destination when you want to grab a Zipcar and spend an hour or two at the shore. We like to go on weekdays when the crowds are moderate and we can relax and enjoy the views back to Boston and out to sea.

Just like in days of old, we pull into one of the angled spaces that line the beachside. (This postcard is from the Boston Public Library Collection.)

The state undertook the creation of this park in 1899 and opened it to the public on May 30, 1908. It was part of the historic Metropolitan Parks System designed to preserve open and natural spaces for Boston area residents.

A Quick Beach Escape

We sit on the seawall and "people watch." (We are not allowed on the beach in summer because we take our dog with us.) We join the constant stream of locals walking the wide 2.3 mile seaside walkway.

And, we have lunch at one of the seasonal beach restaurants across from the beach. The photo above is from Tony's Clam Shop. If the wait for a table on the patio is long, we'll order our meal to go and take it back to the seawall or if we're lucky, dine on a shaded bench.

Here's another postcard view of the Squantum and Wollaston Yacht clubs.

While it is very busy in summer, you'll find people drawn to this place all year long in good weather and on downright nasty days when surf pounds the seawall.

It's just 8.5 miles from downtown Boston. Without a traffic jam, you can be there in 20 minutes. And, if you are willing to walk a bit, it is only a mile from the Wollaston station on the MBTA Red line.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino with postcards from the Boston Public Library and a private collection.

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 8, 2013
Get Out and About with Your Sunday Dog

Slowly, we are beginning to run into members of our local dog community that we haven't seen since the cold temperatures set in last fall. People are planning longer walks with their dogs around town and looking to explore destinations outside of their neighborhoods with leash in hand.

We recently caught up with the lovely Miss Friday who has starred in a couple of Sunday Dog posts. We introduced her to Poppy, and she was happy to give our little pup a nice play session.

This is also the time of year that we always see a flurry of visitors to our post reviewing the book, Best Hikes with Dogs, Boston and Beyond. If you are a newer Sunday Dog fan who might want to take a hike with your own Sunday Dog, just click on that link to jump over to it.

Other books on our dog book shelf that help us find places to go with Poppy are:

The Dog Lover's Companion to New England

The Dog Lover's Companion to Boston

Dog-Friendly New England

Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA Petbook

The last is the most up-to-date. But, while some things have changed in the older guides, they still offer ideas that you can use to plan a daytrip or weekend if you're willing to confirm the information. Rules change and places go out of business within days of some publications, so we always check before going to a place that we are relying on as a destination. This might be the perfect reason to buy a used copy.

And, there are companion books for hiking with your dog in other areas of the country. Click here to see if there is one for your next outdoor destination with your furry friend. Below are the direct links to Boston, New Hampshire, Vermont, and outside of New York City.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino

Photo: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

(Bookcover courtesy of Mountaineers Books, all rights reserved)

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Sunday Dog, Maddox – Making New Friends!

Finding a Boston Rental with a Dog

Spread the Word on The Yellow Dog Project & DINOS!

Dear Poppy, Should I Let Humans Brush My Teeth?

Dog Poop And Leash Signs

March 31, 2013
Get Out and About with Your Sunday Dog

Slowly, we are beginning to run into members of our local dog community that we haven't seen since the cold temperatures set in last fall. People are planning longer walks with their dogs around town and looking to explore destinations outside of their neighborhoods with leash in hand.

We recently caught up with the lovely Miss Friday who has starred in a couple of Sunday Dog posts. We introduced her to Poppy, and she was happy to give our little pup a nice play session.

This is also the time of year that we always see a flurry of visitors to our post reviewing the book, Best Hikes with Dogs, Boston and Beyond. If you are a newer Sunday Dog fan who might want to take a hike with your own Sunday Dog, just click on that link to jump over to it.

Other books on our dog book shelf that help us find places to go with Poppy are:

The Dog Lover's Companion to New England

The Dog Lover's Companion to Boston

Dog-Friendly New England

Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA Petbook

The last is the most up-to-date. But, while some things have changed in the older guides, they still offer ideas that you can use to plan a daytrip or weekend if you're willing to confirm the information. Rules change and places go out of business within days of some publications, so we always check before going to a place that we are relying on as a destination. This might be the perfect reason to buy a used copy.

And, there are companion books for hiking with your dog in other areas of the country. Click here to see if there is one for your next outdoor destination with your furry friend. Below are the direct links to Boston, New Hampshire, Vermont, and outside of New York City.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino

Photo: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

(Bookcover courtesy of Mountaineers Books, all rights reserved)

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Sunday Dog, Maddox – Making New Friends!

Finding a Boston Rental with a Dog

Spread the Word on The Yellow Dog Project & DINOS!

Dear Poppy, Should I Let Humans Brush My Teeth?

Dog Poop And Leash Signs

March 31, 2013
Get Out and About with Your Sunday Dog

Slowly, we are beginning to run into members of our local dog community that we haven't seen since the cold temperatures set in last fall. People are planning longer walks with their dogs around town and looking to explore destinations outside of their neighborhoods with leash in hand.

We recently caught up with the lovely Miss Friday who has starred in a couple of Sunday Dog posts. We introduced her to Poppy, and she was happy to give our little pup a nice play session.

This is also the time of year that we always see a flurry of visitors to our post reviewing the book, Best Hikes with Dogs, Boston and Beyond. If you are a newer Sunday Dog fan who might want to take a hike with your own Sunday Dog, just click on that link to jump over to it.

Other books on our dog book shelf that help us find places to go with Poppy are:

The Dog Lover's Companion to New England

The Dog Lover's Companion to Boston

Dog-Friendly New England

Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA Petbook

The last is the most up-to-date. But, while some things have changed in the older guides, they still offer ideas that you can use to plan a daytrip or weekend if you're willing to confirm the information. Rules change and places go out of business within days of some publications, so we always check before going to a place that we are relying on as a destination. This might be the perfect reason to buy a used copy.

And, there are companion books for hiking with your dog in other areas of the country. Click here to see if there is one for your next outdoor destination with your furry friend. Below are the direct links to Boston, New Hampshire, Vermont, and outside of New York City.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino

Photo: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

(Bookcover courtesy of Mountaineers Books, all rights reserved)

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Sunday Dog, Maddox – Making New Friends!

Finding a Boston Rental with a Dog

Spread the Word on The Yellow Dog Project & DINOS!

Dear Poppy, Should I Let Humans Brush My Teeth?

Dog Poop And Leash Signs

March 31, 2013
Friday Fall Foliage Links

We're beginning to see colors popping all over the Greater Boston area. Here are a few links that will prove useful for planning a leaf peeping excursion.

Please tell us where your favorite foliage spots are and let us know if you have a resource to share. You can add it in the comments below or send it via Twitter.

Perhaps the most complete round up of New England foliage information can be found on jeff-foliage.com. (The screenshot above is from this site.)

Jeff says: "I’m a photographer with a small Photography business in Salem MA. Some would say I’m passionate about photographing New England’s fall foliage.

Yankee magazine says I’m a bit “obsessed” with capturing Autumn’s fiery show. (They could be right) They even wrote an article about me titled: The Leaf Seeker: Jeff Folger."

We say: This passion has produced a very comprehensive site with a discussion forum, photo galleries, festivals, multi-media, webcams, predictions, reports, touring ideas, and safaris. All this with a big dose of expert tips on how to do everything from catching peak foliage to practising the art of getting lost.

While we're at it, here are a few more links that we've collected as New England Foliage resources.

Massachusetts Fall Foliage Fun Planner

Yankee Magazine's Foliage Guide

50 Fun Travel Ideas for the New England Fall Foliage Season

Connecticut's Fall Foliage Guide

Maine's Official Foliage Website

Vermont Fall Foliage Report

A Vermont Vacation Planner with A Foliage Theme

New Hampshire Fall Foliage Tracker

Leafpeepers.com

Fall foliage tour: the ultimate New England road trip From Lonely Planet

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost you any more but they put a few coins in our tip jar.

What's on your Fall Shopping List. Click here for Fall Season Savings over at Amazon.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Yankee magazine offers 26 ideas for autumn, A to Z

New England in the Fall: Trip of a Lifetime

Follow the Fall Foliage into the City of Boston

Boston Common Foliage as a Backdrop

October 19, 2012
Friday Fall Foliage Links

We're beginning to see colors popping all over the Greater Boston area. Here are a few links that will prove useful for planning a leaf peeping excursion.

Please tell us where your favorite foliage spots are and let us know if you have a resource to share. You can add it in the comments below or send it via Twitter.

Perhaps the most complete round up of New England foliage information can be found on jeff-foliage.com. (The screenshot above is from this site.)

Jeff says: "I’m a photographer with a small Photography business in Salem MA. Some would say I’m passionate about photographing New England’s fall foliage.

Yankee magazine says I’m a bit “obsessed” with capturing Autumn’s fiery show. (They could be right) They even wrote an article about me titled: The Leaf Seeker: Jeff Folger."

We say: This passion has produced a very comprehensive site with a discussion forum, photo galleries, festivals, multi-media, webcams, predictions, reports, touring ideas, and safaris. All this with a big dose of expert tips on how to do everything from catching peak foliage to practising the art of getting lost.

While we're at it, here are a few more links that we've collected as New England Foliage resources.

Massachusetts Fall Foliage Fun Planner

Yankee Magazine's Foliage Guide

50 Fun Travel Ideas for the New England Fall Foliage Season

Connecticut's Fall Foliage Guide

Maine's Official Foliage Website

Vermont Fall Foliage Report

A Vermont Vacation Planner with A Foliage Theme

New Hampshire Fall Foliage Tracker

Leafpeepers.com

Fall foliage tour: the ultimate New England road trip From Lonely Planet

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost you any more but they put a few coins in our tip jar.

What's on your Fall Shopping List. Click here for Fall Season Savings over at Amazon.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Yankee magazine offers 26 ideas for autumn, A to Z

New England in the Fall: Trip of a Lifetime

Follow the Fall Foliage into the City of Boston

Boston Common Foliage as a Backdrop

October 19, 2012