New England Mamas

We've Got a Winner!

Congratulations to Auds of Barking Mad for willing our First Annual Secret Spaces prize pack.   By commenting on one of our posts, she was randomly chosen to receive the following fabulous prizes:

*  A 2008 Fun Pass which can save her over $1000 at 100 New England family attractions.

*  An HP Photo Book donated by our own New England Mama, Susan Getgood (thanks Susan!).

*  This beautiful bracelet made with sterling silver and glass.   Our own talented Velma created this with her own hands:

Many thanks to all who commented or contributed to our Secret Spaces posts.  We'll spend this year looking for more New England secrets to share.

Secret Spaces: One Last Sweet Treat

This very last Secret Spaces comes courtesy of my sister, Mrs Q.:

When I read the recent post about Yummies in Maine, my mouth started to water and my mind wandered to one of my favorite, sweetest places:  Billy Boy's Candies.

For those of us with sweet-teeth in Southeastern Massachusetts, it's just a short drive to this local favorite in New Bedford.  It's located in a rather nondescript building on busy Mt. Pleasant Street, right across from a huge cemetery, but the locale is quite an improvement from the trailer home that used to be Billy Boy's headquarters (OK, that was like fifteen years ago, when I was still in college, but us New Englanders pride ourselves on knowing where things USED to be).

In addition to today's favorites, like full cases of Laffy Taffy and Kit Kats and bags of gummy EVERYTHING, they stock the hard-to-find classics that you used to snatch from your grandma's candy dish: molasses puffs, NECCO wafers, old-fashioned throat drops and Mary Janes. 

When planning my kids' recent "knights and princesses" birthday party, I knew exactly where to find gold chocolate coins and Ring Pops for the goodie bags.  And, of course, I was able to find all sorts of little candies for decorating the castle cake, like those strange fake rocks I was always afraid to eat (Hey! Who knew? They are actually filled with chocolate!) 

This spring, on a particularly dreary day, I took the kids for a field trip.  Crazy talk, I know, but my son still remembers the aisles of colorful candy and that he was allowed to choose ONE thing before we left.  So it just happened to be the three-pound bulk bag bag of rainbow lollies.  Atta Boy.

Secret Spaces: Playtime by the Shore or Tucked in the Woods

Many thanks to Jill for sending us these last two "Secret Space" ideas (and remember to comment on one of our Secret Space posts by August 9th in order to be entered to win a Fun Pass and other goodies!):

First, by the Shore:

If you're planning to spend a day in Plymouth with the kids, there is a good playground located off of Route 3A where you can stop and let them run around for a while. 

Coming from historic Plymouth with the ocean on your right, pass Benny's and take the first right after that  ... not sure the street name.  Take that right and just go straight. You'll see the ocean. The road curves to the right, but go straight into the parking area. You'll see the playground.

There's a field on the left where people tend to play volley ball and a field on the right with trees around the perimeter offering the only shade there.  There is a decent (not awesome, but good) playground on sand, and an area under the jungle gym where kids can bring their sand toys and play protected from the sun. This area is good for kids ages 3 to 10, I'd say.  Off to the side, there's a small little tunnel slide and double slide with a shaded platform to climb up on that's good for the little ones.  There are a few swings, but I think 3 of them are baby swings.

There is a snack bar where you can get ice cream and some lunch treats and there are public bathrooms there.

You can also walk over to the rocky beach to collect shells and wade out , even swim if you go out far enough.   It's very calm, no waves, and good for the kids. Wear Crocs or sandals though, because it's very rocky.   Not the type of beach to set up a blanket and make sand castles but it is really beautiful!

 

(BTW, you would not reach this playground if you were out strolling along the main drag in Plymouth.  It is tucked off to the side, so follow the driving directions above).

Second, Tucked in the Woods:

There's also a cool playground in Bridgewater, MA on Flagg street off of Route 18.  Turn down Flagg Street and go straight through a stop sign; it is about a quarter of a mile on the right.

Look for the generic street sign with the symbol of two kids on a sea saw on the right, and it's immediately after that (be careful, or you might drive by it).   The playground is in the woods, so it's very comfortable on a hot day.  It is set up like a fortress: all wood and recycled tires with little tunnels and towers and bridges.

It's a little run down here and there, but it's a different kind of play ground from the ones you usually see and kids can have a ball exploring and pretending.  There are lots of sitting areas for adults and a fun place for a picnic.   Only about 4 swings.  For ages 3 to 13.

Secret Spaces: Eating well

This is my first post in quite some time, because I went ahead and had myself another baby girl.  And then I went ahead and had some serious post surgical complications.   Given all that madness, a few things fell to the wayside.  Posting here, doing the laundry, and cooking a nightly dinner.

Enter my favorite restaurant, tucked away on a quiet street in the heart of downtown Lowell, MA.  When my husband and I lived in Lowell, pre-children, one of our favorite things to do in the evenings was to stroll downtown to witness the revitalization process.  Amidst the artists' lofts, condos and shops that opened were several cafes and restaurants.  And the restaurant that called our name most evenings was Life Alive.  It continues to call my name all the way out here in the suburbs.  I'll tell you why.

Life Alive is  not just a restaurant.  According to their website, their mission is "to feed the vitality of the world, one meal at a time."

Whoa.

Sounds crazy, right?  Right? 

Wrong!  And, my friends, you simply  have to go there to find out how wrong.  Life Alive is, quite simply, a restaurant dedicated to serving fresh, organic vegetarian meals to anyone and everyone who steps through the door.  The decor is vibrant and exciting - the walls are painted in shades of golds, purples, and greens.  Artwork by local artists is hung on the walls and even the bathroom is a beautiful space,  filled with quotes to make you think, wind chimes to charm your ears and lush greenery in the re-purposed bathtub.  Honestly, every square inch of the place is gorgeous and I haven't even told you about the food.

Life Alive serves up simply the yummiest vegetarian fare I've ever eaten.  They get their organic produce delivered daily and with it, they create vegetarian dishes that can't be beat.  My favorite by far is the Green Goddess -  avocado, broccoli, dark greens, tofu, garlic, Ginger Nama Shoyu Sauce, flax oil - served over short-grain brown rice.  Every dish is enhanced by one of Life Alive's original, signature sauces.  They also serve delicious salads, amazing smoothies and refreshing blended juices as well as coffee and tea, both hot and iced. You can eat in or take it to go - and here's what keeps me driving to Lowell from the western 'burbs - you can bring your own containers - tupperware, glassware, what have you - and they'll send you off with meals for the week.  I bring my own containers, order three or four meals et voila - I am set for lunches or dinners here and there when I don't feel like cooking.

Life Alive is located in the heart of downtown Lowell, at 194 Middle Street.  Between the delicious meals, yummy smoothies, healing juices and oh yeah, the free WiFi, trust me.  You're going to keep going back and you're never going to want to leave.

Just leave some Green Goddess for me.  Thanks.

Secret Spaces, Hidden Gems: I'm HUNGRY!

The Busy Bee is a diner. Not a fake, Johnny Rocket's type diner. A real live, old fashioned, corned beef and cabbage, pot roast dinner with mashed potatoes diner. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, the Busy Bee is one of our absolute favorite restaurants.  The food is good, the atmosphere is amazingly nostalgic, the staff hilarious, the menu extensive, and the prices are unreal. 

The Busy Bee is located right outside of Audobon Circle on Beacon Street, right on the Brookline-Boston Line. It is essentially in a BU neighborhood, but so many old neighborhood types frequent the restaurant that you would never know it's so close to a major university.

I discovered the Busy Bee when I moved to Boston for graduate school  in 1976. I lived right around the corner from this dingy looking place, but my roommates told me it was absolute gold inside. Once I ventured in, I was hooked. It's cheap, dirt cheap. The food is all home cooked right on the premises. It's delicious food and the atmosphere... well, if you're older than dirt you'll remember the John Belushi "Cheeseburger cheeseburger" routine on the original SNL. That's the Busy Bee. It's a family owned place. The family is Greek. They yell at each other. The same customers have been coming in since the beginning of time. Everyone is friendly, but the waitresses can be a bit brusque if you take too much of their time.

Yelp says: This is a breakfast spot/diner with an extensive menu at dirt-cheap prices. Get past the nondescript exterior to find an establishment that has been doing business for decades. Service is fast and swift, so it is a great place to head for one of those quick-yet-satisfying meals. Regulars have been returning here; some for decades; for heart-stopping breakfast platters and lunch and dinner specials that are easy on the wallet, if not the cholesterol levels. Does not accept credit cards; accepts cash only."

That's exactly right. They got the entire essense of the Busy Bee on one little paragraph. As a long time customer, I can remember when they only used those cone-shaped cups that sat inside a silver holder. Now when was the last time you saw those? And the plates? They are divided into portions. It's 1958 all over again. But this isn't nostalgia happening. This place just never changed. A few booths, some seats at the counter, old dusty plants in the window... it could be anyplace in America.

The food? Thick potatoes with onions and all the good stuff for the homefries.  Eggs made to order and made to perfection. Ohhh, the hash.  A delightfully fattening mix of corned beef, potatoes, peppers, onions, and about a half-pound of butter, probably. Get the Fresh Fruit Bowl to-go, which for $3.25, it's brimming with pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, grapes and melon.

Besides the $5 breakfast....my other favourite aspect is that all the waitresses yell at you in their thick New England accents.  Having someone yell "WADDYA WANNT? WHITE OR WHEAT?? I AIN'T GOT ALL DAY" in regards to what sort of bread you want toasted, is the most delightful way to start the day. The waitresses are always available with a "Hi Hon" or "Sure Dear" (albeit somewhat snarky - picture Alice, Vera and Flo from Mel's Diner) to start the day. 

From Peter screaming for French Fries behind the counter to the cranky waitresses with a heart of gold, the entire staff oozes authenticity. Try the Cheeseburger Deluxe (still under 4 bucks I believe) or any of the great daily specials. Best cole slaw in the city and the fries are deep fried just right.

I've been going here for about 30 years. I remember when the staff, (mostly family members) would be fighting with each other so loudly, I fully expected fisticuffs. Didn't make for casual dining although now it's quieter even with same waitress though She's "a doll" and quickly makes you feel like a regular by berating your ability to place your order in a timely fashion. She's just kidding though.

I had to think long and hard to decide whether or not I wanted to share this Hidden Gem. But my daughter, who is a huge fan of their corned beef, said it would be wrong not to. So go, but if you see me there and it's crowded, thats MY booth you're sitting in.

Secret Spaces/Hidden Gems: I want even more candy! This time, the homemade kind.

Candy.  Mmmm, candy.  I love candy.  No, I REALLY LOVE CANDY.  Nom nom nom.

I particularly love chocolate.  If I could, I'd sprinkle pounds of it on the floor and roll around in it... But that would be a waste of some fine, sugary, chocolaty goodness.  Not to mention a horrible mess.

In a place near where I grew up there is a fantastic candy store where they make their own candies on site, and the smell when you walk in the door... Oh my LAWD.  I still have dreams about it.  It's called Priscilla Candy Shop and they have two locations - One in Gardner, MA, where they not only sell but also make the confections that I dream about nightly, and another in Concord, MA.

I was raised on the candies from this place.  Which might account for my poor eating habits.  My earliest memories involve an extremely large plate of chocolates, like Smidgens (small chocolate covered peanut butter shapes, usually whimsical in nature, that will make you forget there is such a thing as Reese's peanut butter cups), homemade chocolate mints (Peppermint Patties?  I'm sorry, these knock those out of the water),  and the piece de resistance, individually wrapped slices of French Roll in wax paper, on my grandmother's coffee table every Christmas. 

Now these French Rolls are not like anything you've ever experienced.  And, no, these are not bread rolls.  A French Roll, Priscilla-style, is a log of fudge-y, chocolate-y heaven covered in crushed nuts.  But it's not fudge.  I suppose it's a sort of ganache.  I really can't describe it except to say you'd sell your first born child for one.  It's really that good.  My Godmother worked for Priscilla Candy Shop for awhile and every Christmas I'd have one of those bad boys waiting for me as a gift.  It wouldn't even make it to see the New Year.

Though I realize pictures of these candies would be great in this post, I'm happy to say they don't last long enough in my house to photograph.  I barely make it out of the store before stuffing my face with them.  You'll have to check out the place for yourself or order some from their website.  Trust me and order the French Roll.  You won't be disappointed.

Secret Spaces, Hidden Gems: I Want Candy

 Every summer my children and I make a pilgrimage. Not to a religious site, not to learn how to meditate or do yoga. Nope, we head north to Maine and go to Yummies.

For those who don't watch the Phantom Gourmet or aren't familiar with the outlet town of Kittery Maine, Yummies is an enormous candy store. Not just any candy store.  A store that prepackages nostalgic candy as well as pretty much every kind of candy bar and box you've ever seen. Not just American candy either. Oh no, they have international favorites as well.

Yummies has the largest assortment of salt water taffy I've ever seen. They have some really 'interesting' flavors but my favorite, by far, is creamsicle. With root beer float coming in a close second.

Yummies carries a huge supply of chocolate candy, some custom made, some repackaged in the back of the store. They make their own fudge, they have gigantic lollypops and quite a bit of the type of candy you  might find in a 1950's penny candy store. They have gigantic gobstoppers, candy cigars and cigarettes, pop rocks, red hots, wax lips, and gummys in every shape and size.

They also have a little gift shop, but honestly, who wants to spend money on souvineers when there is candy to buy? Not us.

We've never bought as much as a post card there. But we've come home with bags and bags of candy.

If you're heading up to the beach in Maine, make sure to stop at Yummies. It's not just candy, it's an adventure.

Hidden Gems: Lobster and Nostalgia

I spent last Friday on the Cape with a former native Cape Codder (as opposed to a "washashore" as Velma so aptly put).  Before lunchtime rolled around, she disappeared with the tantalizing words, "I'm going to get lobster rolls!"

Turns out, she was off to visit a sort of institution in the mid-Cape, held at The Federated Church of Hyannis every Friday during the summer.  The Lobster Roll Luncheon has been serving hungry natives, washashores and tourists for fifty years.  Plan to arrive early (sales start at either 11 or 11:30) as they can sell out quickly.  For $12.50, you will get a mound of fresh lobster served on a soft hot-dog roll, a bag of chips (Cape Cod brand, natch), a can of soda, pickle and brownie. 

Take your treats to go and enjoy them on the beach or at home, or pull up a seat in the church hall and listen to the piano playing.  If the fresh lobster rolls, friendly faces, crafts for sale and music playing don't get you in a Cape-Cod state of mind, I don't know if anything will.

Orange You Glad...? (Another Not-Very-Secret Space)

The Keene Pumpkin Festival isn't a secret.  It's not even really its own space, and it could be argued that it's not even a hidden gem, exactly.

What it is, is orange.  More orange than you can shake a stick at.  Orange as far as the eye can see.  Orange until you just can't orange no more. 

Keene prides itself on having the widest Main Street in the world (I googled, and can find any number of real estate and travel sites attesting to this, but am not motivated and conscientious enough to actually research and link it).  Every October, this Main Street is lined, to unreasonable heights, with carved pumpkins on scaffolding.  It's a breathtaking abundance of squash.

We lived in Keene for four years, from 2001 to 2005.  Each year, we attended the Pumpkin Festival, partly because I try to actually do the touristy stuff in the town I inhabit, instead of just sending weekend guests there, and partly because it really is a great way to spend a fall day in New Hampshire.  There are costume contests and a parade for the kids, food booths and crafts galore, and just the kind of smiley, neighborly, community bonding that one hears about, but rarely actually sees.  The kind of event that lets you believe that perhaps Norman Rockwell wasn't just making it all up.  New Englanders are, in general, a taciturn and private bunch, but we do put on a good fair or festival.

I was a grad student the whole time we lived there, so I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of the secret crannies and nooks of Keene, but there are a few others I thought I'd share, assuming you're there for long enough to let the scent of pumpkin fade. 

There are many nice little playgrounds and parks, with my personal favorite being Ashuelot Park, near downtown.  No playground equpiment, but nice little trails and bridges and fields.  Wheelock Park was a nice walk from our house, and an even quicker sprint home for paper towels and Band-Aids when your two-year-old happens to just walk off the end of one of the playground bits.  Guess how I know.

The shopping was disappointing when I was there, though from what I understand it has improved tremendously with the addition of an enormous, soulless strip mall sort of complex out Route 9.  But back in my day, just after we stopped having to walk uphill, both ways, through snow this deep, there were two types of shopping: high-end, precious, not-quite-child-friendly shoppes in the Colony Mill, or cheap plastic crap at Walmart. 

The dining was decidedly better.  There were a few very nice, high-end restaurants; Luca's was a bit more gracious and accommodating than Nicola's, and neither was child-friendly, but sometimes that's the whole point.  There were a high number of family-friendly establishments, courtesy of a college town, and The Stage's Tuesday night pasta specials ($8 for a salad, plate of pasta - and not just red sauce, but all sorts of fabulous dishes - and dish of gelato) were to die for.  Or, at the very least, to salivate profusely for.

It's a nice little town, Keene.  Too far from everything else, no big cities within a two-hour drive, no ethnic diversity to speak of, a tendency to be buried in snow and then to flood a bit afterward... we won't be moving back there.  But it was nice while it lasted, and I'm glad we had the chance to get to know it a little. 

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To be cross-posted at One More Thing sometime. Maybe. If my mother-in-law stops being so postworthy.

Secret Spaces/Hidden Gems: Your Turn

Do you have a secret?

C'mon, you can tell me.

As we enter our second week of Secret Spaces/Hidden Gems, we are inviting you to share your ideas with the readers of New England Mamas.  If you have a secret space, hidden gem, private nook or undiscovered spot located anywhere in New England, write up something before the end of July and send it to me at fairlyoddmother@inbox.com. I'll post it later this week, and will link the post back to your blog (although you do not have to be a blogger to play along).  I'll also enter your name to win the 2008 Fun Pass we are giving away.

I can't keep a secret, but I sure love to hear them!  Hope to hear from you soon.