driving – the suite life of travel

When my friend Dave asked me to join him on a trip to his childhood home, I was so excited to meet his family and to see where he had grown up outside of Boston. Our first day, we would hang out in Boston and Salem and then we had also made plans for a trip to Portland, Maine to meet up with his childhood friend, Alan.

We arrived early in the morning, loaded up the rental car and began our journey heading north. The scenic coastline was dotted with historical buildings, beautifully built of stone and brick. Reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting, we stopped on several occasions to take photographs and enjoy the scenery.

Stained glass windows, colorful siding and delicate roof tiles added so much character to our drive. We played a game trying to guess the year in which each year they had been built based on their architecture. From churches and chapels, we were completely entertained and amusing ourselves over the next couple of hours.

The further north we drove, the natural beauty of the coastal rock formations popped up along the Atlantic. The occasional inlet would appear filled with yachts and sailboats and I wished we had more time to hang out or at least stop for lunch, but we decided that we would stop at Kelly’s Roast Beef in Saugus for their infamous roast beef and lobster rolls and I couldn’t wait.

I loved seeing all of the old signs in Saugus, like the Hilltop Steakhouse which had been opened by local businessman, Frank Giuffrida in 1961. The restaurant was a popular spot from the 60s through the 90s expanding to 1500 seats. I learned that it had recently closed and thought of all of the patrons the restaurant must have served over the years. It also made me think of how hungry I was and couldn’t wait to order some lobster….are we close to Kelly’s?

It was such a great day driving the coast. Do you enjoy road trips? What is your favorite activity when you travel? I would love to hear about your travels if you would kindly leave a message in the comments section below. Thank you for reading about my drive around the NE coast and wishing you many Happy Travels!

What to See and Do:

Take a Coastal Drive!

Where to Stay:

Red Roof Inn Plus+ Boston-Logan
920 Broadway, I-93 North to Rt. 1
Saugus, MA 01906
Telephone: 888 665 1356

Where to Eat:

Kelly’s Roast Beef
410 Revere Beach Blvd.
Revere, MA 02151
Phone: 781 284 9129

What to Eat:

- Boston Baked Beans
- Cape Cod Potato Chips
- Clam Chowder
- Fluffernutters – a sandwich with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff….amazing!
- Fresh Seafood
- Fried Clams
- Grilled Blueberry Muffins
- Hoodsie Cups – baby cups of ice cream
- Lobster Rolls, of course
- Seared Scallops