The commuter train from Boston takes you away from the hustle and congestion of the city and well into the suburbs. If you catch the right train, you’ll scurry past the suburbs and find your own place of rest and relaxation at the end of the line in Rockport. The Newburyport / Rockport line’s last stop puts you within strolling distance of cozy B&B’s, shopping, galleries, excellent restaurants, and some of the most relaxing hiking and seaside views you could ask for.
Rockport lies on the tip of Cape Ann, almost surrounded by the Atlantic. In fact, with the Annisquam River and Canal, the tip of the cape that includes nearby Gloucester is completely surrounded by water — the longtime residents call the area “The Island”, considering their part of Cape Ann self-sufficient. Rockport stayed small, attracting a small artist’s colony who made the old red fishing shack in the middle of the harbor such an iconic fixture in their paintings that it has become known as “Motif Number 1”.
Catching the commuter train to Rockport, the first place to visit is Studio Crepe, right next door to the station. Entirely gluten-free, the crepes form pizzas, dipping chips made of crispy crepes, sandwiches wrapped in warm tender crepes, and delicious desserts, all served in an environment to get you in the mood for art.
David, the outgoing owner of the cafe has created an environment to go with his creative re-imagining of the classic French dish to get you in the mood for an art-filled weekend, with an art-filled dining room overlooking the open kitchen that preparing tasty treats and filling meals.
Raring to go after a nice meal, Rockport is right outside the door, all within walking distance. Galleries and shops abound on Main Street and along Bearskin Neck. Jewelry, clothing, knickknacks, and treasures from around the world will tempt you as you stroll through the business district.
Be sure to take time to look at Motif Number 1, the building painted more often than any other. Then go inside the Rockport Art Association and see how the traditions of creating and presenting art has survived and thrived since the 1800’s.
Before dinner, check in at your weekend’s lodgings. An excellent example is the Sally Webster Inn bed and breakfast, also a short stroll away. Built in 1832, the inn’s six rooms have been appointed by the innkeeper Chef Sawsan Galal with antiques and cozy touches throughout, making the Inn the perfect refuge from the worries left behind in the city.
The common areas may encourage you to curl up with a book or board game, but it’s still early enough to see more of Rockport before that cozy bed calls you.
Rockport is full of entertainment. Festivals, performances, and activities occur all year round. A quick visit to the Rockport USA events calendar might lead you back to Studio Crepe for a local artist or an evening karaoke, accompanied by more of those creative crepes and a glass of wine or beer. Maybe you’ll find chamber music at the Shalin Liu Performance Center on Main Street, a venue designed for music performances in front of a glass wall overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Or, if music isn’t for you, perhaps a stroll in the cool evening ocean breezes can take you to a bonfire on the beach.
Then bedtime, sleeping soundly in one of the four-poster beds at the Sally Webster Inn, waking up of course for breakfast. Breakfast at the Inn is a special experience, with a full breakfast served buffet style in the summer, perhaps with homemade granola or preserves. There’s a reason that Sawsan Galal prefers to be called Chef — she’s a gourmet chef with an international flair and a mission to use local, fresh, simple ingredients. When Sawsan serves breakfast, it feels like you’re eating with family.
After breakfast, a bit more physical outing is on hand — kayaking in the harbor for the adventurous, or maybe fishing from the jetty or from a charter boat. Hiking on the cliffs gives exhilarating views and cool breezes, while longer hikes under the trees are on store for those who go hunting the motto- emblazoned inspirational Babson Stones in the ghost town called “Dogtown”.
Then, for lunch, there are still plenty of restaurants to try out. A local favorite is Brother’s Coffee for coffee and a sandwich, or even a hot donut if you arrive early enough. Then take it slow… a weekend getaway doesn’t have to be activity every second until you get back on the train … that book by the fireplace is calling.
Paul not only writes many of the articles in the pages of this magazine, he is also the publisher and editor of all of the magazines in the Amygis Publishing’s family of travel magazines. He loves exploring, traveling the back roads, experiencing the world, and finding what is unique and memorable about the places he visits.
And he loves writing – poetry, short stories, essays, non-fiction, news, and. of course, travel writing.
For over 20 years, he has shared his explorations with readers in a wide variety of outlets, from groundbreaking forays into the first stirrings of the dot-com boom to travel guides, local newspapers, and television, including Runner’s World, Travel Lady, Providence Journal, and Northstar Travel Media. He currently publishes and writes for Amygis Publishing’s magazines Jaunting, Northeast Traveler, and Rhode Island Roads.
