Beyond Wellesley: Tuning into Nashville

November 8, 2019 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

broadway nashville

You won’t find 2 more different places than Wellesley and Nashville. And that, of course, is the beauty of what people from either place will find visiting the other.

Nashville has so much to offer that you just don’t come across in Wellesley:

Vehicles driven by sober people lined on each side by drinkers peddling from their barstools while singing at the tops of their lungs.
Broadway, a non-stop party strip with country and other singers belting out tunes from open-air bars bearing the names of Kid Rock, Jason Aldean and others.
Pedestrians who more or less obey traffic signals.
A colorful pedestrian bridge linking the NFL’s Tennessee Titans football stadium to the central bar and restaurant area.

peddlers nashville — A little rain didn’t stop the party bikes from cruising Broadway

On and under the surface, Nashville is more suited to grown-up visitors than families, though granted, we didn’t seek out activities such as the acclaimed zoo. We also traveled without renting a car, so confined our excursions to those within a reasonable walk, run or ride-share.

I should mention that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Swellesley is much of a country music fan. We recognized some names and songs, but weren’t bowing at Music City’s altars like some visitors. We descended upon Nashville to attend a late-October journalism conference called the LION Publishers Summit, and take in the sights while there.

Nashville sights and sounds

We started off strong, taking a quick look at daytime Broadway after checking in to our hotel, which had a guitar-shaped pool we regrettably never used. Guitars are everywhere in Nashville, and southern charm and manners were alive and well, too. We made a concentrated effort to be friendly, and more or less succeeded.

We grabbed lunch at Acme Feed & Seed, which boasts a steady stream of customers and juicy brisket sandwiches. We ate on the rooftop bar, which

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Beyond Wellesley: The Downton Abbey exhibit at The Castle in Boston

September 6, 2019 by Deborah Brown 4 Comments

I recently had the opportunity to step back in time to post-Edwardian England at “Downton Abbey: The Exhibition,” appropriately venued at The Castle at Park Plaza in Boston. If you were a fan of the upstairs-downstairs British historical period drama which won 15 Emmys and three Golden Globes, you simply must go, darling. It’s been absolutely ages (ok, since 2016) since the PBS show wrapped up after six seasons of family drama, social commentary, and absolutely fabulous costumes. You need a Lady Mary fix, admit it.

Downton Abbey exhibit — Executive Chef and Natick resident Joe Lewi laid out quite a spread on media night. The former Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey marketing executive served up bits that would have appeared at the Downton Abbey table: cold stuffed tomatoes; cucumber gazpacho; artichoke and asparagus salad; Beef Wellington; and French macarons.

For the uninitiated, Downton Abbey followed the divine and dramatic lives of the Crowley family, who were to the manor born and lived “upstairs.” Meanwhile “downstairs”, their servants lived a somewhat parallel existence of good times and bad, but without all the money and fabulous bespoke clothing. Downton Abbey was a place where everybody knew their place, and deviance from social standards was not permitted. But Mrs. Patmore cooked so beautifully, and the parties were jolly, so to be a spoilsport about it all would be really quite bad form.

Downton Abbey exhibit, Boston — Gotta love Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery. Privileged, demanding, determined, and always impeccably turned out.

You’ve got until September 29th to see all the sets, costumes, and historical exhibits. No RSVP required, but you can get your tickets ahead of time here. It’s always an open house situation at an inherited cozy little 300-room place in the English countryside. The exhibition is open daily from 10am to 6pm, with the last ticket sold at 4:30pm. Expect to spend between 60 and 90 minutes exploring Downton Abbey. Guests are welcome to stay for as long or as little as they would like during hours of operation. The exhibition is fully accessible for the mobility impaired.

Downton Abbey, Boston — Hands down, this was my favorite of the over 50 costumes on display at the exhibit. Just a little Summer ensemble worn by Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern). Also on display: wedding gowns, ball gowns, riding clothes, military uniforms, and more.

If you can’t make it to Boston by the exhibit’s September 29th closing date, you can always catch the exhibit at Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina, where the Downton denizens will spend the holiday season. You can also catch up with the family later this month on the big screen. The Downton Abbey movie is set for release on September 20.

Viking Cruise line was the presenting sponsor of Downton Abbey: The Exhibition. Now there’s an outfit that knows how to explore the world in comfort.

Wellesley High School PTSO on its website game

May 10, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley High School, Wellesley The Wellesley High School PTSO website keeps expanding, like the minds of its scholars, in an effort to keep families in the loop on all that is available to students. Their niftiest new page tells you everything you need to know about school-sponsored trips. Did you know that through the Science Department, your family can host a Swiss student in September, and then a Swiss family will host your student in April?

There are also trips to France and Spain through the Art Department, to Houston through Key Club, to Peru through World Challenge, and more.

No, the travel doesn’t come free. Trips range in cost from $2,000 – $4,700. It’s not cheap to broaden one’s horizons, but over the years we’ve heard families rave about their kids’ experiences.

Contact the PTSO with any questions or suggestions. [email protected]

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Beyond Wellesley: New Bedford Whaling Museum, lunch, and a winter beach visit

March 22, 2019 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

It’s smack-dab middle of winter here in New England, a time when it can seem easier to just hibernate at home rather than venture out into the cold, bleak world. Let me encourage you to join the resistance to such inactivity with a road trip to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, a nearby lunch at the family-friendly Whalers Tavern, followed by a constitutional on a little-known New England beach frequented all winter long by locals and their dogs.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum

New Bedford in the early 19th century was the world’s busiest whaling port in the world’s richest city. Whaling was at the center of everything in the busy port town, a place that was populated by the Wampanoag Indian nation before Europeans landed onshore. In the early 1600s English settlers took a look around the coastal area, took note of its favorable position, and came back fifty years later to settle the area. That didn’t go well for the thousands of Wampanoag residents who soon found themselves at war with the European colonists. Significantly reduced in number by disease and ruthless war tactics, the Wampanoags were quickly pushed off land they had occupied for perhaps thousands of years.

It’s a dramatic story, and the museum’s exhibits showcase the area’s history, the whaling industry, and its impact not only on New Bedford but globally. Not to be missed (and impossible to do so): five massive whale skeletons, the world’s largest ship model (the Lagoda), and America’s longest painting. Every room in the museum, opened in 1903, is devoted to all things whaling — paintings, costumes, ship models, maps, an astonishing number of scrimshaw arts and crafts, and more.

The whaling vessel Lagoda takes center stage in one of the galleries as the world’s largest ship model. To call it a model ship, although accurate, almost fails to give it its due. The 1/2 scale replica looks ready to set sail at a moment’s notice, and visitors are welcome to climb right aboard and imagine what it must have been like to make Lagoda both home and office for anywhere from six months to four years, just as 19th-century sailors did.

Whale hunting was deadly to whales, of course, and it also was risky business for the hunters. A small boat of about six or eight men would row within hurling distance of a 150-ton whale and let fly at least seven harpoons into whichever part of the mammal they could hit. The whales often didn’t welcome the attention, and there are several paintings in the museum that depict seriously angry whales getting their revenge on hapless sailors, most of whom were non-swimmers.

Which brings us to author Herman Melville, who in 1841 shipped out from New Bedford on the Acushnet. His experiences on that whaling ship helped form his great American novel Moby Dick. In chapter 20 of the 585-page tome, Melville describes The Seamen’s Bethel, a small wooden structure just across the street from the museum and included in the admission fee. Built in 1832 as a non denominational church, Melville’s narrator, call-me Ishmael himself, described how sailors bound for their dangerous work on the sea would stop in to offer up prayers before they set sail: “In the same New Bedford there stands a whaleman’s chapel and few are the moody fishermen shortly bound for the Indian or Pacific Oceans who failed to make a Sunday visit to this spot.”

New Bedford, Seamen's Bethel — New Bedford, Seamen’s Bethel

Also in the museum is the 3,000 square foot Casa dos Botes Discovery Center for kids. Don’t miss the observation deck on the top floor of the museum for a great view of the New Bedford harbor. The door out to the deck doesn’t lock behind you, even in the dead of winter. I nervously checked that out for you.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum
18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 997-0046
Hours, January through March:
Tuesday – Saturday 9 am – 4 pm
Sunday 11 am – 4 pm
Admission: Adult $17; seniors (65+) $15; students (19+) $10; Child/youth $7; under 3 free
Tickets include admission to the Mariners’ Home.

Lunch at Whaler’s Tavern, 24 North Water Street

About three-tenths of a cobblestone-street mile from the museum is a great family friendly lunch spot that likely becomes a different sort of lively with a more adult crowd come evening. The staff told us to sit anywhere, so we took a high table in the bar area and perused the menu. I started out with the excellent Quahog Chowder made with applewood smoked bacon, onions, celery, red bliss potatoes, and plenty of chopped quahogs. Next up for me was the arugula salad with sun-dried tomatoes and generously portioned sushi-grade ahi tuna, very fresh and a nice light counterpoint to the richness of the chowder. My companion ordered the BLT on a buttered toasted bun, downed it, and left full and happy.

Whaler's Tavern, New Bedford — Whaler’s Tavern, New Bedford

Other menu items that looked tempting: Shark Bites, locally caught, breaded, and deep fried and served with Cajun remoulade; lobster quesadilla; burgers; grilled chicken sandwich; Korean BBQ pulled pork sandwich; chourico melt; soba noodle bowl; and more. Show up Monday – Friday, 3pm – 6pm for raw bar buy one, get one free littlnecks and oysters. They have a full bar, so plenty of chaser options.

Whaler’s Tavern
24 N Water St, New Bedford, MA 02740
(774) 206-6303

Walk it off at West Island Town Beach

About eight miles away via cottage-lined Sconticut Neck Rd. (plug in West Island Town Beach, Fairhaven, MA into GPS) you can find a little-known beach overlooking Buzzards Bay. During the off season you can just pull into the lot, a casual and muddy affair when we stopped by, and join the locals and their dogs as they enjoy the general solitude.

I probably wouldn’t plunk my family down there for a summer day. The sand was covered with seaweed, and the swimming area was quite rocky. But for beach walking a couple miles in either direction on firm footing you can’t beat it, and the sunsets must be amazing. Avoiding the Cape Cod bridge traffic is also another plus that locals swear by.

West Island Town Beach

Beyond Wellesley: sneak peek at the renovated Hood Museum at Dartmouth College

Beyond Wellesley: Family fun at Versus arcade in Boston

Beyond Wellesley: a visit to a North End restaurant in Boston

More pictures from our New Bedford adventure:

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You can’t tell this Wellesley geography bee winner to get lost

January 16, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Byline: Mo Henzel, Sprague School 4th grade teacher

Alex Ho, a Fourth Grade student at Sprague School, won the school-level competition of the National Geographic Bee and a chance at a $50,000 college scholarship. The school-level Bee, at which students answered questions on geography, was the first round in the 31st annual National Geographic Bee, a geography bee competition designed to inspire and reward students’ curiosity about the world. Questions cover not only geography, but also cultures, physical features, history and earth science.

Wellesley Geography Bee winner, 4th grader Alex Ho, is in the standing row, 2nd from the left

Thousands of schools around the United States and in the five U.S. territories are participating in the 2019 National Geographic Bee. The school champions, including Alex, will take an online qualifying test; up to 100 of the top test scorers on that test in each state will then be eligible to compete in their state State GeoBee.

The National Geographic Society developed the GeoBee in 1989 in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the United States. Over more than three decades, 120 millions students have learned about the world through participation in the GeoBee. The winners of the State GeoBees receive an all-expenses paid trip to National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., next May to participate in the GeoBee national championship, competing for cash prizes, scholarships and an all-expense paid Lindblad expedition to the Galapagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavor II. Learn more at www.natgeobee.org.

National Geographic will air the final round of the National Geographic Bee Championship in May 2019. It will air later on public television stations; check local television listings for dates and times.

Everyone can test their geography knowledge with the exciting Geo Bee Quiz, an online geography quiz www.nationalgeographic.org/bee/study/quiz, which poses 10 new questions a day and with the National Geographic Geo Quiz Alexa skill, which releases six new questions a day.

Social media outreach brings book home to Wellesley

November 28, 2018 by Kim Maire Leave a Comment

Facebook has received a lot of criticism recently, but for the Wellesley Free Library, Facebook proved to be a great friend. Maybe because the library is more than just about the books, and FB is more than just about advertising. At their best, both are about the community.

Michael Cohen returned from the U.K. recently, and realized that he had left a guide book that he had borrowed from the WFL at a shop at Borough Market in London. So on Nov. 16, Cohen made a request through the Facebook group What’s Up Wellesley, which has over 5,400 members, to find
someone who might be in London to be able to retrieve and return the book for him.

Forty-two comments and suggestions poured in over the next few days. One respondent volunteered their sister who lives in London to help (but the sister was not visiting again until Christmas, past the due date!), another suggested buying the Library a replacement copy online for $9 (the Library won’t accept outside replacement purchases), and another wondered why the London shop couldn’t mail the book back to Massachusetts (shop refused to mail it).

london book — Photo courtesy of Michael Cohen

But the post from Paige Ford Fisher worked. She wrote, “Hi Michael. We are in London and I know the place. I’ll go get it and get it back to you. We are suppose to be coming back to Wellesley for Thanksgiving, but I’m sick. If we don’t make it my husband will be back next week for work. He can get it to you!”

What’s Up Wellesley founder Lianna Ramage considers the group’s ability to help people to be one of its successes. While she also admits that the administrators of the group have all had to deal with negative posts from time to time, she wrote, “We volunteer our time, and the whole point of the group is to foster a sense of community!”

This story has a happy ending. Finally, Fisher wrote, “It has been a fun project. Book was returned to Michael’s home last night while he was out. Not the most exciting picture moment, but what worked for schedules. I love Wellesley and the playful nature of our community! Excited to move home this summer! Until then…happy trails!”

Wellesley Middle School setting sights on wider world with Geography Bee

November 16, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

On Tuesday, November 20, interested Wellesley Middle School students will participate in the preliminaries for the National Geographic Geography Bee. The top 10 finishers overall will then be eligible to participate in the local-level school finals in December. Students who want to practice or see what the questions are like are directed to the Geography Bee app on their iPad. Their social studies teachers will provide more details.

In 2015, Sprague student Ishan Kundu advanced from the local level to the next round of the 27th annual National Geographic Bee. Students like Ishan who make it that far take a paper and pencil geography test in an effort to qualify for State finals. That’s an impressive accomplishment in and of itself given that thousands of 4th – 8th grade students from public, private, and independent schools do the same, and only the top 100 make it to the State Bee.

The 2017 National Geographic Bee champion received the top prize of a $50,000 college scholarship and a lifetime membership in the Society, as well as an all-expenses-paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands. Second- and third-place finishers received $25,000 and $10,000 college scholarships, respectively.

Think you’ve been around a bit and could probably get a few Geography Bee questions correct? Here are a couple sample questions:

What term is used for the two halves of Earth that are divided by the Equator:
a) hemispheres
b) projections
c) longitudes
Correct answer: hemispheres

Beirut, Tripoli, and Tel Aviv all lie on the coast of which body of water?
a) Mediterranean Sea
b) Caspian Sea
c) Black Sea
Correct answer: Mediterranean Sea

Beyond Wellesley: a hike around Gates Pond in Berlin, Massachusetts

October 26, 2018 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

This wonderfully accessible, pretty as can be, 2.5 mile loop around Gates Pond in Berlin, Massachusetts is for you, young families of Wellesley. If you’ve got active kids with energy to burn, and maybe one or two still in a stroller, this is your hike. If you’ve got a friendly, goofy Golden Retriever named Lucy or an excitable Lab named Bella (as 721 of you do according to the Town of Wellesley 2018 dog census), then yes, this hike, less than an hour away from Wellesley Square, is for you. Take a pass on this one if your kids are afraid of dogs, because canines love it here too, and some are leashed, some not. Also, if a paved path doesn’t jive with your idea of communing with nature, then it won’t be your thing. You’ve been informed.

But if you love the idea of taking your whole big, messy, rambunctious, totally fun family for a walk around a perfect New England pond under 30 miles away, this one is it.

Gates Pond, Berlin, Massachusetts — Put Taylor Road, Berlin into your GPS. The 30-car parking area is located just off Route 495. Taylor Road is a dead end, but it is the correct road to turn down. Go all the way to the end to find the parking area. Although the sign at the trail entrance says Town of Hudson (it’s managed by that town’s Department of Public Works), the pond and the trail are both located in Berlin. The circular loop walk around the pond takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

One of the lovely things about Gates Pond is its visual solitude. There are no lakeside homes, it’s just all nature. The parking is free and anyone can come and hike, run, cross country ski, or snowshoe around this pristine reservoir. (Fishing is allowed by special permit only.) Once you get out of your car, you may be dismayed by the sound of Route 495 traffic, but have faith. That all fades into the deep background as soon as you get onto the trail, and within five minutes the traffic sounds are inaudible. From here on in it’s just towering pine trees and views of the pond.

The trail isn’t marked with blazes because you’d have to be pretty talented to get lost on this hike. A few side trails branch off here and there, but it’s clear at all times where the main trail is. There are lots of big rocks for the kids to climb, some right at the side of the trail, others a little bit off in the woods, but not too far in. It’s also fun to go right out into the lake on the narrow spit of land and look out at the small island.

Our hike done, we headed to nearby Berlin Orchards for the most wonderful apple cider donuts I’ve had all season. They have an expansive u-pick apple orchard, and their farm stand offers plenty of apples, of course, as well as cider, honey, pumpkins, mums, gourds, and more. Berlin Orchards is open 10am – 5pm every day, and there are hayrides on the weekend. The last day this is all available is Sunday, October 28, then the farm closes to the public for the season.

Berlin Orchards, Massachusetts — True confession: we stopped off at a Dunkin’ for a hot drink on the way home and brought our own donuts in with us. That’s sort of like bringing your own beer into a tap room, but we did it, and didn’t get thrown out.

It’s all going too fast, this march toward winter. I feel like every moment spent indoors is wasted, that I’m burning daylight, that my February regrets will be ever-so-bitter unless I take advantage of these mild days and this beautiful scenery now, right now. As long as the outdoor temperatures are no lower than my age minus twenty, I’ll keep getting out there. I’ll leave you to wonder exactly how hardy a soul that makes me.

Beyond Wellesley: a hike on Mt. Sunapee in New Hampshire

July 27, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The weather forecast was just too tempting — a perfect 80-degree summer day, no humidity, not a drop of rain in sight — so we headed up to Newbury, New Hampshire to hike the little-known and underutilized but perfectly maintained Newbury Trail on Mt. Sunapee. We were rewarded with a beautiful view of Lake Sunapee, a fun time catching frogs at Lake Solitude, and another stellar view from the cliffs looking down on Lake Solitude and out at the mountain range beyond. After we descended from the approximately 3.5-hour round-trip adventure, we drove a short hop away and relaxed at a shady lakeside spot in Newbury Harbor where we enjoyed ice cream as boats motored by and families swam in the crystal-clear water of the lake.

Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire — The Newbury Trail starting point, located on Lake View Avenue in Newbury, is clearly marked.

All this in an under two-hour drive from Wellesley Square, and I will share every secret of this great day trip that will make you feel like you’ve uncovered one of New England’s hidden gems. No Mt. Monadnock summertime crowds for you. No oceanside outing where you’re shaken down for $30 in parking fees for the privilege of swimming with the sharks and burning on the beach. Just a hearty 4.8 miles round-trip hike of moderate difficulty followed by ice cream and maybe a dip in the lake thrown in for good measure.

We parked our car at the marked trailhead area on Lake View Avenue in Newbury, New Hampshire. Park on the side of Lake View Avenue, look for the trailhead sign that points you to Newbury Trail, and follow the orange blazes. The trail is very well marked, so if you have older kids who like to hike ahead of the slower members of the group it’s a low-risk way to allow them the freedom to move at a mountain-goat pace while learning the importance of keeping an eye on the trail markers (and not on their phones).

As you ascend the peopled but never crowded trail, you’ll come to a vista area overlooking Lake Sunapee. The view is just stunning and achieved within an hour of moving along the trail.

From there, the second fun part of the hike is a stop at Lake Solitude. It’s a pretty spot, but the best part about it when we were there was the hundreds of frogs peering out from the bathwater-warm water to take a few breaths and enjoy the sun. We’re big-time frog catchers, and these guys seemed willing to play, so we did a little catch-and-release before heading up to the cliff area that overlooks Lake Solitude and offers views of the mountain range beyond. Definitely don’t skip the ten-minute hike from Lake Solitude up to the cliffs.

Next, a lot of hikers come down from the cliff overlooking Lake Solitude and, instead of following the orange blazes back down to the Lake View Avenue trailhead area, branch off to summit Mt. Sunapee, as in the ski area. It’s about another mile there, and a trail marker points you in the right direction. We’d had enough hiking for the day and skipped that part, heading back down to the parking area the same way we came up, via the orange-blaze trail.

Lake Solitude, New Hampshire — Don’t skip the part of the hike that takes you to the cliffs overlooking Lake Solitude.

After piling back in the car we drove down the street for ice cream at Jolly Molly’s at Newbury Harbor (976 NH-103, Newbury, NH 03255). Bubba’s Bar & Grille is also at that spot if you’re looking for lunch or dinner. They’ve got salads, pizza, sandwiches, pasta, clam platters, and more.

As we sat in the shade at the public docks at Newbury Harbor with our earned ice cream we knew we’d found another great place to spend the day practically in our own backyard. Kids jumped off the docks, jet skis zoomed by a safe distance away, and dinner was there if we wanted to hang around for another couple of hours and just take in the scene. Alas for us, it was time for this good thing to come to an end and we headed home, another summer day well-spent.