Downton in Bean Town

Sometimes it is fun to tour at home. I live in a gorgeous part of the Northeast – not too far from Boston and close to the coastal Maine towns of Ogunquit, York and Kennebunkport. I also live less than two hours from the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire and lakes galore in both states. My husband and I love taking local weekends – even off season – to enjoy the beauty that is in our own backyard. A simple date night in Perkins Cove, Maine makes me feel a bit like I am on vacation. If you have never heard of Perkins Cove – Goggle it. You will love it!!!

A couple weekends ago I had the pleasure of joining some girlfriends in a day trip to Boston. While it is lovely to just get together, we did go with a purpose – and that was to see the special Downton Abbey exhibit that was in town for two short weeks. We decided to make a day of it.

We left Dover, New Hampshire (close to our home towns) via the Amtrak train Downeaster in the morning and headed to North Station in Boston. We splurged on the Business Class seats ($31 per person round trip) and enjoyed some visiting and relaxing – watching the world go by. I had forgotten how much I love traveling by train….the train trip is coming back in vogue! It is part of a travel movement called “slow travel” and it is emerging as we begin to love our journeys as much as our destinations! Stay tuned for a blog I am working on about slow travel and what it’s all about!

While in Boston, we road the “T” – the subway, walked a ton, ate at “Cheers” in Faneuil Hall, shopped, saw our exhibit, got caught in a rain shower, passed through some type of filming (movie or TV show, we aren’t sure – we didn’t see anyone famous!) enjoyed Boston Commons (a lovely park) and made our way back to the train station to catch our ride home! It was a fabulous day with friends and I got indulge my Downton Abbey obsession just a little! Perhaps there will be a post about that someday as well!!!