You are very welcome, and our interests align quite well. I wanted to go to Salem, and you knew the most interesting spots. I wanted to eat at an elegant restaurant Saturday evening, and you gave me two choices. I wanted to follow that with a concert of classical music, and with confidence, you assured me that I would enjoy the BSO.

i wanted to take a touristy ride around Boston, and you found one that required me to cover 100 yards uphill in under two minutes to catch the trolley. ACK!!! You tested this old man's heart of mine with that one, but as the Monty Python skit goes, "I ain't dead yet." You are just going to have to find some other stressful activity for the next time I visit.

Also, anyone visiting Boston must make the effort to meet up with eideteker. His stories and spontaneous wit will make your evening fly past before you realize the employees are closing down the place.

What did you all do in Salem? That's one of my favorite haunts, too. I love the PEM, Bella Verona, and the little pub...what is it, Flying Pig, or something of that kind?

Yes, we did the PEM, as well as the historical diorama of the trials, a quick stroll around the house of 7 gables, schmoozed a few of the commercial occult stores (none of the handcrafted stores were open but this isn't their season), and grabbed drinks at the pub on the corner (I don't remember the name). Also, melismata took my picture with the picture of Samantha. We could have done more but I cannot walk very fast.

the historical diorama of the trials,

That is one of the most splendid pieces of cheese on the eastern seaboard. I've had a lot of fun taking museum colleagues there.

I've never gone down there at Halloween, though. Apparently it's a lot of mardi-gras-style fun. We have a pretty good Halloween in Portsmouth, but maybe I'll remember to head down next year at least for the day.

I think I know the pub you mean. I was thinking of the one on the waterfront near the Friendship, but that's not near the 7 Gables and the Wiccan stores.

The Salem Witch Museum (the dioramas) now has a second little guided tour that talks about witchcraft and wiccans, and their history. Basically, an oh-dear-they've-been-discriminated-against-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are-different-than-you speech. Not too bad. What's amazing is that the recorded lecture of the dioramas (More weight! More weight!) has not changed one iota in 30 years. No need to change something that works for the museum-going public! Even on a dead freezing day in February, there were a lot of people there, and they do the presentation all day on the hour, every day.

One of the store proprietors put our names in her guest prayer listing book, when Ardiril mentioned his health problems. We are now part of the fabric of the healing in the world, or something like that. Hey, why not?

What's amazing is that the recorded lecture of the dioramas (More weight! More weight!) has not changed one iota in 30 years.

That's my favorite part! The place is a time capsule. And whoa, how about that exhibit afterward? It's a riot.

I used to work at another tourist thing in Salem, MA, and our boss told us that no matter what, we were not allowed to speak ill of any of the other tourist things in Salem. It's probably a good thing she said that, because there's, ahem, definitely things to say about the Salem Witch Museum.

Ah, gee, tps, it's so fun. Sure the devil bit at the beginning is overplayed and the facts somewhat gratuitous, but part of the charm of Salem is that witches have come to celebrate in a town where people died for not being witches, merely accused. You rarely find such an explicit dichotomy in a community.

Which Eideteker was smart enough to find, thank goodness.

I can't take credit for that. It was all The Missus. She deserves a special medal of honor for waiting for 45+ min at the right/wrong restaurant while I was trying to get a working phone and stumbling lost around Boston.

Also, anyone visiting Boston must make the effort to meet up with eideteker. His stories and spontaneous wit will make your evening fly past before you realize the employees are closing down the place.

"So boring you will nod off, losing total track of time." ;)

Thanks! I wouldn't have missed it for the world, and I'm glad I didn't. Everyone should take the time to meet Ardiril, if able. He is truly one of the elder statesmen of the MeFiverse.

there's, ahem, definitely things to say about the Salem Witch Museum.

One of my friends takes every opportunity to remind me that I "owe" him $7 because I told him the SWM was "not to be missed" and "a must see."

Ritualistically, I refuse to pay because I wasn't lying. I never said it was good, just "not to be missed" and "a must see."

Hey! I only gained 3.5 pounds over the weekend and judging from my swollen ankles, it's all fluid.