Punto Urban Art Museum...

We didn’t know what to expect when we saw that there was an urban art museum listed on the map and we were very pleasantly surprised. According to the Punto Urban Art Museum’s website: Our mission is to invest in public art to breakdown socioeconomic barriers.

The first section consisted of small murals along one industrial street...

...with a huge variety of styles.

Salem Witch Trials...

Instead of going to any of the witch “museums,” which were likely creepy and tacky, we opted to watch a movie at the National Park Service Regional Visitor Center to learn the truth about the Salem Witch Trials. Due to mass hysteria, Salem held the largest and most lethal witch trials in American history when over 200 people were accused of being witches from February 1692 until May 1693. Of those falsely accused, 20 were killed; 14 women and 5 men were hung and 1 man was pressed to death. In 1992, the Salem Witch Trial Memorial was commemorated 300 years after the trials began.

Each granite bench is engraved with the person’s name and date of execution. John Proctor was a wealthy landowner; I know an American artist with the same name in Holland.

It was also eerie seeing this phostly snapshot left on one of the benches. 

Next door was the Old Burying Ground where one of the judges from the Witch Trials was buried. 

Also nearby was this old wooden building with cool leaded windows.

Halloween in Salem...

Salem was founded in 1626 and is home to around 42,000 living souls. Known for its infamous Witch Trials of 1692, it didn’t become known as “Witch City” until the 1970s in an effort to increase tourism after the show Bewitched filmed a few episodes there.

Now it is overrun with tourists for the entire month of October, culminating in truly intense crowds of around 250,000 on Halloween itself. 

Neither Sally nor I are into spooky stuff, but we appreciated the incredible decorations on buildings downtown.

This was my favorite. Here’s the boss...

...overlooking his construction crew...

...working on a contractor’s house.

This house was also pretty good...

...with skeletons hanging from the chandelier...

...and hanging out with angels. 

Awesome Metalworks in Salem...

Right next to the Blaney Street Harbor in Salem where the ferry disembarks was a house surrounded by incredible metal works. Herb Mackey’s Metal Sculpture Yard features a wild variety of recycled metal and used contraptions into sculptures.

Apparently Herb Mackey doesn’t consider himself an artist, just a serious hobbyist who doesn’t even appear to have a website.

Regardless, even looking at his collection from outside his gate was fascinating.

This might be a bit hard to read: Good morning. This is God. I will be handling all of your problems today. I will not need your help so relax. Have a great day. 

Ferry to Salem...

The next day, Sally and I walked to the harbor to catch the ferry to Salem.

It was a very scenic ride with incredible views of Boston.

It was a tad windy, but a beautiful sunny day.

Boston Hash House Harriers...

The hash started at an Italian restaurant where we gathered in the bar for a pre-run beer. It was a very nice trail, but I was too worried about getting left behind to take any photos on trail other than of the crappy beer offered at the beer stop. Luckily I was able to stay with the pack and made it safely to the hare’s house for the On-In.

I had originally thought that hash cash was high at $15 considering the crappy beer, but was pleasantly surprised when the hare showed me a cooler filled with live lobsters for dinner, which was apparently a surprise to everyone.

It was a fun circle...

...and an incredible dinner. There were even local microbrews. I can’t remember the last time I ate lobster—it was truly delicious. And what a nice treat to get corn on the cob, which we rarely find in Holland.

While I had a great time at the hash, Sally thoroughly enjoyed her tour—so glad it worked out well for both of us.

Walking to the Hash...

The following day Sally went on an all-day tour to see the fall leaves. I’d considered joining her, but as much as I would have loved to have properly seen the New England leaves for the first time, my lack of love for bus tours won out. Lucky for me, it turned out to be a hashing day. The run start was in the northern part of the city, so I took a long leisurely two-hour walk to get there. 

Here are some things I spotted along the way: a piano on the sidewalk... 

...a Greek god on a house...

...a cool antique shop...

...some pretty old houses...

...some ghouls...

...a strong message...

...a colorful utility box...

...a back-seat driver...

...and some pretty woods (which we later hashed through).