New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

Photo, courtesy of The Grog Restaurant, Newburyport, Mass. Just got word from Laura at The Grog Restaurant at 13 Middle St., in Newburyport, Mass., that the second annual Chili Con-Carnival Cook-off will take place Saturday, October 17th, 2009, 12 noon to 3 p.m., under the tent of the Grog's parking lot. Live music, raffles and, of course, great chili will benefit Our Neighbor's Table in Amesbury, The Pettengill House in Salisbury and Community Services of Newburyport. Participating restaurants include Amesbury Sports Park, Carry Out Cafe, David's Tavern, Giuseppe's Fresh Pasta & Fine Food. Chef Howie's Hobo Cafe, The Korner Kitchen, Michael's Harborside,The Port Tavern, The Purple Onion, The Rockfish, Stella's of Middle Street, Ten Center Street, The Thirsty Whale ...and more to come! In addition to the official judging, those attending the cook-off will have a chance to vote for their favorite chili. Admission is $10 for adults, children under 12 free

Article and photos (top to bottom: Walpole, Newburyport, Walpole and North Attleborough) by Eric H. I received the following e-mail from a reader interested in moving to a vibrant, small town within an hour to Boston, MA (we'd appreciate your reader feedback on this posting): I hope you can help. My husband and I love New England and want to call it home. We recently visited Northampton and love the small town feel with the eclectic mix of old and young; however, we need to be a little closer to Boston Airport (within an hour). Can you recommend a small town that has the same feel as Northhampton and would also be suitable for raising a three and six year old and a quaint "Main Street" without the chain restaurants, etc.? While it's entirely possible to find a small town with character and a quaint Main Street close to Boston, I'm not aware on any suburbs that have the eclectic mix of old and young within a college town setting (Northampton is home to the estee

Article and Photo by Eric H. Newburyport, MA, might not be every one's cup of tea, but we strongly recommend visiting this small North Shore city to see "what's brewing." Lovingly restored throughout the years with its brick sidewalks, old-fashioned street lights, charming alleys, and renovated historic buildings that house restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, clothing stores and more, Newburyport is surely one of New England's most attractive coastal communities. Unlike other similar towns and cities, there's a minimum of rough areas and a plethora of old sea captains homes, as well as other stately and elegant Federal styles along High Street and nearby tree-lined neighborhoods in this once prosperous fishing and trade settlement. For dining, we especially like the Grog, a famous neighborhood restaurant and bar where locals and visitors can feast on steak, seafood and chicken dishes done better than most other places in the community. Fowle's variety