The package was waiting for me at the doorstep as we pulled into the driveway. “Quick! Run and get it before the kids see it”, I thought! Like a dog with a bone, I swept up the brown cardboard box  and stole away into the bedroom. This was my treat. And I wasn’t sharing it with anyone. At least not right now.

For some, chocolate excites the mind and heightens the senses. For others, it calms and soothes the nerves. For me, it quiets the clatter in my head and, for a moment, the silence is bliss. Whichever way you look at it, chocolate can mean many things to many people and for that it is a multi-billion dollar industry that continues to thrive in the U.S. market today.

Similar to that of wine, chocolate taste and quality varies depending on the ingredients and processes involved in its production. Surrounded with so many options, choosing that perfect blend can be a challenging task for the chocolate lover and connoisseur. To run a successful operation in the chocolate business, its important to take the guess work out of the decision making process for the consumer. Having a specialty  niche certainly doesn’t hurt matters either. L.A. Burdick Chocolate knows all this and much more!

On these travel trips I tend to have a pretty good idea of what I am going to see when I visit a certain place.  It is not often that I am totally surprised by something that I come across.  This is exactly what happened when I visited the town of Hingham and came face to face with Abraham Lincoln.

Hingham’s Main Street was nicknamed ‘The Main Street of America’ by Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II because of her belief that it embodied the typical American town during wartime.  To celebrate its 375th anniversary as a town Hingham painted the center line on Main Street red, white, and blue.  It was something so simple but it helped add to the ‘American town’ ideal that Mrs. Roosevelt had alluded to.

Despite the plethora of historical sites to visit I began my visit to Hingham along the water.  With a great view of Hull, the Hingham Bathing Beach and Town Landing provided a relaxing walk and a cool breeze.  There is a great view out toward Boston Harbor and a green area to the east which is home to a cool statue of a barefoot man on a horse on top of a hill.  I have been trying to find out whom the person on the horse is but it has been to no avail thus far.  The Bathing Beach on Otis Street is very popular for those trying to escape the rush of Boston, but folks from any neighboring town make it a point to partake in its relaxing beauty.

The Festival...

Full of sweet rebellion and always on the cutting edge, the Newport Folk Festival has earned its reputation as a cultural icon while standing firmly on its liberal threshold. Founded in 1959, by jazz pianist and musical entrepreneur, George Wein, the Newport Folk Festival was born in a time of war and civil unrest. The festival introduced the world to the likes of  Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Odetta, Pete Seeger, and Mavis Staples and gave voice to a musical movement that would  greatly influence and empower a generation and the generations that followed.

The Man... 

George Wein is a man of great vision with a keen sense for talent and business know-how. He is, hands down, a pioneer in the music industry. In addition to founding both the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, George Wein was one of the first in the country to start organizing  and obtaining sponsorships for large scale music festivals and events which, ultimately, has had tremendous impact on the way we experience and are introduced to new music today. After the Newport Folk Festival fell into financial dismay and was forced to close its doors in 1971, Wein was on the forefront of one of the biggest festival comebacks ever. By changing the festivals business model from that of a non-profit organization to a for profit organization, The Newport Folk Festival was resurrected in 1985 and remains one of the longest running American music festivals to date. 

Even better than the first time, if it was humanly possible.  This is how I sum up my second visit to the amazing fishing port of Gloucester.  My initial visit in late winter was magnificent as I was able to see all of the sites the town is known for.  This time, a mid-summer jaunt, was even better thanks to the warm sunny weather and the fact that I was able to visit even more spots I did not have the chance to see before.

For those who did not read my previous article Gloucester is America’s oldest seaport.  Fishing is as synonymous with this town as the famous Witch Trials are to Salem.  Located so close to Boston there is really no reason not to make the trip up here and see what in my opinion is the shining example of what a fishing village should be.