In Vermont, Nice Guys Finish First

Our refrigerator is full of leftovers. Football has been playing for the past 30 hours. And I think I am just now not feeling completely full to the brim with food (though that will change in a few hours when we go out for dinner). It must be Thanksgiving! And, as such, it is time to acknowledge all of the many things we are thankful for. Clint and I both have jobs, we have wonderful and supportive friends and family (and an adorable dog), and we love our new beautiful home state. I could list the multitude of things that we are thankful for in Vermont, but it seems as though what we seem to be almost endlessly admiring here in Burlington are the people. Contrary to the cold New England stiffness I was expecting, we have encountered, almost exclusively, just the nicest people. Here is a list of some of the many reasons we think Vermonters are pretty neat:

1. They are so darn FRIENDLY. The Midwest is known for its friendliness, but really, that reputation should be going to the people here in Vermont (sorry, Iowa). Clint and I have both worked as cashiers while living here, Clint at Guild and myself at the UVM bookstore. And we have both been blown away with just how nice and polite people are. At the bookstore, it was very common for me to be greeted with "How are you today?" before I even had a chance to say hello. And almost without fail, everyone always left with a smile and a "Have a great day!" I almost want to say, "That's my job to greet YOU" but most of the time just shook my head in disbelief. I consider myself a pretty friendly person, but I had to wonder, Did I ever ask cashiers how they were before they asked me first? How are these people so nice?

2. And speaking of nice, one setting that this personality trait seems to be the most noticeable is with Vermont drivers. Both endearing and aggravating, Vermonters are the most considerate drivers we've ever encountered. While walking Norm, we have often reached an intersection at the same time as a car that has no one behind them. Most of the time, they wave for us to cross first. And again, I shake my head. "It takes me so much longer to cross than you! Please just go!" I want to yell at them. But I instead I offer them my thankful wave, and pray that I don't trip or Norm doesn't decide to stop and roll around on the ground. While that can be endearing, driving behind such polite drivers can often be very frustrating. At four way stops, there is often a long battle of hands waving, insisting that the other driver go first. Clint has created a wonderful voice for such occasions, imagining that in the car, the driver is saying "No, really, after you! Please, you have every right to go" in a sweet, dopey voice. Drivers will actually stop in the middle of roads where there are no lights or stop signs to wave drivers in from side streets or parking lots. At lights when someone is trying to turn left, drivers will stop and wave them through, despite the line of cars behind them. Isn't driving supposed to bring out the most aggressive version of most people? Here in Vermont, it seems to be where people are trying to fulfill all of their good deeds for that day.

3. Burlington has, without a doubt, the best customer service I've ever seen. I noticed this when I first visited in March with my aunt Jeanette, and was actually one of the reasons that solidified my decision to move here. At every restaurant, bar, coffee shop or store we've ever been to, we have been helped by just the NICEST people. Servers could be very annoyed by the endless questions from tourists or newbies like us about what they should order on the menu. Instead, they seem to really consider each question with true concern over making sure we order or buy the very best thing. Most servers or retail workers we've met genuinely seem to love their job, and want to make sure that every customer that comes in has the most positive experience. And truly, without exception, we have only had the nicest encounters with anyone that's been in a position to help us out.

4. Burlingtonians are so GREEN! Back in Iowa, I often felt frustrated at the ignorance of those around us who would fill endless plastic bags with their groceries (and then throw them away) or at our neighbors who would almost never put out their recycling bin, but each week their garbage bin would be overflowing. Moving here has been incredibly humbling. The idea of sustainability is as deeply ingrained in the culture here as their passion for skiing or Ben and Jerry's. Lining the city streets next to each garbage bin is a recycling bin. Most schools not only enforce recycling with their students, but also composting, a practice I knew nothing about until I went to college. At the grocery store nearest our apartment, it is very rare to see someone use something besides their reusable bag to carry their groceries. And when they don't, they use a paper bag that will most likely be recycled or reused once they get home. Honestly, I'm not even sure they offer plastic bags as an option. Reusing, reducing and recycling is just a common sense practice here, while in other places in the country some cities struggle with offering recycling services. And while, of course, there have been some exceptions (there have been several times where our neighbors or passersby have placed food or wrappers in our recycling bins), it seems like we are surrounded by individuals who recognize environmentalism not as some tedious task, but rather as a way of life.

5. Even young college kids are nice! We found out after we moved into our apartment that our street is FULL of students. We dreaded the rude neighbors we were sure to have in our building who would keep us up with their loud parties and have no interest in getting to know a couple of thirty year olds who might as well be friends of their parents. And though there have been several days that we've been woken up by drunk kids stumbling home from the bar or setting off fireworks down the street, for the most part, it really isn't as bad as we expected. This is due mostly to the fact that our neighbors are, again, so darn FRIENDLY! They always say hi, hold open the door, and treat Norm like he is a celebrity. I just want to say, Aren't you too cool for us? We are ten years older than you!, but again, I just smile and keep that friendliness in mind those rare times we are woken up by them. (They are college kids, after all).

6. WICKED. I have decided to save the best for last. The people of Vermont could be rude, wasteful, aggressively-driving jerks, but I would adore them anyway because of their almost caricature-like use of the word "wicked". Just like you think the Minnesotan accent is exaggerated until you actually visit, so I also thought the word "wicked" was portrayed in shows and movies that take place in New England. But it is no exaggeration, I assure you. Phrases have ranged from, "I was wicked drunk" to "That school is wicked expensive" to, my favorite, "That ice is wicked slick" (the latter was said by a teacher to her students) and I will smile and feel my heart flutter with dialectal phrase love. I've yet to throw out a wicked myself, because instinctually I know that I will sound like a fraud, but just like I started saying "Uff-da" after four years in Decorah, I have a feeling a genuine "wicked" just might slip out before our time here is done.

Vermont's people, no matter how nice, could never replace the people that we love back in Iowa. But at least while we are here, we are feeling pretty thankful that the people around us are pretty 'wicked' awesome.

The Spirit of Salem

 

Marsden Hallobration 2013

Tori and I enjoy celebrating Halloween. It's one of our favorite holidays. For us, it's all about the nostalgia of being a kid, eating fun size candy and watching silly scary movies. We stop just short of actually going trick or treating. We have to remind ourselves that we are adults. Most years we celebrate at home. We make jack-o-lanterns and watch It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. We drink cider. This year we decided to take things up a notch. Living in New England has its advantages, one of which is its proximity to everything. New York City is about a six hour drive. We can be in Montreal in under two hours. When we discovered that Salem, Massachusetts, was just over three hours away, we knew we had to go. Like most people our age, Tori is a HUGE fan of Hocus Pocus, as it was an integral part of Halloween celebrations for kids in the 90s. Hocus Pocus takes place, and was partially filmed, in Salem. She was excited to see the town in person. On the other hand, I had actually been to Salem once before, on a family vacation through New England when I was twelve years old. It was during the summer, though, so this would be my first experience of Salem during Halloween.

Some homes take their
decorations very seriously...

Where to begin. Whatever I write and whatever pictures we share, will not do the experience of Salem at Halloween the justice it deserves. It's very touristy, it's very tacky, and when you think about what happened there in 1692, it's kind of in poor taste. It's best not to dwell on the fact that nearly 20 people were executed after being wrongly accused of witchcraft, and their legacy is souvenir shops and wax museums. Put that out of your head and just enjoy the silliness. The place is essentially a ghoulish theme park, a Disney World for Halloween. What I'm saying is, it's fantastic.

 

 

Tori and I tend to enjoy the Bourdain-style of travel. Eat and drink

your way through a city, avoiding the tourist traps and going off the beaten path, to where the locals go. Not on this trip. No. We wanted to immerse ourselves in the full-on, sightseeing tourist extravaganza. It's the best way to enjoy a place like Salem. I didn't care if we stood out like a bunch of mouth-breathing yokels. I would have worn a fanny pack and an I HEART SALEM shirt if I owned either.

 

We stayed at the Hawthorne Hotel, an historic old hotel right in the heart of Downtown Salem. They claim the six floor is haunted, that a lady wanders the hall before stopping in front of room 612. We were in room 508, so she was directly above us. We didn't hear or see anything, unfortunately. The Hawthorne is sort of the central hub for Salem during this time. There is a couple from New Jersey who have been staying at the Hawthorne every year for the last 14 years and counting. They stay the entire month of October and even deck their room out with Halloween lights and decorations. There was a large charter bus filled with older, retired couples from North Carolina, all in town for Halloween. At one point we saw them all leaving the hotel wearing witch hats and boarding a historic trolley tour. Only in Salem will you see 30 people, all in their 70s, dressed up as witches and no one thinks anything of it.

Salem is a pretty small, walkable town, so that's mostly what we did. It was very brisk, but at

Historic Wharf

least it was sunny and not raining. We ate clam chowder at two different spots. We got drinks at a place called Victoria's. Tori tried to get a free drink because of this. It didn't work. We had better luck at a coffee shop called Jaho where its warm, sweet beverages were so good we went there twice. We walked around the waterfront, looking at the old ship and the lighthouse. We ate amazing seafood and drank cocktails at Finz at the wharf. We asked everybody where we should get breakfast, and everyone answered Red's SandwichShop, without hesitation. There's a reason for this. So if you ever find yourself in Salem, get breakfast at Red's. You'll thank me.

Salem Burying Point

The best thing we did was go on the Witch Trial Trail at night. There are literally a dozen haunted ghost walking tours in Salem, and it's hard to decide which one to go on. We basically picked this one because it fit our schedule. Lucky how things work out. It turned out to be exactly what we both wanted. We crossed many other tour groups throughout the night. They all had young, goth-looking tour guides, dressed like witches, speaking through a portable sound system so the groups could hear them. Most of the groups were filled with teens, like, 50 of them. Ours, however, was led by an old history teacher. He gave us all candles to carry, giving us a spooky, candlelit tour. No other group got that. And it was smaller. Maybe 15-20

Memorial Stone for Sarah Good

people total. He didn't need a megaphone or speaker system for us to hear. It was much more intimate. And you could tell how passionate and fascinated he was about the subject, which got passed on to us. It wasn't scary, there was no ghost hunting or haunted stops, instead we got an historic tour through town, and learned a lot about what actually happened at the Salem Witch Trials. Sadly, because of all the large, terrible haunted tours, this year was his last year. He's not going to be giving these tours anymore. It's unfortunate, but he had a good run. He's been doing the same tour since the 1980s.

Then there's Sir Arthur Hennessy. This is an experience I can't even begin to pass along to

We somehow did not get any pictures of the show, so here
is a picture of a trial reenactment at the Witch Dungeon Museum

you, but let me try. So during October, Salem has Haunted Happenings, where every day there are officially sponsored Halloween events for the month. I'd been researching this website over and over in the months leading up to our trip. I wanted to do everything! The one event that stood out to me was Tales and Ales at Gallow's Hill Theater. It was described on the website as “an intimate gathering where Sir Arthur Hennessy shares ghost stories while audience members sample local ales.” It sounded fun. We imagined we would get a flight of beer to sample while we sat and listened to this guy tell stories about haunted Salem. We were so, so wrong. Instead, we arrived and were given paper Dixie cups. We stood under a portable canopy outside before the show. They poured us three half-filled Dixie cups of beer. Then we went inside to what can best be described as a community theater where we watched a one man play. Sir Arthur Hennessy told ghost stories, but they were old, made up ghost stories set in Ireland. They had nothing to do with Salem. It was like he memorized Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and recited them to us. We were told by the guy pouring the beer that Sir Arthur Hennessy plays all the characters and has a vast array of voices! What that actually meant is he does about four different kinds of Irish accents. I'm guessing he chose these stories just so he could do his terrible Irish voices. And yet, it was totally worth it. It's like the movie Troll 2. Sometimes some things are just so terrible they're actually incredibly entertaining. I will always go see Sir Arthur Hennessy when I am in Salem. I will just make sure I drink a few more beers before we go.

The Witch House

We also went to the cemetery, the historic Salem Wharf, Witch Memorial, Witch House, the Witch Dungeon Museum (my personal favorite), and the House of the Seven Gables. Even though we were able to squeeze a lot in in two days' time, we still feel like we left a lot undiscovered.



House of the Seven Gables

I won't walk you through everything we did, because I don't want to bore you (too late?), and I feel that no matter what we tell you, it won't capture what it was like to be there. So consider this blog post a call to action. All of you reading this need to experience Salem at Halloween at least once in your life. Add it to your bucket list. If you are capable of relinquishing your inhibitions, you will have a ball. Don't be a cranky pants and act like you're above all the cornball cheesiness. That isn't fun. Go all out, accept the silliness, embrace it. We can't wait to do it all again. We'll be going back next year, hopefully with a larger group. We are gladly accepting reservations now for Halloween 2014.

Making questionable friends

 

Disappointed to find out we're not actually vampires...

Salem with a sense of humor

Salem, stop being so awesome.

Coffee and pumpkins at the Hawthorne Hotel

Yes, the name of that liquor store is The Bunghole