A Boston 4th of July Weekend

                                                            Bostons Harpoon Brewery

Our contributor Courtney and friend travelled this past 4^th of July weekend to Boston. Their itinerary for the trip included a stay at the Renaissance Hotel Boston and a tour at Harpoon Brewery 306 Northern Ave followed by dinner in the North End ending with a nightcap and dessert.

After arriving at 2pm, we went straight to the Harpoon Brewery located near the John Nagle Co. in the Seaport area. Even though the line outside seemed daunting, it was only a five-minute wait to get inside the brewery. Once inside the Brewery, we asked when the next tour would be available. Tickets can only be purchased that day and since it was a busy Saturday summer afternoon, we knew that it might take a while. The lady was very helpful and said that the next tour would be available at 4pm. We decided against waiting for a tour since we wanted to check in to our hotel and headed straight towards the bar.

The brewery had floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased the harbor front that is often associated with the Seaport area. There were long family-style tables where groups gathered and chatted over pints of beer. There were no televisions but I thought that this added to the friendly atmosphere and encouraged young groups to socialize and discuss the beer instead. After heading to the far side of the bar that was for standing room only, we ordered our first flight. I would highly suggest going with the flights especially if you are a beginner beer drinker or you do not know what you like. It is the perfect amount of each and a selection of four different beers. After having a sample, you can make a better decision when ordering a pint. 

There are three different flights to choose from; the original Harpoon flavors, the UFO series, or the Specialty flavors.  We chose the original four first, which included; Harpoon Ale, Harpoon IPA, their dark special, and the Harpoon Summer. This was very good for your first time at the Brewery. It gives you an idea of what the brewery is all about! For the second flight, we chose to go lighter and went with the UFO series. This was a  great summertime choice! If you love summer and/or fruity beers, then make this your number one choice. This included two fruit-flavored beers, such as the Raspberry UFO and the UFO Big Squeeze Summer Shandy (grapefruit flavored). The other two were the UFO Hefeweizen and the UFO White.

During our second flight, we decided to order a freshly made Parmesan pretzel. There are several different varieties and dipping-sauces to choose from. The pretzel was delicious. It was light and fluffy and covered in Parmesan. We made a mess! You can see the pretzel ovens and the descriptions are written in chalk on the walls. Once you see one person enjoying a pretzel, it is hard to resist sampling your own selection.

You can like them on Facebook at Harpoon Brewery You can follow them harpoon_brewery

Port Jefferson

                                                            Port Jefferson, NY

A few days before Americas Birthday we ventured out to the historic sea port village of Port Jefferson. Settled in the 1600”s it transformed in the late 1700”s into a leading shipbuilding and whaling center center.  At one point  P.T Barnum owned a large tract of land he intended to make the home base for his circus. One of the Port Jefferson ferries is named the P.T Barnum. With the sale of the the villages last shipyards in the early 1900”s the villages shipbuilding industry came to a close. During the 1940s the Long Island lighting company built one of their coal fired power plants which contributed to the local economy. The old towers still stand today and can be seen for miles around. The village once again was transformed in the 60”s to a tourist based destination again. The village today is mostly a tourist based center and home to the Port Jefferson to Bridgeport Conn ferry. Route 25A which runs along the North Shore of Long Island will lead you into a village lined with restaurants mostly catering to the seafood enthusiast.

Knowing the day in Port Jeff was also the day the US team was playing Belgium in the FIFA World Cup we arrived early and checked in at Danfords Hotel which we will have a story about later.  We than set out to find the perfect waterview, restaurant/bar to enjoy the game.  That surprisingly was harder than. We anticipated. For a waterfront town the actual number of establishments with a water view is pretty limited. We were very surprised and a little disappointed that Danfords although they have an outdoor water front dining area they have no outside bar or TV”s for any viewing. It seems to us that just with those additions it would be the place to be. Very surprising!!

                                              View from our room overlooking marina at Danfords with ferry incoming

After a short search around the area we happened upon Schaeffers Restaurant on Broadway St. It so turns out that they have an upstairs out door bar with waterviews  and a very friendly staff. It turned out to be the perfect spot to watch the first half of the game  ( They have a great Happy Hour starting at 4:00 ) and than  we returned to Danfords where we enjoyed the rest of the game on our private terrace overlooking their marina. Although disappointed the US lost they put up a valiant effort especially goalie Tim Howard. The team should hold their heads high as everyone is so proud of their efforts.

By now it was time for a great seafood dinner and PJs lobster house was the perfect choice. Located 5 mins from town we arrived around 7:30 and their was a 15 minute wait which is not bad before a holiday weekend.  The choice of the Tuesday night special, all you can eat crab legs was definitely a rite choice as were their crab cakes perfectly done.

Port Jefferson is a special place on Long Islands North Shore full of history while transforming into a great place to spend a few days and kick back while not having to travel to the end of the Island and never ending traffic and crowds. We cant wait for another venture to this quaint and friendly town.

                               Approaching the center of downtown Port Jefferson