Subject: Boston, Cape Cod, Salem &Maine in August
Boston is a great town for walking and public transport. You will find published self-guided walking tours. Also, we had a blast renting bicycles &kayaks along the Charles River separating Boston from Cambridge. Lots of history to explore, and a town with lots of energy and diversity because it's a business center &there are so many colleges in the area, incl. Harvard &MIT. Find out whether Boston's north Little Italy section (where the old North Church of Paul Revere fame is located) will be having a festival most summer weekends, one of the Catholic churches has a feast in honor of its patron saint, and there are associated street festivities it's a lot of fun. I will never forget the parade consisting mostly of the older Italian parishoners dressed in black, carrying a Saint statue through the streets so the restaurants/stores they pass can greet them &pin money on the saint's gown (these feasts are major fundraisers), followed by the women in pious posture &then the men playing a variety of instruments (very badly!) &singing raucous tunes, including the irreverent Oh When the Saints, Go Marching In... (There was some drinking going on...!)

I saw whales off the coast of Maine that August trip! It was pretty exciting You will enjoy all of your more rural &coastal destinations my most precious overall memory of that part of the world is nothing in particular, but the architecture &how the towns are laid out around squares and greens, it's so different from where I have lived --you'll say quaint &charming more times than you want! Not to put a damper on your expectations, but to help you with trip planning/having realistic expectations: BEWARE, the cape &Maine coast are VERY crowded with tourists during summer months, the coastal roads are not superhighways (thank goodness, of course) meaning traffic is heavy &travel times are slow, and prices on even moderate road-side motels are outrageously high (if you're trying to keep this trip spontaneous and not pre-book rooms, please consider you *may* have to drive around a bit to find a vacancy or a suitable price).

Also I have to mention great food...the famed lobster is divine, among other local specialties.

Diana Houston, TX