Newburyport, Mass area meet - Fall 2019

Started by Dougtone, February 10, 2019, 08:24:51 AM

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jon12791

Quote from: bob7374 on July 01, 2019, 10:03:38 PM
Since I am one of the closest to the meet location, and planning to go, would gladly help out with any scouting activities prior to the event.

You're actually not the closest. It will be my first road meet and I live in Chelmsford, MA!


PHLBOS

#26
Bold & underline emphasis added below:

Quote from: jon12791 on July 01, 2019, 11:27:10 PM
Quote from: bob7374 on July 01, 2019, 10:03:38 PM
Since I am one of the closest to the meet location, and planning to go, would gladly help out with any scouting activities prior to the event.

You're actually not the closest.
See above.  Bob7374 never stated that he was the closest.

Had my mother's house in Marblehead not recently sold, closing date pending, I would've been in closer to Newburyport when visiting/staying over.
_______________________________________________

Quote from: Dougtone on February 10, 2019, 08:24:51 AMWhittier Bridge (which also has a pedestrian trail)
FYI, the parallel pedestrian trail is called the William Lloyd Garrison Trail. 

Doug, you probably already know this but for those that don't: on both ends of the bridge/trail; there are large parking lots.  On the south (Newburyport) side, there's the Park-&-Ride lot off MA 113 (Exit 57) just east of I-95.  On the north (Amesbury/Salisbury) side, there is shopping center parking lot at the intersection of MA 110 & Merrill Road... first intersection east of the I-95 interchange (Exit 58A (northbound)/58 (southbound)).  The trail actually starts at the opposite/west side of Merrill and runs initially parallel to MA 110 in front of a Ford dealer; then it veers south becomes parallel to I-95 at the beginning of the Exit 58A off-ramp.

Just throwing the above-parking situation out there as food for thought.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

Dougtone

Quote from: bob7374 on July 01, 2019, 10:03:38 PM
Since I am one of the closest to the meet location, and planning to go, would gladly help out with any scouting activities prior to the event.

I have scouted out for the meet, the last time was back in May. I'll certainly take into consideration any suggestions, plus I am looking to do a dry run of the tour probably sometime in August or September (whenever I finish clinching the few signed state route mileage I still need to get in Massachusetts).

Dougtone

Quote from: PHLBOS on July 02, 2019, 09:03:30 AM
Bold & underline emphasis added below:

Quote from: jon12791 on July 01, 2019, 11:27:10 PM
Quote from: bob7374 on July 01, 2019, 10:03:38 PM
Since I am one of the closest to the meet location, and planning to go, would gladly help out with any scouting activities prior to the event.

You're actually not the closest.
See above.  Bob7374 never stated that he was the closest.

Had my mother's house in Marblehead not recently sold, closing date pending, I would've been in closer to Newburyport when visiting/staying over.
_______________________________________________

Quote from: Dougtone on February 10, 2019, 08:24:51 AMWhittier Bridge (which also has a pedestrian trail)
FYI, the parallel pedestrian trail is called the William Lloyd Garrison Trail. 

Doug, you probably already know this but for those that don't: on both ends of the bridge/trail; there are large parking lots.  On the south (Newburyport) side, there's the Park-&-Ride lot off MA 113 (Exit 57) just east of I-95.  On the north (Amesbury/Salisbury) side, there is shopping center parking lot at the intersection of MA 110 & Merrill Road... first intersection east of the I-95 interchange (Exit 58A (northbound)/58 (southbound)).  The trail actually starts at the opposite/west side of Merrill and runs initially parallel to MA 110 in front of a Ford dealer; then it veers south becomes parallel to I-95 at the beginning of the Exit 58A off-ramp.

Just throwing the above-parking situation out there as food for thought.


I have looked into the parking situation, especially since the park and ride on MA 113 is across the Little River Trail that leads to the abandoned section of I-95. Makes for an easy way to start the meet, I think.

PHLBOS

#29
Quote from: Dougtone on July 02, 2019, 09:27:49 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on July 02, 2019, 09:03:30 AM
Quote from: Dougtone on February 10, 2019, 08:24:51 AMWhittier Bridge (which also has a pedestrian trail)
FYI, the parallel pedestrian trail is called the William Lloyd Garrison Trail. 

Doug, you probably already know this but for those that don't: on both ends of the bridge/trail; there are large parking lots.  On the south (Newburyport) side, there's the Park-&-Ride lot off MA 113 (Exit 57) just east of I-95.  On the north (Amesbury/Salisbury) side, there is shopping center parking lot at the intersection of MA 110 & Merrill Road... first intersection east of the I-95 interchange (Exit 58A (northbound)/58 (southbound)).  The trail actually starts at the opposite/west side of Merrill and runs initially parallel to MA 110 in front of a Ford dealer; then it veers south becomes parallel to I-95 at the beginning of the Exit 58A off-ramp.

Just throwing the above-parking situation out there as food for thought.


I have looked into the parking situation, especially since the park and ride on MA 113 is across the Little River Trail that leads to the abandoned section of I-95. Makes for an easy way to start the meet, I think.
Out of curiosity, since many of these meets start off with a lunch gathering; have you thought of a place to meet for lunch?
Given that your earlier site list items extends to Ipswich; I was going to suggest the Agawam Diner at US 1 & MA 133 in Rowley but such may be out of the way for most of the Newbury/Newburyport attractions let alone the fore-mentioned Park-&-Ride Lot at the south side of the bridge/trail.  The parking also appears to be somewhat limited based on Google Earth imagery.  I last dined there over 30 years ago and the parking was limited even back then.

Looking at Google Maps, there does appear to some eateries (mostly chains) along MA 113.  Giuseppe's Italian & famous Pizza Newburyport appear to be ones that are not national chains.  I only mention such because I know that some don't usually do chain restaurants on these excursions.

If you already pondered the above; feel free to disregard my post.  If not, something to ponder/plan.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

hotdogPi

I've been to the Agawam Diner. It's pretty good, but they don't have that much space inside.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

PHLBOS

Quote from: 1 on July 03, 2019, 09:18:18 AMI've been to the Agawam Diner. It's pretty good, but they don't have that much space inside.
That was another drawback (besides the parking) as well.  It doesn't look like they expanded over the last 30 years.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

okroads

Quote from: Alps on July 01, 2019, 09:28:31 PM
Quote from: froggie on July 01, 2019, 06:44:58 PM
Quote from: okroads on July 01, 2019, 11:37:55 AM
My 11-year wedding anniversary is the day before this meet, but I'm not saying no to this meet yet. :D

Part of me applauds this.  But the other part of me would say enjoy the weekend with your wife.  I chose the latter on the account of my high school reunion is the day after my anniversary this year.


His wife is cool. She might even show up.

And Steve would know... :)

Thing is, we have family in Boston and Maine who we rarely get to see, so we may also use this as an opportunity to visit them.

Hot Rod Hootenanny

What the hell is going on in Newburyport the weekend of the 26th, beside this meet & Halloween? $100 a night for a Motel 6?!  :wow: Everything is either booked or over $100 that weekend.  :eyebrow: :hmmm: :hmm: What gives?
Please, don't sue Alex & Andy over what I wrote above

cl94

Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on July 03, 2019, 09:50:16 PM
What the hell is going on in Newburyport the weekend of the 26th, beside this meet & Halloween? $100 a night for a Motel 6?!  :wow: Everything is either booked or over $100 that weekend.  :eyebrow: :hmmm: :hmm: What gives?

That area is ALWAYS expensive. It was ridiculous for the Providence meet, too, and was the main reason I shared a hotel room (something I never do). If you want reasonable, you're gonna have to look well outside of 128. The Framingham-Worcester corridor often has reasonably-priced options if you're willing to drive an hour.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

noelbotevera

Quote from: cl94 on July 03, 2019, 10:06:03 PM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on July 03, 2019, 09:50:16 PM
What the hell is going on in Newburyport the weekend of the 26th, beside this meet & Halloween? $100 a night for a Motel 6?!  :wow: Everything is either booked or over $100 that weekend.  :eyebrow: :hmmm: :hmm: What gives?

That area is ALWAYS expensive. It was ridiculous for the Providence meet, too, and was the main reason I shared a hotel room (something I never do). If you want reasonable, you're gonna have to look well outside of 128. The Framingham-Worcester corridor often has reasonably-priced options if you're willing to drive an hour.
I was able to score a hotel along US 1 seven miles north of Boston, in Saugus (i.e. roughly halfway between the Tobin Bridge and 128) for less than $100 - a Woodsprings Suites. Do note, I only got those prices when I went to Boston in mid-June. Only issue I had was that the no smoking rooms smelled like smoke, but if you can cope, it's not a bad deal. However, I recognize that area is fairly distant from Newburyport, so to each their own.

jon12791

Not sure where you find hotels near you but $100 a night is actually very inexpensive. Be happy if you can find under $200 a night! Also, stay away from Salem in late October. Anything along I-495 north of Route 2 should be 1 hour or less; north of I-93 along I-495 should be 30 minutes or less. There's a Motel 6 in Tewksbury for $99.99 per night directly off Exit 38 of I-495 (next to an IHOP!) about 45 minutes away from Newburyport, but only 3 rooms left. https://www.motel6.com/en/motels.ma.tewksbury.1403.html

signalman

If I end up going, (I'm still unsure at this time) I plan on staying in southern Maine.  Lodging is well under $100 and only 30ish miles from Newburyport; that's a win-win in my book.

Dougtone

I haven't looked at hotels yet for the meet weekend, but based on past experiences, I've had better experiences with finding hotels within my budgeted price range a little further away from Boston. Portsmouth NH, York ME, closer to Worcester or Leominster MA can be considered.

Dougtone

#39
Quote from: PHLBOS on July 03, 2019, 09:16:59 AM
Quote from: Dougtone on July 02, 2019, 09:27:49 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on July 02, 2019, 09:03:30 AM
Quote from: Dougtone on February 10, 2019, 08:24:51 AMWhittier Bridge (which also has a pedestrian trail)
FYI, the parallel pedestrian trail is called the William Lloyd Garrison Trail. 

Doug, you probably already know this but for those that don't: on both ends of the bridge/trail; there are large parking lots.  On the south (Newburyport) side, there's the Park-&-Ride lot off MA 113 (Exit 57) just east of I-95.  On the north (Amesbury/Salisbury) side, there is shopping center parking lot at the intersection of MA 110 & Merrill Road... first intersection east of the I-95 interchange (Exit 58A (northbound)/58 (southbound)).  The trail actually starts at the opposite/west side of Merrill and runs initially parallel to MA 110 in front of a Ford dealer; then it veers south becomes parallel to I-95 at the beginning of the Exit 58A off-ramp.

Just throwing the above-parking situation out there as food for thought.


I have looked into the parking situation, especially since the park and ride on MA 113 is across the Little River Trail that leads to the abandoned section of I-95. Makes for an easy way to start the meet, I think.
Out of curiosity, since many of these meets start off with a lunch gathering; have you thought of a place to meet for lunch?
Given that your earlier site list items extends to Ipswich; I was going to suggest the Agawam Diner at US 1 & MA 133 in Rowley but such may be out of the way for most of the Newbury/Newburyport attractions let alone the fore-mentioned Park-&-Ride Lot at the south side of the bridge/trail.  The parking also appears to be somewhat limited based on Google Earth imagery.  I last dined there over 30 years ago and the parking was limited even back then.

Looking at Google Maps, there does appear to some eateries (mostly chains) along MA 113.  Giuseppe's Italian & famous Pizza Newburyport appear to be ones that are not national chains.  I only mention such because I know that some don't usually do chain restaurants on these excursions.

If you already pondered the above; feel free to disregard my post.  If not, something to ponder/plan.

I've thought about a quick lunch (pizza?), which is how we started off some of the early Upstate NY meets about 15 years ago. Minimizes time with paying for your meal, etc. I have checked out the commercial area on MA 113 near I-95 a couple of times to get a feel of what's around food-wise  Given the time of the year, I've also thought about starting with the tour, then dinner afterwards. I often use the Wheel of Lunch (http://wheelof.com/) to help me with restaurant decisions and will use this site as I finalize meal details.

Alps

Pizza in New England is a way to get me not to show up. I wonder if the Lowell area has cheaper rooms.

Dougtone

Quote from: Alps on July 04, 2019, 10:12:22 PM
Pizza in New England is a way to get me not to show up. I wonder if the Lowell area has cheaper rooms.

I have my reservations about pizza places in New England. I've yet to find a pizza place in New England that sells pizza by the slice on weekends, for instance. But that's just a possibility at this point. I'm out of town this weekend as it is, so I'm not making that decision today. I'll go consult the almighty Wheel of Lunch and the corresponding Yelp reviews and make my decision that way.

vdeane

I was planning to clinch the eastern end of US 6 as part of my drive back.  How bad is leaf peeping on Cape Cod?
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

cl94

Quote from: vdeane on July 05, 2019, 12:10:06 PM
I was planning to clinch the eastern end of US 6 as part of my drive back.  How bad is leaf peeping on Cape Cod?

It's almost certainly past peak leaf peeping season. You shouldn't run into any issues.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

froggie

Unless it's a late season.  Typical peak on Cape Cod is 1-2 weeks before the meet.  And if it's a good weather weekend, you'll still have a lot of folks going to Cape Cod even if it's past peak.

hbelkins

Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on July 03, 2019, 09:50:16 PM
What the hell is going on in Newburyport the weekend of the 26th, beside this meet & Halloween? $100 a night for a Motel 6?!  :wow: Everything is either booked or over $100 that weekend.  :eyebrow: :hmmm: :hmm: What gives?

Cheatriots game, maybe?


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Brandon

Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on July 03, 2019, 09:50:16 PM
What the hell is going on in Newburyport the weekend of the 26th, beside this meet & Halloween? $100 a night for a Motel 6?!  :wow: Everything is either booked or over $100 that weekend.  :eyebrow: :hmmm: :hmm: What gives?

Salem, Halloween.  Need I say more?
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

PHLBOS

#47
Quote from: noelbotevera on July 03, 2019, 10:22:33 PMI was able to score a hotel along US 1 seven miles north of Boston, in Saugus (i.e. roughly halfway between the Tobin Bridge and 128) for less than $100 - a Woodsprings Suites. Due note, I only got those prices when I went to Boston in mid-June.
I just double-checked; there's no rooms available there for the meet weekend.

Quote from: hbelkins on July 05, 2019, 05:52:49 PM
Gillette Stadium is southwest of Boston; nowhere near the meet location, which is northeast of Boston... not too far from the Portsmouth, NH meet of a few years ago.

Quote from: Brandon on July 05, 2019, 05:59:30 PMSalem, Halloween.  Need I say more?
True.  Such has been an issue for the last 15 to 20 years.  Growing up in the town next door to Salem prior to 1990; such was previously never the traffic congestion nightmare that it's since become during that time of year.  One could probably blame the internet for that.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

hbelkins

I'm not keenly aware of the geography of that location, but I do know that hotel rooms around Nashville fill up pretty fast for NFL games. Sometimes as far east as Lebanon.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

hotdogPi

Quote from: hbelkins on July 08, 2019, 03:54:07 PM
I'm not keenly aware of the geography of that location, but I do know that hotel rooms around Nashville fill up pretty fast for NFL games. Sometimes as far east as Lebanon.

Nashville's NFL stadium is pretty close to the center. Gillette Stadium is halfway between Boston and Providence; Newburyport is on the other side of the Boston metro.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.



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