How have I missed this?!

So I recently suffered a flat tire on my new car. Being a new car (with an odd size tire), it took the tire place 3-5 business days to get the appropriate tire in stock. Anyway... it came in, and was installed today. So, not having driven my car much on the donut, I decided to go for a ride. I also wanted to see how close I could keep it to the 42.8mpg it was getting (42.6mpg when I parked tonight).

I decided to drive South on Route 1 for a bit. Taking a couple turns I'd never taken before, I ended up in Newbury/Newburyport (really not sure which). Well, with what I found, I was impressed. It seemed very much like a 'Portsmouth South.' People crowded the streets, ocean air blew between the buildings, and the shops and restaurants were lively! The only thing missing seemed to be a brewpub (personally I don't really care for Smuttynose anyway).

This town definitely required further investigation. After a few go-rounds, I found a parking spot and began surveying the streets. I couldn't believe the gem I'd found, just 30 or so minutes South of Portsmouth! Small niche boutiques bordered bigger brand name stores, and the restaurants followed suit! The town seemed even more pedestrian friendly than Portsmouth (oh come on! YOU try and cross the street in Market Square!). While the bar:shop ratio was less than Portsmouth, the waterfront park it boasted was more easily located and a shorter walk than Prescott.

During the same ride, I also finally discovered Plum Island. I'd always been hazy as to where this was actually located. It turns out, it's not far from Route 1A. The beaches here, combined with the proximity of Newburyport, gives an almost mainland Nantucket feel to the area. Though it's only 30 minutes or so from Portsmouth, I would give serious thought to spending a couple overnights in the area with a bike. I look forward to making more visits and exploring this great area more!