Well, this was my biggest challenge so far in this journey. And to a lot of runners it may not be, but for me it was. My first time tackling 2 states in a weekend. I found this race a few months ago and instantly was sold on it. Salem, Massachusetts on the Saturday before Halloween, seriously? I figured if I was going to fly into Boston I could feasibly do Rhode Island too. Stay tuned for that blog entry but right now it is all about Witches, Wine and Chowder!
I flew into Boston on that Friday morning before the race. I actually rented a car this time due to the amount of driving on this trip. Thought I would give those Uber drivers a break from Miss Chatty Kathy in the back seat for a while. I immediately regretted this decision as soon as I started to drive through the Boston area. Whoa Nelly, if my GPS could of bitch slapped me, she would have. I made a few wrong turns here and there but eventually found my Doubletree Hilton hotel. I am sure my GPS was drinking a few after I turned her off. I wasn’t able to check in right away so I left my luggage there and walked next door to the pub they recommended for lunch. This pub was different because it was Italian food, a bit confusing but all good. I sat down, ordered a nice Chardonnay and relaxed a bit. So this is when I started to look around at the patrons in this establishment and realized I was one of only 3 people not sporting New England Patriots attire. And by the way, Patriots fans, you are welcome for TOM Brady. He is a Michigan boy ! And over the course of the weekend, it became obvious that he is the man! Anyways, I ordered an appetizer of homemade cheese ravioli and chilled till my room was ready. I headed over , unpacked and got ready for my night in Boston. So about that… I have a good guy friend from grade school who has lived there over 30 years and he offered to pick me up and give me the grand tour. And that is exactly what Glenn did. He took me on a 6 hour walking tour that involved my 1st and 2nd Samuel Adams beer ever, the best New England clam chowder, a visit to the Cheers bar from the TV show, an amazing Italian dinner, and coffee and cannollis to end the night. Glenn and I have been friends since 6th grade so this was very cool to hang, reminisce, laugh and tip a few. He dropped me off at 11pm , I thanked him and hit the sack. 
RACE DAY
Up early, coffee in tow, race attire on and this witch was ready to run. The race was in downtown Salem at 8am so it wasn’t too busy yet. It was a bit chilly but not too bad. The course was great because it ran through downtown Salem. I met a few runners before who were locals and they told me where to go for lunch for of course, MORE Chowder! Okay, time to run!!! Nice race, a few hills but mostly flat. Couldn’t wait to finish so I could head back up there to sight see and get lunch. I changed into a dry shirt and walked back into town to start my adventure. The coolest part of this day was that it was packed with people and most of them in costumes. I hit a few shops right away and grabbed a few souvenirs. I then headed over to the area where the graveyard and memorials are where the girls were hung at the Witch Trials. It was very sad to see this. 
Once I finished the tour I headed over to lunch. I had an amazing bowl of chowder, lobster roll and a glass of Chardonnay! My view was overlooking the harbor , sunny and 55 out. I was a happy WITCH!
I headed back to my hotel, showered and actually grabbed a quick nap. The next day would include another 5K so I needed some rest. After my nappy-poo, I walked back to the Italian pub for more cheese ravioli. No judging please.. I over heard a few locals talking about the new casino 2 miles away… Hmmm, twist my arm. After I paid, I called an Uber and headed over to play some quarter slots. Well, I lost $40 but it was still fun. Time to head back again for some sleep before 5K number 2 this weekend. Called an Uber and had one of my favorite rides so far. His name was Michael and he taught me how to speak in the Boston accent! He gave me a sentence to recite 10x over until I sounded like a local….and here it is: ” I went to BAHSTON for CHOWDAH after I PAHKED the CAH! I nailed it after 6x, BOOM! Well, my first East coast race was in the books…next race ….Providence , Rhode island, tomorrow!!!!!!