Plum Island

When my mother came up from her home in Texas to visit, I knew she wouldn't want to peruse any museums, amble the historic city streets, or explore the night life. But Massachusetts is a state of diversity -- it has something for everyone.

Uncertain of how well it would go over, I drove us up 95 North to Newburyport; a quaint town on the shore near Plum Island. It's the location of a Visitor Center equipped with pamphlets on wildlife conservation and unique hiking trails, as well as adorable knick-knack shops and restaurants with views of the water.

First things first, we shared lunch on the back patio at the Black Cow (a sit-down restaurant within sight of the Visitor Center) where my mother and I split a bowl of steamed mussels and a lobster crescent sandwich. The latter was especially perfect because earlier she had refused to eat a more traditional lobster roll, insisting that it is disrespectful to stuff lobster in a hot dog bun. We agreed that it was both delicious and culinarily appropriate.

With full stomachs and smiles, we took a short drive through town and suddenly we were crossing the "bridge" to Plum Island. It appears a very sleepy town from what we could only assume was the main drag, so without much else to see, we found a parking lot and walked about 200 yards to the beach.

The sand was warm and soft, peppered with small glittering shells and long seagull feathers. A few visitors had brought their dogs who, free of their leashes, relished in kicking up sand and being photographed by me. After snapping a few photos, I turned around to find my mother doing the same -- she was texting pictures she was taking with her phone of her toes in the sand, in an attempt to make her friends jealous. She succeeded.

And so had I! She loved it. I was a good daughter... phew!

Franklin Park Zoo, Boston

I hadn't been to the zoo in decades. It didn't feel right! The worldwide web leads me to believe that the exotic creatures of this wide planet are within a wikipedia search. If you're like me, you've probably seen one million times more crocodile purses, leopard-print pumps, and peacock feather earrings than their living inspirations.

For a $14 cost of admission, the Franklin Park Zoo offers the sights of your favorite animals as well as some healthy philosophical perspective. The grounds are quite expansive and the walkways are wide and smoothly paved (perfect for those parents with strollers). The whole animal kingdom seems to be covered, from giraffes, to flamingoes, to tarantulas, tree frogs, camels, prairie dogs, lemurs, and some very amusing fighting beetles.

As an adult, sleeping lions don't hold as much enchantment for me. But I had some undeniably nice memories. There was one cage in the bird sanctuary containing a kookaburra, who seemed perfectly content to be sung to (because I spontaneously began to lyricize that he was sitting in an old gum tree...). In the primate exhibit, a huge ape, noticing some children banging their little palms on the glass, picked up a bucket of water and -- *plunk* -- it was on his head, worn like a hat!

We all roared with laughter!

Walking through the primate exhibit especially, it's impossible not to consider the question of how we found ourselves on the "good side" of the glass and all the implications therein. Where did we come from? Did the birds evolve from dinosaurs? Did we evolve from apes? Are we all connected? As much to the chimpanzees as to the kookaburra? In one way or another, are we still in the jungle competing with one another for limited resources? Does our society encourage survival of the fittest? Are we finished evolving?

For me, the zoo raises as many questions as it answers with its educational signage. Easily the best zoo I've been to in decades!

Introduction

My name is Stephanie Sguigna and yes, I know that "Wicked Good Tourist" isn't an example of proper English. But it is a good title because this blog focuses on things to do in Boston, from the well-advertised to the more colloquial.

I have lived in Boston for six years and I'm convinced that if I live here another six, I'll still fail to tour all the places worthy of touring. That said, this is an attempt to catalogue what I have done so far: Wicked Good Tourist.

Comments are welcome!