Like many kids, I despised history class. I never understood the importance of remembering dates, names, places, etc. Although, one thing I give my history teachers credit for: they made me fall in love with the 1600-1700s, Roman/Greek history, and United Kingdom history. I always was drawn in to the history behind those areas, more than any other place or times in the world.
Part of me gets a sensation that I came from those areas in a past life. I know people have their opinions about life after death, rebirth, and such. I’m not exactly sure what to believe (does anyone though?), but one thing I can say is I’m oddly connected to those time periods. I knew it was time to see what that connection was all about!
As someone with severe social anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder, the thought of travel for “fun” terrified me. A single woman roaming the unknown streets of places unfamiliar was just not ideal. Nowadays, you never know what you will experience. That’s a whole other blog topic though!
However, I decided I will not let my anxiety hold me back anymore. “You only live once,” is the popular saying, right?. What regrets would I have if I never explored areas I felt some connection with? How would I feel sitting around for days on end knowing I could have done something more with my life. I’m all about the experience, not materialistic things.
On a spur of a moment, I decided it was time. Salem, Boston, Plymouth…here I come!!
The first thing I did out of my comfort zone was taking off work on a Friday before break! That is just unheard of, especially for me! But my thinking is: I needed this for me, my mental health, and if something happened, life would go on, with or without me. I even forced myself to not check my emails in hopes to not receive any news that would make the trip stressful or less enjoyable. I didn’t want this moment ruined.
Waking up at 3:30 am, I was so excited! I walked outside to see the temperature and such so I knew what to prepare for, and I was blessed with to see the Lunar Eclipse. Like any person, I snapped a million photos of the beauty that glared before me. This was my sign that I knew this trip was meant for me. This rare Lunar Eclipse screamed out to me now more than ever.
I kept waking up the last few nights for excitement of everything I had planned. Getting a whole night of sleep was rare and nearly impossible in the last week. I checked to make sure everything last minute was packed up before I left. Double checking for medications, eye glass wipes, fog protectant wipes, enough clothes, all the overnight necessities, makeup, hair accessories, chargers, and everything else you could dream of taking on a trip for several days. I waited until I received the notification on my Life360 that my ride was here. I couldn’t contain my excitement.
We arrived at the airport, and my jaw dropped. I was utterly surprised to see the mass amount of people in the airport. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was Christmas pre-COVID. People were shoulder to shoulder. You couldn’t tell where one line started and one line ended. It was horrendous. In all my years of traveling (which hasn’t been since 2015), I’ve never seen anything like it. As a child, I would fly back and forth constantly to see my dad in upstate New York. That didn’t terrify me as much as the mass amount of people in there today. I thought there would be absolutely no way for me to make it to my gate on time.
Luckily, I was raised with a military father who believed the old saying, “If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late.” I, even though my friends make fun of me, am always early (this could also trigger my anxiety). Because I arrived early, I was able to make it to my gate on time. I emphasize on time, because it was literally within minutes of me being able to board with arriving early. All the passengers board the plane, but then we’re told there is “maintenance issues” that won’t affect the flight. OH THE LIES AMERICAN AIRLINES! THE LIES!
After several delays, we were asked to deboard the plane with all of our belongings. The airline never kept us informed about what was going on or the status of the flight. It was incredibly frustrating.
We were two hours past our depart time. I was shocked, and my anxiety went in full force. My ride went home (1.5 hours away), I didn’t want to miss my planned activities for the night, I didn’t want to lose out on my prepaid hotel, rental car, etc. They said the flight wasn’t “canceled,” but was “unknown in status.”
Yes…that’s the perfect thing to tell someone with GAD (general anxiety disorder). No…my feelings totally didn’t go haywire in a craze of what was so serious for us to be delayed again and again and again and again and eventually deboarded to “fix the problem.”
Finally, four hours later, we boarded again and were finally on the way to Boston! Due to the stress of the morning and the lack of sleep for the last couple of days, I was exhausted. Luckily for me, the four-hour delay caused some people to change their flights. The seat next to me was open, and I had a window seat. I was able to take a few great naps! I didn’t care if I drooled, snored, twitched, talked in my sleep, etc. I was tired! It was going to happen one way or another! I woke up with snacks and drinks. I hadn’t eaten breakfast because my excitement and GI (gastrointestinal) issues. I didn’t want to take the risk. I was starving by the time the snacks came. I’ve never been so thankful for a biscotti before in my life. It was like finding wholesome diamonds or emeralds, but the food version!
Not long after, we began descending for landing. I could feel my body and eyes light up. All the lakes, the colors of the trees from the skies, the open land, rolling hills, etc. I was so excited. In Texas, you don’t see that. The trees are either brown or green. The grass is either brown or green. Mountains? No way…maybe a hill or two, but nothing like the northeast. Trying to find a decent number of trees now in Texas (unless you’re in certain areas) is like a treasure hunt.
As we descended more and more, I was able to see Cape Cod. It was somewhere so many people dreamt about and talked about. It looked like it was straight off a movie or TV show. I knew I would save that trip for another time (peak whale watching season). I felt so honored to see such a beauty. As we got closer and closer to land, my excitement, and nerves, skyrocketed! I was ready to jump off the plane and explore!
I knew I was going to miss my first tour, thanks to the delay. However, I was determined to make my second tour, which started at 8:00 pm. But could I? It was almost 6:00 pm, and I still needed my rental car, my hotel, my tickets to the tour, and to find the place in Salem, which was a good 40-50 minutes away with traffic, according to my lovely Google Maps.
Hello anxiety! Thankfully the owner of the first tour company (Salem Walking Tours) rescheduled my ticket that I missed, due to the delayed flight. Beth, at Salem Walking Tours, did an amazing job accommodating. She was so polite and understanding. I highly recommend them on so many fronts.
My second tour was with someone else (Salem Night Tours). I was hoping I wouldn’t have to reschedule again. My night would have been ruined. I had been looking forward to start immediately.
The line for the rental vehicle was ridiculous. The lovely Alamo Rental Vehicles has a whopping total of two people working with about forty people in line. I had two hours to make my tour, and my anxiety was telling me there was absolutely no way I was going to make it. I was feeling defeated and irritated. All their Kiosks were down as well, so I couldn’t even do the check-in process myself.
I finally made it to the counter with one hour to spare. I just kept praying they would hurry. Luckily, it didn’t take long since I had pre-scheduled the rental and pre-paid. I had to decide whether to go to the hotel or skip it in hopes that they don ‘t give my room away. I was determined for this tour though.
I skipped the hotel and went straight to Salem, MA. Oh the nostalgic feeling of being back in the Northeast! As someone who lived in upstate New York, for a very short time of six beautiful months, I just missed everything the northeast offered: scenery, activities, people, weather, etc. Yes, me, a Texan, missed the cold, windy, winter. Shocking! This is also coming from someone who wore a hoodie each day in Boston/Salem/Plymouth with temperatures between 28 degrees and 55 degrees and continued to sweat, regardless of the temperature. Don’t ask! I’m definitely not made for Texas anymore!
My eyes lit up with all the older buildings, the cobble stone grounds, the brick streets, etc. I felt an odd connection to the place. It felt familiar, even though I’ve never been there in my life. I’m not sure if it was my connection to upstate New York, or if there was something else connecting me to the situation and place. Either way, as I drove closer to the city center of Salem, MA, I felt this overwhelming sense of excitement.
I found somewhere to park, and I didn’t care how much it was to park. It could have cost $50, and I still would have paid it, so long as I was able to explore Salem, MA in the night and day. I parked and had to go in the trunk of the rental car to get my thick jacket. It was so incredibly cold with the breeze. It was the one and only time I wore my jacket on the entire trip. I often wonder why I even brought such a bulky thing. Needless to say, I was glad. I went from the 50s in Texas to the low 30s in Massachusetts. With 45 minutes to spare, I decided to shop whatever stores were still open. Much like European countries I’ve been to, several shops were already closed for the night. I ended up in a souvenir shop with witchy items and a ton of Harry Potter Memorabilia. I returned back to my car to unload all the items into the trunk of my car.
I used my Google Maps GPS to show me walking directions to my first tour of the trip. I found out it was also the gift shop, which worked out perfectly for me! I already met the people and knew where I was going.
The tour was fabulous! From the company Remember Salem, Sebastian was our tour guide. He was your traditional goth: long, black trench coat, black boots, black pants, black shirt, black hair, black lipstick, etc. His personality was amazing! I couldn’t ask for a better guide.
We hit all the well-known spots, such as the Old Town Hall (hello Hocus Pocus), the Salem Witch Memorial, Old Burying Point/Charter Street Cemetery, and a few unknown places. We also visited St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, the Pickman house, and so much more! I was hoping and praying for a spiritual interaction of some kind, but sadly nothing happened. I was manifesting an apparition, a tug on my clothes, some voices next to me, etc., but nothing occurred. I know that sounds weird, but I was hopeful! I wanted to know it was real! I did, however, learn about the game Clue and its connection to Salem, MA!
The moon was fantastic! I knew this trip was exactly what I needed. Everything I saw was straight out of a movie.
After the tour, I went to the hotel with a late check-in. I knew I’d sleep great that night! I was filled with excitement about my upcoming adventures, but part of me was totally worn down from the stressful morning. I hadn’t eaten a real meal all day, so I knew I had to try to get something from the bar before they closed. Residence Inn at Boston/Logan Airport provided me with such amazing service my first night there, including the food options. With 20 minutes to spare before close, they were kind enough to still make the delicious flatbread.
I had such great scenery that night. I was ready to explore more, but I needed sleep. I couldn’t wait for my next adventure, as I set my alarm to ensure I made it to my other tour on time.
Angel Boucher 