Seaside dining, in a lighthouse!

Almost a year ago, I bought a Living Social deal for lunch in a lighthouse in Newburyport. I love Newburyport, there are lots of wonderful shops and eateries and oh yeah, the ocean. There are beautiful historic homes and churches in the town. It's a great place for a day trip.

I bought two lunches actually, one for two people and one for four people. I procrastinated and didn't use the coupons right away. I finally called and tried to make a lunch reservation for four people. The only dates left were during the week. Of course, most of my friends work during the day including the two who were supposed to have a lighthouse lunch as their Christmas gift. My sister and I chipped in to buy the Christmas gift so my sister and I ended up dining at the lighthouse last night.

Jay at the lighthouse was very sweet.  He not only agreed to do one dinner instead of lunch but he said I could extend the other lunch coupon until the end of March.  It was supposed to expire in mid March. I am so pleased that I have more time to make arrangements with my friends.

Back to the lighthouse... we arrived in time to see a spectacular sunset. I was hoping we would make it in time to see it.

The dining area is five flights and one 6 foot step ladder up. The coupon mentioned that you must be physically capable of climbing the stairs and the ladder. Once you reach the top of the ladder you need to go through a hatch and then you are there.

The climb was not bad at all.  I expected far worse. And once we got to the hatch...

Jay was waiting for us.  He helped us through the hatch and greeted us with a smile.

Yay, I was so excited to see the sunset from the top of the lighthouse.

This photo was shot from the walkway of the lighthouse.  It is very narrow and last night the wind was really gusting. I don't want to know what the wind chill was but it was mighty cold.

If you want to go out to the walkway, you must crawl through a little doorway from the lighthouse. My sister demonstrates the technique.

There's the ocean! And to the right is the coast guard station. Despite the wind, it was a beautiful night.

It was clear and starry.

 

The space is 8 x 8 so it's really small. The ceiling is high. There is heat for the winter and a/c in the summer so the lighthouse is open for dining year round. I took this from the walkway outside the lighthouse.

Here's a closer look at the space. All set for dinner. Such a sweet little space to enjoy a meal.

Another shot of the sunset and the cool steeple. This photo does not do it justice. Actually none of the photos really depict the beauty of the experience.

Another shot from the walkway. I was getting mighty cold at this point. The wind was going right through me. See how I suffer for my art!

Back inside the lighthouse, we cranked the heat. Jay came up to take our order and then we listened to a lovely CD called American Lighthouses. Look at the table, the candle is flameless.  Understandably, no fire is allowed inside the lighthouse.

Jay proclaimed us official lighthouse keepers for the evening.  We had the place from 5-11PM. He also told us about the history of the lighthouse and pointed out some landmarks.

He gave us our menus so we could make our selections. The menu is from the restaurant next door. Jay would climb all those stairs and the ladder with each course.  Quite the workout! He says he sleeps well.

Both my sister and I ordered clam chowder and the fried shrimp with baked potato. She had strawberry shortcake and I had key lime pie. It was all delicious.

I really was fascinated with the chandelier.  It added a touch of elegance to the space.

Dinner arrived and we were not disappointed. We could not imagine carrying hot food up all those steps! Jay didn't spill a drop.

We decided to check out the keeper's log. I especially liked this entry with the sketch and the
comment. "We came, we ate, we loved".

I loved reading all the entries in the keeper's long.  Lots of marriage proposals, birthday celebrations and anniversaries. This entry by Rachel was written on her 10th anniversary.  Her husband surprised her with a carriage ride by the church where they were married, then dinner in the lighthouse, and fireworks by the ocean. So romantic!  Sweet memories for everyone who wrote in the book.

I would love a chandelier like this for my home. So much bling! Fantastic!

This is the small door leading to the outside walkway. You can see why I said you need to crawl out to the walkway.

More flameless candles on the wall.  They were scattered around the lighthouse.

My sister enjoyed her strawberry shortcake. And we both enjoyed the evening. A unique dining experience with time to relax between courses. I can cross this off the bucket list.

I highly recommend dinner at the Newburyport lighthouse on Water St. For reservations, check out the info on their website, www.lighthousepreservation.org.

Blogger meetup and other weekend activities

I had a busy Saturday this weekend. First, I had a blogger meetup with Sharon from A New England Life and Susan of From Beyond My Kitchen Window.  I made the arrangements and we were meeting for lunch at Michael's Harborside in Newburyport. 

As I got ready for my meetup, I found myself primping and laboring over what to wear. I had to laugh at myself. You'd think I was going on a first date and wanting to make a good first impression. I ended up choosing jeans and a sweater and wearing no makeup. I thought I should just be myself and it would be fine. This was my very first meeting with bloggers.

I arrived in Newburyport a little early so I decided to explore the historic district. This church's graveyard interested me.

The old homes in the neighborhood were fabulous. I loved their colors, the doors, interesting gates. I wish I'd had more time to look around before lunch.

At noon, the weather was fabulous.  We could have opted for outside dining but I had reserved a table indoors by the window. The scene was beautiful from beyond our harborside table (that's for you Susan)!

The conversation flowed naturally between Susan, Sharon and I.  We talked about our families, kids, pets and of course our blogs! I was so pleased we all got along so well and we discussed doing a day trip to Rockport sometime.

By the way, the food was wonderful at Michael's Harborside. My lobster roll was perfect, not too much mayo, the right amount of meat, and the roll was grilled nicely.

Susan gave us a rosemary plant. The fragrant smell of the herb was wonderful as I drove home from lunch.

Susan had some other things to do Saturday afternoon so she went home and Sharon and I wanted
to do some exploring.  Sharon knew the area better than I did. As we were walking to her car we heard the rumble of thunder. We knew the rain was not far behind.

Sharon took me out by Plum Island and showed me some of the high points of the area. We also went to
Tendercrop Farm.  When we got out of the car, we saw an ominous sky and swirling clouds.

This cloud looked like the beginnings of a funnel cloud. The sky was very dramatic and Sharon and
I grabbed our cameras and started snapping the action above us.

Other people at the farm were also looking skyward to see if the weather was going to take
a turn for the worst.  Luckily, it did not.

It sure made for some interesting shots. A quick change in the weather from the sunny skies of
just two hours before!

I love to be near the ocean when there is a storm but I prefer to be inside!

Cute sign in the shop at Tendercrop Farm. I love the sentiment!  Nice soft color scheme in the display, very beachy!

Lots of flora and fauna on display at the farm and produce, home baked goodies, gifts.

A lovely display at the shop.  I have been looking for a chippy bureau like this for my bedroom.

The thunderstorms followed me home as evidenced by my smart phone.  I still had another party to go to.  I hoped the weather didn't get too bad.

My friend Debbi was having a Kentucky Derby party.  One of her friends brought her hat to the
party along with a rum cake.  Nice job, Linda!

So we all made our picks for the derby. For each dollar put in the pot, you could pick a horse. I, of course, had to go with Derby Kitten who did not win, place, or show.  Debbi is actually going to donate all of the monies (since nobody won) to a horse sanctuary.

Today is Mother's Day and my sister and I had lunch at the Nursing Home with my mom. We gave her an outfit from J Jill. My mom used to always dress up even to go shopping.  So we try to buy her some cute clothes for special occasions. She liked the outfit. She'll be comfortable and stylish in her raspberry sherbet colored tunic and gray pants.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms in blogland! Hope you had a fabulous weekend!





Tonight in Newburyport

After work I got together with two co-worker friends for dinner. It was a beautiful night at Michael's Harborside Restaurant in Newburyport, Massachusetts.



We requested a waterside table. There is a deck off the restaurant and a rooftop bar but since it was a little cool we sat by the window. I had grilled shrimp and scallops with citrus garlic butter. My friends had the lazy man's lobster.



After dinner and dessert, we decided to stand out on the deck and look at the harbor. While were admiring the boats, we noticed a beautiful rainbow was forming. We were so lucky to be in the right spot at the right time.



I love this time of night. The light is magical.



Incredible shades in the sky as dusk approached.



The ducks had their own resting spot at the Do Duck Inn.



The weather was so perfect and the scene so gorgeous we did not want to leave. I wish I had brought my "good" camera but I only had my small older camera on me. I don't bring the larger camera to work. So, I will just have to return to Newburyport sometime this Summer.