Northshore Magazine: August 2016 issue Best of North Shore includes so much on Gloucester and Cape Ann!

Before we dive into Northshore Magazine’s Fall Favorites September issue, let’s take a moment to acknowledge its Best of North Shore August issue. Although votes did not come in all Cape Ann for categories you thought might be a shoe-in: best beach, bakery, breakfast, burger, clam chowder, farmer’s market, art gallery, art anything (!), museum, or attraction — Gloucester and all of Cape Ann businesses receive a lot of deserved attention! Signing in to vote may be a barrier to entry for some. Still, 150,000+ votes were cast. You can check out what won in many additional categories in the 300pp monster issue.

Congratulations to Cape Ann 2016 Best of awardees!

DINE ALFRESCO – The Market Restaurant, Gloucester

FRIED CLAMS- Seaport Grill, Gloucester and Top Dog (seasonal), Rockport; reader’s choice: Woodman’s

LOBSTER DINNER- Roy Moore Lobster, Rockport; reader’s choice Woodman’s of Essex

LOBSTER ROLL- Seaport Grille, Gloucester

PIZZA- Short and Main, Gloucester in a three way tie

ROMANTIC- Duckworth’s, Gloucester

SANDWICHES- Willow Rest, Gloucester

WATERVIEW RESTAURANT- The Market Restaurant, Gloucester

HOTEL BAR- Beauport Hotel, Gloucester

CHOCOLATE- Rockport Fudgery, Rockport (seasonal)

HOTEL- Beauport Hotel

CHARTER BOAT- Schooner Thomas E Lannon

COMMUNITY WALK RUN BIKE BY SEASON – summer Twin Lobster Half Marathon & 1 mile Race, Gloucester; winter Happy Holidays Half Merrython, Gloucester;  reader’s choice, Motif #1 Day 5K, Rockport

FESTIVAL (FALL)- Essex Clamfest, Essex

GOLF COURSE- reader’s choice Bass Rocks Golf Club, Gloucester

MARINA- Cape Ann Marina, Gloucester

NATURE TRAILS- Ravenswood Park, Gloucester

BOOKS-The Bookstore of Gloucester

MATERNITY CLOTHING- The Urchin Exchange, Gloucester

CONCIERGE- reader’s choice Tending the Sweet Life, Gloucester

DANCING- Minglewood Tavern, Gloucester

LIVE MUSIC VENUE INDOORS- Shalin Liu, Rockport

 

 

 

It’s easy being green: architectural character downtown Gloucester

Cat Ryan submits-

19^th, 20^th and 21^st Century green in the mix

From the distinguished Cape Ann Museum’s fresh coat of paint and ongoing preservation

To many weathered, copper-clad architectural details like these rare repeat oriel windows

Elegant oriels along Parsons’ pedestrian street, too, though no pressed metal. But look up for the green tiled roof!

Creating a nice umbra mix alongside the newish-ish green exterior for the Jeff Weaver/Restoration Works, 16 Rogers Street –  the newcomer (former Old Timers/Catch 22/Fiesta Pub) joins the green in Gloucester. Check out its distinct porthole window on the door.

Then and then: 16 Rogers before photos (green middle elements against textured and well acclimated exterior).

Excerpt from JoeAnn Hart’s Latest Novel FLOAT

Ten Bells’ doors opened at 5:30 a.m. so that dock workers could get a quick snort before work, or to offer amber consolation if there was none. In the past, and perhaps even into the present, the bar was known as a place where captains, short of men for some dangerous journey or another, would troll for crew, make them paralytic with drink, then carry them on board on stretchers and lay them out like corpses in the hold. And that was exactly how Duncan felt the next morning.

“Sassafras,” he croaked, without opening his eyes. Thanks to several more oyster shooters after dinner, Duncan had already reached his waterline by the time they left Slocum’s apartment, then he took more onboard at Ten Bells. Bottom shelf bourbon, $3.05 a shot. He’d ended up, somehow, fully clothed on the sofa in his office and woke to the sound of a rally outside his window. Annuncia’s basso profundo voice blared through a loudspeaker. “A clean sea is a profitable sea!” she shouted. It was 10 a.m.

He curled tighter into the ball he was already in and pulled his windbreaker over his head. He’d forgotten that he’d told her that she could launch her Boat Garbage Project from Seacrest’s loading dock today, but it was coming back to him loud and clear now.  He had assumed she meant at the end of the workday, but of course, she would want to do it early enough to catch that evening’s news cycle.

The crowd started to chant, and the steady noise bore through his eardrums like seaworms. “Bring the garbage back to shore! Bring the garbage back to shore!”

Annuncia quieted them down and continued speaking. “We complain about the crap from outfall pipes and pollution on our fish, and then we throw our own garbage overboard. What’s up with that?”

The crowd emitted a low boo, and he could hear Wade’s voice leading the pack.  Even though Annuncia was at the microphone, this project was really his baby. On Earth Day that spring, instead of cleaning beaches with the other volunteers, he decided to motor from boat to boat asking for garbage. When they saw how successful he’d been, a group of kids started making the rounds every weekend in a pedal-driven barge built from plastic water bottles, and it wasn’t long before some of the fishermen and pleasure boaters started to bring it in on their own.  The problem was, as always, that there was no place to put it.  Often the bags were just left on the docks at the mercy of the gulls and crows, and that meant debris scattered everywhere, on land and water. Annuncia hadn’t realized the extent to which everyone had been throwing their trash overboard before that.  It was against the law, but they had to catch you first, and the ocean was a mighty big place.

Visit JoeAnn’s website to purchase your copy of Float.

Shop Local Initiative

Dear Joey,

I thought you might want to hear about a funny coincidence and just one example of how GMG shop local initiative is impacting small businesses.

I found intriguing Paul Morrison’s recent review about the book Moby Duck, written by Donovan Hohn, and thought it would make a great gift for a friend. I placed an order at Toad Hall and stopped in yesterday afternoon to pick up my copy of Moby Duck.  While browsing the books at Toad Hall a woman coincidentally stopped in (Debbie I believe is here name) and asked if they had a copy of Moby Duck. She is a regular reader of GMG and had read about Moby Duck on GMG. Because Paul mentioned in his review that both Toad Hall and The Bookstore of Gloucester had been given a heads up about stocking Moby Duck, she was hoping Toad Hall had a copy. They did have a copy in stock and she purchased a book on the spot!

Shopping local is especially meaningful to booksellers. I know from speaking with my publisher and local booksellers that booksellers are having a very challenging time competing against mail order giants such as Amazon. Some people actually browse a book in a bookshop and then scan the bar code and purchase elsewhere. I am thankful that here on Cape Ann we have not one, but three book shops (including Dogtown Book Shop), and unlike many communities, we have a genuine Main Street. Thanks Joey for all that GMG is doing to help local Cape Ann businesses and artists!

GMG Shop Gloucester- The Bookstore Of Gloucester

SHOP GLOUCESTER!

Elyssa East Reading from Newly Published “Dogtown”

Please join us for a reading and signing with Elyssa East
The event will be held at the Bookstore at 7 P.M.
on Thursday October 21st.
Elyssa will be reading from her newly published paperback
book Dogtown, a true-crime story, an art appreciation course,
and an American history lesson about the 3000-acre
woodland in seaside Gloucester.
      Hope to see you,
      Janice (The Bookstore)

Brunonia Barry’s The Map of True Places

Thursday night Brunonia Barry will be at the Bookstore of Gloucester 7PM for a book signing.  See part II of the interview with Janice Severance where she talks about the author this evening at 6PM

Brunonia Barry’s The Map of True Places, originally uploaded by captjoe06.

 

Brunonia Barry Book Signing This Thursday Night At The Bookstore of Gloucester Part I

Janice Severance discusses the story behind Brunonia Barry’s “The Map of True Places” in this part I of a two part interview

Brunonia will be reading and signing the book Thursday night at 7pm at The Bookstore of Gloucester.

To View In HD Click Here

The Bookstore Of Gloucester Reading Series With Janice Severance

Last Minute Gifts for Mothers Day

If you are the guy that still hasn’t bought that present for the special mom in your life let me guide you through a fail safe 20 minute guarantee to make them happy gift idea session.

All you have to do is head downtown to Gloucester’s West End.

Within one block there are 4 shops or more that will cover every gift giving idea and price range you could need.

Harbor Goods, the Life is Good store will be open from 11-6PM today.

At Caffe Sicilia you can pick up Canoli or Tiramisu for a quick visit and cup of coffee at your moms house. Caffe Sicilia is open from 7-1PM today.

A couple of doors down from Cafe Sicilia is the apparel shop First Impressions which has a wide range of designer clothes and handbags for very reasonable prices. Open 10-5:30PM

Across the street from First Impressions The Bookstore of Gloucester will be open from12-5PM. Pick up a book of local color or one of the ones recommended by the Mrs down in the post below.

All within about 30 yards of each other you can get in and out with a perfect gift all in Gloucester’s West End, without having to drive out of town to the malls.

I hope this helps any desperate people looking for gift ideas out there.

Gloucestercast 200 With Live Call In From Ed Collard On The Road, Karen Pischke, Bridgette Mathews, Kim Smith and @Joey_C Taped 9/18/16

Gloucestercast 200 With Live Call In from ed Collard on The Road, Karen Pischke, Bridgette Mathews, Kim Smith and @Joey_C Taped 9/18/16 Topics Include: Stump