Jeanne O'Brien Coffey

Vacationers have found respite in New England’s scenic spots for more than 100 years. Traveling by train or stagecoach, visitors decamped for weeks—or even months—to walk in the woods, bathe in the ocean, and enjoy hospitality at resorts on a grand scale.

Verdant rocky outcroppings, decorated with lacy wisps of fog, march northeast along the coast as far as my eye can see. In the foreground, pine trees poke into the vista where blue-gray sea meets blue sky.
These Canadian headlands formed over millennia, as the Bay of Fundy’s vast tides—the world’s highest—repeatedly attack the coast, washing away softer soil and leaving behind sheer, hard rock. I’m standing at Champlain Lookout, a perfect showcase for this powerful feat of nature. The lookout...

Planning a coastal winter getaway to Gloucester, Massachusetts? Book a room at Beauport Hotel and then get our picks for the best bonus things to do and places to eat!

I am about shin-deep in the Irish Sea, my hands flapping about like hummingbird wings, as I question my judgement. I’m gasping for air, as the shock of the chill 50 degree Fahrenheit water laps at my knees. The air temperature is about the same, with a fine mist falling—romantic weather for a stroll on the strand, but not generally inviting for bathing.

“Once you can control your breath, you’ll be fine,” assured Susan Dillon, a coach from SwimCamp Ireland. With most every fiber of my being ca...

I recently had the best cup of shellfish chowder I’ve ever had– and as a New Englander born and bred, that is saying something. Yet, sadly, I may never have it again. I enjoyed that perfectly seasoned, silky soup, packed with clams and lobster, at a preview of Logan International Airport’s new Delta One Lounge.
“The star of the show is the food,” says Claude Roussel, who oversees the airline’s network of more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs. The Delta One Lounge —the airline’s third— is an exclusive ...

Chewy Biang Biang noodles, oversized dumplings, and DIY hotpots are wowing Yelpers at the best Chinese restaurants this year

Chinese food is made for sharing—especially during the holiday season, when friends and family gather to enjoy the warm, flavorful dishes of this popular cuisine. Yelp searches for Chinese restaurants typically spike every December, as people look for cozy meals. In 2023, the highest number of searches were on Christmas Day.

To help you find favorite new spots for juicy...

The solitary house rises rosy-hued and defiant in the midst of a salt marsh, like a grand dame keeping up appearances. A closer look reveals a sadness reminiscent of an Edward Hopper painting—the facade peeling, plantings overgrown—an icon of a bygone era.
The Pink House, as it has come to be known, captures the imagination of just about everyone who passes it along the Plum Island Turnpike in Newbury. Even local wildlife is drawn to it—snowy owls and hawks often perch on the cupola, rising a...

While the craziest a doughnut got even a dozen years ago was probably Boston cream, modern makers are not above sticking just about anything on a fried round.
Trendy places proffering outlandish toppings have their fans, but so do shops that have been around for decades, sticking to the basics: honey-dipped or powdered sugar.
After hundreds of miles and many, many calories, we’ve discovered a place in our hearts (and bellies) for both. Here are our highly subjective picks from t...

Polo requires a strong core and a willingness to swing a mallet from a moving horse.

Jedda eyes me skeptically (with good reason) as I take her reins to lead her into the ring. Nine years old, she is a gleaming chocolate brown thoroughbred, a former racehorse enjoying retirement as a polo pony. Me? I’m a novice decked out in a pair of electric-blue rubber rain boots and a borrowed riding helmet, and I haven’t ridden a horse since before she was b...

Did you know that Chablis from France, a crisp minerally white wine with no oaky or buttery characteristics, is made from the Chardonnay grape? The tart fruit and zippy acidity in a Chablis, named for the region in France where it grows, has very little in common with the flavors in big, lush Chardonnays that come from California, which are usually redolent of tropical fruit. So, if you walk into a wine shop or a restaurant and just ask for a Chardonnay, you could get anything from a ripe, to...

I am zipping across Lake Garda on a sleek, cream-colored powerboat, sipping rosé sparkling wine made in the surrounding hills. Wind in my hair, sunglasses on, gazing out at the distant Italian Alps, it feels unreal—truly a sliver of la dolce vita.
Most Americans have never heard of Lake Garda—the largest lake in Italy, conveniently located between Milan and Venice. But everyone knows glamorous Lake Como to the northwest, playground of celebrities like George Clooney and Madonna. Lake Garda ha...

On my first trip to Florence, Italy, my husband and I visited the same small wine bar every afternoon at 3 p.m. to recall the day’s adventures over a glass of Sangiovese. On our second day there the server recognized us. On the third he offered us samples of his favorite cheeses and wines. And by the fourth day he greeted us as old friends.
More than the beauty of the Uffizi Gallery and the splendor of the Duomo, those afternoons stuck with us a...

Step back in time to these 10 historic restaurants and inns, where US presidents, Hollywood royalty, and Prohibition gangsters once drank, dined, and slept
Snuggle into a booth where Hollywood stars once lingered over cocktails, sit in a tavern where Founding Fathers plotted a revolution, or dine in an award-winning novelist’s childhood home. Whatever your interest, there’s a restaurant with a fascinating story and legendary eats on Yelp’s list of 10 of the Most Historic Restaurants. We found...

The 16-year-old learned an important lesson about overpacking when we stepped off the boat in Venice. According to Google maps, the walk from the dock to our hotel was just 15 minutes. But what Google maps does not tell you is that walk is primarily up and down bridges. While we were there for the canals that serve as streets in this spectacular city, we hadn’t thought through what that means from a practical standpoint.
Turns out that meant dragging a suitcase up and over four bridges in 90-...

I watched a couple slip down a neat alleyway alongside a white fence and decided to follow them, at a distance of course. I was on a mission on behalf of Northshore readers to investigate a speakeasy, The Hidden Door, that had appeared mysteriously on social media a few months back, with dark, moody pictures of alluring cocktails and no address. Anywhere.
By the time I turned the corner, they had vanished! I spied a pair of sad plastic patio chairs and a matching table. They were not giving o...