For those of us who live on the North Shore of Boston, there are certain things that represent home for us. We're not quite in Boston, but we're very close. Not all of us have Boston accents, but I've heard a few here that compare to the ones you'll hear in the heart of the city on a hill. If you grew up here, you know what it's like to share this suburban culture. There are things you do, experience and see that signify where you are. When you come home after being away, these things just remind you you're in the great North Shore.
1. Richardson's
An ice cream gift to mankind, this Middleton dairy farm is the best place to spend a night petting the cows and eating some Green Monstah.
2. Lynn Woods Reservation
This city-owned park has been a tourist attraction since the 1800s! Nowadays you'll only see the occasional tourist in the woods, but the locals know that nothing beats walking your dogs along Walden Pond, climbing to the top of High Rock Tower or exploring the depths of historic Dungeon Rock.
3. Salem willows
The European white willow trees that line the main road of this amusement park were actually planted there in the early 1800s to serve as shade on a walkway for patients of a nearby smallpox hospital. When you're by these trees, you just know it's time to eat fried dough and blow all your money in the arcade.
4. Castle Rock
There is nothing that compares to the view you get on top of castle rock. Nestled in the neighborhoods of Marblehead Neck, it's served as the background for many a profile picture, and the sea breeze feels more like home than anything.
5. Nahant Beach
Driving down the Causeway and looking out at Nahant Beach under the midday sun is like summer captured in one moment. The sand is perfect and soft, the seagulls are plenty and a snack from Dunks or Tides always hits the spot!
6. The Northshore Mall
If you live in the North Shore, you know the mall is one place you almost always end up, even if sometimes you initially don't want to. You know that getting to walk through "the new wing" after all the construction was weirdly satisfying. You don't know why, but you actually love The Container Store. During the holiday season, you know the crowds are unbearable, but the mall stays open later and you secretly love that you have an excuse to get Cheesecake Factory after a day of shopping.
7. The Orange Dinosaur
The place that everyone simply knows as "The Orange Dinosaur" has an actual name, and it's Route 1 Miniature Golf, but that famous orange T-Rex statue is such a staple of the North Shore that I'm pretty positive no one has ever really called it that.
8. Kappy's
Whether you're 21+ or not, if you're home on the North Shore, there's no way you could miss seeing a giant, neon green Kappy's sign. After all, it's Massachusetts' most celebrated packie!
9. Kelly's
The first Kelly's Roast Beef opened in 1951 on Revere Beach and created the very first original roast beef sandwich! They have a few famous moments, like being spotted on the Food Network, on "Saturday Night Live" and in the movie "Good Will Hunting," but their claim to fame in the heart of the North Shore is the best cheesy fries in all the land. Locations have popped up in a few places throughout the area since that time, but the original walk-up window still stands right where it all started.
10. Man at the Wheel
The Fisherman's memorial in Gloucester was built in 1925 and has stood tall and proud ever since. Throughout the years, tourists and locals alike have stood beside it on South Stacy, looking out over Gloucester Harbor and admiring just how great it is to be on the North Shore.
11. Rainbow Swash
You recognize it almost immediately, and it's because you've commuted past this paint-splashed structure more times than you can count. Sitting on the Dorchester Waterfront and clearly visible when driving on Interstate 93, this work of art on an LNG storage tank has been the subject of many parents pointing and saying to their kids, "If you look closely you can see a hidden face in the blue one!" As you grow older, though, you don't have to look closely to know that once you pass this beloved rainbow monument, you'll soon be home in the North Shore.
