Newburyport Today

Park Sunday Revisited

A few weeks ago Newburyport-Today announced that our Park Sunday Series would be taking a break until after Labor Day and returning in a new form starting then.  Park Sunday was an ideal vehicle for the debut of Newburyport Today.  "Park Sunday" was a fond childhood memory for me, and Newburyport Today was in a sense a child too, exploring our city and finding our way toward the site we have become.  We visited every park in the city, sometimes more than once, and enjoyed every scene.  A few of my favorites were, Walking in Mosely Woods, Spring Time in Atkinson Common, Joppa Flats, Cashman Park,and Maudslay State Park. 

Newburyport Today is finding that we are becoming more and more interactive with our readership and our new Sunday Series (debuting next week) will reflect that. We are very excited about unveiling our "Sunday's in the City" which will feature a new family weekly and show how they spent thier Sunday, here in the Port.  First up is life here at Newburyport Today headquarters, sometimes know as "the Gobbi house".  Check back next week for a peak inside. 

We have a few families already lined up, but would love some volunteers.  All you need is a camera, and a willingness to share.  Please drop me a line (talk@newburyport-today.com)  if your interested in participating in what should be a fun series.  I look forward to seeing how everyone spends thier day! 

Park Sunday

Back in late February, I wrote our first Park Sunday post.  I reminisced about how my dad would take my brother and I to a park every Sunday morning to give my mom a break.  It was a great little ritual that I feel sure is still in practice today.  The memory spurred me to showcase the city's parks weekly, and I have really enjoyed writing  and photographing these posts.  We are taking as short hiatus to revamp this series and it will return in a new format after labor day. 

In the mean time, we hope you will spend sometime re-reading Park Sunday's of the past .

Park Sunday: Bartlet Mall

We're just going to say it, since the closing of the Kelley School, the Bartlet Mall is under utilized.  We don't mean this as a political statement, we're not going to rehash the school configuration, there are many other spots that do that.  We are merely pointing out that there used to be kids running all around Frog Pond, learning about eco-systems, sketching the trees, or sledding down the hills after school.  It seems quieter to us now, we hope with the new Kelly School Youth Center we start to see more kids running around the paths again.  Bartlet Mall is really one of the city's finest jewels,if you haven't been, let us show you around...

Located on High street, the Bartlet Mall is flanked by the Kelly School and the Superior Courthouse.  There are beautiful weeping willows, wide gravel paths, and of course Frog pond.  It all makes for a  lovely spot to spend time with a book or a picnic. 

There are always shady spots and the rustle of the trees and visual textures and layers of color make for a feast for the eyes.  The deep gray/blue of the water against the soft brown gravel, set below the deep green of the grass and the soft moss green of the willows, it's the kind of place you could imagine a writer taking inspiration from, but it's such community stronghold.  You are very likely to run into a friend or neighbor, more likely than Henry David Thoreau anyway...

We will most likely visit Bartlet Mall again for another Park Sunday.  It's the type of place that changes so much with each season.  It's hard to say when we like it best, but we were there just at dusk the other night.  The sun was at it's highest point in the sky, the water was glistening, the ducks were waddling around the paths and there were groups of folks huddled together chatting, reading, and walking.  What could be nicer?

Park Sunday: Spencer Little Pierce Farm

This week for our Park Sunday series, Newburyport Today visited Spencer Peirce Little Farm in Newbury.  This working historic landmark is one of the best places we can think of to spend an afternoon.  Open dawn to dusk, all are welcome to enjoy strolls along the property, a visit with the animals, or bring a picnic and a book and camp out for the afternoon under the shade of the many mature trees.

The wide open fields are ideal for kids who want to run and perfect for parents who won't be able to loose site of them in the wide open spaces.  Dogs are also welcome, but please leash them, as chickens are often grazing in the open fields.  The Farm offers programming and tours, but also welcomes you to just spend the day exploring the property on your own. 

The animals are always a big draw for kids and adults alike.  They add to the charm and charactor of this lovely place.  We hope you get out to visit this historic landmark soon.

Park Sunday: Walking in Mosely Woods

Newburyport Today has visited Mosley Woods before, we showcased the great playground and wonderful views, but this time we headed there with the dogs and kids to get some exercise.  Finally a beautiful sunny day, absolute perfection!  Especially for exploring the trails of Mosely Woods and for some downtime on the banks of the river. 
The long winding trails lined with fragrant pines are shady and really beautiful with the sunshine peaking through the tops of the canopy of trees.  The trails are wide and make for easy strolling, it's just big enough to feel like you have some good exercise, but all trails lead back to the playground, so there is not much chance of getting lost! 

Of course the boys also enjoyed the zip line and the climbing structures!  We hope you get out to the park soon.