A Trip to Salem: An Out of State Experience
The back of a trolley was the first sight I got of Salem.|Credit: Reynaldo Cruz Diaz
For someone living in New England for almost five years, going to Salem, Massachusetts was a mandatory stop. Although the first witch trial leading to an execution in the US took place in Hartford, Connecticut, Salem has the mystique brought by the famous witch trials that took place in 1692.
Established in 1626 by Roger Conant, and led by men like John Endicott, Salem is best known for the infamous trials that left 19 people hanged, one pressed to death and several others dying in prison.
A tourist attraction today—mainly around the Halloween season—people pay tribute to the victims of the trials. However, there is more to Salem than what meets the eye. It was for a long time the most important port in the United States, and is also the birthplace of the US National Guard. Currently, it is the holy ground for modern day witches, almost in retribution for the crimes held against the accused.
The road trip from Connecticut was okay until several sections of the Mass Pike turned very slow and almost immobile due to bad traffic and road work. So, I would suggest to be patient and get snacks and water for those situations. It is also smart to plan for parking in advance, although we got lucky and found street parking. Bringing coins will help you out, since the park meters are all old school.
Upon arriving in Salem, the first stop was the place where there is tribute paid to the victims of the trials. Stones bearing their names, their date of death and the form of execution are filled with either flowers, coins or any other type of offering visitors and locals can come up with.
Next was the trolley ride. Although it is extremely necessary to take that tour as one of your first adventures, the long wait felt longer, mainly in the sun. Also, the fact that your ticket got automatically punched by the vendor upon purchase and that you were not supposed to leave the line to say grab a drink or explore somewhere else while waiting for the trolley made the wait slightly worse.
The ride basically covered the whole city, going from historic places to the locations of the film Hocus Pocus, to the harbor area.
It is a fast way to explore most of Salem and know where you would like to go next.
The amount of people in Salem was impressive even though Halloween was over a month and a half away. Most of the locations in the city are related to the mystique that surrounds the place’s history and the witch trials. Visitors’ reasons ranged from romantic weekend escapades, weddings, bachelorette parties, the witchy things, metaphysical experiences andfriends reunions, among others.
Life in Salem goes on way past sundown. Used to the little activity I normally experience in Connecticut, it was nice to see taverns, clubs, ice cream parlors and other places filled with people way past the start of the evening.
The opportunity to do some real street photography—something that has been slightly denied to me in CT—was also very rewarding. I was in a friendly and welcoming environment, with a crowd that didn’t mind the camera. It was also great to realize I was not the only one photographing the city life.
Knowing that it will be more visual in October, as Halloween approaches, I can have a grasp of what it will look and feel like. I also know that, based on the fact that there will be thousands more visitors, parking will be the biggest odyssey.
