Wed Aug 6th

Headed out again – going to Salem, Massachusetts.  We have been there before and I didn’t like it but I think I need to look through different eyes.  We decided to drive through Cape Cod, mainly to see Hyannis Port where the Kennedy Compound is located.  As we entered Hyannis we found a really neat shopping complex – with a STARBUCKS.  While on Cape Cod we saw harbors with multiple sail boats but we did not get to see the Kennedy Compound.  We left and headed to Salem.  When we got there I contacted the Waterfront Hotel because it looked really nice and most hotels were sold out. 

They had a room, senior rate, for $219.  Although that was high we decided that one night was ok.  After we checked in we went downtown and saw a statue of Nathaniel Hawthorne the author of “The Scarlet Letter” and “The House of Seven Gables.” 

As we walked down the street we learned they were having the Salem Bike race.  They race around an oval block with a financial award given to the leader of each lap. 

After we got back from the race, I discovered that the floor in our room was wet from the portable air conditioner.  The desk sent someone with a wet vac and gave us a discount with free appetizer and dessert.  We got back to the room and the floor was still wet and the TV didn’t work – supposedly a “hotel wide” problem – but obviously not a problem in the hotel café.  There is no way I would have taken the room if they had said “We have a room where the floor is wet, the TV doesn’t work and we have discounted it to $179.”  What a night!!