Please talk to me about Lowell, Massachusetts

In Lowell all seems to breathe freedom and peace and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils.

I went to grad school there 1989-91, so I’m sure it’s changed a lot since I was there. There wasn’t much gay life up there, so I was schlepping into Boston to hit the bars and get laid. But if you’re not looking for that, it’s a decent place to live.

It’s no Lawrence, that’s for sure

[quote] Lowell

LoL! :)

You simply must visit Bette's childhood home.

Does Olympia Dukakis' birth home come with a plaque too?

It's tiny but idyllic. Has a great little wine store right off the bridge.

Birthplace of Jack Kerouac

My friends and I went to the Commadore Ballroom every Friday night during the summer when we were in high school. Saw The Yardbirds, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, The Animals and some others. I can't remember all of them, I'm old. Good times.

r9 did you go to Lowell high and if so what year?

Love Lowell. Some nice restaurants, wonderful history, and lots of brick.

R10 No, Billerica.

I visited it when it was still considered a slum. I thought dvd back then it was a neat city.

Some great architecture and a fascinating utopian industrial past.

Lowell is in the Merrimack Valley. Near Southern New Hampshire. It’s not all that near the North Shore. It’s not really near anything. If you’re going to move to that area why not move to Newburyport or someplace nice?

It’s where high on crack street took place

[quote] I thought dvd back then

Ok r13

r9 Did you go to high school with Bette Davis?

It's a breeding ground for bug-eyed, low-bosomed, hammy narcissistic actresses.

hablas español cartel original?

Ed McMahon grew up in Lowell

My rich Boston friend’s trashy Puerto Rican boyfriend lives there. Guy’s a douchebag. And my rich friend does not know true hardships. Just first-world bs because his millionaire CEO mother protects him.

Bette Davis and Ed McMahon and Jack Kerouac all got out of there so that should tell you something.

It's rather nice, but "decent location close to Boston " is somewhat misleading. You will never go to Boston once you're there for a while. The schlep will quickly become not worth it except for special events (and for that the commuter rail is handy) but it will end up costing you a lot of money. You'll find other things to do around the North Shore and Cape Ann, which are great.

More warp than weft if you catch my drift.

Boston is not NYC. There’s no reason to visit and very little nightlife.

As kids on trips to NH, we always got a chuckle when passing the monolithic Soviet-looking building with the big WANG sign.

I pass through every week in my trip from CT to Maine. I don’t think I could do any town in the Merrimack Valley at least until I got closer to the ocean. I guess that is more North Shore then. I’d look more into New Hampshire or Mail myself.

R23. Yes, because people in show business would THRIVE in Lowell if it were livable—the live theatre, comedy, and TV trade is so hoppy there. And would you really expect someone who wrote a novel called “On the Road” to stay in his hometown?

Idiotic post of the day.

R29 I guess the humor went over your head, because you're a moron.

It’s a very erotic place.

It's about a 30-40 minute drive to Singing Beach in Manchester BTS. Worth the season pass.

The onetime home of Prince Spaghetti.

2010's The Fighter (Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Marky Mark, Mickey Ward) was filmed in Lowell.

I’m 40 minutes away from Lowell and I don’t think I’ve ever been there in my life.

"Eclectic food" on the East Coast means "tons of mayonnaise."

r36 hasn't been many places on the East coast.

It's not Indiana, or Missouri.

It appears that not a single person on this thread has set foot in Lowell in the past 30 years.

Here’s some people, R38, that at least are said to have been in Lowell - and each other - lately.

Further to former, Tower News on Gotham St (right off the Lowell Connector) is your local source for news.

As well as gay and straight booths for DVD viewing and so on. My friend Alan is a regular and says the rubes down from NH for the legal MMJ (big dispensary/retail weed store down the street) have to be coaxed into the gay side whilst the Hispanics know what they want and don’t hesitate.

R35 I'm 25 min. away and have only been there about 3 times.

I went to Lowell for a funeral several years ago.

It's a mixed bag.

Greg, stick to East Arlington!

[quote] Greg, stick to East Arlington!

I am never in Arlington—North, South, East, or West.

Greg - you should move to West Concord.

[quote] Greg - you should move to West Concord.

Now why would I do that, R45?

Posh, charming, and sedate - a nice respite from ... where is it you live?

Back Bay

… also posh and charming.

Less sedate, however.

North Reading?

East Boston?

“Here’s to the town of Boston, The land of the bean and the cod,

Where the Lowells speak only to Cabots,

And the Cabots speak only to God.”

DLers pull these "I'm thinking of moving to..." threads out of their FETID ASSES. AND JUST SHART OUT ANYTHING.

Lowell is far from the ocean, and the two NH ski places somewhat near it are rinky dinky affairs.

R32 Not trying to be argumentative (really) but what is the big deal about Singing Beach (other than the name)? Been there a few times in my life and don’t really get it.

By the way just so people know, many of the beaches on Cape Ann and the North Shore are ridiculously expensive. The whole area is really very overrated but seems to be popular as a vacation spot more for New Yorkers than locals (who often go to the Cape, New Hampshire, or Maine).

I say this because of all the New York state license plates you see there in summer.

People near Boston go to the Cape in the summer? Knock Gerg over with a feather…there’s more menus to plan.

North Shore beaches have frigid water.

It’s not religious or absolute, but a lot of people south of Boston go to the Cape while a lot of people north of Boston go to the NH lakes, mountains, or shore, or southern Maine shore, or Maine lakes.

I go to providence

The Rhode Island beaches are great.

I here Revere Beach is better than Antibes

I heard it, honest ^

Nahant is low key.

[quote] North Reading? East Boston?

Ah … no thank you.

East Boston is like this custard pie that I’m making.

No upper crust.

Horseneck Beach is quite nice.

Mass offers a DCR parks pass, you can use it in Nahant (and I think, Salisbury, not many other ocean beaches, because there aren’t many DCR beaches, most are private or owned by the town they’re in). If you’re over 60, I think it is, you can get a lifetime senior DCR pass for 10 bucks.

And I like Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester.

What kind of commonwealth allows beaches to be held as private property. How undemocratic.

Wingaersheek is a great beach, also a good beach to dig clams at low tide. But don’t go alone, it costs 25 or 30 bucks (probably more now) to park.

R68 As a MA resident I couldn’t agree more.

Also I wish CA beaches hadn’t started charging as much to park - because I think beaches should be free or close to it.

[quote] What kind of commonwealth allows beaches to be held as private property. How undemocratic.

True.

But I have a dear friend with a house on Long Beach in Rockport and I love that it’s a private beach.

It’s truly beautiful and the only people on the beach are those who reside there and their guests.

We will spend the day kayaking and swimming and then have cocktails on his deck overlooking the beach. It’s lovely.

There’s are free—you just need to know where to park ;)

[quote] There’s are free

Oh, dear.

[quote] People near Boston go to the Cape in the summer? Knock Gerg over with a feather…there’s more menus to plan.

And why is that, R55?

Long Beach Gloucester is open to the public, though. Funny but it now costs $30 on weekdays and $35 on weekends. When I was a teen/twenty-something, it was $5. We used to go there because other beaches were $10 or $15.

You can also go on the private part of Wingaersheek, to the left of the regular beach, if you go at low tide and walk around the point, or wade around other times, It’s a really nice, long beach, sort of like a Maine beach. That’s where you usually see all the NY license plates.

Except for the couple weeks in the end of July when the greenhead horseflies are wicked aggressive, I always liked Crane beach outside Ipswich, when I lived in the area. You can avoid the steep parking fee with a nice bike ride from town.

R72 There’s are free? English please.

The greenheads are bad throughout that area, a few years ago I got attacked in the damn parking lot on Plum Island as I was getting in my car to go home. Got around 12 bites on my legs, ruined almost the whole summer.

The greenheads are after meat. When you examine the bite, it's like they take a not so tiny ice cream scoop to your flesh.

R77 don’t be a pedant when the faulty autocorrect is obvious and the intent is clear. It’s not a good look on you—like a paisley caftan from your closet.

That's not a result of autocorrect, doll.

Prepare for heavy winters. Especially with nearby a waterway.

The rest areas on Rte 3 north of Lowell to the NH border were legendary for all the 24 hr bare-assed action that took place there out in the open,, to the extent that they were all shut down.

It’s not far from the NH (Live Free Or Die) border so you can drive up and shop without sales tax.

I don’t think you can live in Lowell - or wouldn’t enjoy it - without a car, unlike where you currently live.

Lenox has a china pattern named "Lowell"

Tasteful, not gaudy.

Greg, where do you actually reside???

Greg posts from his ward at Solomon Carter Fuller clinic.

r87, oh my.

Singing Beach in Manchester by the Sea on the North Shore is lovely--and a lovely, wealthy town too. And you can take the commuter train from Boston to get there. Very convenient.

[quote] Greg, where do you actually reside???

Boston and Cape Cod.

R89 Who cares if a beach is in a wealthy town?

More to the point, who gives a fuck about Singing Beach located in Manchester-by-the-Sea, a 40 minute drive from the place the thread is about, Lowell? Few if any Lowell residents would ever be seen there, let alone be regular beachgoers where they can’t park.

R92 Because OP opened the door to talking about the North Shore and beaches.

[quote] decent location close to Boston and beaches/skiing...

[quote] don't want to be in Boston proper...would rather be closer to the North Shore and some water.

The second part is confusing. Boston is on the water, Lowell isn’t. And Lowell is no closer to the North Shore than Boston, they’re a similar distance. I just looked it up to make sure, and for ex. Boston to Rockport is 47 miles and Lowell to Rockport is 49 miles.

The closest beaches to Lowell in terms of driving convenience are probably the New Hampshire beaches, Hampton, Rye and Seabrook, since you can take 495 and 95. But they’re probably about 40 minutes away, as well, and in summer there’s traffic backup up for miles at the NH tolls.

My advice would be if you want to be close to beaches don’t move to Lowell.

He can take 495 to 110 and go to Salisbury.

Free parking at Salisbury if over a certain age. And then to Markey’s Lobster Pool for dinner on the State line. (Although it was better under the previous owner)

R94 Yeah I didn't mention Salisbury because I don't like it, but I should have mentioned it. It has that gritty sand, and the undertow. That beach also can have a lot of traffic on the way in, though. Some of these beaches being "30-40 minutes" from Lowell are more like 2 hours with summer beach traffic. Unless you leave early in the morning and leave the beach early.

Why they have not fixed the New Hampshire tolls is beyond me. All they need to do is open up the EZ pass lanes to the same number of lanes leading up to the tolls. There are only 2 EZ pass lanes with at least 10 booths that largely sit empty except for one or two. They don't even staff them 24 hours a day during the off season. Such a waste of time...and gas...

Have you ever been there when the toll booth by Hampton Beach is empty and they are just letting everyone through? There’s a story there.

R98 So are you just going to leave it at that?

You probably won’t believe me, but my understanding is that there is a group of billionaires (or maybe just multi-millionaires) that have meetings just north of Hampton Beach and when they do they “buy out” the toll booth for the day so there’s no danger of sitting in traffic at that exit.

If they were billionaires meeting just north of Hampton Beach, wouldn’t they just take a helicopter to Pease or Logan? Be a helluva lot cheaper than paying everyone’s tolls.

That’s the lamest conspiracy theory I’ve heard in quite some time.

Phantom Tollbooths!

The Location Troll rears her ugly head again.

I never saw it happen at that toll. How often does it happen?

Unlike the old days, the toll booth now has EZ Pass so the tolls probably don't make as much at the gate as they used to. Keeping it open wouldn't be as costly. OTOH it's now two bucks and it used to be change.

Sounds snobby.

I imagine the toll booth lines moved faster when you could throw 20 cents into the basket, where now you have to stop and hand someone two bucks, or wait for change of a five, ten, or twenty.

Although that was Route 1, pre Route 95, and that never moved fast. As a kid we used to go on vacation in Southern Maine from suburban Boston. On a Saturday morning it used to take three hours go get to York Beach. Up and down those hills on 2-lane Route 1.

I think only twice a year. I heard the story from someone who had worked at the firm up there’s few decades ago.

I don't doubt it.

One of the few times I was in Boston, I was headed into the city on the Mass Pike, after the point that it switches over to in-route tolls, near the supermarket that crosses the highway, I pulled up to the tollbooth, and was told that the person in front of had paid my toll. I was like what? The toll taker looked very bored, semi-rolled her eyes, and motioned me on.

Greg, the Cape is OVAH. Move to Maine.

Hey, OP! I’m also in Brooklyn and often think of moving. Not sure if I’m over it, like you are. But yeah, some days NY drives me nuts. The problem is, when I visit other places, then I really miss Brooklyn.

Anyway, I’ll share my Lowell Mass story. I visited to go to a good friend’s wedding. He married a woman who was born in Cambodia and has a lot of family in Lowell. (FYI, big concentration of Cambodians/Cambodian-Americans in Lowell.

The wedding was a blast. My impression of Lowell? It was pretty gritty. But not scary at all. Downtown seemed pretty walkable. There was a bit of an arts scene there. All in all, it looked like a place with possibilities. But, as other posters have made abundantly clear, not an ideal spot if you’re an avid beachgoer.

I, too, would like to live close to the beach. But at least in the Northeast, that seems reserved for folks with (way) more $$$ than I have.

Btw, I’m curious, what exactly are you fed up with in Brooklyn?

[quote] Greg, the Cape is OVAH. Move to Maine.

I have a teeny place on Cranberry Island.

The Great one?

[quote] The Great one?

The Little one.

Greg, you need to snag a place in Kennebunkport. The Cape traffic is vile.

[quote] Greg, you need to snag a place in Kennebunkport. The Cape traffic is vile.

I know.

The good news is, my schedule allows me to avoid traveling to and from the Cape during high traffic times.

My parents once had a place in Ogunquit, but no longer.

I live in Boston but love taking a day trip up to Lowell just for the Cambodian food. And Mill No. 5 is a fabulous adaptive reuse of one of the city’s many historic mill buildings, with local shops, a cafe/music venue, and a single-screen arthouse/rep movie theater. They put on all sorts of events and themed markets throughout the year.

A bunch of us got fed up with Brooklyn at the same time. I moved to Geneva, another alighted to Istanbul and another to Salvador da Bahia. Yes we were the pretentious as fuck cohort of Brooklyn expats but at least we thought larger than Lowell for crissakes.

Do all of the women there look like this?

They don’t look Cambodian to me…

R110 Probably my cousin’s husband. Just kidding, but he’s somebody who does that, sometimes, I’ve been with him when he’s done it on 95 at the NH tolls. Thinks he’s a big man. Once I was driving up there with my mom and she wanted me to do it - copying him - so I did.

R122 Thank you. Sometimes called paying it backward.

[quote] Do all of the women there look like this?

Just the pretty ones.

I lived in the Boston area during the first days of the crack epidemic. One of the local news networks introduced viewers to the concept of a "crack ho-ah" by interviewing a sweet mother of two from Lowell. She was loving the lifestyle and saw no reason to change. Could have been related to any one of the lovely ladies in R120.