Fall in New England is beautiful– especially with sunny weather in the 70s! Photo by: Evan Berman

This short review of my weekend travels will provide an example of easy short trips to various places in the US, complete with a few recommendations of places to visit. As always, use this as inspiration, not necessarily a set-in-stone itinerary. If I have not already reviewed the airport and/or lodging, there will be a separate review. You can find a list of all the reviews I have conducted under the Reviews headline above.

Trip Summary:

The wedding of a family member had us visiting Salem, MA this past weekend. The date had been set for quite a while, so we had the opportunity to plan our trip in advance.

Departure:

CHS-BOS (Charleston, SC to Boston, MA non-stop) on Delta Flight 5658.

Boarding started at 2:18pm, as was estimated. We taxied at 2:48pm and took off at 2:55pm, 12 minutes after the estimated 2:43pm departure.

The flight touched down at 4:50pm, 17 minutes prior to the estimated 5:07pm arrival. We had our bags in hand at 5:08pm (I had to gate-check my carry-on unfortunately).

Return:

BOS-LGA-CHS (Boston, MA to Charleston, SC, with a stop in New York-LaGuardia) on Delta Flight 5683 and JetBlue Flight 1001. Total cost: $441.20 or $432.29 (I’ll explain why the variance in a future article.)

The return flight was quite eventful. Stay tuned for that post and the lessons learned.

As mentioned previously, one of my favorite parts of flying Delta Comfort+ is the beverage included with the ticket. While the Sweetwater H.A.Z.Y. IPA was once again available, the design was different this time. In an ode to Breast Cancer Awareness month (I guess they had a few extras since it is now November?), the design was pink.

Lodging Info:

We found a great Airbnb which was approximately a 5 minute walk from the festivities. Salem is almost always crowded and this weekend was no different. Prices are relatively high here due to the size of the city and the immense demand. We spent $1,152.32 on lodging on this trip. That averages out to $384.11 a day, which includes the infamous cleaning fees. As with most travel, I recommend using a Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x Ultimate Rewards points), AmEx Green (3x Membership Rewards points), or Citi Premier (3x ThankYou Points).

Airport Info:

BOS, Boston Logan International Airport, is a relatively efficient large airport. While not in the “mega” category, Delta has a hub here and JetBlue also has a large presence. Delta fully occupies Terminal A. Follow this link for a full review of the airport insert link.

Transportation Details:

Salem is approximately 30 minutes from Boston, pending traffic. We took a Lyft from the airport to our destination. Since the flight arrived just after 5pm, we had to deal with rush hour traffic. The driver arrived approximately 10 minutes after scheduling the ride. The ride took 47 minutes and was just over 15 miles, costing $51.24 including tip.

We took two more Lyfts, one from Salem into Somerville and one from Somerville to BOS. The ~19 mile trip from Salem to Somerville was $41.94 including tip and took nearly 56 minutes. The Lyft from Somerville to BOS airport was $46.73 for a 10 mile trip and took 26 minutes.

Food and Drink:

Since we were in Salem for a wedding, we had most of our food and drinks at the Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding Reception. That being said, we did experience some of what Salem has to offer.

The Derby:

After the Rehearsal Dinner, we headed out to explore nightlife in Salem. We wandered down the main street and found The Derby Bar & Restaurant. Prices were quite reasonable as draft beer was between $4 and $7 and cocktails were around $12. If pickleback shots are your choice (*shudder*), they are only $8. For a touristy suburb of Boston, this is definitely appreciated!

Notch Brewing:

The weather on Saturday was absolutely perfect– sunny and 70º, which in November is stunning in Salem. As such, we decided to spend as much time as possible outside. Notch Brewing is well-known in the Boston area. We visited the Salem outpost (there is one in Brighton as well). The beers were great and food was good, although they had sold out of some choices.

We tried the Cerné Pivo (Czech Black Lager), Czech Pivo Tenner (Pale Lager) and Dog and Pony (New England Pale Ale) and enjoyed all of them. To eat, we sampled the Bratwurst Plate (bratwurst, sauerkraut, cucumber salad, and pickle), Tinned Fish Plate (tuna with pickled onions, beer mustard, and pickled vegetables), and the Jaju Pierogi (three pierogies with sour cream).

The facility has a patio that looks out on the water as well as some seating inside. We arrived at approximately 1:45pm which was quite fortuitous. Roughly 30 minutes after arrival, there was a line to get in as capacity had been reached. Some people were waiting for over 45 minutes to get in!

Activities:

As mentioned previously, we were in town for the wedding so there was not much chance to partake in other activities. That being said, the most popular activities all have to do with the history of witches in Salem. The Salem Witch Museum had a lengthy line almost the entire time we were there and tickets sold out in the early afternoon each day. If this is important to you, definitely plan and arrive in advance!

Prices:

In the name of transparency, I share with you how much this trip cost.

Flights:

Delta Comfort+: $441.20, though I ended up being charged $432.29 as I had to change flights at the last minute.

Food & Drinks: $

Total: $432.29

Points Earned: 5x (2,161 MR)

Lodging:

Airbnb: $1,152.32

Total: $1,152.32

Points Earned: 3x (3,456 UR)* I did not book this, so these points are for illustrative purposes only.

Transportation:

Lyft:

Airport to Salem: $51.24

Salem to Somerville: $41.94

Somerville to Airport: $46.73

Total: $124.91

Points: 10x (1,249 UR points)

Food & Drink:

Food:

Notch Brewing: $78.32

Total: $78.32

Points: 4x (312 MR Points)

Drink:

Derby Restaurant: $67.25

Total: $67.25

Points: 4x (268 MR Points)

Activities:

Again, we did not have time for festivities due to the time constraints. That being said, seeing family is the best activity sometimes 🙂 .

Total:

$1,855.09 in total spend. I was treated on the lodging; however, and paid $702.77. Had I wanted to keep the budget lower, I would have transferred points to Virgin Atlantic and booked the non-stop flight for 8,500 Virgin Atlantic Points and $5.60. Remember, Virgin priced by segment so the return flight would have been 16,000 points and $5.60.

2,741 Membership Rewards Points (AmEx) and 4,705 Ultimate Rewards Points (Chase), though again I only received 1,249 UR points as I did not purchase the Airbnb.

That’s it for Salem. Next up: a slightly chillier place. See y’all again soon!