This Is 49

Apologies for the radio silence, but my mother had a health setback in May and I’ve been taking care of her. My birthday list has thus been derailed for a few months, but I hope to get back on track soon.

I have been able to take a few breaks, including one for my birthday. This was my 20th year of visiting a new place for my birthday; this year, I chose the Lake Winnipesaukee region of New Hampshire.

Although I’ve lived in Boston for 25 years, I haven’t explored much of New Hampshire. I love Portsmouth, but I’ve only been to other parts of the state a handful of times. I found a great Airbnb in Laconia that was a studio apartment with a large window overlooking a bay. It was about a 6-minute drive to the Weirs Beach area, which had a small boardwalk area with shops, restaurants, and a couple of old-school arcades.

The highlight of the trip was a 2.5-hour boat ride on the Mount Washington. It was just what I needed after my mom’s health scare; I had nothing to do but gaze at the beautiful scenery for a couple of hours.

We also visited a cute ice cream and gift shop called Kellerhaus and Funspot, which claims to be the largest arcade in the world. We spent a couple of hours there, mainly playing the pinball machines. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this one:

I grew up playing this pinball machine in my basement! I’ve never seen it out in the wild before. It was really cool.

All in all, it was an enjoyable getaway, and I hope to get a chance to explore more of New Hampshire in the coming years. I would love to visit the Franconia region again and tour Robert Frost’s house.

Do you have a favorite place to visit in New Hampshire? Share in the comments!