Feature Article: Gloucester, Massachusetts - The "Perfect" Seaport - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Feature Article: Gloucester, Massachusetts - The "Perfect" Seaport
Gloucester, Massachusetts - The "Perfect" Seaport by Sue Kulick
On the wild and rocky shores of Cape Ann, Massachusetts lies America's oldest seaport, Gloucester. Founded in 1606, Gloucester continues today to be a working seaport, and a great place to spend some time. We decided to visit Gloucester on a bit of a whim. The town became internationally famous in 2000 when Sebastian Junger's book "The Perfect Storm" was made into a movie starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. We really enjoyed the movie, and its land setting, The Crow's Nest, and always talked about one day visiting Gloucester. The opportunity presented itself in a most unique way.
While planning a recent visit to Cape Cod, we found that we had mistakenly missed a booking night on our reservation. This left us with a day to fill and the need to find a place to stay. So, why not take that extra day and spend it in Gloucester? We could visit the haunts made famous in the movie, and see what else this seaside town had to offer.
A quick call to The Crow's Nest booked us a room for the night, and we were on our way! Gloucester is about a six hour drive from our house, and other than some traffic around the Boston area, we made it in good time. We arrived slightly before dinnertime, despite a programming error in our GPS (I put the wrong address in!), and we were soon at the Crow's Nest. From the outside, it looks nothing like the movie set. First of all, it is on a street, whereas the movie Crow's Nest was right on the wharf. Also, the front looked different. Ah, Hollywood versus real life! We parked on the street and we went into check in. And when we walked in, it was like walking into the movie! The bar and tables are pretty much just like we hoped they would be.
We checked in and got our key. Now, if you are more accustomed to luxury stays, this will not be for you. The room was around the back, and up a small flight of stairs. It was a basic room, two double beds, bathroom, TV, fridge and microwave. But it was clean and the window overlooked the harbor.
After settling in, we went in search of dinner. We walked down a short way to The Seaport Grille, recommended by the staff at The Crow's Nest. It was right on the water, and I had a lobster roll while Steve enjoyed steamers. After dinner, we walked around the wharf, taking some pictures and breathing in the fresh sea air. We headed back to The Crow's Nest, where we watched the baseball playoffs and enjoyed an adult beverage. We met a few of the locals and talked to the bartender, who showed us the many pictures and photo albums created when the film was made.
We called it a night and got a good rest in our room. The next morning, we checked out and explored the town. We started on Main Street. This is the heart of Gloucester's shopping district, and area that was revitalized several years ago. The streets are cobblestone, the colors bright and welcoming and the shops eclectic and fun. We ate breakfast at a local diner called The Savory Skillet, and walked the length of the street, stopping to say hello at the Cape Ann Animal Shelter. After our walk, we strolled down to the waterfront, past the police station where a 9/11 memorial as well as memorial benches to fallen heroes are placed in a courtyard.
The harbor held all sorts of treasures. We started out at the Coast Guard Station on Harbor Loop, and walked up the path to Duncan's Point. This is the place where the home of famous Gloucester artist Fitz Hugh Lane lived and painted. From there you have a stunning view of Gloucester Harbor and Ten Pound Island, home of the lighthouse mentioned in "The Perfect Storm." We strolled down the rest of the wharf. This is a working wharf and not a tourist attraction. We watched fishing vessels being maintained and large bait clams being sorted and loaded. This is also the home of Gorton's seafood company, home of all those fish sticks and crab cakes.
From there, we went to visit Town Hall. This is the heart of Gloucester's government, but it also houses many sculptures and testaments to the maritime industry. The walls are inscribed with the names of the over 5000 fishermen lost at sea.
A quick walk across the square and we were at the Cape Ann Museum, a museum dedicated to art and maritime history. We chose to take a guided tour through the many rooms. Our guide was personable and knowledgeable, and we were fascinated by the history. We learned plenty about what made Gloucester the beautiful seaport it is today.
After the museum tour, which took about an hour, we drive down to Stacy Esplanade, a long narrow strip of land facing the channel of Gloucester Harbor. From there you can view the wharf of Gloucester, the lighthouse on Ten Pound Island, and the Fisherman's Memorial Statue. This statue depicts a fisherman at the wheel of his boat, overlooking the harbor. All around the statue are monuments with the names of those lost at sea. It is a very beautiful tribute to the men and women who give their lives when the sea turns against them.
It was getting cold and late, and we needed to continue on our journey. We got back in our car and drove south towards our next destination, Cape Cod, where new adventures awaited us. But our short stay in Gloucester gave us a huge taste of this fabulous town, and we will be back to take in even more!
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
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