Lowell, Massachusetts
by Aleathia Drehmer
This fall I ventured forth to the small industrial town of Lowell, Massachusetts for the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”. I met some writer friends there and we spent some time enjoying the festivities and touring this quaint city by foot.
The Doubletree Hotel (50 Warren St, Lowell, MA 01852) was a very nice accommodation that was centrally located to most of the activities and areas of interest. This high-rise hotel offers a beautiful view of downtown Lowell and the canals and locks of the Merrimack and Concord Rivers that snake their way through the city. This hotel is butted up against the oldest lock and offers a nice walking path that overlooks the river that adjoins to a portion of the Middlesex Community College campus.
The hotel itself was clean and efficient, and suitable for leaving your things while you are out and about. Their restaurant, The River’s Edge, is located on the main floor of the lobby and provides decent food at fair prices if you are just looking for casual American fare. The attached bar makes stiff drinks, always a plus. The only problem with this place is getting there. The turn in for the hotel is very quick and easy to miss with several confusing one-way streets. They have ample parking in a four level parking garage and the town is foot traffic friendly so a vehicle was not needed very much, if at all.
Lowell is not the place to go if you are looking for hot dance clubs and glitzy fun. This is an old industrial town rich with history and nostalgia. The buildings are old and most are made of brick giving an old world charm. There are some lovely fine dining restaurants tucked behind these facades.
The Centro (www.centrolowell.com) is a lush restaurant awash in rich teal and chocolate browns. The tables crafted of heavy woods with opulent curtains and table dressings. The kitchen is open to air and surrounded by brushed stainless steel. The waitress was educated about the menu, which offered many seasonal dishes. For lunch, I chose a delicious chicken salad with flame grapes and almonds over a mixed organic green salad. It was garnished with fresh slices of Roma tomatoes. It came with various flavors of focaccia bread and several dipping oils. I sat by the window and watched the town happen while drinking a nice strong cup of coffee. The food is filling without being too much and the atmosphere light and airy while still feeling rich.
After lunch at the Centro, My friend and I made our way through the town seeing the building that houses The Lowell Sun, a fine local newspaper. We also stopped by their Barnes and Noble that was quite possibly the smallest store I had ever been it. It has small independent bookstore feel. We continued walking until we reached our destination of the afternoon, The Bootts Cotton Mills Museum.
The Bootts Cotton Mills is one of the oldest areas of the town and is surrounded by river and railway. It is part of the National Park system and has a lovely grassy area to have picnics while looking at the river or watching trains pass. This park is lined with trees at the edges of the walkway and has many large pieces of sculpture made of granite and bronze. The bridge leading to the Bootts Mills Museum is thick, planked wood and it makes you feel as if you are stepping into another world. The Mills are a series of buildings tucked together in a seeming labyrinth and it is easy to get lost in there if you do not know what you are looking for. One can visit an actual working weave room from the 1920’s. The noise is incredible and the heat created is also stifling. It is amazing to think about have to work in one of these places for 12 hours a day. Tucked behind the weave room is the visitor center where you can buy curios of an industrial town, mill made pencils and toys and historical books about Lowell.
The scroll of “On the Road” was located in this same building and it was very interesting to see it in it’s entirety. They had several other multi-media displays where you could type a message on a typer like Kerouac used to use and pin it to the wall. His artwork was also on display as were some first editions of his books. They had audio samples of Kerouac reading and a section of his family history. The exhibit was small and intimate, and very interesting.
The evening led us to Ricardo’s Café Trattoria (www.ricardoscafetrattoria.com) for readings of letters from Kerouac to his family and friends. There was also a jazz accompaniment with this. Ricardo’s is a lovely Italian restaurant with two rooms for eating and a large bar that stretches the near length of the place. It was packed and everyone was partaking in a fine glass of wine or spirit. They also have a nice selection of micro brewed beers as well. We did not stay for dinner but the smell in there was incredible and had it not been a booked up Saturday night, we might have. Their menu is available at the website and has great traditional Italian dishes to choose from as well as many seafood and steak entrees.
Now I am a big fan of hole in the wall type bars as they usually make the stiffest drinks and allow you to hear yourself think. We stepped out that night to a bar just a few blocks from The Doubletree called Molly Kay’s Pub. This is a little Irish place that of course had the Red Sox blaring. It had a nice long bar and many tables around for sitting. It had a jukebox, a dance floor and a pool table. In my opinion, it was bar perfection. The drinks were fairly stiff and they had a nice selection of beers on tap as well. We stumbled back to the hotel after a good night.
Lowell is definitely an industrial town and it might not be the hotbed for travelers, but if they are having some sort of event there it makes for a nice weekend. There are many historic areas that surround Lowell that could make for day jaunts and the border of New Hampshire is a stones throw. This place is the embodiment of New England small towns and its history felt in the cobblestone streets and old buildings and in the faces of old men sitting on benches.
