Trip to a Sculpture Park and Museum

If you are looking for a good weekend outing/picnic with your kids on rolling woodlands and lawns that has sculpture park and museum, Decordova is a magnificent place to visit.

It's a part sculpture park, part museum, part school and part picnic ground. The kids will love different sculptures that are made of different materials- bronze, steel, glass, cement, wood, tree, and more. You will be surprised to see materials that can be used to make a sculpture.

It has about 80 different sculptures. A 4 floor museum with a nice walden pond overlooking cafe` is a good way to take lunch with your kids.

http://www.decordova.org/

51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln, MA
(781) 259-8355

Hiking the Monadnock

Ever dreamt of climbing on top of three thousand feet mountain? If you are looking for a great mountain hike in the Boston area, I would strongly recommend Monadnock Region. It's for starters and professionals both. It not only gives you feel for just walking on the dirt and forest trails, but also gives you little taste of rock climbing. The worst part is not the ascentbut the decent from the summit to the parking lot.

So, two weeks ago, on a nice, dry, sunny Saturday, we went to Monadnock State Park in New Hampshire. We reached there around 10am (bummer). I recommend you reach there at around 7am and hike the mountain while it's still cooler. The summit height is 3615ft and you start from 1358ft at the traihead.


I recommend you take White Dot trail (1.9miles) while going up and White Cross trail (2.1 miles) coming down.


I strongly recommend you take enough water for yourself and keep yourself hydrated to avoid muscle cramp and fatigue (ask me!:). Also take a small first aid kit and food (power bars, snacks, sandwiches). The summit view is mind blowingly awesome. Take your camera (not the Tripod).

Also, take on a nice hiking back-pack.


On the way back, take rest every 10 minutes, drink enough water. I really mean it, unless you want to visit an ER! :)


Cool websites for Monadnock:


http://www.qcc.mass.edu/brink/Trav-rec/mt_monad/about_mt.htm
http://www.qcc.mass.edu/brink/Trav-rec/mt_monad/mmwhite.html

Enjoy and have a Safe hiking!

Indian Groceries

If you are living in Merrimack Valley region, and looking to buy good indian groceries, check out the following:

Palika Bazar
(978) 441-1505
1290 Westford St, #J
Lowell, MA 01851 Get directions
Cross Streets: Between Parkhurst Rd/Drum Hill Rd and Technology Dr
Review: Good Vegetables and Dry groceries at Reasonable Price. Rest, I don't recommend.
Recommendation:**

East-West Foods
(978) 459-3663
1717 Middlesex St # 4
Lowell, MA 01851-1161Get directions
Very Next to ISSO Swaminarayan Temple
Review: Very Expensive and messy store. Hard to find things. Not Organized. I don't recommend.
Recommendation:*

Raja & Rana's Indian Market
(781) 272-3808
232 Cambridge St
Burlington, MA 01803 Get directions
Cross Streets: Near the intersection of Cambridge St and Skilton Ln
Review: Ok Indian store in the region. I recommend for dry groceries. Prices are reasonable.
Recommendation:***

Nature Trail

If you are a runner, walker or a biker and love nature, you must visit this trail that spawns across several towns with total of 25 miles. It's still in developing phase with first phase of 7 miles complete.

Visit the website for up-to-date information on construction status.

http://www.brucefreemanrailtrail.org/

Here is another good site to search for trails.
http://www.trails.com/trailfinder/browsebymap/?statecode=MA

Trip to a Beach

If you are looking to find a good beach around boston, I would recommend Revere beach is a good family beach. I don't like the water not being so clean, but the beach line is long with good city views. Ideal for a runner or a walker.

Recently, they had sand sculpting competition on July19th, 2009

Revere Beach
http://www.reverebeach.com/
Revere Beach BlvdRevere, MA

In your GPS put this address- 25 Revere Beach Blvd and it will take you right on Rever beach parkway.

Parking is a nightmare.

One of the best beach in this area is Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. It's also one of the top 3 cleanest beaches in the US

http://www.hamptonbeach.org/

You must take the following if you are going on a beach:
- Sun Screen Lotion
- Umbrella

Indian Temples

If you are Indian Hindu family and looking for Indian temples in the North of Boston area, below are the two temples I recommend.

ISSO Swaminarayan Temple
www.swaminarayan.info
1705 Middlesex StLowell, MA 01851
(978) 934-9391

BAPS Swaminarayan Temple
Boston BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
50 Stedman Street, Lowell, MA 01851. USA
Tel: (1-978) 458 4444
http://www.swaminarayan.org/globalnetwork/america/boston.htm

Framingham (Ashland, MA) Temple
http://www.srilakshmi.org/default.aspx

Why this Blog?

After living in this area for about 3 years now, I have felt a need of putting my tips/ideas and thoughts to help out similar Indian families. Everytime I am looking for either Indian grocery stores or Indian restaurants or even anything like things to do around, I had to spent lot of times on internet to search and actually go there and see it. There are not many websites on the internet that gives reviews of anything in simple human language. So, I have decided to write my personal honest reviews about anything I do or vist in this Boston suburb.