An outsider’s perspective
STAFF PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK
I’ll admit, I don’t quite understand Marblehead yet.
As a born-and-raised Lynn, Lynn City of Sinner, Marblehead has always been like a whole other world to me. I’ve come for a day at Devereux Beach, I’ve come to beat your Little League softball teams (many, many times….), and I’ve come to drive around the Neck to look at all those gorgeous houses.
It felt less like a town and more of a destination.
In my mind, it’s Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard– and then Marblehead. In other words, a place where you can buy a pillow with a lobster on it.
I never came to just see Marblehead. It’s a place I came to, saw, and turned back around and drove out. It wasn’t a place in which I ever cared to spend too much time.
To be honest, I thought Marblehead was snobby and stuck-up. I thought it was a place that took itself far too seriously with its fancy homes and pristine coast. I believed that it was a town that didn’t care about welcoming outsiders, especially city slickers like me.
Before you get upset that a Lynner like me is misrepresenting Marblehead, let me explain myself.
I have spent the past two weeks immersing myself in everything Marblehead. I’ve drunk your coffee (I’ll get into that later), walked your streets, gone to your meetings, and tried to find parking in Old Town– “tried” is the key word there.
Your town is nothing like the city I grew up in. It seems like it’s quiet enough to hear the waves crashing on the Neck while I’m driving by Tedesco (Some may say this means that Marblehead is a sleepy town, but I’d use the term idyllic). You could stand anywhere in Marblehead and the view is a work of art.
And of course, the shores are beautiful, but that goes without saying.
In my time exploring your town, I’ve experienced the true gem that is Old Town. As an architecture buff– specifically for historic architecture (once again, I’ll get into that later), Old Town is a treasure trove for me.
Perhaps even more unique than the sights is the culture.
Small towns have their quirks and eccentricities, and Marbleheaders are proud of these.
There’s a type of pride in being a Marbleheader that you don’t really see anywhere else. It’s a sort of pride that you can feel when you walk around town and take in its history. A pride in being the birthplace of the American Navy, a pride that makes you want to raise a family here, a pride even outsiders can sense.
Sure, I don’t know everything about Marblehead.
I’ll probably never know as much as the people who have grown up here and call it home. But in such little time, I have already learned so much more than I could have imagined.
I hope that as I continue to dig deeper into your community, you’ll welcome my curiosity.
As a born-and-raised Lynn, Lynn City of Sinner, Marblehead has always been like a whole other world to me. I’ve come for a day at Devereux Beach, I’ve come to beat your Little League softball teams (many, many times….), and I’ve come to drive around the Neck to look at all those gorgeous houses.
It felt less like a town and more of a destination.
In my mind, it’s Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard– and then Marblehead. In other words, a place where you can buy a pillow with a lobster on it.
I never came to just see Marblehead. It’s a place I came to, saw, and turned back around and drove out. It wasn’t a place in which I ever cared to spend too much time.
To be honest, I thought Marblehead was snobby and stuck-up. I thought it was a place that took itself far too seriously with its fancy homes and pristine coast. I believed that it was a town that didn’t care about welcoming outsiders, especially city slickers like me.
Before you get upset that a Lynner like me is misrepresenting Marblehead, let me explain myself.
I have spent the past two weeks immersing myself in everything Marblehead. I’ve drunk your coffee (I’ll get into that later), walked your streets, gone to your meetings, and tried to find parking in Old Town– “tried” is the key word there.
Your town is nothing like the city I grew up in. It seems like it’s quiet enough to hear the waves crashing on the Neck while I’m driving by Tedesco (Some may say this means that Marblehead is a sleepy town, but I’d use the term idyllic). You could stand anywhere in Marblehead and the view is a work of art.
And of course, the shores are beautiful, but that goes without saying.
In my time exploring your town, I’ve experienced the true gem that is Old Town. As an architecture buff– specifically for historic architecture (once again, I’ll get into that later), Old Town is a treasure trove for me.
Perhaps even more unique than the sights is the culture.
Small towns have their quirks and eccentricities, and Marbleheaders are proud of these.
There’s a type of pride in being a Marbleheader that you don’t really see anywhere else. It’s a sort of pride that you can feel when you walk around town and take in its history. A pride in being the birthplace of the American Navy, a pride that makes you want to raise a family here, a pride even outsiders can sense.
Sure, I don’t know everything about Marblehead.
I’ll probably never know as much as the people who have grown up here and call it home. But in such little time, I have already learned so much more than I could have imagined.
I hope that as I continue to dig deeper into your community, you’ll welcome my curiosity.