I've given up on sticking to the chronology of last summer but a brief stay in Rockport, Massachusetts was easily one of my favorite parts of one of my favorite trips last summer.

Mallory and I bought tickets to see Céline Dion in Montréal on her francophone tour last August. With tickets in hand, we planned a dreamy northeastern roadtrip around the bucket-list concert. Mallory had never been to the east coast (!!!) so as we shopped around for flights, we talked about different options. We ultimately settled on flying into Boston and from there roadtripping to Québec (side note: cross-border car rentals/returns are a fairly unique situation so do your research! We did not have any issues on this trip, but be sure to read the fine print so you don't have any vacation headaches). We kept a pretty steady pace and maximized the limited time we had—looking back, I am honestly amazed at all we saw and did! If I were to plan the same kind of trip again, I would probably do a few things differently (there were a lot of variables, which at times proved to be pinch points). But despite the headaches we experienced at times, there were so many memorable moments and sights and it was such a great trip.

We flew into Boston (a redeye? probably, but I try to block them from my memory, which probably explains why I keep falling for their time-saving efficiencies even though they are terrible) and then picked up our rental car and set out to see the city. I'd been to Boston years earlier, but it was so fun to revisit and explore with Mallory. We ate so. much. good. food. We spent the day exploring the city, then in the evening tried to avoid rush-hour traffic as we headed to the coast and our Airbnb in Rockport.

After my trip, I got a sharp reprimand :) from Age for going to Rockport without her; her aunt and uncle live there and she spent a magical few weeks with them not long before my stop in town. She'd wanted me to come with her so she could introduce me to one of her favorite places—I'M SORRY AGE AND I WILL GO WITH YOU TO ROCKPORT AT LITERALLY ANY TIME HENCEFORTH SIGNED SEALED DELIVERED I'M YOURS TRAVEL BUDDIES 4 LIFE.

Rockport was sooo dreamy and we wished we'd had days there instead of mere hours. We meandered through town and enjoyed a swim in the Atlantic at dusk (one of my favorite times of day for swimming—the air is cool but the ocean is still warm, holding onto its last warmth from a sunny day), followed by clam chowder at a local cafe. The treetops and eaves of the clapboard and shingled houses glowed golden and the light had such a magical quality about it (not just at dusk—in the morning, too).

Our time in Rockport was ever so brief, but incredibly lovely. We left the next morning on our roadtrip north with a few more stops on the way. I'll leave it at that for now, but now for the photos—I cannot get over that beautiful light.

I loved this little bookstore and its nod to Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows."

Rockport, Massachusetts — 10/10 would recommend.