Salem, Mass.

God damn, I love this city.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Mark Twain got that right. I've been fortunate enough to get to travel around the USA a bit, and have seen my fair share of cities, towns, hollers and villages: big and small. And boy I'll tell you what (if you said that how I think you said it, you're alright),  I can't quit this city.

 It's got everything a good coastal New England city should have: Damn good seafood, beaches of varied-qualities, good parks with questionable playgrounds (I've seen that metal slide you guys have), stark wealth disparity, and enough preserved colonial nautical history to support some decent museums and local legends.

But there's so much more: Salem supports a vibrant arts community, a strong LGBT community, and boasts some of the nicest people I've come across in Massachusetts. Every time I come here, the minute I hit Essex street, I feel like it's the first time I've been able to exhale deeply since the last time I left. I make as much effort as I can to stay away from the well beaten paths just to take it all in and enjoy myself.

Now, the gorilla in the room: Tourism.

We get it, the Salem Witch Trials lasted for a little over a year, three centuries ago. As a practicing Witch, we all hold a place in our hearts for the innocent people unjustly accused and murdered during this period of hysteria. "The Witch City" is plastered over just about everything, and half the city is branded in some way to make it clear what was chosen for it to be known for.

For Salem, this evolved into a local identity, and perhaps unintentionally grew into a safe haven for Pagans as a result. It's true, you can't throw a medium Dunkins iced coffee without hitting three witch shops downtown. Shit, I bought my first pentacle here, furnished my altar, and built a sizeable portion of my library from Salem shops as well. The reason being: because no one fucking gave me a second look doing it. No one judged, clutched their pearls, told me I was going to hell; nothing, just, "thanks for stopping by, have a great day!". I feel SAFE here, and that's worth its' weight in fucking gold.

Sure, there's museums historical and memorabilia related, attractions, more souvenir shops than you can shake a mini broom at,  and a growing number of tourist traps. But if you take the time to stray off the beaten path and really dig into the city, I can promise you with a significant level of certainty that you won't be disappointed. Salem is more than its' Witches: It's one of the most important port towns in the Thirteen Colonies, and a lot of it is still standing and deserves to be seen.