Who IS this?

 Who am I? I would like to keep my anonymity here. I know, that's a big ask these days. But all I ask for is the minimum of respect for my privacy.  I love Salem because it's one of the few places I feel comfortable enough in to relax socially, so don't fuck that up for me. You can call me Jack, or VW.

First and Foremost: I am not profiting from this in any way. No ads, no donations from businesses, no social media accounts, no merch. No one's paying to get on these lists, and I'm sure as hell not paying or asking to get special treatment anywhere. The last thing Salem needs is another influencer walking around with an action cam, and I'd rather take a header into a waste processing drainage ditch than contribute to the social media tourism industry choking the life out of Downtown Salem. 

This whole project started back in 2016, roundabouts. My partner and I visit Salem well, a lot; we're THOSE people in the friends group. What started as a pdf for friends and family somehow took off when I started sharing it online, and now every year, hundreds of people message me asking for "The List". So instead of the constant battle to copy and paste the share link, fuck it, here we go.

I'm fine with it really, I enjoy getting to share my love for the city and helping people plan their vacations. For me it's the ultimate, "Ooooh! There's this really cool place, lets go together and explore!" It doesn't matter if I've already been there and researched it extensively, I love witnessing the wonder of exploration, leading to a shared enjoyment and appreciation.

I'm going to get this out of the way now, so lets be clear: This...blog? (fuck am I a blogger now?) is written by a sleep deprived, night-shift working, foul-mouthed Pagan. I am not going to mince my words or tip-toe across the broken glass of fragile egos.

That said: I am not a Salem Local. As much as I'd love to live there, as anyone in the North Shore will tell you: Who has that kind of money these days?

I have visited Salem multiple times a year, for over 10 years now. Everything here is based on my own experience. My trips, my evening strolls, my occasionally-shameless people-watching, but most importantly: My Research. There are things that are not in this guide. Does it mean I don't recommend them? No! More often than not, I haven't gone there enough to the point where I feel I've made an educated decision to recommend them to people I care about. Everything on this setup is something I would consciously send my best friends to (and in most cases have taken them to and gotten their feedback as well). I also keep tabs on the numerous social media platforms and sub-reddits.

The Opinions stated here are mine, based off personal experience, and local sources. Can I be wrong? Fuck yeah, absolutely. Will you disagree with something I say? Won't be the first time. Show me evidence, support your argument. If I'm wrong about something, I'll own up to it and change it. You can just as easily ignore me here and go on the mountain of tourism sites. If you're a business, treat me like a bad review. But if you're going to make a t shirt out of it like that whaling museum, please send me one first.

One hill I will die on is honesty. I am not above taking out my good tea set, airing the laundry,  whatever metaphor you want to use. If there's gossip, I'm posting hyperlinks. If I found it, so can you with a google search; I'm just saving you the trouble of scrolling. Everyone should be mindful of who they support these days. Accountability for ones actions should be supported, and I don't know about you, but I like supporting good human beings.

My goal here is to set you up with the knowledge to walk downtown Salem, see the sites, meet good people, eat good food, and buy cool shit. That's it.