hampton beach, nh

[jackstraw]

so wheres a good place to live between portsmouth and good NH skiing?

That's a tough question.

To ski NH, you want access to Rt16 or Rt101 to Rt93. If you're a lake person, then obviously the lakes region is nice. I kind of think you either want to be in the seacoast or the mtns. Tough to be in the middle. I can get to Cannon in 2hrs from Hampton. It's about the same to N. Conway, but Rt16 is a bit tougher of a drive.

The biggest problem is you'll want to be in northern VT to ski because that's where it snows.

[riser4]

That's a tough question.

To ski NH, you want access to Rt16 or Rt101 to Rt93. If you're a lake person, then obviously the lakes region is nice. I kind of think you either want to be in the seacoast or the mtns. Tough to be in the middle. I can get to Cannon in 2hrs from Hampton. It's about the same to N. Conway, but Rt16 is a bit tougher of a drive.

The biggest problem is you'll want to be in northern VT to ski because that's where it snows.

Most years. Except for that recent year when Boston got more snow than here. In one storm, iirc. Crazy year. 2016-17 if memory serves me correctly. Northern VT misses the coastal storms, however Jay Peak does get an amazing amount of reach around snow from those same storms that bend it over and give it dry. So if you are retired and got the means, be a storm chaser. Upper valley is not a bad place to be in the middle of it. You can pick the left bank of the river or the wrong side of the river, your choice.

[schuss]

Depends what else you like. Up 16 is the easy choice, but you don't get cheap until Milton or so and gate yourself off from easy drives to VT as there's not many good cross-NH routes north of 4.
Alternatively, if you do something like Deerfield, you're between 16 and 93 for easy access to things and can hit 4 or 101 for Portsmouth access while having great parks like Bear Brook nearby. Only thing is there's just not much between the cities due to how close other things are.
If you enjoy rock climbing or specific water activities it's a different answer as well, as you have world class (but buggy) bouldering at Pawtuckaway, sport in Rumney and trad in N Conway.

[AdironRider]

If I was looking at a retirement joint it would be Sugar Hill / Franconia. Beach in 2 hours. Within an hour to Dartmouth Hitchcock for healthcare. All the beauty of Vermont with all the financial benefits of NH. Littleton for all your tax free shopping needs.

Otherwise I'd say stick to the seacoast and buy a little getaway up north in the Conway area. You could pick up a place for mid 100's all in and cover the nut renting it out when you aren't there.

[iceman]

If I was looking at a retirement joint it would be Sugar Hill / Franconia.

I dunno, gettin' a little close to Buttah up that way.

[jackstraw]

I dunno, gettin' a little close to Buttah up that way.

Ha!

I agree though. Sugar Hill is a cool spot. A bit desolate, but really nice. Prices up there are not as cheap as one would assume. I was looking at property for a bit and could not justify it.

The other side in N. Conway you can rent it out a bit easier.

Super close to From_The_Nek.

[Obstruction]

^^killer town....wife already planning our retirement in NH in 3 years...make that 2 years/11 months but whose counting.

Wife and I have been talking about Portsmouth as a retirement destination for many years. I love cool little cities and it’s one of the best in my estimation. We’re about an hour away north of Boston now and go up there a fair amount. Problem is by the time we tick all the boxes - walkable to downtown, decent sized yard, cool neighborhood and a garage the price tag is nuts (even considering I plan on selling my metro Boston spread for stupid dough.) I’m mulling over the Kittery option could be walkable to downtown if you find the right place and prices look more reasonable. Ipswich and Newburyport are the two leading alternatives though. Longer drive to the snow though,

[AdironRider]

Ha!

I agree though. Sugar Hill is a cool spot. A bit desolate, but really nice. Prices up there are not as cheap as one would assume. I was looking at property for a bit and could not justify it.

The other side in N. Conway you can rent it out a bit easier.

Super close to From_The_Nek.

Yeah, I guess I wasn't super clear but that mid-100's number is for Conway and not Sugar Hill, where mid-100's will get you a raw land lot maybe.

[Woodsy]

Newicks is pretty bad compared to other offerings. Franklin oyster house is also great. Be aware: its UNH move in weekend so it may be more shitshow than normal.

Wifes mom took us there ( she lives in Portsmouth, wife is from tiny town near N Conway.)
For a guy from Utah, the lobsters and beer were good.
Think its all I ever get there.

[From_the_NEK]

Ha!

I agree though. Sugar Hill is a cool spot. A bit desolate, but really nice. Prices up there are not as cheap as one would assume. I was looking at property for a bit and could not justify it.

The other side in N. Conway you can rent it out a bit easier.

Super close to From_The_Nek.

Yep, I can almost see Sugar Hill from my house on the right side of the river.
Sugar Hill is expensive to buy (supply/demand).
Some slightly less trendy areas just south of there (the three L's Landaff, Lisbon, Lyman, and also Bath) can often have cheaper property.

[jackstraw]

Wife and I have been talking about Portsmouth as a retirement destination for many years. I love cool little cities and it’s one of the best in my estimation. We’re about an hour away north of Boston now and go up there a fair amount. Problem is by the time we tick all the boxes - walkable to downtown, decent sized yard, cool neighborhood and a garage the price tag is nuts (even considering I plan on selling my metro Boston spread for stupid dough.) I’m mulling over the Kittery option could be walkable to downtown if you find the right place and prices look more reasonable. Ipswich and Newburyport are the two leading alternatives though. Longer drive to the snow though,

For us Portsmouth has become almost too big and too busy, but that's just typical of any tourist town for old fart locals. We do go to Kittery more often than not these days or we stay on the outskirts of downtown proper. Again like other places, the cooler hang out (breweries, etc) are forced in the lower rent areas.

Portland ME is another great city that is expanding into the industrial zones.

[schuss]

For us Portsmouth has become almost too big and too busy, but that's just typical of any tourist town for old fart locals. We do go to Kittery more often than not these days or we stay on the outskirts of downtown proper. Again like other places, the cooler hang out (breweries, etc) are forced in the lower rent areas.

Portland ME is another great city that is expanding into the industrial zones.

Yep. Kittery has great restaurants and is more laid back, and Portland is a class above Portsmouth in beer and food. Portsmouth is land-limited and Dover has yet to prove it can support great restaurants, so most end up in Portland with a few scattered between. South Berwick is a great example of a stealthy town with great access and good local stuff (thistle pig is amazing). They even have a town ski hill with a rope tow.
Any interesting stuff is happening on the west end of Portsmouth, but even that is rapidly building up.

[iceman]

Going to Portland in a few weeks, love that city. Yeah it's growing but the city proper is on a peninsula and can't really grow too much. Man I remember Portland when I was a kid, it was a complete dump (Portsmouth was too, but not as bad). I can still see Portland from those days in my mind, what a change.

Another really good city in the same general vein is Halifax. Very cool town.

[riser4]

Going to Portland in a few weeks, love that city. Yeah it's growing but the city proper is on a peninsula and can't really grow too much. Man I remember Portland when I was a kid, it was a complete dump (Portsmouth was too, but not as bad). I can still see Portland from those days in my mind, what a change.

Another really good city in the same general vein is Halifax. Very cool town.

Haven't been to Halifax. Call me a weirdo, however, i like Fredericton a lot. Headed there this weekend to dump the kid off for year three at UNB.

[iceman]

Yeah somehow I've never set foot in New Brunswick, it's not on purpose and I've been right next to it a few times. I'd like to check out Saint John some time too. No idea what's there.

[riser4]

Yeah somehow I've never set foot in New Brunswick, it's not on purpose and I've been right next to it a few times. I'd like to check out Saint John some time too. No idea what's there.

Saint John is very industrial. So is Moncton. Fredericton is sleepy, and sorta like a combination of Burlington with a Montpelier vibe, in VT terms. I like the beer at Picaroon's and sitting outside on their lawn looking over the river at the lights of Fredericton.

[iceman]

Halifax is like a mini Boston, the downtown was kind of modeled on Boston in a way, the main central parks are the Common and the Public Garden just like Boston. But it's much hillier and much smaller and way more relaxed. Beautiful harbor and lots of ferries. I love ferries. t's pretty modern since basically the whole downtown got blown the fuck up in 1917 when a ship full of high explosives blew up in the harbor and all the really old stuff got destroyed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion

I've been all the way to Sydney NS, it was cool to see, amazing scenery, but bleak as shit. Former coal-mining and steelmaking center, now all gone and still missed.

[riser4]

A nice drive is out east on US 1, then go to Lubec, and on to Campobello Island. Take the ferry to Deer Island from Welshpool. If it's running. I heard it doesn't run every summer. . From there you can take another ferry to mainland NB and eventually NB 1. Stop for beer in Saint John. Finish your drive to Halifax.

[iceman]

or from Halifax go down to Yarmouth, take the car ferry back to Portland and done. Make a bigass loop out of it.

[Brock Landers]

Place sucks

Cape.

[Obstruction]

A nice drive is out east on US 1, then go to Lubec, and on to Campobello Island. Take the ferry to Deer Island from Welshpool. If it's running. I heard it doesn't run every summer. . From there you can take another ferry to mainland NB and eventually NB 1. Stop for beer in Saint John. Finish your drive to Halifax.

Another cool stopping off spot is St. Andrews. Sort of like a mini-Bar Harbor. (Heh, mini-Bar).

Also worth a visit if you’re doing a NE to Halifax drive, and you’re up for a bit of a detour, is Advocate Harbor on the Bay of Fundy. Had a great dinner there one night at a place called Wild Caraway.

[riser4]

Another cool stopping off spot is St. Andrews. Sort of like a mini-Bar Harbor. (Heh, mini-Bar).

Also worth a visit if you’re doing a NE to Halifax drive, and you’re up for a bit of a detour, is Advocate Harbor on the Bay of Fundy. Had a great dinner there one night at a place called Wild Caraway.

Drove through St Andrews to look during off season. It looks nice. Bay of Fundy is funny like that, it's got gems interspersed with nothing. Wish I had the cash to buy a camp somewhere up there.

[iceman]

Place sucks

Cape.

Brock! where you been man? Yeah the Cape is cool. And instead of driving 12 hours across Nova Scotia you can spend 12 hours on 28 getting from Hyannis to Dennis.

[Tele 'til You're Smelly]

Anyone go to the Hot Tuna show at the Casino in the 80s ('84 maybe?) that Robert Hunter was supposed to warm up for but was sick? I remember the venue had a dress code that prohibited cut-offs, so a bunch of guys bought cheap tapestry skirts at the nearby hippie store and they let them in wearing those- pretty funny.

(back when guys wore short cut-off jeans)

[jackstraw]

Anyone go to the Hot Tuna show at the Casino in the 80s ('84 maybe?) that Robert Hunter was supposed to warm up for but was sick? I remember the venue had a dress code that prohibited cut-offs, so a bunch of guys bought cheap tapestry skirts at the nearby hippie store and they let them in wearing those- pretty funny.

(back when guys wore short cut-off jeans)

Casino was so harsh back then. Bouncers wore tux shirt, bow tie and were for the most part complete douchebags...and I knew several of them. The management at the time was the issue, but the 70's were a bit out of control down there, so I guess it evolved into a militant venue. The list of performers who have played that little venue is pretty impressive. From BB King, The Who, Hendrix, U2, Zeppelin, Phish, Janis, Ramones, JGB, Bobby, and the list goes on.

Very different today thankfully with Fred running it, but still fairly tight because you have to be with the shitshow of Hampton beach clientele.