Scenic New Hampshire

When you're northbound on Route 93 in Massachusetts, having come directly from downtown Boston, within about 40 minutes you'll have noticed the buildings have thinned out a bit, and there are more trees. Civilization seems to recede, and the country takes over. Shortly, you come to the Merrimack River which flows eastwards towards Salem and the sea. However, on 93 as you continue northward, you find that you are on the Merrimack River bend, that it has not come from the west but from the north and made a sharp eastward turn. You cross the Merrimack River as you continue northward, and within minutes you encounter the friendly 'Welcome to New Hampshire' sign. Route 93 immediately collapses into 2 lanes, a virtual country road at this point, and gently swerves northward into the Granite State. On both sides of the road you see trees and large outcroppings of granite. The road will rise and fall, providing you as you continue northward with glimpses of the hills and valleys to come. This entrance into New Hampshire is pleasant, rustic and scenic.

However, your initial perception of New Hampshire depends on where you enter. If, for some adventurous reason, you decide to get off on exits 42-48 -- the last exist for 93 in northern Massachusetts -- in Andover or Methuen, and decide instead to catch the smaller Route 28 northward into New Hampshire, into Salem (NH), your first sensation will be.... trees? moose? quaint granite outcroppings? No, tattoo shops. Tattoos are apparently illegal in Massachusetts, and so some -- quite a few, in fact -- New Hampshire entrepreneurs have cashed in and offer their skin-dying (and piercing) services just across the New Hampshire border, giving one the effect of having entered a biker zone. Left and right on the first few miles of Route 28 in New Hampshire, tattoo shops have sprung up like mushrooms after a storm to service drunk sailors and love-struck teenagers...from Massachusetts. So the next time you're in Boston and feel the sudden need to immortalize Mom on your shoulder, head for Route 28 in New Hampshire, and take your pick.