The house
A three-level Victorian, and the city it’s sat in.
kept by John Orlando, who has never lived anywhere else
I didn’t build this house and I won’t pretend to know exactly when it went up.
What I can tell you is what it’s like to live in it: three floors, a fireplace in the lobby that gets used, a garden out back that gets tended, and windows that catch the outer harbor at the right hour of the morning.
Gloucester’s outer harbor is the oldest working waterfront in the country, and it’s still working — you’ll hear it before you see it some mornings. We’re on Stacy Boulevard, directly across from the Man at the Wheel. Pavilion Beach is five minutes on foot; downtown’s galleries and restaurants, a bit further past that.
The particulars
Everything worth writing down.
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Location
71 Western Ave, on Stacy Boulevard, directly across from the Man at the Wheel fishermen’s memorial.
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The house
Three levels. A fireplace in the lobby. A garden behind it. Five rooms, individually decorated — not matched.
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The view
The outer harbor, visible from most of the bay windows on the harbor side.
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Breakfast
Fresh fruit and pastries, sourced from around Cape Ann. Continental, complimentary, every morning.
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On foot
Pavilion Beach, five minutes. Downtown Gloucester’s galleries and restaurants, a short walk further.
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Online since
1995 — one of the first B&Bs on Cape Ann to bother with a website.