In my Mass. house I just installed a 6 circuit transfer switch that I had bought 2 years ago. It was this model switch
http://www.reliancecontrols.com/Prod...il.aspx?20216A
with the outdoor receptacle. I installed it myself and it was pretty easy, taking me about two hours to install (switch and outdoor plug). The only thing I would do over again is install a larger switch, they have a 10 circuit switch so I could have more options to simple switch things on an off. It is important not to draw more current than the generator can supply, this switch has watt meters on it.
The only other problem I had was my generator was a coleman 4000 watt model, the 240v plug only had 3 prongs, 2 hot and 1 ground. The switch has a 4 wire plug. I rewired the generator with a 4 wire plug, and made it a floating neutral, which allows the generator to be grounded thru the house ground and is safer in when connected like this.
I also had to adjust my generator as it was putting out 136 volts, the adjustment turned out to be simple as I slowed down the engine so that it produced 120 volts.
The switch is the best option for me as my wife can easily connect the generator.
For now, if I need power at the lake I run a couple extension cords and hook up what I need. We haven't had an extended outage in my area in Moultonboro in many years.