Dreaming of a White Thanksgiving - New England and Quebec

Séminaire de Sherbrooke

Thanksgiving is a time when most Americans get a four day weekend which allows people travel to see their relatives.  There is a strong desire for most people, no matter what their ethnic origin or religious, to spend Thanksgiving with family.   Thanksgiving is a holiday dedicated to eating and appreciating the good

In my case, my sister recently moved to Vermont to teach at Norwich University.   We took a few days to drive up to New England to see her and my parents met us there.  We ended up staying at a resort in Lincoln, NH due to good location and price.  This was close to border to Vermont and Canada.

Because we had our exchange student from Finland with us (Miilia), we thought a day trip to Quebec was a good idea.  I decided upon Sherbrooke because it was closer to the USA border and was a typical Canadian, Québecois community.  It was also snowier in Canada.

As seen in downtown Sherbrooke, Quebec

Ben & Jerry's Factory

BurgerFi offered free frozen custard the day we visited at Harmon Meadows.

Driving from Maryland to New England can be a significant ordeal - traffic, construction, bad weather, and tolls.  It is recommended that travel be avoided during peak holiday travel days and rush hour.  It can literally add two or more hours to you trip.  I also recommend getting an EZPass.  It is not always cheaper, although sometimes there is a small discount, it is time that helps by breezing through toll stops.  The tolls from DC to Boston can easily be $50.

One other issue on this route is food choices are limited at rest areas served by toll roads.  Usually fast food and pizza are the main options, although choices have improved in recent years.  Almost all rest areas have Starbucks now.

One tip I will share is that at the end of the New Jersey turnpike is a shopping areas called Harmon Meadows.  It has several chain and nonchain restaurants along with free parking.  It is close to the interstate and one can jump on and off without paying the next toll before the George Washington Bridge.  The BurgerFi restaurant is quite good and reasonably priced.  https://www.mallscenters.com/malls/new-jersey/the-plaza-at-harmon-meadowThis is also a good place to get gas, although remember that in NJ, they will pump it for you.  It is not legal to pump you own gas in the state!

Another great meal stop on the drive to the Canadian border is the Chelsea Royal Diner near Brattleboro, Vermont.   I love vintage restaurants, ones older than 50 years old.  Chelsea Royal was founded in 1939.  The menu has many modern favorites yet old school items like split pea soup was also featured.

The diner had many vintage features still intact.

Vermont and New Hampshire are both known for their mountains, Green and White respectively.  The Green Mountains of Vermont are smoother and known for their amazing foliage in the Fall season.  The maple trees provide incredible maple syrup that is prized around the world.  New Hampshire, on the other hand, has rockier mountains, and is known as the Granite State.  The tallest peak on the East Coast is located in NH, Mount Washington.  Both states are known for cold weather, skiing, and gorgeous scenery.  If you plan to go shopping, NH is the best bet due to a lack of sales tax.

One of Vermont's biggest tourist attractions is the Ben & Jerry Ice Cream factory.  My kids went there and took the tour and sampled many flavors. 

Sherbrooke, Quebec

As I have observed during every trip I have ever made to Quebec, they are a French speaking province and just because it is Canada, do not expect a high English speaking fluency.  Sherbrooke is no exception.  Many residents speak English, yet not well and not easily.  All signs and directions are in French, including parking tickets. (be sure to pay the meters in Sherbrooke!)

Architecture of Sherbrooke is a mix of British and French styles.  The City Hall is an amazing Victorian structure yet it was too dark to get a decent picture of it by the time we found it. 

Sherbrooke is not a major tourist area yet a quaint and pleasant town for sure.  It is about an hour north of the Canadian border.  The downtown is very hilly and has many historic buildings.  There is one major shopping street in town with restaurants and boutiques.  We enjoyed a nice lunch at Cage Bla Bla.  I gave them a stunning review on TripAdvisor for the French onion soup, it was the best I had ever had and I order this dish a lot.  The burgers were good too, my daughter tried venison for the first time and they had beef and lamb too. 

Downtown Sherbrooke

Last stop:  Springfield, Massachusetts

Most famous basketball team on earth!

A Quebecois beer brand!

Downtown Sherbrooke

The highlight and claim to fame for Sprinfield, Massachusetts is the Basketball Hall of Fame.  The game was invented here!  The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is home to more than three hundred inductees and more than 40,000 square feet of basketball history.   One could easily spend four hours here.  The artifacts and history are fascinating.  There are films and areas to actually try your hand at dunking and shooting.

Famous Chuck Taylor and his legendary shoe

The Basketball Hall of Fame is not cheap to visit - the price to get in is $23 for adults, $15 for youth.  This would be unbeatable for any basketball fan, yet those without an interest should skip it.  My only complaint is that there was not enough emphasis on college teams yet their attempt to cover women's basketball was quite good.

Our final meal was terrific and at a very interesting and historic location!  The Student Prince Restaurant at the Fort.  Trust me, you want to order the pretzel!

http://www.studentprince.com/

Working and Walking in NYC

A striking WWI Memorial in NYC in Central Park I happen to walk past headed to a meeting.

Pumpkin ravioli with brown butter, feta and squash.

When traveling for work, many are glued to their phones, laptops, etc.  If the weather is nice, take a break from the screen and get outside even if only for a lunch break or stretch.  And if you find yourself with meetings all over town, figure out how to get around on foot to take advantage of your surroundings.  Walking in cities such as NYC are time and cost effective as the traffic is usually slow and cabs can expensive!

This week I had 24 hours in NYC with weather perfection!   That was just good luck and I took full advantage of it!  I also had two very important meetings and about two hours in the middle. 

One of the best parts of my 24 hours in NYC was the working lunch at Boulud Sud.  The Express Lunch is only $19.  One travel secret that should not be a secret is that breakfast and lunch are cheaper meals than dinner at most restaurants.  That is a great way to save money and eat at exceptional places.  

I had the amazing Fall inspired pumpkin ravioli, seen here.  It was warm, slightly sweet, slightly savory, and buttery.  Dessert was an incredible Turkish coffee cube with pistachio ice cream, see below.   The restaurant is close to Columbus Circle and Central Park, convenient to subway and walkable from many major landmarks.  http://www.bouludsud.com/

Turkish coffee block aka mousse with hazelnuts inside!

After lunch, I sat in Central Park to check my email and decided to walk from the West Side at 64th Street to the Upper East Side meeting across the park and about 30 blocks away!   I gauged the time and had to walk fast yet it was well worth it based on the fresh air, scenery, people watching and general pleasant mood it put me in that day.

When I happened to walk past the entrance to the Delacorte Clock, the half-hourly chimes were going off and it was surreal.  Just lovely and free for anyone who is lucky enough to be in the vicinity.   http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/delacorte-clock.html

I got out of my second meeting at dusk and walked past the incredible Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum.  While it costs $25 to go inside, the physical presence of the building from the street is spectacular.   I decided to look it up online to learn more about it while taking pictures and went in the gift shop before it closed.  Google is a great when walking around as you can find instant trivia and history of a given location in real time.   Just make sure you have the data and juice in your phone.

All it takes to enjoy bite sized travel experiences is open eyes and flexibility.   Everyone carries a walking encyclopedia and a camera in their pocket.   Don't let the fact that you don't have an entire day in an amazing city be the reason to miss out on little experiences that you will keep as memories forever!

Delacorte Clock with chimes

Walking as tourists gawk from topless bus

Autumn on the Chesapeake Bay right off of I-95 - one hour well spent!

Better than your average chain restaurant view...

File this under "unexpected excursion in less than an hour"!  Many people spend their Saturday and Sundays running from one errand to another.  Or they have a birthday party or soccer game to take their kid(s) to and feel like they spent the whole weekend in the car.  Our family is no different.  The key to adding fun and travel to your day is to figure out a way to add an excursion to the schedule.

For example, we had to go to the market and to pick up a few items from a family member who lived 1/2 hour away.  We are excited to see them and had a nice visit.  Then we stopped by a nice farmers market, Richardson Farm in Baltimore County. http://richardsonfarms.net/  for a few essentials.  I knew we were very close to the Hammerman Beach area of Gunpowder Falls State Park and decided to take the girls there for a nice break in our hectic weekend.

For those traveling up and down Interstate 95, this quiet and lovely park is only 9 miles off of this heavily traveled road.  By the time it would take to go to a mid-grade chain restaurant, you could swing by Richardson Farm, grab a sandwich or fresh chicken and sides and have a picnic on the Chesapeake Bay...all for less than the cost of this restaurant!  One hour and you would be back on your way.  Prices to get into Hammerman range from $3-6 depending on your car's license plate state of residence.  Military are half price.  The waterfront is lovely and in mid-week, not very crowded.  On a late October day, it was practically empty.

Better atmosphere than at McDonalds.

So business travelers sitting in traffic on I-95...this may be a good way to spend your lunch hour AND miss out on some of the grid lock.

Girls writing their names in the sand.

Gunpowder Falls State Park Hammerman Beach area less than 10 miles from I-95

What kind of traveler are you? And what kind of traveler am I?

Congratulations!  So you are ready to embark on your new travel lifestyle and starting close to home here in the USA.  This should be easy, right?  You are a native born American, speak the language, have seen some of the USA already, so you are ready for the open road...

Well, before you go, consider your travel "personality":  Which of the below statements speaks most to you:

• Early to bed, early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise.
• A place for everything and everything in its place.
• I thrive on chaos.
• Make new friends, and keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.
• Been there, done that, next?
• The only thing domestic about me, is I live in a house.
• Too much is never enough.

Now compare your answer to those who will be traveling with you.  Do they match?  If you are going solo, you need not be as concerned.   The fundamental issue before you leave on any trip is to recognize your limits.  There are many types of limits:  financial, time, ability, attention span, physical endurance, tolerance for dirt, etc.  Understanding your limits and respecting the limits of others, is crucial for a successful trip.

In this blog, you can assume a these things about me.

• I am middle of the road in terms of strenuous activity.
• I am a middle class, not luxury traveler.
• I am excited by new experiences, people and locations.
• I am not afraid to try new foods or talk to strangers.
• I require eight hours of sleep so super early mornings and late nights are rare.
• I am usually traveling with teenagers, not toddlers.
• I am comfortable in places where I am the minority in terms of race, religion, culture.
• I can travel eight hours a day easily, by car or plane.
• I can drive anywhere I need to go by myself as long as I have a map/GPS.
• I have a good (not great) sense of direction.
• I don't mind walking or taking public transportation.
• I am not a vegetarian.
• I have liberal political beliefs.
• I am a big tipper and like to simulate the local economy while traveling.
• I scour the Internet for deals and use travel websites regularly.
• I am flexible while traveling with others.
• I will come to your house to visit if you invite me (consider yourself warned).

Think of the above statements and where you think you fit on a spectrum.  You will find this blog the most helpful if you are similar to me in terms of travel style yet will add tidbits that differ as I think they are important.  

Enjoy the journey!