I love the East Coast and especially during the fall season. Sandi and I joined one of my sisters (Edna) and one of my cousins (Muna) this October and went in search of fall foliage. We flew into JFK on Virgin Airlines for a great rate. The seating is so much more comfortable than on United and American. I think this is my new favorite airlines. We flew to NYC on Tuesday, September 28th and saw a beautiful sunset before we landed.
We ate at a few places but I think our favorite was the newly opened Eataly which is the creation of Chef Mario Batali. He and Lydia Bastianich created this space which is both market and restaurant. You can shop for fresh produce and imported supplies as well as enjoy delicious food at the different food stations. The place was packed. A 50,000-square-foot temple of Italian food and wine that is inspired by the original Eataly, located in Torino, Italy which I have yet to go to. The space is broken up into various food stations and eating areas. Of course we started at the Pasta station where pasta was made fresh and being cut by hand however they didn’t serve gluten-free pasta so we moved to the Il Pesce. I think this was a blessing in disguise. We enjoyed some Flor Prosecco and shared samples of the smoked salmon, the Branzino al Forno which was a whole branzino (Mediterranean Sea bass) stuffed with parsley, garlic, and lemon, roasted on top of sliced potatoes. Again, the fish was very fresh and cooked perfectly. We also had the striped bass, two different soups, and roasted pink beets, Brussels sprouts and carrots. Everything was very yummy!
We saw Mario walking around so we took a couple of pictures and Sandi asked him why they don’t have gluten-free pasta. He told her of course they have it (corn and rice flour) and took her to the pasta counter to get some. They told him it hadn’t come in yet and would be available next week. So I missed it by a week. Honestly I enjoyed the various fish we tried. We also had gelato. The pistachio gelato was very good.
On our last day in NYC, we rented a car and headed into Vermont where we were going to stay at the Ira Allen House off route 7. This was supposed to be a bed and breakfast where we had a two bedroom suite, a sitting area and bathrooms. When we got there, we realized that the Jones family that runs the place didn’t quiet tell the truth about this place. It certainly felt short of our expectations so we cut our stay short and only stayed the night. I don’t know how people can sell a place based on half truths. I really thought they lied about the accommodations. It sure would have been nice if they had bothered to remodel since the place is over 200 years old. The inn was built by Ethan Allen and his brother Ira Allen who was the surveyor-general of Vermont.
We left Manchester in a hurry so we could get away from the Ira Allen House. Our destination was the Hilton in Burlington, Vermont. Our wonderful drive north into Burlington via Highway 7 took us through Green Mountain National Park. The colors were magnificent! Bright Reds, Golds, and Greens that turned the landscape into a beautiful impressionist painting.
On the way to Burlington, we spent part of the day in Woodstock, Vermont. Woodstock is the perfect example of what I think of when I think of Vermont. The farms, the covered bridges, the foliage, steeples and blue skies with puffy white clouds. We had lunch at Bentley’s (http://bentleysrestaurant.com) where I had the best Chili I have had and I am not a huge fan of Chili either. This was homemade, delicious and lived up to its name, Blue Ribbon Chili.
Burlington has a pedestrian mall called the Church Street Marketplace in the heart of downtown. It’s a fun place to be day or night. There are lots of shops, boutiques, restaurants, and performers. University of Vermont provides added culture and a diverse group of young people and their families to the Marketplace. We tried Penny Cluse Café (http://pennycluse.com) for breakfast and it was definitely worth the wait. One of the things they are known for is the bucket-o-spuds, a heaping mound of homefries with melted cheese, salsa, sour cream & green onions with an egg on top. To balance that we ordered the fresh fruit plate, French Toast, Smoked Salmon, and other breakfast dishes.
Ben & Jerry’s is in nearby Waterbury just 25 miles away so the cow culture is definitely alive and kicking in Burlington. Of course we had to have the great ice cream.
Burlington also holds a respectable sized Farmers’ Market. Being on the road doesn’t stop me from going to Farmers’ Markets. I am an avid foodie and I love outdoor markets. As you can see in the photos below, the market was a pretty good size and had a variety of produce, meat, cheese, bread and craft booths. We bought fresh Vermont apples that were sweet, sour and crisp in every delicious bite. We also grabbed some artisan bread loaves, a variety of cheeses including caraway seed cheese that was so yummy from Crawford farms. We also picked up some fresh basil, tomatoes and olives for our road trip sandwiches.
The region has the spectacular natural beauty of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains. After spending the day among the crowds at the Marketplace, we took a walk on Lake Champlain’s boardwalk. The boardwalk area immediately provided a sense of peace to counter the energy and excitement of the crowds at the Marketplace. As we walked along the boardwalk in Burlington Vermont, we can look over the horizon and see the state of New York.
At the end of our stay in Burlington, as we were leaving to Montreal, we decided to take highway 2 through the Champlain Lake Islands north towards Canada. There are many islands and charming homes on the lake. We took the road to enjoy the beauty that is Lake Champlain and to also find Saint Anne’s Shrine, a Spiritual Sanctuary in the Lake Champlain Islands. We stopped in and lit candles and said prayers for family members and especially my Aunt Layla and my niece Elizabeth Anne who was a special gift from St. Anne. Regardless of your beliefs, it’s a spiritual setting with the small white chapel, an outdoor worship area sitting on the shore of Lake Champlain. The site is also a historical site. The lakeshore in front of the chapel is marked as the location of a landing by Samuel de Champlain in 1609. He was the first European to visit the Lake and islands that bear his name.
We made it to Montreal, QC, Canada after going through the checkpoint where I was wondering if we were all going to get arrested. While we were being interrogated by the border guard, Sandi decided to take her camera out and try to take pictures of him and the booth. He didn’t like that at all. So just like I had been to NYC a few times, I had been to Montreal a few times before. We had a couple of nights in town. The highlights of our trip into Montreal this time were our re-visit to St. Joseph’s Oratory. We happened to be there during mass which was in French. There was a woman singing during mass that sounded like an angel. I pulled out my Sony Camcorder and captured a few seconds before the tap on the shoulder came telling me that there is no filming during mass. I sat through the remainder of mass wondering how I could capture her voice again to share with others. My Aunt Layla had asked us to come here and light a candle for her. She is not doing well and has a strong belief in St. Joseph whom she believes has performed a miracle in her life. How can you deny such a request? I went to the first level’s chapel, said a prayer and lit a candle for her.
In June, I had made it to San Francisco’s Farmers’ Market which is one of the best U.S. farmers markets I have been to. Well we had read that Montreal had a nice Farmers Market, but it really didn’t prepare me for the size and for how great it is. This is a daily market not weekly like in most US cities and it looked like it was occupying a whole square block. The French Canadians take their food seriously. As you can see by the photos, there were isles and isles of the freshest fruits and vegetables and a wide variety of prepared foods, breads, cheeses, meats, and specialty dried goods. We decided to have lunch here and ordered from different booths to try out as much food as we could. Dessert was special too. We found a French woman that was stacking strawberries on an ice cream stick and dipping them in toffee flavored Canadian Maple Syrup. She placed them on a tray of crushed ice to harden the syrup. They were absolutely decadent and delicious. My cousin exclaimed that they were better than sex. Luckily, I had already bought a bottle of Maple Syrup to take home and now I can make them too.
From Montreal, we drove into Maine where our destination was the seaside town of Camden. We picked Camden not really knowing much about it but we wanted to be in close proximity to Acadia National Park. We were so pleasantly surprised by Camden. This quaint little town has so much to offer. The Inns were all at one time historical homes and have been renovated into beautiful Inns and B&BS.
Some people like to go shopping for clothes which Camden has very nice boutiques and specialty stores that we went through. I like to look at houses so we went house window shopping. I can’t afford this town or any other for that matter but I just like to look at the architecture, the design, and the gardens so we just drive through the neighborhoods and check out flyers or even better open houses. I spent about a half hour doing this because there were a billion things we wanted to do. Like eat Lobster from Maine.
Up to this point, I was thinking what could be so special about Lobster from Maine. Boy was I wrong. Check out the pictures of us gorging on Lobster, Corn and Slaw from Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. This was absolutely the most delicious Lobster I have ever tasted. Maine deserves to be known as the Lobster State. Trenton had even better Lobster than the high end restaurant we tried the night before at the waterfront. Trenton had outdoor cooking pots in a built in bar that used fresh sea salt water to cook them in.
While in Camden, we took a day trip into Acadia National Park. We spent the day in the Park. The Park has a loop drive that takes you to many of the points of interest like Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, Otter Cove, and Cadillac Mountain. We hiked some of the shorter trails to these points and I recorded the pounding surf at Thunder Hole. We had just moved away from the lookout point when a rogue wave came in and soaked everyone.
We decided to stay in the park so we could catch the sunset. We watched the sunset with dozens of others, painters, photographers, videographers, just mesmerized by the beautiful sky filled with orange and pink colors. As the sun set and there was a little bit of light left, we raced up to the Cadillac Mountain lookout. It is said that when the sun rises in the US, it touches Cadillac Mountain first as the eastern highest point on the mainland. We stayed up there as the cruise ships below started off on their way for the night. As the world got darker up there, the sky was filled with stars and you could look out over the Atlantic Ocean and see tiny lights dot the small islands along the coast of Maine. Something about this place made it a very magical experience. I stood there realizing this was another one those historical places where discoverers centuries ago had touched down below in the coves with their ships. It also strangely was a very humbling place that reminded me of just how blessed and lucky I am to be able to travel to different points in the world with the people I love most.
We returned from Acadia back to Camden that night and we stopped to eat at Trenton Lobster. We made it there just before they closed. As I said before, it was an excellent dinner. The next morning, we would be leaving for Cape Cod. Chatham, Massachusetts to be exact. We had ocean front accommodations awaiting us where our home would be for the next 3 nights. The Cape is a wonderful place. I was thinking to myself what is it about all the towns that start with “C” that I love, Cambria on the west coast, Camden and Chatham on the east coast. Sandi and I had visited the Cape in April of 2006 last and it had been way too long of a wait to be back again.
We made it to our room and found out that it had a kitchenette so we ran to the market and picked up some breakfast supplies. We decided to invite my sister and cousin to breakfast in our suite. Ocean view and ocean breeze, it felt like our little home away from home.
We spent the next 3 days exploring the Cape making it north to P-Town and south to Barnstable. One of the things I love about this area is the book stores. The Yellow Umbrella in Chatham is one of my favorites. In addition to the great restaurants, the beautiful homes, we spent a day at the National Seashore. The beaches are wonderful on the Cape. We wanted to bring back the whole beach with us. I have never seen sea shells as big as on the beach at Chatham or as colorful rocks as at the Monomoy wildlife refuge. Another thing I love about the area is the signage. Yes, you read right. I love the signs that businesses use. If there isn’t a coffee table book already about the signs, there should be one. I love driving around and photographing these signs.
We left Chatham reluctantly for Logan Airport but we had missed home. Orange County, here we come!
I love the East Coast and especially during the fall season. Sandi and I joined one of my sisters (Edna) and one of my cousins (Muna) this October and went in search of fall foliage. We flew into JFK on Virgin Airlines for a great rate. The seating is so much more comfortable than on United and American. I think this is my new favorite airlines. We flew to NYC on Tuesday, September 28th and saw a beautiful sunset before we landed.
Even though we have been to NYC a few times, since we only had a couple of nights in NYC, we did all the “touristy” stuff. We bought bus passes from City Sights and got on one of those double-decker buses and rode around town. We took a harbor cruise the next day. Everyone’s favorite highlights were the harbor tour out to Statute of Liberty, the Empire State Building at midnight and Times Square.
We ate at a few places but I think our favorite was the newly opened Eataly which is the creation of Chef Mario Batali. He and Lydia Bastianich created this space which is both market and restaurant. You can shop for fresh produce and imported supplies as well as enjoy delicious food at the different food stations. The place was packed. A 50,000-square-foot temple of Italian food and wine that is inspired by the original Eataly, located in Torino, Italy which I have yet to go to. The space is broken up into various food stations and eating areas. Of course we started at the Pasta station where pasta was made fresh and being cut by hand however they didn’t serve gluten-free pasta so we moved to the Il Pesce. I think this was a blessing in disguise. We enjoyed some Flor Prosecco and shared samples of the smoked salmon, the Branzino al Forno which was a whole branzino (Mediterranean Sea bass) stuffed with parsley, garlic, and lemon, roasted on top of sliced potatoes. Again, the fish was very fresh and cooked perfectly. We also had the striped bass, two different soups, and roasted pink beets, Brussels sprouts and carrots. Everything was very yummy!
We saw Mario walking around so we took a couple of pictures and Sandi asked him why they don’t have gluten-free pasta. He told her of course they have it (corn and rice flour) and took her to the pasta counter to get some. They told him it hadn’t come in yet and would be available next week. So I missed it by a week. Honestly I enjoyed the various fish we tried. We also had gelato. The pistachio gelato was very good.
On our last day in NYC, we rented a car and headed into Vermont where we were going to stay at the Ira Allen House off route 7. This was supposed to be a bed and breakfast where we had a two bedroom suite, a sitting area and bathrooms. When we got there, we realized that the Jones family that runs the place didn’t quiet tell the truth about this place. It certainly felt short of our expectations so we cut our stay short and only stayed the night. I don’t know how people can sell a place based on half truths. I really thought they lied about the accommodations. It sure would have been nice if they had bothered to remodel since the place is over 200 years old. The inn was built by Ethan Allen and his brother Ira Allen who was the surveyor-general of Vermont.
We left Manchester in a hurry so we could get away from the Ira Allen House. Our destination was the Hilton in Burlington, Vermont. Our wonderful drive north into Burlington via Highway 7 took us through Green Mountain National Park. The colors were magnificent! Bright Reds, Golds, and Greens that turned the landscape into a beautiful impressionist painting.
On the way to Burlington, we spent part of the day in Woodstock, Vermont. Woodstock is the perfect example of what I think of when I think of Vermont. The farms, the covered bridges, the foliage, steeples and blue skies with puffy white clouds. We had lunch at Bentley’s (http://bentleysrestaurant.com) where I had the best Chili I have had and I am not a huge fan of Chili either. This was homemade, delicious and lived up to its name, Blue Ribbon Chili.
Burlington has a pedestrian mall called the Church Street Marketplace in the heart of downtown. It’s a fun place to be day or night. There are lots of shops, boutiques, restaurants, and performers. University of Vermont provides added culture and a diverse group of young people and their families to the Marketplace. We tried Penny Cluse Café (http://pennycluse.com) for breakfast and it was definitely worth the wait. One of the things they are known for is the bucket-o-spuds, a heaping mound of homefries with melted cheese, salsa, sour cream & green onions with an egg on top. To balance that we ordered the fresh fruit plate, French Toast, Smoked Salmon, and other breakfast dishes.
Ben & Jerry’s is in nearby Waterbury just 25 miles away so the cow culture is definitely alive and kicking in Burlington. Of course we had to have the great ice cream.
Burlington also holds a respectable sized Farmers’ Market. Being on the road doesn’t stop me from going to Farmers’ Markets. I am an avid foodie and I love outdoor markets. As you can see in the photos below, the market was a pretty good size and had a variety of produce, meat, cheese, bread and craft booths. We bought fresh Vermont apples that were sweet, sour and crisp in every delicious bite. We also grabbed some artisan bread loaves, a variety of cheeses including caraway seed cheese that was so yummy from Crawford farms. We also picked up some fresh basil, tomatoes and olives for our road trip sandwiches.
The region has the spectacular natural beauty of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains. After spending the day among the crowds at the Marketplace, we took a walk on Lake Champlain’s boardwalk. The boardwalk area immediately provided a sense of peace to counter the energy and excitement of the crowds at the Marketplace. As we walked along the boardwalk in Burlington Vermont, we can look over the horizon and see the state of New York.
At the end of our stay in Burlington, as we were leaving to Montreal, we decided to take highway 2 through the Champlain Lake Islands north towards Canada. There are many islands and charming homes on the lake. We took the road to enjoy the beauty that is Lake Champlain and to also find Saint Anne’s Shrine, a Spiritual Sanctuary in the Lake Champlain Islands. We stopped in and lit candles and said prayers for family members and especially my Aunt Layla and my niece Elizabeth Anne who was a special gift from St. Anne. Regardless of your beliefs, it’s a spiritual setting with the small white chapel, an outdoor worship area sitting on the shore of Lake Champlain. The site is also a historical site. The lakeshore in front of the chapel is marked as the location of a landing by Samuel de Champlain in 1609. He was the first European to visit the Lake and islands that bear his name.
We made it to Montreal, QC, Canada after going through the checkpoint where I was wondering if we were all going to get arrested. While we were being interrogated by the border guard, Sandi decided to take her camera out and try to take pictures of him and the booth. He didn’t like that at all. So just like I had been to NYC a few times, I had been to Montreal a few times before. We had a couple of nights in town. The highlights of our trip into Montreal this time were our re-visit to St. Joseph’s Oratory. We happened to be there during mass which was in French. There was a woman singing during mass that sounded like an angel. I pulled out my Sony Camcorder and captured a few seconds before the tap on the shoulder came telling me that there is no filming during mass. I sat through the remainder of mass wondering how I could capture her voice again to share with others. My Aunt Layla had asked us to come here and light a candle for her. She is not doing well and has a strong belief in St. Joseph whom she believes has performed a miracle in her life. How can you deny such a request? I went to the first level’s chapel, said a prayer and lit a candle for her.
In June, I had made it to San Francisco’s Farmers’ Market which is one of the best U.S. farmers markets I have been to. Well we had read that Montreal had a nice Farmers Market, but it really didn’t prepare me for the size and for how great it is. This is a daily market not weekly like in most US cities and it looked like it was occupying a whole square block. The French Canadians take their food seriously. As you can see by the photos, there were isles and isles of the freshest fruits and vegetables and a wide variety of prepared foods, breads, cheeses, meats, and specialty dried goods. We decided to have lunch here and ordered from different booths to try out as much food as we could. Dessert was special too. We found a French woman that was stacking strawberries on an ice cream stick and dipping them in toffee flavored Canadian Maple Syrup. She placed them on a tray of crushed ice to harden the syrup. They were absolutely decadent and delicious. My cousin exclaimed that they were better than sex. Luckily, I had already bought a bottle of Maple Syrup to take home and now I can make them too.
From Montreal, we drove into Maine where our destination was the seaside town of Camden. We picked Camden not really knowing much about it but we wanted to be in close proximity to Acadia National Park. We were so pleasantly surprised by Camden. This quaint little town has so much to offer. The Inns were all at one time historical homes and have been renovated into beautiful Inns and B&BS.
Some people like to go shopping for clothes which Camden has very nice boutiques and specialty stores that we went through. I like to look at houses so we went house window shopping. I can’t afford this town or any other for that matter but I just like to look at the architecture, the design, and the gardens so we just drive through the neighborhoods and check out flyers or even better open houses. I spent about a half hour doing this because there were a billion things we wanted to do. Like eat Lobster from Maine.
Up to this point, I was thinking what could be so special about Lobster from Maine. Boy was I wrong. Check out the pictures of us gorging on Lobster, Corn and Slaw from Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. This was absolutely the most delicious Lobster I have ever tasted. Maine deserves to be known as the Lobster State. Trenton had even better Lobster than the high end restaurant we tried the night before at the waterfront. Trenton had outdoor cooking pots in a built in bar that used fresh sea salt water to cook them in.
While in Camden, we took a day trip into Acadia National Park. We spent the day in the Park. The Park has a loop drive that takes you to many of the points of interest like Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, Otter Cove, and Cadillac Mountain. We hiked some of the shorter trails to these points and I recorded the pounding surf at Thunder Hole. We had just moved away from the lookout point when a rogue wave came in and soaked everyone.
We decided to stay in the park so we could catch the sunset. We watched the sunset with dozens of others, painters, photographers, videographers, just mesmerized by the beautiful sky filled with orange and pink colors. As the sun set and there was a little bit of light left, we raced up to the Cadillac Mountain lookout. It is said that when the sun rises in the US, it touches Cadillac Mountain first as the eastern highest point on the mainland. We stayed up there as the cruise ships below started off on their way for the night. As the world got darker up there, the sky was filled with stars and you could look out over the Atlantic Ocean and see tiny lights dot the small islands along the coast of Maine. Something about this place made it a very magical experience. I stood there realizing this was another one those historical places where discoverers centuries ago had touched down below in the coves with their ships. It also strangely was a very humbling place that reminded me of just how blessed and lucky I am to be able to travel to different points in the world with the people I love most.
We returned from Acadia back to Camden that night and we stopped to eat at Trenton Lobster. We made it there just before they closed. As I said before, it was an excellent dinner. The next morning, we would be leaving for Cape Cod. Chatham, Massachusetts to be exact. We had ocean front accommodations awaiting us where our home would be for the next 3 nights. The Cape is a wonderful place. I was thinking to myself what is it about all the towns that start with “C” that I love, Cambria on the west coast, Camden and Chatham on the east coast. Sandi and I had visited the Cape in April of 2006 last and it had been way too long of a wait to be back again.
We made it to our room and found out that it had a kitchenette so we ran to the market and picked up some breakfast supplies. We decided to invite my sister and cousin to breakfast in our suite. Ocean view and ocean breeze, it felt like our little home away from home.
We spent the next 3 days exploring the Cape making it north to P-Town and south to Barnstable. One of the things I love about this area is the book stores. The Yellow Umbrella in Chatham is one of my favorites. In addition to the great restaurants, the beautiful homes, we spent a day at the National Seashore. The beaches are wonderful on the Cape. We wanted to bring back the whole beach with us. I have never seen sea shells as big as on the beach at Chatham or as colorful rocks as at the Monomoy wildlife refuge. Another thing I love about the area is the signage. Yes, you read right. I love the signs that businesses use. If there isn’t a coffee table book already about the signs, there should be one. I love driving around and photographing these signs.
We left Chatham reluctantly for Logan Airport but we had missed home. Orange County, here we come!
Jackie's Voice 