6 hours to Newark

Off to Newark (6 hours of driving - ugh) for a night at the Crown Plaza and a 7:40 flight back to Seattle.  See you all soon.

Burlington...

Some pics around Burlington...firestation is for Trav and Kelsey.

 

Best eats in Burlington...

So we're leaving Burlington in 20 minutes or so but I thought I'd post what we found to be the best places here. First I want to say there's a lot of good looking stuff we didn't get to try along Church Street (the pedestrian mall that runs through the center of the old town). Lots of funky, cute and great smelling restaurants. Fran says there's tons of great shops too - I'm not much of a connoisseur in the area of shopping. So the best places we ate at are (in no particular order):

Magnolia Bistro: For breakfast. Despite the name it's not really a bistro in the French sense but a small place in the basement of an old building that specializes in organic and local foods. I had the apple, maple sausage, and Vermont cheddar omelet. Mmmm...

Leunig's Bistro: For dinner. Unlike the Magnolia this IS a French Bistro down to the crowded tables and steak frites. We had excellent food (I had the steak frites, Fran the boef). The only downside is Americans are louder than the French - so this small place with close tables causes us to try and talk over each other making quite a din. Once the crowd thinned a bit the noise level got tolerable.

Penny Cluse Cafe: For breakfast. Just a great reasonably priced diner that takes pride in the food they serve. I had the Huevos Rancheros and Fran had the French toast. Definately go here.

Place to avoid: Three Tomato's Trattoria. It's not terrible but with mushy over-sauced pasta and overdone chicken I'd spend my money elsewhere. I had a Margherita pizza - it was a good crust but too much sauce on it. STOP OVER SAUCING STUFF.

Heading to Burlington Vermont

Based on a conversation with a gay waiter who has never crossed the Atlantic or been west of Huston we talked to for 5 minutes in Wolfeboro we headed off to Burlington Vermont.  It appears it was some of the best advice we got this trip.

Prettiest town in the USA?

So Ladies Home Journal says Woodstock Vermont is the prettiest town in the United States.  The only thing I can figure is those old crows still think there are only 13 states in the Union and have only been to one of them (Yes I know Vermont is really the 14th state and 1st admitted to the union after the revolutionary war but the story doesn't sound as good with a big long explanation now does it?).  Don't get me wrong it's pretty - but no prettier than MANY other places.  See below - what do you think?