Every time I have a short vacation week, Brad and I try to take advantage and travel to a new place, even if it's only a forty minute drive. We drove down to Mystic Connecticut and stopped at the Fantastic Umbrella Factory in southern Rhode Island along the way where we saw some goats and an Emu. In Mystic we didn't really do any of the touristy things (Aquarium, Mystic Seaport) we just walked around the town hugging the water. I was unaware of the expensive cost just to walk down to the historical stuff, so we decided to skip it this time. Since it's so close to us in Rhode Island it's likely we will get back down and see some of the things we missed!
0 Comments
As a weird wacky art teacher, I have the unique privilege of being able to attend an event filled with other weird and wacky people just like myself. I was allowed to bring a guest for the National Art Educator's Association National Convention in New York City and I decided to bring my best friend Jennifer. We booked a hotel not as close as we wanted to the convention and we spent three days watching cool presentations and museum hopping. we saw the MET, The Natural History Museum and the MOMA. We also ran into our high school art teacher at the convention artisans market which was super cool! We attended the convention party which did not disappoint with its giant Lite Brite wall and all kinds of arty activities and a DJ for dancing. We even met another young art teacher who wasn't ready to turn in at ten o'clock so we made our way to a random Kareoke Bar and stayed out way past our usual bedtime! As for food, two places stuck out- Cafe Frida (right near the Natural History Museum) that served delicious warm Mexican soup, tacos and awesome drinks. The second place required an Uber all the way across the city but it was worth it- Raclette serves simple food like meat and fingerling potatoes, but with cheese MELTED OFF OF A WHEEL scraped onto your food! It was amazing. Also Raclette is right down the street from Obscura, my favorite store in New York selling all kinds of witchy items and oddities!
My younger brother Chris and his wife Katie live in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina and I swear a week before we flew down to visit they were whizzing around the ocean on a boat in 80 degree weather, unfortunately, the New England November followed us, even flurrying a little bit for a day. We were still able to see some of the highlights and enjoy the peacefulness of a tourist-less Folly Beach. We had amazing nachos at Rita's with watermelon Pico de Gallo and enjoyed drinks from a rooftop bar and saw an alligator chilling by the apartment complex pond.
At this point in our relationship we had been dating for over 10 years, so naturally everyone thought this trip was for a proposal (which came less than a month later) As romantic as the natural beauty of the falls can be, it is hard to ignore the super-kitschy strip of casinos, mini-golf courses and arcades that are packed tightly along the cliffs that drop to the falls. We stayed on the Canadian side and did all the touristy things, like take a ride on the Hornblower (Canada's "Maid of the Mist") which was totally worth it, and we even played some Dino- themed mini golf. We were lucky enough to stay in the Embassy Suites which offered a towering view over the falls. We cracked the window at night and listened to them crash endlessly. I had the BEST sleep of my life listening to the waterfalls.
For Brad's 30th we headed up to Vermont for a Bed and Breakfast/ Brewery trip. We stayed at a farm called the Yellow House Inn within the rolling hills of the countryside. Although it was March and most everything was cold and bare, the landscape was still quietly beautiful. We saw Harpoon on the drive up, ate delicious fresh food everywhere we went- entered the fun-house style brewery at Magic Hat and even took the drive up to Burlington to walk around for the day. We of course stopped at Ben&Jerry's, and my favorite the Cabot Cheese factory! If I had one takeaway from this trip it would be the amazing farm fresh food everywhere. Next time I would love to see Vermont again in the bright green summer or blazing autumn.
|
AuthorI believe that travel is essential to exist in this world and that it is the perfect medicine for staleness. Archives
August 2022
Categories |