What a slacker I am. So, I wrote detailed notes about our Northeast Vacation 2013 but I never posted them. So, coming to you 5 months late are the details of our trip. Here we go with part 1...
Bonjour Friends,
It is Day 2 of vacation and there is lots to tell! We left
Frederick on Friday at 3 pm. It rained the ENTIRE time we drove Friday night.
Our first stop was at Cabello’s somewhere in Pennsylvania, the largest hunting
store I have ever been to. It is one step above a typical Bass Pro Shop because
the stuffed animals are posed in violent positions… this particular Cabello’s
has two bears attacking a moose… classy. I didn’t take a photo in case any
younger audience members are reading.
Throughout this trip we have decided to find as many license
plates as we can. Currently, I am winning with 23- five of which are Canadian
provinces. Petey is slacking with 15- none of which are Canadian. I win.
We made it to North Jersey around 8:30 pm. We checked in at
a quality Courtyard Marriot- still in the pouring rain. Then, we went in search
for any food available. It took us 20 minutes just to find an Applebee’s
because Jersey does not allow drivers to turn left. There are virtually no stop
lights, just jug handles. So, we drove all over creation and arrived 20 minutes
later. We had a fabulous waiter, a young guy who told us he had been to
Baltimore and he “loves our food.” To which I thought to myself, of course he
loves our food. Maryland is the best state there is.
The next morning, we left around 9 am. The hotel provided
breakfast for $13 a person… we did not partake in this costly endeavor. Dunkin
Donuts had to suffice. One chocolate frosted donut and an iced coffee later, we
were on the road. We drove into New York and found a delightful little
cupcakery called Fluffilicious in Albany. OMG. It was right off the high way… I
had a chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake… consisting of vanilla cake, sugary
vanilla icing, a soft scoop of cookie dough in the center, and chocolate chips.
The cookie dough center was outstanding… the icing was very intense. I gave
this cupcake 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles. I told the lady that I belong to THE
Cupcake Club in Maryland… she did not seem too intimidated… ahem.
Then, we drove for another 3 hours up to Lake George in New
York. It is like Deep Creek Lake on steroids- the lake is about 20 times the
size of Deep Creek and goes on FOREVER. The little towns surrounding Lake
George remind me of the summer homes in Dirty Dancing. Super cute place to
vacation with a family. We stopped at a place called Cate’s Café. It was a
little pizzeria with dining al fresco. We split one piece of cheese pizza and
ordered a cheese and pepperoni calzone. The pizza was great- thin crust with
olive oil and tasty, crispy cheese. The calzone… two thumbs down. L It was not cooked all
the way through and full of ricotta cheese and mozzarella. We all know how
scared Petey is of ricotta cheese and cream cheese- he couldn’t eat it. Oh
well… still a charming place to stop.
Back on the road… we stopped at one rest stop right outside
of Canada. They had a payphone. Really? I don’t think I have seen one of those
in a long time…
Then, we reached the Canadian Border! Bonjour! We waited for
30 minutes to get through in a nice long line. One of the cars next to us was
the Gucci Fiat 500. Classy. I guess?
When we crossed into Canada, it was very much like the U.S.
in its terrain. But we thought the land would start to look a little different
eventually. Nope… we had to drive about 2 hours to get to Quebec City. It was
the straightest strip of highway I have ever been on in my life. SO BORING! And
boy, do the Canadians LOVE techno. On the trip, we listened to Ace of Base
songs over and over and over again. Since the strip of driving was so boring,
we decided to play the alphabet game and find a written word somewhere on the
scenery from A to Z in order. This became an intense game, I and Z being the
toughest letters. We searched for a solid 30 minutes to find a word beginning
with Z. I finally won this game too with the word Zone. Boo yah.
We entered Quebec City around 7:30 pm and found our hotel.
The hotel is very modern and clean. But they want $22 to park your car. Mmmmm
not so much. So, we found some parking and walked back to the hotel to check
in. Back out into Canada we went to find dinner.
So maybe I didn’t realize how French the Canadians really
are but holy cow! We walked down the street to find some dinner and EVERY
restaurant had snails on the menu. ARE YOU SERIOUS? SNAILS? REALLY? IS THIS A
JOKE?
We searched LONG AND HARD before arriving at a little teeny
restaurant advertising pizza and pasta. Petey tried a cheese pizza and I got a
small bowl of penne pomodoro. The bread was fresh and they served Coke which I
needed to settle the bile rising in my throat at the thought of slippery, slimy
snails going down. The best part of this dining experience was the waiter. He
came back to our table at the end of the night and said, “Have a good evening,
eh?” How stereotypically Canadian! LOVE IT!
We then happened upon a gelato shop. Petey selected Mint
Chocolate Chip and I chose Cappucino. It is crazy how gelato settles even the
most upset of stomachs. Then, we strolled back to the hotel. I will have to
save today’s adventures for the next entry. Stay tuned- there is a near-death experience
and a big improvement in the arena of food. No worries.
Love,
KT and PD
No comments:
Post a Comment