I tried to go see the wildflowers, but the weather was iffy, and the flowers decided to take a break (well, they kind of started tapering off a couple weeks ago). The landscape was still beautiful, though.
And now I have a question for you New Englanders. Megan (yes, cancer-fighting Megan) is going to be in Vermont and New Hampshire in a week. She wants to know about any highlights in the area. What should she eat (yes, I will tell her about LA Burdick)? What should she see? What should she do? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
I just walked past the Burdick in Cambridge this afternoon and failed to stop in to get anything. I don’t know many places in Vermont, but if she likes ice cream, I’d suggest doing the Ben and Jerry’s factory tour. They have free tastings at the end and it’s a lot of fun.
Hi Mariko-
She should go to Burlington because it is the best place to go in all of Vermont and I have lived here just about all of my life. Downtown there is Church Street which is an outdoor mall and there is an indoor mall there too. There is a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop as well as many great restaurants and stores. There are a lot of places to eat outside on a nice day. There are always a lot of people out and about and a lot to look at. On the waterfront of Lake Champlain there is a nice park and a bike path, and ECHO, which is a new museum. There are a couple parking garages to park in and you can walk all over the place. There are also a lot of cute little towns to visit all over the state. The best time to come here is in the summer and the fall…I think so anyway! Please write me if you want to know anything else!
Thanks for the tips ladies. I’m already planning breakfast at Dunkin Donuts when I arrive, mmmm!!
I second Stacie’s ideas, especially this time of year. Also, the town of Shelburne, which is just south of Burlington, is a treasure trove of wonderful things: The Shelburne Museum is fantastic and a unique Americana museum, and the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory tour is supposed to be one of the best factory tours ever.
I really like Portsmouth NH. It’s very old-new-englandy looking but with a fun feel. Good restaurants and shops too.
She should also go to Church Street in downtown Burlington, VT. It is a marketplace and has all kinds of great shopping, it is closed off to traffic. Ben and Jerry’s scoop shop is there also. It is a college town so there are all kinds of people watching and Lake Champlain is only a few blocks down.
go to http://www.sevendaysvt.com — it is the alternative news/arts weekly updated every wed — has loads of great ideas (just look at ads to see what you’re interested in)– there’s magic hat brewery in the old grossman’s bldg on shelburne rd, mirabelle’s bakery on main st, muddy waters and uncommon grounds for coffee, old gold for vintage and of course nectar’s for fries and gravy (altho nectar sold it yrs ago i think the young couple who bought it carry on his tradition)…there’s the intervale gardens for community supported farms (beautiful and peaceful to hang out in, the boathouse & bike path can get crowded but hey are lovely) and there’s funky places on battery st too, battery park. church st has a few indie shops still — there’s tons more but that’s a smattering and montpelier/middlebury/mad river valley & such are other cool places…burlington’s grown a lot & is starting to become a parody of itself (a bit self-concious about its groovinees) but i still miss it dreadfully — read miss hawklet’s blog for more or pippikneesocks…phew i know that’s a lot — oh and for ice cream nothing beats the uvm dairy bar (but boohoo they haven’t made their ice cream there for yrs) and fleming museum at uvm is also lovely…okay that’s it for now but its a place i’m passionate about…and portsmouth nh is right on too as is hanover where dartmouth college is…ooh and for chocolate try champlain chocolates — yum
Hi Megan and Mariko – first of all, glad to hear you’re doing well….I am heading up to Burlington later today with my 16 y.o. son to look at U Vermont. Staying in N Hampshire 2nite 🙂 I’ll check back in on Wednesday and give you the low down on places to see….but if you’re in Putney, VT, you should go to Green Mountain Spinnery for organic yarn! Mariko, I went to the Kinokuniya bookstore yesterday and found the same handbag book you just bought – next weekend I am going to start the absolutely darling bird bag – one for me and one for my Mom for her birthday. Oh, and on Wednesday I’ll be in Amherst MA to look at U Mass and will head over to Webs to take advantage of Cascade 220 for $4.70 per ball (their web site is http://www.webs.com)
Peace out!
I grew up in Portsmouth, NH, and I second Petula. It is a great town. And there is a fabulous LYS on Ladd street, which is right near Market Square. Prescott Park, near the water, should be pretty much planted with the yearly “theme garden” by now. The Park also borders Strawberry Banke, an historical community that dates from the 1600s, where, if I remember correctly from my tours with the girl scouts way back when, they have shearing and spinning demos. Have a fabulous trip, Megan! I am jealous.
She’s got to stop at one of the 2 Vermont Country Stores. They have samples of a gazillion cheddar cheeses and dips and sauces and snacks and you can eat enough there for a meal. It’s a dream come true for cheap-ass scammers like me!
And if she does go to Burlington, breakfast and Penny Cloos is a must. You usually have to wait a looong time for a table but it is *so* worth the wait.
The Friendly Toast in Portsmouth is not to be missed.
Kristin is absolutely right about the Friendly Toast! Mmmm, buttery goodness. Assertively funky, and very kid-friendly if that’s a factor.
Ceres Bakery (also in Portsmouth, on Penhallow Street) is another of my favorites, although out-of-towners might like to avoid it during the lunch rush. (Regulars have their own sense of order in establishing the queue, and it can be baffling for the uninitiated.)
Dude, I have no idea on Vermont, but try again for the wildflowers. I have been enjoying those, and butterflies & whales, as well. Thanks also for posting all those ISBN numbers, I just got an email a while ago from some poor girl asking ME about the Hello Kitty book, it keeps popping up in my life, it’s JUST TOO DAMN CUTE and won’t leave me alone! Girly Knits looks intrigueing, too. Nice blue colors. Soothing.
i’ve never been to new england and so have no advice… i’m sorry… i wanted to leave a mean post but you don’t give much material… i could say ‘dude, japanese stuff is stupid and so are you’… but those books are super cute and thanks so much for posting the numbers!
there is also a great herbal shop in portsmouth nh called the mustard seed.
I agree that portsmouth is the most interesting. strawberry bank is great for the history buff.
if she is going to be near manchester NH (that is where I live) we have a great art gallery
http://www.currier.org/
we also have the Frank Lloyd Wright Zimmerman house
http://www.currier.org/browse/?gallery=zimmerman
And there are a lot of other things as well, like Martins, a huge material store, etc.
Here are some portsmouth links
http://www.islesofshoals.com/
http://www.portsmouthnh.com/thingstodo/todoDetail.cfm?TodoID=1&CategoryID=2
concord NH is another place that has lots to do.
http://www.ci.concord.nh.us/Tourdest/concordv2.asp?siteindx=L0i,02
Stowe Vermont is having it’s weekend of hope for people with cancer, 5/6 I think. Go to gostowe.com for info. The very best place to eat there is The Blue Moon Cafe. My 2 cents….
I spent 4 years in Portsmouth NH in the mid 70s flying FB-111s at Pease AFB. Portsmouth is one of the best assignments I had. The town had the best restaurants for a town of its size of any place in the country and there was no need to go to Boston to find good food.
While in Portsmouth, we were able to eat at the Blue Strawberry. Chef James Haller’s cookbooks are one of the inspirations for my approach to cooking. Megan should look at his approach (e.g., http://www.portsmouthnh.com/haller/bio.cfm) to cooking since he has a mission of working with people who have cancer.
I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION THE FRIENDLY TOAST. I dream of their homefries. One of the best breakfast restaurants ON EARTH.
Once again, thank you for the good ideas! I’m so eggxcited to go!
Thanks for the photo. I’m away from home this spring and have to see the bluebonnets second-hand.
WoW! wildflowers?–just go towards the coast over Hiway 46–do it soon, as the weather is warming up–used my air yesterday afternoon in Paso. Vetch in gloroius quantities, arroyo lupine, other taller lupines in white, yellow and light blue, owl’s clover, poppies, meadow foam and tidy tips, sweet peas with swooning fragrance, remnants of ceanothus blooming in shadier spots from Jack Ck Rd to Dover Cyn Rd. It wasn’t a big poppy year, but the other have bloomed more than in 40 or 50 years.(did you catch the tidy tips across 101 from Weyrich Lumber? that hasn’t bloomed in 30 years!) Amazing how seeds can lie dormant for so long just waiting….teaches a bit about patience and persistence, eh?
sue
GAH!!!!
I saw that someone above me already mentioned this, but “The Friendly Toast!!!” in Portsmouth is AMAZING!
😀
I’m originally from Upstate New York & I highly reccomend the Finger Lakes Area. It’s not the swanky Hamtons scene but rather simpler & cheaper. You can find great family-owned restaurants, 50’s style icecream parlors & cute Bed & Breakfasts. There are tons of great wineries & fun wine trails to hop from one to another. The lakes themselves are beautiful and there’s tons of waterfalls & hiking. I reccomend Ithaca (where Cornell is located), Keuka Lake, Canadaigua and Skaneateles. I grew up going to Seneka so I’ve got to throw that in there too. After a few days in the Finger Lakes, you could skip up to Niagra Falls for the day (the Canadian side is prettier). You’d definitely need a car though for all of that. http://www.fingerlakes.org/index.htm
http://www.interlakes.com/flp/flpld.html
SeneCa with a C! (I’m becoming Japanese!)