Lots to do in Vermont!

Last weekend we took a much needed break from work and headed to Vermont. The four drive was pleasant and arrived in time for dinner. Though still really cold even at the end of March, the Burlington downtown area near the University looked very festive and alive. We had a nice dinner at Sweetwaters and Nelson tasted Magic Hat, the local beer. We stayed at La Quinta for the weekend, which was enough time to do most of things on our must do list. Mirabelle's also located downtown was great spot for Sunday brunch.

Here is a list of fun things we did:

Vermont Teddy Bear Factory Tour: A short fun and informative tour ($2 per person) and a chance to see where American bears were being made and sold.

Dakin Farm Visit: We tasted a lot of cheese, spreads, meats etc and bought a lot of goodies at very reasonable prices. We saw maple syrup being made and a country band was entertaining people having pancake breakfasts.

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour: An entertaining tour ($2 per person) and a peak at the factory though production was not in progress. Every tour was treated to ice cream
samples as well.

Cabot's Factory Tour: The tour ($2 per person) included a walk through the factory while cheese was being made. Another stop where we treated our selves to plenty of cheese samples.

Trapp Family Lodge: The drive to this lodge in Stowe was completely worth it. The landscape is certianly reminicent of the Austrian hill side where the Trapp family originated. I can imagine how magical this place must look in spring or winter. We had Austrian cuisine for dinner at the main restaurant. The servers were dressed in Bavarian outfits and a piano player in the dining hall added extra charm. Staying here was relatively expensive, so having dinner instead was a great way to experience this unique place.

Vermont boasted of so many local businesses that had orginated and sustained within the state. It was great to see the cross promotion among the companies. The view of the Adirondacks and lake Champlain was beautiful. But the waterfront in downtown was too cold even for a brisk walk. On our way back we stopped at Lake George outlets for shopping. We had dinner at Circus Cafe in Saratoga Springs and spent the night close by. Look forward to coming back and discovering more of Vermont!

Another Cup of Tea

My second visit to a tea room was last week during lunch at Cup & Saucer Tea Room in Beacon. A bunch of us were there for restaurant week lunch, a great three course menu for $20/person. The food was really good and service was wonderful. Though the decor wasn't as spectaculat and over the top as at Kathleen's tea room, this place did have its own simplistic charm.

New findings in Hudson Valley

It was a nice day to head north to explore the area we drive past everyday. Our first stop was at Kathleen's tea room in Peekskill. I had read good reviews about it and really wnated to visit a tea room. What a charmingly unique place it was!
The whole restaurant was packed with tea related items that were displayed for sale as well for decor. We didn't have a reservation and were glad they had an empty table. The rest of the tables had been reserved for various parties including a group of older women who wore beautiful hats. The sandwich plate and the scones were really good. Our whole meal was only for $25 which was a really good price for a full tea service. Now I'm on mission to find more tea rooms and taste scones whereever possible!

After some shopping at the Poghkeepsie Galleria we headed even further north for dinner. We were at Artist's Palate for restaurant week. The restaurant had a great atmosphere but the food was nothing special. I really liked my squid salad appetizer. The entrees and desserts were not memorable. But great company made it a fun Saturday night!

Ellis Island at last

We have wanted to visit Ellis Island for quite a while. But our plans were actually finalized because a friend whose great grand father came through the island in 1914 had a keen interest to visit. It was a nice spring day and as we had bought the tickets ahead of time through Statue Crusies we didn't have to deal with long waiting lines. Though we didn't get off at the liberty island we got a really good view of the statue we had so often seen from so far away.

The Ellis island museum was very informative. The photograph collection was amazing and the historical accounts were rich in content. My friend did see an electronic record of her great grand father's name and year of arrival. Out side was a memorial wall that contained names off immigrants. Due to construction my friend wasn't able to see names of her family. The grounds also offered a great view of the Manhattan skyline.

For dinner, we headed to Stanton Social, a trendy tapas bar downtown. Though we didn't have a reservation, we were able to get a table in the upstairs lounge. The food was pretty good and the vibe was trendy/casual. We ordered a few different small plates and were treated to free drinks for the small inconvenience of having to swicth tables. For dessert, we walked a couple of blocks to Babycakes NYC, a vegan bakery. Nelson had a very interesting doughnut from the eclectic selection. The cupcakes were good but no excpetional. The frosting was the best part. After strolling through shops in SoHo we had a second snack at Rice to Riches. This store offered rice pudding of every flavor in chic containers. I'm not a huge fan of rice pudding but it is an interesting place to sample lots of unique flavors.

Images courtesy of www.lifeofthecity.com & www.thetravelrag.com

A Wonderful Theater Experience

After a quiet Saturday of visiting a friend and shopping at the mall in Danbury, we were headed to the city on Sunday. I had a fun day planned to celebrate Nelson's return after a busy week in California. Though it was rainy throughout the day, our drive was hassle free. We had brunch with my sister at Marseille, a French bistro in Hell's Kitchen. It was a good brunch spot and we all enjoyed our food. I ordered a vege omelette which was a sensible choice and craved for more carb filled options of waffles or pancakes.

I had tickets to see Good People, a Broadway drama starring Francis McDormand and Tate Donavan. The dialogue and story line were very engaging. Set in the Southie neighborhood of Boston, the drama follows a working class woman's attempt to grab on to some good fortune through her association with a former flame. The juxtaposition of the life of the protagonist who scrapes by every month with that of her former flame who is now a wealthy doctor adds great comic realism to the play. Highly recommended to all theater goers!

In the evening, we walked by the center of Times Square to see the art work on display.
Nelson was especially excited to show me the sheep exhibit. Then we drove through Park Avenue to see another seasonal display of giant flowers. Even in the rain, this city always keeps us on our toes.