About 3 hours North of LA on “the 5 (I-5 for us non-Californians)” and about 4 hrs South of San Fran on the 5, the Central Coast is a mixture of famous sights, small beach towns and wineries that rival the more known Napa Valley. I only had 3 days in this area and I wanted to make the most of it—and of course, I needed more time.

Hearst Castle

Maybe the most famous of the sights on the Central Coast and all of California is the Hearst Castle named for the newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst who died in 1951. Now a state park the Castle is steeped in history. In its heyday it was supposed to be a “bungalow” for Hearst, but soon got a bit bigger and was visited by the most famous of the time (Lindbergh, Cary Grant, various Presidents). The main house is over 60,000 sqft and has 56 bedrooms and 61 bathrooms. Full of antiques and rare books purchased personally by Hearst, this spot has a constant stream of tourists throughout the year.

If you are like me, famous landmarks are worth a visit, but when the beach is calling—I make it a short visit because, well, the beach is calling.

If you’ve heard of Monterey or Big Sur you have heard of the Central Coast, but if you have heard of Avila Beach then you have heard of the REAL Central Coast. A sleepy beach town popular with fisherman put Avila on the map, but the subsequent building boom and desire to live semi-affordably (to California standards anyway) is what made Avila what it is today: a coffee drinking, dog walking, beach strolling, bike riding, fishing town. To say this town is yuppie would be an understatement–but it is Cali and in comparison to some California towns, Avila is a watered down yuppie and a town I could totally see myself living in. With a main street of tee-shirt and flip flop shops, a general market, Mr. Rick’s Sports bar, the very crowded Joe Mamma Coffee (try the hemp milk creamer) and even a couple small wineries, it takes 6 minutes to walk the “strip” before you are hugging the coastline on your run, walk or bike ride on the way to the famous fishing pier to watch your dinner get caught, buy that fresh caught dinner and walk right up to (if you dare) napping Sea Lions on the dock.

Avila Beach

Avila at sunset

up-close and personal with a hungry pelican on the fishing pier

Tide Pools
About a 30 minute drive from Avila are the Montana de Oro State Park and Tide Pools. Here the coastline is comprised of slippery rock (yeah, I fell on my a*s), snails, crabs, sea anemones, shells and steep sand dunes that can be slid down via sled, cardboard box or the seat of your pants (I saw all three). Like the rest of California (even in the summer), the water is powerful and very cold so if the tide is not out it could be a dangerous, cold meander through these tide pools. I went when the tide was nearly out and bonded quite nicely with a turquoise sea anemone. Did you know if you gently touch one it wraps around your finger and tries to suction you to death? It is a cool feeling. Yeah, and messing with that anemone is probably why I fell.

Trail down to the tide pools

me at the tide pools

overlooking the coastline tide pools and sand dunes

Dive Bars–for Wine
As mentioned, wine from the Central Coast rivals Napa Valley and Sonoma and wineries and vineyards are dotted along the coast at every exit. Many have gorgeous views and picturesque grounds like at this place:

But sadly, sometimes the wine suffers and the view turns out to be the best thing about the winery. If you are a true wine-person, this can be frustrating (if you are like me and can barely tell a Pinot from a Merlot it is not as upsetting) especially when you are in the Central Coast and have gorgeous views anyway. Recently an industrial area of blue and government gray buildings in the town of Lompoc (pronounced “Lom-Poke”) behind the Home Depot has become a popular destination for wine tastings and because the area is, ahem, not so picturesque (and it probably doesn’t help that the Home Depot lumber department is in ear shot) the area was affectionately coined as the “Wine Ghetto.”

Most likely overlooked, unless you knew better, this parking lot of single-story metal buildings has become the place to go if you want good wine. Unlike most wineries where you have your tasting, roam the grounds and then responsibly drive to the next vineyard–the Ghetto is a one-stop wine tasting shop with the wineries situated like stores in a cheap strip mall– but, the wine is NOT cheap tasting! Park once–taste all day– but get a car service, please.

One of my favorite “Ghetto” wineries was the Flying Goat. The husband and wife owners were passionate about their wine, had soil samples that the grapes grew from and a very nice 13 year old chocolate lab. Plus– the lady knew all about Jersey. Represent East Coast!

(picture courtesy of centralcoastuncorked.blogspot.com)

Let me start by saying how sorry I am. For what you may ask? Well, I forgot how much I love you. I took you for granted while growing up on the West Coast. You were so close in proximity to me. I visited often and while I deeply enjoyed each visit, after moving to the East Coast I quickly threw you aside for new vacation spots such as the Caribbean and the Bahamas. They are similar to you–kind people, warm weather and lots of beach, but one thing they have going for them that you don’t is just a short flight–three to four hours.

How quickly I pushed you aside for convenient air travel.

After arriving in April for a mandatory trip that was related to my husband’s job (and even with the ridiculous layovers that were scheduled [not your fault]), all of my hesitations about the distance and the “comfortably restless” feeling I had for you that left me wanting to explore new places vanished as soon as I stepped into your open air airport and smelled the sweet air as it gently blew against my face. I remembered again how you were my first tropical love; my true tropical love.

This last visit may have been my best (well, tied maybe with the Spring Break trip my friend Jean and I took out there). The weather was perfect (you do have to admit that January/February are a bit iffy these days what with global warming or what not) and since my husband and I had both visited multiple times, we didn’t feel the need to rush and do tourist activities everyday leaving us so much time to just enjoy and unwind. At home (on the East Coast), people marvel at my visits to Hawaii. To them, Hawaii is some far off land, maybe as to how the Caymen Islands may seem to someone in Oregon. A far away, exotic paradise.
In the past I brushed off the “ooohs and ahhhhs” uttered at my Hawaii trips (again, I am sorry–I lost my head) and commented “Yes, it is nice.” Nice? Ugh, I am despicable.

While this apology letter need not go into any detail on the many attributes you offer your visitors–because I see them in my minds eye whenever I want–I want others to not make the same mistake I have made; I don’t want anyone to EVER forget how amazing you are.

So, with that said–I am listing some must-do and sees for anyone visiting.

See you soon,
Diana

ps: the other Hawaiian islands are amazing too. But Maui, you know I love you best.

WHAT ONE MUST DO & MUST SEE IN MAUI

1. Relax. You are here.

2. Lounge. I recommend staying in the Kaanapali area (although Kihei [pronounced 'kee-hay'] is another great area, so don’t count it out especially if you get a deal at the Grand Wailea, the fanciest hotel on the island). In Kaanapali the views of the famous Black Rock are best seen from the Sheraton. It is an older hotel, but kept up nicely and the views, pool area, bars and staff are exceptional. Snorkel right from the beach or do a resort dive and get a taste of the deep. Shopping is also just a short walk away on the beach path at Whalers Village. See # 5 on this list.

view of Black Rock and some of the Sheraton grounds

3. Go to a Luau. Lahaina, the original capital of Hawaii, is a small surf town with all of the tourist shops but with much more charm than most touristy towns. Many of the hotels on Maui offer a Luau but the most famous (and fun) is the Old Lahaina Luau but make reservations ahead of time!
And go early to town to shop around and have a pre-Luau drink at Lahaina Grill

Luau

4. Learn to Surf, or Stand Up Paddle
BECOME a true Hawaiian visitor and do like the locals do- Surf or do my new favorite sport: SUP (Stand Up Paddle).
Lessons are offered all over the island. Check with your hotel for recommendations or for a sure fire GOOD TIME try these guys out. Get on the water.

5. Shop. There is no shortage of retail shops and flea markets all over the island where you can find Hawaiian trinkets and high end stores within steps of each other. Whalers Village is a great combo of t-shirt shops, surf shops and jewelry stores–with the odd shaved ice place thrown in here and there. If the shops aren’t enough of a draw for you, go at least for the Hula Grill where you can dine with your feet in the sand overlooking the blue water and maybe a whale in the Pacific.

6. Take an epic drive. I recently did a post in my series titled See This, Not That where I spoke of a drive around the island (The Road to Kahakuloa) that rivals the famous Road to Hana drive. If this is your first trip to Maui please do both. I cannot choose one for you. Read my post and decide. But I will say, the Road to Hana is more famous. Full of the endless narrow, windy roads that end up at the gravesite of Charles Lindbergh (I know that sounds morbid, but it is an awesome drive.)
Three words: Black. Sand. Beach.
BUT–on the Road to Kahakuloa you see this:

And this:

7. See a Volcano. Drive to the top to watch the sunrise (bring a jacket–the temps may be in the 70′s at sea level but are freezing at the top) and hike around or later, get a tour that takes you to the top and then supplies all you need to mountain bike down. Either way, looking into the crater and knowing that this is an active (although quiet as of late) volcano is awesome. Another great thing— animals considered endangered that are found no where else on the planet are protected here.

the Crater

8. Repeat #1.

There are some obvious ones like Banff. Banff was voted #1 for Canada and if you haven’t been to Banff stop everything (after you finish reading this post) and book a trip there. Soon. Winter or summer–it doesn’t matter. There were also some interesting choices… Machu Picchu got #3 on the World list below Cape Town and Sydney? Hmmm, yeah… I’m not sure.

Me and Banff

Of course, I have an opinion on all of the rankings, but thats the point — opinon is what generated this survey. Here I choose to focus on the United States top 25 and rate them based on MY opinion.

Trip Advisor’s #1: New York City
Diana’s #1: New York City

NYC over the Hudson

No argument here. I am biased and if you don’t know of my love of this city please refer to my archives or at seenyc.com, the NYC travel site I write for. I love this city. Anything you want to do, want to see, want to eat, want to BE– NYC is the place. THE place.

Trip Advisor #2: Honolulu, Hawaii
Trip Advisor #3: San Francisco
Trip Advisor #4 Las Vegas
Trip Advisor #5 Lahaina, Hawaii (Maui)

Maui

Spoiler alert: Hawaii appears often in this top 25 list, but personally I would have put Lahaina at #2 behind NYC. Honolulu is nice, but the island of Maui offers less tourism and just as much to do.

I’d also put San Fran above Honolulu. What a fab city SF is and if you catch it on a sunny day as I did this past April, you’d be hard pressed finding another city that can beat the vibe SF gives.

Las Vegas. Well, for me, Vegas would be near the end of the list–if it even made the list. I do think everyone needs to see Vegas once, but there are so many cities in this country that deserve a much more serious look than Vegas.

Trip Advisor #6 Kona, HI
Trip Advisor #7 New Orleans
Trip Advisor # 8 San Diego, CA
Trip Advisor #9 Sedona

Wait — stop right there. I am ok with New Orleans being on the list and even in the top 10, and San Diego–I LOVE the La Jolla neighborhood, but for Sedona to rank lower… I’m not sure about that. Maybe its because I recently spent some time in Sedona and perhaps the beauty still has me hypnotized, but this eccentric town with the captivating scenery is easily in my top 5.

Sedona, AZ

Trip Advisor #10 Seattle
Trip Advisor #11 Anchorage, AK
Trip Advisor #12 Chicago
Trip Advisor #13 Boston

Being a Seattle native I can appreciate the beautiful mountains, the surrounding water and abundant supply of fleece jackets, but I still wonder: “Why do people vacation in Seattle?” The weather is TOO unpredictable and the sights to see can be done in a weekend. IF you have a desire to go to the Seattle area, stay for an afternoon and then head to Vancouver, BC. Trust me.

I am ok with the other 3 being in the top 25. Boston though—should be much higher. The history and walkability of the town is addicting.

Trip Advisor #14 Estes Park, CO
Trip Advisor #15 Washington DC
Trip Advisor #16 Poipu, HI (see—I told you Hawaii was on here a lot)
Trip Advisor #17 Orlando, FL

As we get to the bottom half of the list I think the locations are reaching to be part of the top 25 (I am surprised Portland, Or; Santa Cruz, Ca or Boise, Idaho aren’t on the list).

Colorado is great regardless of the city and I think I would have chosen Boulder for the top 25, but Estes Park is only an hour away and with 345+ sunny days a year how can you NOT want to live visit there? Ski, hike, shop, swim. Colorado is like Seattle, but less natural water and MUCH more sun.

Washington DC is great. History is #1 here but if you escape to the Georgetown area you really get a taste of DC–and in a good way.

Lincoln Memorial in DC

Orlando.
Apparently the top 25 for Trip Advisor was voted on by parents. Yes, Orlando is fun and I say that as a non-parent. But it is all Disney and while Disney is fun, Orlando IS Disney and that only goes so far.

Trip Advisor # 18 Big Sur, CA
Trip Advisor #19 Bar Harbor, Maine
Trip Advisor #20 Carmel, CA
Trip Advisor #21 Destin, FL

Two in California and Destin is a great getaway. My brother and sister-in-law in Dallas love the driving distance and white sand beaches–so I can see why Destin made the list. And Maine is neat. Just neat. Bar Harbor has been a top vacation spot since the 19th century.

Trip Advisor #22 Savannah, GA
Trip Advisor #23 Gatlinburg, TN
Trip Advisor #24 Miami Beach, FL
Trip Advisor #25 Myrtle Beach, SC

I was happy to see the South represented in the top 25. Savannah and Gatlinburg are NOT to be missed. Here you can get a taste of the real south. Grits anyone?
Miami Beach and Myrtle Beach are known more for their name than the place/experiences, but nonetheless, they do belong in the top 25. You can’t really go wrong with any city that has “beach” in the name.

Whether you agree or not with my comments, below is my ranking of the top 25 (using only cities on Trip Advisor’s top 25).
Let it be known that there are some major cities missing that would be on my Top 25–some I mentioned above but others are Austin, TX, Missoula, MT, Princeton, NJ and Key West.

Diana’s Top 25
1. New York City
2. Lahaina, HI
3. San Francisco
4. Sedona, AZ
5. New Orleans, LA

6. Boston, MA
7. Chicago, IL
8. San Diego, CA
9. Washington DC
10. Honolulu, HI

11. Savannah, GA
12. Estes Park, CO
13. Poipu, HI
14. Kona, HI
15. Big Sur, CA

16. Anchorage, AK
17. Bar Harbor, Maine
18. Destin, FL
19. Carmel, CA
20. Gatlinburg, TN

21. Miami Beach, FL
22. Myrtle Beach, SC
23. Seattle, WA
24. Orlando, FL
25. Las Vegas, NV

Tell me — what are your top cities in the US? Where am I wrong? Where am I right?

Most places have more than one restaurant/theatre/tourist site/building/event for travelers to choose from when visiting a new place, but the challenge is to find WHICH choice will end up being the best for your tight schedule and/or tight budget. And as we all know, the most popular choice isn’t always the best choice.

So — after the picture of me OWNING the bull (albeit not the most flattering picture of me) check out the latest installment of SEE THIS NOT THAT!

See This: The Road to Kahakuloa
Not That: Road to Hana

The Road to Hana on the island of Maui in Hawaii is gorgeous and very popular with both tour groups and individuals and of course you will enjoy the drive, the black sand beaches, waterfalls and ocean views that will keep you stopping and snapping pictures all day. But, lets be serious…we all want our friends to enjoy hearing the retelling of our adventures as much as we enjoy telling it and unless you only talk to people that have already been to Maui and who have no doubt already SEEN the road to Hana, your pictures and stories will only be given a polite “that is nice” at best.

So instead of doing the same old trip that everyone does, try the lesser known “road” that is similar to the Road to Hana, but much less traveled.

The Road to Kahakuloa

Traveling along Highway 340 on the West Coast of Maui is incredibly scenic, narrow–and a little scary, so go slow.

Narrow road

Pass by blowholes and spot whales congregating in the distance, crystal clear pools, rocky and sandy beaches and virtually no civilization (especially gas stations, so make sure your tank is full) on extremely curvy, narrow roads. Expect the random chicken or cow as your fellow commuter and descend the mountains into the valley and end up in Kahakuloa Village.

one of the scenic beaches on the road

Approach this drive leisurely and stop along the way for fresh pineapple or take a dip in the warm waters before heading on to the next pineapple stand or beach.

one of many roadside pineapple stands

Surfing beach

The road, incredibly, hugs the ocean and mountain at the same time and offers views from all sides.
My favorite sight on the drive, aside from the Kaukini Gallery where over 100 local artists feature their work for reasonable prices, is Kahakuloa Head, a 600+’ mountain shooting out of the ocean. You can climb it, but be careful. This ancient site, familiar ground of Kings from Maui’s past, is very steep and rugged.

Gorgeous Kahakuloa Head

Regardless of which drive you choose just remember: you are in Maui– so enjoy every palm tree, pineapple/mango drink, fresh seafood and don’t forget the suntan lotion!

I am happy and proud to be a freelance writer for this paper and lately my articles have consisted of interviews with bands that have been either new to me and/or prominent bands that are known for their ability to ROCK.

So is Rolling Stone next for me? YES! OF COURSE! Who knows! But my love of music combined with my love of travel— that can only mean one thing: Groupie! Music Road Trip!! Now if I can only convince my husband to agree to me having a VW bus again…

Here is my latest article on the legendary band Little Feat on their latest acoustic venture.

Little Feat

Stay tuned, especially if you are a fan of Western Swing, Gypsy Jazz and Traditional Irish Music!

Like most islands off of major cities (Whidbey Island and Bainbridge Island near Seattle or Block Island in RI) the pace is slower, the roads are windier and the international way of telling time goes out the window in favor of “island time”.

Waiheke Island, a 50 minute ferry ride from the Auckland area is no exception. Being in the South Pacific, you can’t get much more islandy than this, but Waiheke doesn’t have the grass skirts or fruity coconut drinks like Hawaii or another tropical island might. Waiheke, although being an island and on island time, is pretty fancy shmancy.

Regardless of your agenda, on Waiheke you can find something to do whether it be hiking, surfing, laying on white sand beaches or visiting the 30 local wineries. As with Auckland, whatever activity you choose to partake in on the island, you will marvel at the cleanliness of the country and the friendliness of the people.

Waiheke (and New Zealand in general) produces vast quantities of wine that is distributed all over the World is and historically and consistently known for producing the best Sauvignon Blanc in the World. Wine is taken very seriously here.

In case I haven’t mentioned it yet in the recent NZ posts, the reason for our trip was to attend the wedding of our dear scuba diving buddies/world traveler/life long friends. After our initial tour around Auckland once arriving in NZ (see my previous posts here and here) we took the car ferry to Waiheke for a few days of beach, wine and relaxation (and a little hiking). NZ is a long way to go to get married — our friends live in California, us on the East Coast — but they were in the same mindset as we were when we got married in sunny Curacao; whoever wants to come can come, if not, thats fine too.

Their wedding was at the most beautiful winery on the island: Mudbrick. The restaurant and gorgeous gardens (complete with Olive orchards that many of the wineries here have) look out to the city of Auckland over the Hauraki Gulf. It was a serene setting for a perfect wedding and a beautiful bride–and the party after was pretty excellent!

Two other wineries we really enjoyed were Cable Bay (looking over the sheep filled countryside and seeing Auckland in the distance over the water offered a modern yet rustic image for us the wine tasters) and Te Whau that offered spectacular architecture and as you guessed–more stunning views. The day we were at Te Whau the grapes were actually being stomped on (is that the right term) and yes, with bare feet–but as we found out from our waitress — you have to be a young, pure woman to stomp the grapes–they don’t want tainted wine (I couldn’t help but think of the I Love Lucy episode… but I didn’t dare bring that up to the waitress).

At Te Whau on a windy day

For the budget traveler, well, I really don’t have too many tips for you at Cable Bay, Mudbrick or Te Whau. The prices were high; but the food, wine and views from the grounds were spectacular and well worth the money.
Click here for a website with all of the island’s wineries complete with pictures and descriptions.

So as far as the “being so far behind we are ahead” saying… I guess that is true about any island, but what I do know is that we felt rested and relaxed each day on Waiheke and I don’t think that was just because of the wine.

More pictures of Waiheke will be in my next post, but I wanted to point out a few things that really stuck out about this island for me, aside from the clean air, nice folks and anything else I have already mentioned prior.

1- The Beachfront Bar and Cafe has a buy 7 get the 8th free punchcard for coffee, beer or wine!? Genius.

2- Sheep are everywhere. This fact would be proven again and again on our trip but here, they seemed to multiple at every turn.

3- But as you can see, Emus and Llamas are also popular. Or are these Alpacas?

4- I don’t think crocodiles are really here… although that took convincing from my husband when we saw this sign after a long hike to a hidden bay (Crocs are in Australia right? And Australia is semi-close to NZ…).
Anyway, what this sign should have been warning people about was: “old man who lives in this remote area walks around at his leisure– naked,” ’cause that was the only thing I saw that was scary.

To many people, a map is a map. But let me tell you — there are differences. Maps can be a work of art. In fact, my need of maps goes beyond pure function. I’d have to be in dire straights to purchase a map that does not have an artistic flair to it; one that wouldn’t make the cut to be hung on my “map wall”.

The Michelin maps, AAA and other “public service” type maps exist and while they serve a purpose–they don’t bring the added flair that make the city I am lost in come alive through paper.
Maps can also be journals (the Moleskin brand is a favorite of mine) or trip diaries. They can be cut up once the trip is over to add to diaries, scrapbooks, or letters. They can be reused again and again in cities that you have yet to explore fully (still do that in NYC). They can be given away to a lost tourist in your own city (done that) or as a gift to friends you may be traveling with. The fun, 3-D, colorful or cartoon like maps may not be as exact in scale or detail as their boring counterparts, but hey–thats why you have google maps on your phone, right?

My admitted love of maps keeps me looking over my shoulder expecting to see others shouting “nerd alert! nerd alert!”, but I don’t officially buy into that label–at least not until I start coveting the Michelin maps.

Here are some of the more artistic maps that I love (and use).

Moleskin City Notebooks
As a writer and a traveler, Moleskin makes a product that I feel is near superb. The blank pages, the convenient size and the city specific maps allow this journal to become a travel portfolio for each different city. What a wonderful way to remember your trips.

photos of the Paris City Notebook

Pop-Up Maps
These maps are more fun than function but do give the user a general idea of the architectural layout of a city.
Two pages open to display 3-D features of the buildings with a pictorial backdrop of the city (i.e., Washington, DC as seen in the pictures below). The second page has drawings of the buildings with information on each building. This company also sells more standard fold out maps that are slightly more functional, but still have the appealing and artistic drawings.

ORK Posters!
Ork Posters! started in Chicago as an artist made etsy.com business by Jenny Beorkrem and has grown into one of the coolest visual maps you can buy documenting the neighborhoods of various cities [Chicago is below]. Of course, you aren’t going to bust out this map while lost on a street corner, but after you have visited the city, you can proudly hang this piece of art and begin (or add to) your collection.

VanDam Maps
This is MY brand! I love these pocket size foldable maps and I have many. They are functional, cool and fit into the pocket of my jeans or in my pocketbook with ease. They unfold to show different areas of the city and neatly fold right back up into themselves. Genius!

Click —> vandam map video to see an AWESOME video of how the map works and yes, I already know it is borderline nerdy to have a video of a map, but it is mesmerizing.

MapEasy
MapEasy makes a great map that is durable and flexible whether you meticulously fold it back to its original shape or crumple it quickly in your pocket as you run to the train. The guide map version they sell is the one I like best and when I have some downtime (um, because I missed said train) I enjoy the hand drawn detail and the ratings and pricing they give right on the map location for restaurants, museums and the like. It is detailed with the perfect amount of information and the print is just the right size to keep your eyes from crossing. It also looks really good on say, a map wall.

map images of barcelona

On my first visit to Boston I armed myself with a pocket size fold out map and set out by foot to see the sights. Maps can be misleading and I was expecting a much larger area — I ended up being surprised at how small the city really was. Known for its rabid Red Sox and Patriot fan base (and believe me, rabid is not an exaggeration), Boston is also full of history. Boston’s favorite son isn’t Larry Bird from Celtic fame or even Tom Brady, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL — the favorite son and keeper of the city is the historic hero Paul Revere. The story of Revere’s horse ride through town alerting the residents “the British are coming, the British are coming” is taught to all American children at an early age. That act of bravery secured him a place in US history but also on many of the streets and landmarks (and tourist gifts) throughout the city where his influence has been great.

I decided that I owed it to my US history teachers and to Boston to immerse myself first and foremost into all that was Paul Revere. I headed to the North End neighborhood where I toured the home he lived in with his 16 children (yes, 16) and as in most historical home/museums, I was pleased to see the rooms of the house were still decorated as they would have been during the time period in which Revere lived there. I saw the North Church where his lanterns hung from the steeple warning the townspeople of the British approaching, quite a few statues of him scattered about and finally, the cemetery where he is buried. The cemetery was actually across the street from my hotel–which creeped me out a bit–however realizing how old this city is (Boston had many “firsts” for the United States including the first park [established in the 1600s], the first church, first public school and first subway system), it seemed almost normal that modern hotels (such as mine, Nine Zero) and shops would be integrated in with the original buildings, cobblestone streets and, yes–cemeteries.

cemetery where Paul Revere is buried. the large tombstone belongs to Ben Franklin

Boston is full of diverse, beautiful neighborhoods surrounded by parks, boutiques and restaurants. Many of these neighborhoods and major landmarks throughout the city can be reached easily by strolling the “Freedom Trail” that winds through the city. Here are some of my favorite neighborhoods:

Beacon Hill, one of the oldest and smallest neighborhoods in the country, is also one of the most famous. It is known for its elegant brownstones and fashionable shops. A walk down Charles Street will introduce eclectic antique shops, welcoming cafes and top of the line clothing boutiques.

brownstones on beacon hill

Faneuil Hall has been a bustling marketplace and meeting spot for over 200 years. Near both the Waterfront neighborhood and the North End, this neighborhood has a huge shopping area (indoors and out), sidewalk performances during warmer months and is one of the most famous stops along Boston’s “Freedom Trail.” The famous bar “Cheers” from the TV show of the same name has been remodeled and relocated here too.

Here is a video I took of a street performer just outside of the marketplace.

boston street performer

the author outside of Faneuil Hall

Back Bay is the neighborhood that I think I enjoyed the most. This area claims the gorgeous Public Library (wonderful tour) and Trinity Church in Copley Square. Many browse-able boutiques are to be found on posh Newbury Street along with galleries, bars and restaurants.

lion in the boston public library

Boston can be reached in under 5 hours by car from the New York City area which makes it an excellent choice for a long weekend getaway. I look forward to going back soon–maybe for a Red Sox game this fall–or a classic Ivy League football game so I can better check out the Fenway and Harvard neighborhoods I didn’t have a chance to visit or maybe to find more reasons that will put Boston at the top of my “if I had to move list”.

Palm Springs, is in the desert of California and known for its super hot temperatures (in the summer it can get to 120), multiple golf courses and tons of resorts with pools bigger than many of the hotel rooms. Grant, through a frequent flier miles program he belonged to, had a 4 day hotel stay at a 5 star resort in the Palm Desert area. We were so there.

The resort was crazy nice. I cannot, to this day, believe the layout of the pool area. The outdoor bars that kept us laughing about old times late into the night and the trails surrounding the golf course that I ran each morning before the delectable breakfast buffet became second nature in just a day’s time and I dreaded the thought of leaving. Thinking we were cool in our brand new rental orange Jeep convertible we put on our tropical attire and headed to Tommy Bahama’s restaurant in downtown Palm Springs. I don’t have enough hands to count the Bentleys and Maseratis I saw — the main avenue was the kind of place that would rival Rodeo Drive or Champ Elysees in Paris and in other words, a place where an orange Jeep didn’t really fit in. Dinner was fabulous though and the energy from large amounts of money undoubtably changing hands the high end shops was contagious–almost enough to make me want to buy one of those hand stitched handbags that cost more than my rent.

As nice as it was to see sun, it was hot there–so hot. Living in Seattle resulted in us being waterlogged and having low Vitamin D deficiency so the idea of hot temperatures to dry us out were appealing but on our third day it hit 125 and that was a bit oppressive; even the pool couldn’t offer relief. We decided to head up the highway to see what we could find (the excuse I gave to my brother to get us to the rumored outlet stores I had heard about).

About 45 minutes down the highway we witnessed the thing that we knew would be the highlight of our trip–a memory we’d fondly recall and retell in the years to come. “The resort, my awesome tan, downtown Palm Desert — even deals I may find at the outlets are not going to be what we remember most about this trip” (this was an actual quote from me to my brother). “Instead” , I continued epically, “we’ll remember the dinosaurs“.

These Cabazon Dinosaurs are actually part of a rest stop/gas station and they stick out like, well, like dinosaurs in the middle of the desert. You may have seen them before in the classic film ‘Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure’ when Pee-Wee hid out in them. They were built over 30 years ago and reportedly get 12 million visitors a year!

The T-Rex has a museum inside and you can be like Pee-Wee and hang out in the mouth and look out through the teeth. The Brontosaurus has a gift shop inside but sadly–no Pee-Wee memorabilia (WHAT?) They are seriously missing out on some FOR SURE t-shirt sales…

We didn’t stay for long, just long enough to take some photos, quote some lines from Pee-Wee and marvel at the fact that we actually saw this iconic spot from the highway. It was so cool — even cooler than the sweet deals I got at the North Face outlet.

My husband and I took a long weekend road trip to Vermont to visit friends at their cabin. From NYC, the drive took us about six hours to our final destination of Stowe; of course my insistence that we stop along the way for photos and the occasional coffee did extend the trip some, but isn’t that what a road trip is all about?

Heading north through New York State way we traveled through the Adirondack Mountain Range. The Adirondacks are a worthy trip in itself. Thousands of streams and lakes, (including famous Lake Placid and Lake George) offer gorgeous scenery, kayak and canoe waterways, tons of hiking trails and camping sites. The scenery here reminded me of my home state of Washington — just with much shorter mountains.

After four hours of arm-out-the-window singing along to our usual road trip tunes (Bob Dylan, Modest Mouse and Neil Diamond) we opted to spend the night in Rutland, Vermont.

Rutland, like many towns in Vermont is small, but large enough to have a Main Street complete with a street fair, organic shops and great restaurants to choose from. Again I was reminded of my roots seeing the laid back, “granola” lifestyle so common to Seattle i.e.: VW bus driving–Birkenstock sporting–fleece wearing–organic food selling — ski and mountain bike bumming… and I loved it! While parts of Jersey and NY also have their “natural” sections that remind us of home at times — but Rutland was the first place we’ve visited since moving to the East Coast where I really felt like a Seattle-ite could move here and fit right in.

In Rutland we ate at the trendy yet homey Table 24. Thinking about their skillet cornbread and macaroni & cheese is a regular past time of mine when I am hungry.
The ingredients are fresh and the staff are mainly college students that may argue that the skiing brought them there more than the local college. After dinner we walked the street fair, listened to the live music and window shopped the local stores.

Rutland, VT street fair

The next day we got an early start for Stowe and made only a few short stops to take some pics and one stop at the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory Headquarters in Waterbury. Free samples!

Diana at Ben & Jerry’s

Stowe is a popular ski town but in the summer it is a hiking/mountain biking town. Tourism is clearly the industry here, as it is in most ski areas.

While in Stowe we checked out the Summer events around town that run through mid-October including the line-up the Stowe Mountain Resort. You can take a 2,300′ ride on the Alpine Slide, get high with Bungee Trampolines or climb some rock walls. Stowe has a Gondola as well that you can ride to the highest peak in the State.

Gondola

We took advantage of the warm weather (low humidity) and hiked some of the more popular trails in the Smuggler’s Notch area. Guided tours are available for every level of hiker, but we opted to go off on our own carefully choosing the hikes that would best fit our ability (I like danger )

We hiked to not very crowded scenic high points on Morse Mountain that offered panoramic views of the Champlain Valley below. We managed to also make it up Sterling Mountain–a four hour trek to the highest trout pond in the state.

The rest of the “hiking” we did was mainly around the town. Art galleries populate the roads of Stowe (one of my favorites was the Stephen Huneck Gallery showing his very popular dog drawings and sculptures) and of course the mountain touristy shops that I never seem to get tired of browsing through.

photo courtesy of www.dogmt.com

Diana at the covered bridge in town

On our last morning we stopped at the Dutch Pancake House for a very filling and delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes, Dutch style (crepe like with all ingredients baked in, replicas of what you would find in Holland) and strong coffee. According to this site, the NY Times reviewed this as “The World’s Most Decadent Breakfast” and I’d say that review is pretty accurate.

dutch pancake

Overall, for a four day weekend, Stowe and it’s stopping points along the way was a great road trip from New York City. When I head back in the Winter I’ll be sure to update you on the happenings and you can also trust me to try out the Dutch Pancake House again, simply for the sake of research, of course.