Since I was little, I have always wanted to see the East Coast. From NYC to Nantucket, from Boston to D.C, there seems to be SO many different cities and places in a very small radius. Lately I have been itching to see more states, and break into the northeast coast. What better way than to do a mini road trip?
Luckily, my talented cousin, Roy, was due to graduate from Norwich University, a senior military college, in Northfield, VT. Of course we would travel anywhere to see him be recognized for these amazing accomplishments, but Vermont?! LETS GO. If you know my Schindler family at all, they are obsessed with the movie White Christmas, where the main characters travel to rural Vermont to perform a Christmas show. I think this one movie epitomized our vision of Vermont, even though we were traveling in the Spring (not during a white Christmas) and in 2018 (not 1954, thank goodness).
Not surprisingly, Vermont exceeded our expectations. But first let me take you through how we saw 4 states in 4 days.
The Itinerary
So I took it upon myself to plan this entire trip; my mom, my dad, John, Marissa, and Adam were along for the ride... lucky them! All they really knew is that I wanted to stay in Boston, MA, drive to Northfield, VT for the graduation, then drive to Providence, RI for the final night. Why Providence you might ask? (so did my poor dad) Well, because why not?
Day 1: Boston, MA
Day 2: Northfield, VT with a lunch stop in Lebanon, NH
Day 3: Providence, RI
Day 4: Fly out of Boston, MA
You see I'm not the type of traveler that lays on a beach for 7 days. I get antsy after the first 36 hours. I need to see as much as I can, while still spending sufficient quality time there. I get that most people aren't like this, (i.e. my parents) but we have a Florida trip planned in August, and we can lay on the beach until we burn to a crisp then. So, they trusted in me that this would be a knowledge filled trip, with a lot of walking.
Boston, MA
If you've never been to Boston, think of a bustling city with people strolling all over, and so much history you won't be able to see a fraction of it. In fact, you can be walking and literally stumble on some amazing sites by accident. It's truly crazy to think just how much history is in Boston, from the Boston Massacre, to the Old South Meeting House, to Bunker Hill. There are also some amazing hotels, but some of the oldest neighborhoods in the nation are in Boston; so we decided to do a historic Airbnb in Beacon Hill. I love Airbnbs, especially ones that are not your classic apartment. The neighborhood was quiet with people running or walking their dogs, and adorable cobblestone streets you could break your ankle on if you wore the wrong heels. It was so close to everything and we just loved it.
We met back up with my parents and with seafood on our mind, thought "We've been here for 30 minutes. Why wait?" So we walked over to The Barking Crab, right on the harbor with a great view of the Boston Tea Party museum, to get the best seafood in town. Their menu was not cheap by any means, but when the lobster essentially is caught out of the bay beside you, it's well worth it.
After lunch, we started the Freedom Trail, which is essentially a 2.5 mile walk through major historical sites in the city. Nearly missing the Boston Massacre site (there's only a big star on the street!), a Freedom Trail guide asked us if we had any questions. He said that there were five points on the star, honoring the five people who lost their lives. Surprised, John spoke for both of us and said "only five people?" He responded "At the time, five was a lot, now we are just accustomed to much more." Ironic how historical sites can highlight important topics today. Thanks for the heavy stuff, man!
Once they got into town, Marissa and Adam found us at the oldest bar in the U.S., The Bell in Hand Tavern.
After a quick drink and slurping up some extremely fresh oysters, we continued on the Freedom Trail. The best part about this walk is that there are old restaurants mixed with new and you can probably stop and have a glass of wine on every block. So, if you get bored of all the history, freshen up with some "immigrant culture" (ok, italian food).
Don't be embarrassed to admit I know that's important but it just looks really old. In fact, once we got to Paul Revere's house and realized admission was $5 a person, we all agreed,
"Eh, that's enough history for one day."
Lebanon, NH
New Hampshire was our neat little bonus state of the trip. I really hadn't even thought about stopping here until the day before, when we realized you realistically have to go through New Hampshire to get to Vermont. On our way to Roy's graduation ceremony, lunch time happened to be right at the border of NH and VT, so we decided to stop before crossing.
New Hampshire is everything you might think it would be: rolling hills, an abundance of trees, colonial houses. Lebanon, NH had a great BBQ shack, Marsh Brothers Deli, that we had seen on the map before stopping.
Upon getting out of our vehicle we honestly weren't sure we were at the right place. There was no advertisement or signs saying the name of the joint and it looked like a convenience store. We walked in and garnered a lot of stares, in our formal graduation attire, but overall were welcomed with friendly smiles. After placing our order over the counter we all Asat outside with some amazing sandwiches before hopping on the road again.
Northfield, VT
A few hours later we reached our destination. Northfield is a tiny town and Norwich University is the heart of it. The landscape is incredible, the architecture is beautiful, and the thousands of students give it life. We spent several hours both days here and it really gave us a great taste of Vermont.
However, our wonderful time in Vermont was not due to the incredible views, but by the amazing experience we had over the course of the two days. We witnessed Roy graduate Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Mechanical Engineering on Saturday, and then be commissioned into the army as a 2nd Lieutenant on Sunday. There is something about being in New England, at the oldest private military college in the U.S., watching a really selfless American act done by hundreds (including your very own cousin!) that just fills you with pride and patriotism. It will be hard to go back to Vermont to top this experience.
The night of his graduation we had a really nice private dinner with all of the Schindler family. Having 25+ family members come all the way out to the Northeast for the weekend is a testament to how amazing our family is. I loved seeing all my Iowan aunts, uncles and cousins in one place.
On Sunday, on the way out of town we stopped at another great deli with the most fantastic employees. O'Maddi's is a local hot spot with sandwich choices filling the wall. I had a deliciously fancy grilled cheese and their famous tater tots, and got to snack on my dad and John's as well. We left the state feeling on another 4 hour drive feeling happy and full.
Providence, RI
Our final night of the trip was Providence, RI. Admittedly, I got a lot of push back from the fam on this. John and my dad wanted to go back to Boston, and I was almost regretting not planning on that, because we loved it so much. But, we got to Providence and immediately felt like we were in a whole new place. This city reminds me so much of Milwaukee, and Marissa thought it reminded her of Cincinnati. It was very industrial and hipster, a far cry from your Bahston Hahbah folk (that is "Boston Harbor" for you midwesterners).
The Dean Hotel was unlike any we had ever been to (just look at the website). My mother was very weary of the tiny eclectic hotel with it's scissor gated elevator and odd shaped rooms. This was not typical like your Marriott or Holiday Inn, so it was an adjustment for all, but I think it was a great growing experience for the ole 'rents. What's neat about this new type of hotel is the staff is really friendly and they talk to you on a personal level. Texting you about if your room is up to par and give you insider scoops of bars and hang out spots in the area. There was even a cute little coffee shop inside the small lobby.
Before dinner we walked on some of downtown's best streets to get to The Eddy. Boutique shops, diverse restaurants, unique bars lined the streets. Not too many people were out walking and the streets were nearly empty, which is what reminded me so much of Milwaukee. After some coal-fired pizza we ended our night on the Rooftop of the ProvidenceG hotel.
On our way back to the airport in Boston, at the end of the long weekend, we stopped at Harvard to live out all of our Ivy League dreams. Go.. Pilgrims?
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