Road Trips
An Impromptu Weekend
Aug 23rd
We took advantage of a spur-of-the-moment getaway last weekend. I didn’t even discuss it with my husband. Just booked the trip and told him to pack. We never do this kind of thing. Travel is usually planned well in advance, which is why our quick trip to Stowe, Vermont, was such a breath of fresh air.
We left home around 6:30 p.m. Friday for the four-hour drive north through New Hampshire and into Vermont. It was still light out when we turned northwest to follow I-89 into Vermont where the mountains stood in purple silhouette against the pink sky. When we stepped out of the car at a rest area, we found the cool mountain air a welcome change from the hot and humid weather we had left behind.
We arrived at Stoweflake, a family-run resort just outside Stowe Center, at just about 10:30 p.m. The following morning, we dined on the outside verandah, then took a quick walk around the property to get our bearings. On the short drive to Stowe Center we noticed first one, then two, then dozens of antique cars — classics cars, sports cars, pick-up trucks, you name it, from the ’20s, ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Turned out our quick trip coincided with the 53rd Annual Antique and Classic Car Meet. My husband, Kevin, had a ball strolling along the sidewalk admiring the vintage vehicles in pristine condition.
We wandered through the downtown shops, stopping into Laughing Moon Chocolates to pick out a selection of six hand-made truffles and perusing the crafts, pottery, jewelry and other treasures at Stowe Craft Design before heading back to Stoweflake, where I had scheduled an afternoon spa treatment. While I indulged in a delicious Ayurvedic massage, Kevin headed next door to the Stowe Country Club to play a quick round of golf.
Later, when we sat at the bar for a pre-dinner glass of wine, I noticed how relaxed Kevin looked and how relaxed I felt — just 24 hours and a bit more than 200 miles from home and work. We enjoyed a great steak dinner in Stoweflake’s Charlie B’s restaurant and brought two decadent desserts back to our room.
The following morning, we strolled across the street to wander through Stowe Farmers Market, where we picked up locally made honey and preserves, tucked into honey-flavored freeze pops and purchased a fresh blueberry peach pie which we enjoyed at home that evening — still savoring the taste of our impromptu weekend getaway.
– Lisa Matte, editor in chief
Books Prompt Travel . . . and Vice Versa
Aug 22nd
Several best-selling books in the past few years have led their fans to travel to the locations in which the plots are set. A whole industry seems to have sprung up offering tours and packages built around the settings of Elizabeth Gilbert‘s memoir Eat, Pray, Love – which will likely go into overdrive with the recent release of the movie based on the book. Popular excursions based on sites mentioned in Stieg Larsson‘s Millennium series of thrillers are selling out in Sweden. One community which has perhaps benefitted the most, proportionately, from fan interest in the locale of their favorite books is tiny Forks, Wash. Ever since the first book in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series was published, the community at the edge of the continent which had suffered through severe economic decline as the logging and fishing industries sagged has enjoyed a welcome influx of tourist dollars.
Certainly, this is not a new phenomenom in the worlds of publishing and tourism. Readers of Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes for years have sought locations in London and throughout the U. K. mentioned in the books penned by J. K. Rowling and Arthur Conan Doyle. (I remember my girls being thrilled, several years ago, to be traveling through King’s Cross Station, from which the Hogwart’s Express departs for the wizarding school in the Potter series.) Surely, any writer who has the skill to describe a foreign place in intriguing and enticing prose (and populate it with enchanting characters in a thrilling plot) will likely set his readers to dreaming of visiting that spot. Indeed, for many of us, our first introductions to worlds outside our familiar circuits probably came through the pages of a book.
Conversely, the memories of and lessons learned by travelers have for centuries led them to share their experiences in books that have become literary classics — and in turn sent their readers off on explorations of their own. John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley and William Least Heat Moon’s Blue Highways early gave me a desire to hit the road and explore our country. Even more ambitious journeys such as those related in Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft and Honeymoon with My Brother by Franz Wisner can set one to dreaming and considering the possibilities of life-changing travels of one’s own.
Do you have a favorite travel book? Is there a book, fiction or nonfiction, which has spurred you to journey to see the sights it describes (or at least dream of doing so?)? Have you chosen to read a book based solely upon its setting? How have books affected your travel plans?
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor
My Houston Experience
Aug 18th
Just as my GT friends were leaving Houston, my brother-in-law Scott, nephew Matt and I were arriving. Every summer, I join Scott and Matt (former residents of Space City) for one trip, which includes some work, reconnecting with old friends and baseball.
Before we even reached our hotel, we stopped at Texadelphia for a hearty chicken cheesesteak sandwich. This is a staple of all trips to Houston and one that starts the trip off right.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites, near the Galleria. The hotel features a solid workout room with several machines and free weights, a huge (and free) breakfast buffet, a whirlpool and even swans in a pond in the lobby. Our suite was spacious, comfortable and filled with amenities such as two large flat-screen televisions and a comfortable, functional work space.
Friday night and Sunday afternoon we saw the Houston Astros defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates at beautiful Minute Maid Park, one of my favorite ballparks. The park has a retractable roof and is always very comfortable inside. The food options are tremendous, with my favorite being the hand-carved smoked turkey sandwich.
On Saturday we went to Woodrow’s, a fantastic sports bar close to our hotel. A few delicious appetizers, a couple pitchers of their finest beverages and several baseball games later (many of them simultaneous), we left as very satisfied patrons.
After Sunday’s game we enjoyed an awesome pizza at Barry’s. The Neopolitan is a hand-tossed delight. In addition to the wonderful pizza, we ordered their garlic bread, which is among the best I have ever eaten (and I have eaten a lot).
Before attending Monday’s game, which the Astros lost to the New York Mets, we stopped in at The Balcony, a sports bar across the street from Minute Maid. The Balcony is a lively, open-air sports bar run by Jose, a friendly native Chicagoan. In one corner is a wall and case of Chicago Cubs memorabilia. We renewed acquaintances with Jose and talked about how Houston and Chicago have changed over the years.
Despite the loss on Monday, it was an outstanding game in every way. Steve Grande, Astros media relations coordinator, allowed Global Traveler some extra access to Minute Maid Park. We talked travel with several players and coaches. We checked out the press box and many more food options in the executive area. Next week, I will be sharing the behind-the-scenes report from Minute Maid.
We arrived home yesterday, fully satisfied from this trip and already discussing the next trip. I couldn’t ask for more.
– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
Gem of the Cascades
Aug 15th
Yesterday we finished up our vacation with a visit to Crater Lake National Park. It was right along our route home from Redmond, Ore., where we’d spent the past week relaxing at Eagle Crest Resort, and, as fellow blogger John Wroblewski wrote last week, this weekend is a fee-free day in a number of the national parks, including Crater Lake. (Although at ten dollars for a seven-day pass per vehicle, the park entrance fees really should not be an excuse to keep anyone from visiting.) Most of all, I was eager to revisit a place where I’d spent an entire summer working — my best summer job experience.
We entered through the North Entrance and drove most of the 33-mile amazingly scenic Rim Drive that circles the lake. Although my husband is also a native Oregonian, he had never been to the park, so I enjoyed seeing his reaction to the incredible vistas from the many viewpoints along the way. The lake’s nickname, “Gem of the Cascades,” is thoroughly appropriate, a fact I first appreciated on viewing the lake from an airliner at 30,000 feet several years before I first stood on the rim of this volcanic caldera. It looked like nothing so much as a gorgeous, brilliant sapphire in a setting of snowcapped peaks. That stunning deep blue is truly unique and remarkable, unlike any color I’ve seen in the waters of the Pacific or Mediterranean.
It’s been 33 years since I spent that wonderful summer in the park, and very little of the setting has changed. One of the most important aspects of our national parks is that they seek to preserve some of the world’s most beautiful and unique ecosystems for future generations to enjoy. I did note that the Rim Village area, which contains the historic lodge and other visitor facilities, has been reconfigured to further minimize the human impact visually and otherwise from this area. A large parking lot that used to sit right along the rim has been replaced with a grassy meadow, and cabins and camp sites are now located several miles away from the caldera edge.
Our visit to my old friend was a great way to finish up our time off, and I’ll be sure it isn’t too long before I visit again. If you’re ever anywhere close to Crater Lake, don’t pass up the opportunity to experience this incredible place.
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor
