Tag Archives: East Coast

10.04.12

The most common thing we heard before we left on our almost two week road trip was, “oh this will be the ultimate test”.

Of course there were variations like, “pack a big bag of patience” and “please try not to kill each other” and even “whoa nelly you two will be enemies by day three”.

Not very encouraging.

T and I have always traveled well together, but we are talking small weekend trips here kids.  We really started psyching ourselves up for 13 days of being in a two foot radius of one another. To our surprise, it was easy breezy fun.
Disclaimer: we do not have chittlins, I believe that to be extremely important information.

We of course had our moments of frazzled map reading, and insane traffic never made us giggly….but we did a good job of remembering that we were frustrated with the situation and not with each other.

Once we hit the downward slope, aka the drive home…we both got a little grumpy.  But there were never any blowouts, which I think we both fully expected.

All my life I have looked at traveling as very hectic.  Traveling meant arguing at least 32% of the trip, usually in the very beginning.  I’ve been on some trips where people fight the whole time…not fun y’all.

Feeling like we might be onto something….we put together a list for you all. roadtrips with spouse/boyfriend
We hope all of your travels are as happy as ours!

Written by Christina and Tim
10.03.12

If you missed any stops on our East Coast road trip…you can catch up by clicking on the links below.

The Preview
Gettin Lucky in Kentucky
Virginia is for Lovers
Our Nation’s Capitol
Lawsonville, PA
Jersey Shore minus the Snookie
Vermonty, where I gained ten pounds
We are moving to Maine
Chitown
Shedd Aquarium

We hope you enjoyed hopping in our virtual car for a little tour of the East-ish.

Some of you commented on our post card montage.  You don’t even know how much fun this was for my boytoy and the doggie.
Here are some outtakes.  

You think those are funny….wait till you see our road trip videos.
We debated on sharing these, because they aren’t very flattering but every time we watch we can’t help but laugh.
Hopefully you all can just laugh at our ridiculousness too.

You wanna know how big of dorks we are, or how we entertained ourselves for 85 hours in the car, or how obsessed with tunnels we are….just watch these.

And Mom – I did not know what the “whistle song” was about, it just kept coming on the radio so we jammed.

Now you get to sneak a peek at just how goofy we are….fun in tunnels.
 

Okay, now that we have subjected ourselves to public humiliation.  Let’s talk about our treasures.
I am definitely the girl that picks up every cool seashell as a souvenir. I am also the girl that wants to buy a memento everywhere I go. It’s my mom’s fault.  Everywhere we traveled she buys coffee mugs, then every morning she gets to reflect about where she has been.
But I don’t like coffee.
So I settle for magnets & postcards. This trip we decided that when we really loooved a place (enough for three “o’s”) we would buy an ornament.  We are Christmas nuts, so it seemed fitting.

     

We snuck off with some other treasures too.  Tasty ones like chocolate covered blueberries, sweet jams, smoky bacon cheese, jalapeño chips, and some burger sauce.  Some super rad tee shirts that I am sure you will spot us wearing here and there.  Even doggie treats and toys.  No one left behind.

We got sweet art prints from Maine and we are currently working on getting an awesome piggie painting from a Vermont store.

That’s how I show my love….with Friends references.

We also almost drove off the highway to go scoop up one of these bad boys. We also collected room keys…don’t snitch. Now the question is….what kind of crafty things can I do with all of these treasures?

Oh I just got a gut-wrenching pain…our trip is over.
Time to start planning the next one!

Written by Christina and Tim
10.02.12

We knew that if we drove straight home from the East Coast we would be seriously depressed…in a car….together….for sixteen hours.
That was if there wasn’t any traffic.
We also knew that Chicago was only a six hour drive (five if your name is Tim).

So we added Chicago to our trip.  That cut the depressing drive down by ten whole hours, because we were excited for Chicago for most the way home. Since we couldn’t catch a Cards-v-Cubs game, we went to the obvious vacation destination. Boy oh boy did our cameras get a workout.  Hope you like photos! It goes without saying that we had a blast.
But I will say it anyway….we had a blast. We walked right into a show in their main tank.  Where do I apply for that job?
I of course oogled the decor.   Ummmm hi, where do you all shop?
I got caught oogling a lot that day…. What can I say, I have a real weakness for sharks.  Check it. I mean, how do you not love them.
I am totally serious about having a shark tank too.
Luckily, I know where to stock up on sharks. Yes, they had real shark eggs.  I have video of them wriggling that I will share later this week.

There was another baby.  The baby Beluga was born about a month ago.
Say “hi”

 

That is my dolphin imitation.   It seemed like the theme of the day was large and in charge.
Everything was huge. I know these aren’t the best pictures, unless you are into glare and fuzziness.
The point is look at the size of these monsters. For some reason, this reminded me of Harry Potter.  So I ran….fast.       Yes, that sea lion was the highlight of my trip.
He knew where the food was, so he would swim three laps then splash out to get some chow.
Everytime he got out I clapped like a….well, sea lion.

My second best friend was this little feller. He was convinced that the rubber duckie was his people.
More convinced that this duck was his BFF forever and ever.

Then there were the jellies.  Oh the jellies.      

It was what I want heaven to be…and has me convinced our next tank should be a jellyfish tank.   That there is the general gist of our aquarium trip…minus about 450 pictures.
Shutter happy people, that’s for sure.

We were not happy to leave Chicago, since that meant our trip was pretty much over.
But we are so glad to be home….planning the next one!

Written by Christina and Tim
09.28.12

Okay, maybe in my dreams.
Maine was our favorite place, our dream is to have a summer home there…anyone want to donate? Maine was a last minute decision.  We basically decided, we are only four hours away…are we ever going to get the chance to go to Maine again?
Sandy told us to drive on over to Camden, Maine and get us some chowdah.  So we did.

Here was the first clue that we loved Maine.  We were driving in at night, and being from the Most Dangerous City in America we decided to ask a gas station attendant what areas to avoid.  It went a little something like this:

Me:  Hi, have you ever been to Camden, Maine?
Super Nice Man:  Yea, you goin’?
Me:  Yes, that’s where we are headed.  Are there any places to avoid?
SNM:  Blank stare.
Me:  Like, where should we stay?
SNM:  Are you talkin’ criminal?
Me:  Yes, exactly.
SNM:  Girl, you just watch out for the moose and deer okay.
Me:  Oh so it’s pretty safe then?
SNM:  You do realize you are in Maine right?

The second reason I love Maine, their accents.  Wicked awesome.

This is for you Super Nice Man, but you have to share it with my mooseaholic mama. Since we drove in at night we couldn’t really take in the sights.  Tim wanted to find a hotel room, I was more concerned with getting a lobster in my tummy.

Tim likes to make me happy, so we focused on food.
Found an awesome little bar called Cappy’s.
It was awesome.
The lobster was unreal.  And you could even catch your own and they cook it for a dollar. I would highly recommend checking out Cappys, it was such a good time.
I have no clue why our eyes are so closed…I guess we were food drunk.Sorry for the terrible phone pictures, didn’t wanna get all professional up in Cappy’s.
After we stuffed our guts we decided to find a place to stay, this is when I realized Tim is always right.

Because Camden is such a small town, all of the hotels close down at 9.
It was 9:15…bummer.
Luckily we found one place a couple miles out that stayed open until 10.

 

They had lots of lobster statues, and a hot lobster quiche for breakfast.  Winning.

We had a full morning of lighthouse viewing planned, until we woke up to this. A whole lot of Maine fog.  It was the prettiest fog I had ever seen.

We didn’t let it slow us down.  We headed to a couple different lighthouses….  we weren’t able to see any of them…but the ocean was magical.

  Maine is everything you imagine.  It is peaceful and calming.  From the gentle tide to the sound of the buoy bells, I truly believe that is where we belong. We both just sat quietly and imagined walking out to the lighthouse every morning and drinking our peppermint hot chocolate.  Maine seems like a place of eternal happiness. The other thing we loved, and I think this depends where you go….the privacy.
It wasn’t touristy by the beaches at all, we sat by ourselves most of the day. The fog started lifting a little, but not enough to see lighthouses.  We just kept exploring.

We drove through a park and there was beauty everywhere.  From the birch trees to the graveyard to these two chairs begging us to sit a while. Is this not the most beautiful graveyard ever. I found lots of treasures….including the ducks. After we finished all of our beach viewing….we went into town.      It was a great little town speckled with Bed & Breakfasts’ and charming shoppes (with an extra ‘pe’ because they are quaint).

We walked along the harbor and admired all the fisherman, what a life. Everything is prettier in Maine. We found our third reason to love Maine while visiting the shoppes…everyone is so N-I-C-E.
Like crazy nice, overly nice.
Break out a map and draw you directions nice.  It was refreshing.

Upon the recommendation of a local, we went to Graffam Brother’s Seafood Shack and grabbed some chowdah.
Then we took it to the local hideaway that he drew directions to. And there we found our dream house. Can I please get a million dollar loan.
If I can, I’ll invite you to my backyard that overlooks a lighthouse.

Oh and let me not forget to tell you about the chowdah…not chowder.
I could live on that and that alone everyday for the rest of my life, fo sho.

Do you need more convincing that we love Maine….okay.
They love dogs. Dogs were everywhere, and it was wonderful.  There was even a shoppe that had a sweet dog trained to walk you into the store.  Seriously, the dog sat on the stoop and when you googled at him he walked you in the store and left you to spend oodles.  He returned to his stoop and grabbed the next sucker.  We watched him do it at least six times.  We have some training to do.

And because no road trip post is complete without driving pictures….here is our view as we drove out of Maine. And you know how I feel about bridges. It really was heaven on earth…we can’t wait to go back. Can you believe our trip is almost over?
We will have one more post on Monday….and it’s a biggin’ y’all.

Stick around.

Written by Christina and Tim
09.27.12

The last leg of our trip we hoofed it up to the beautiful state of Vermont. I gotta tell ya, the drive up to Stowe was incredible. I totally made Tim stop at all the “scenic overlooks” for photos. We went through an awesome town, Lake George.  We will be back. Once we got into Vermont we saw so many sights…gorgeous barns in lovely foliage, the Ben & Jerry’s headquarters, and lots and lots of cheese farms.  Hence, the gaining of ten pounds.   Everything was so beautiful, and quaint.  Slow-paced and friendly.  I’m hooked.

I have always wanted to go to Vermont, and I am so happy that we got to drive.  It was truly breath-taking.
Plus I got to hang out with the coolest girl around. I hate to be all cheesy, but I was so happy to get to spend some time with Sandy.  We met through a mutual friend and I thought her and her manfriend were the coolest.  They were everything I wanted to be….independent, intelligent, well-traveled with so many interests, and HAPPY.  They are the type of people that get you inspired.

Get ready for a novella….feel free to scroll:

They first night there we had the best fresh pizza, drank some drinks, and got all caught up.  Sandy & Jon had just moved to Vermont from Florida and their completely DIY’d house was unreal (send me some pictures so I can show the world how awesome you all are wouldya).  This talk was exactly what I needed.  You see all of my friends are growing up.  They are getting married, having babies, jumping into the real world.  While I am so ecstatic for them, it made me start questioning my life.  Is that the path I was supposed to be on?  All of my friends will have babies, what if I have nothing to talk to them about?

I know I am not ready for all that….I have big dreams of traveling the world and starting my own business….and I am just not ready.  Don’t get me wrong, I want kids.  Just not right now.  It has been a real struggle for months.  Should I settle down?  I have a fantastic man that I know I will be with forever….I guess that’s the next step.  But I just don’t feel like it’s right for us right now.

Then I talked to Sandy….and she said, “Just do it”.  I got lost in her stories of traveling and moving and pursuing you dreams….and I know THAT is what is right for me.

So thanks girl….for reminding me that it’s ok to do my own thing and giving me a refreshing new view.

Back to our trip folks, step off the soapbox lady.

Sandy gave us a rundown of the wonderful town of Stowe.  There was tons of hiking, shopping, and great food.  Here is an interesting tidbit, there are no major chains in Stowe….as in there are only local stores and restaurants.  It was a subtle fact, but it really made the town feel so quaint and hip.

Then we went hiking on Mount Mansfield….amazing.  Here, see for yourself.

Who here knew that the VonTrapp’s were real, live people?
You know…Sound of Music family?  I mean, I assumed it was loosely based.
But they were real, and they fled to Stowe, Vermont and opened a lodge.
It’s still in the family and as gorgeous as you would imagine.

Sandy has a fun little game, just add “Von” to everything…it’s fancy.  Let’s play. The VonGarden. VonSunshine.

 

VonFestive and VonLovely. VonBummer.

 

VonWhereDoIGetThese and VonTasty. VonSignage. VonMiracleGrow.

And the list goes on, and on…there were apparently fuzzy cows, but they were hiding.

Good golly…when can we go back.  We just loved Vermont.
If you like charming little towns with amazing people….put this on your travel list.

We were supposed to stay in Vermont for two days but at the last minute we decided to go to Maine.  I would have loved to see what other adventures we would get into, I guess we just have to go back!

Until next time Vermont.

Written by Christina and Tim
09.26.12

Our next stop on our East Coast Road Trip was the A-C. Yeaaaa buddy for all you Jersey Shore fanatic types…we just wanted to find the gypsies.

I have to admit, we only put this in our itinerary for the laughs.  We were sure we wouldn’t blend with the juiceheads and would most likely hate it.

Boy were we surprised.

I mean what more could you ask for….besides a hotel room that was cheaper than our DC room service!

The hotel we stayed at was right on the boardwalk, with the beach right behind it.  It also had a casino, so why didn’t we come here sooner?

And get this…Timbo made friendlies with the front desk attendant.  So he gave us the “corner suite”….Why yes indeedy, those are mirrored ceilings….only in Jersey.
Don’t worry mom, we aren’t into that freaky 50 shades stuff.

So during the day we hung out on the beaches and played in the waves, until I found out I have an allergy to Atlantic City biting flies.  Seriously, I was welting up like a weirdo. The beach reminded me of Florida, lined with hotels and touristy shops…but with way less college hotties and way more gambling grannies. So after I was attacked by the killer flies and run off the beach…we spent a little time on the boardwalk. Here is where I admit that I am the annoying tourist…the one that loves the little shops with postcards and magnets.
I will gladly pay $9 for a yummy spiked lemonade just for the “whole experience” of the boardwalk.
The one that snaps a hundred pictures of every building, which is why you will see so many photos where T looks bored.
We have most likely spent all our money on junk and he’s been standing there getting harassed by homeless people while I snap away.

So I loved the boardwalk. We had a great time just strolling up the boardwalk and then back down the beach.  Giggling over the seagulls the whole time, little entrepreneurs.  Pretzels crumbs are everywhere…and they are like gangs claiming their territory.  As lame as it sounds it was fascinating to watch for two folks who rarely see seagulls.

After all our beach & boardwalk shenanigans, we went to dinner in the casino.  We figured while in Jersey, we had to have real guido Italian.
So we went to Patsy’s, which is where Frank Sinatra used to hang out.  We stuffed our bellies with the best of them.

Then it was casino time. This was one of the most fun nights we had.  Oddly enough, we had never been to a casino together….I usually avoid them like the plague.

We did everything….roulette, poker, slots, craps, and the list goes on.  I kept winning, Tim kept losing….then I would give him my winnings and he would lose them. Until later in the night….when he won big on Double Diamonds.  He then had little old lady groupies the rest of the night.

I had to shoo them off with a broomstick.  Little hussys.

On a completely unrelated note, I was fascinated by the bridges in Jersey.  I had never given much thought to bridges unless I thought they were pretty.

When you think about it there are so many different types and styles, but they all serve the same purpose.  The old covered bridge is there for the same reason that the Golden Gate is.  Interesting, no?

 

Sit and ponder bridges for a while now, mmkay.

Toodles friendlies.

Written by Christina and Tim