Blogs from Vermont, United States, North America - page 17

I think everybody loves the thought of a long weekend in the wilderness. Of being secluded with a group of good friends, surrounded by trees and privacy, yet with the amenities of being at home. Well that's what we did this Memorial Weekend of 2009. Epstein invited many of us up to his family's mountain house at Mount Snow for a weekend of partying and enjoying Vermont's outdoors. Things are exceedingly comfortable here with a large outdoor hot tub, two kitchens, satellite tv, a big pool table, and most importantly a giant trampoline. With so many people up here, we each pick and choose how to spend our day. With many of the boys choosing to go golfing on Friday. Reitman, Hillary, Jacko and I chose to work up a sweat with a pleasant hike. We ... read more

Preparing for a full 24 hours of travel tomorrow. It's my own fault, really. The true miser that I am, I picked the cheapest flight possible to Madrid which accomplishes two things: a 9 hour layover in London, and a bus ride from Heathrow to Gatwick. I have no idea what my mental state will be like at the end of all this. I plan to document everything. So here's hoping for the best...no flight delays, no customs issues, no visa problems, no one falling asleep on me...It's all going to go smoothly...oh yes.... Coming up next: ESPANA! P.S. "The Craigslist Killer"? Has anyone else been following it? Fuh-reeky.... read more

(This post is all about pre-departure details, so if you’re looking for something exciting, please look elsewhere!) One week from now will be our last night at home. Steve will cook us something wonderful for dinner, and Jaz and I will finish last-minute packing and make sure we have adequate reading material and well-charged iPods at our fingertips. We will check the weather forecast for Burlington, Bangkok and Cambodia. I will be trying to wrap my head around the fact that no matter how cold it is here, I will still be wearing sandals (with socks) when I get on that JetBlue flight Monday morning, because if I wore real shoes, I would just have to drag them around Southeast Asia, never to be worn again until the flight home. My desk and my head and ... read more

I wanted to take some time to summarize our trip, from the traveler's perspective. Also, attached to this post are some photo highlights from our trip. I highly recommend the village of Stowe, and Mt. Mansfield, for a ski vacation. For anyone who lives in a city, or is overrun with commercialization, advertising, and everything else that accompanies a fast-paced lifestyle, Stowe is a refuge. The village is flavored by plenty of old-style shops (like Stowe Mercantile) and plenty of old-world charm. From its quiet Main Street with Town Hall, Church, and Visitor's Center all in a row, to its precision crafts-men and women, to its comfortable and inviting "everyone's-a-local" atmosphere. I speak for, at the very least, Jess and I when I say that we felt rejuvenated from all the stress and anxiety of city ... read more

January 7th, 2009 Today was our last day skiing. With my calves nearly non-functional, and Jess' knee partially swollen, we started our day off with two bowls of medicine cabinet salad and decided to take it easy on the mountain today. Both of these "injuries" proved more-or-less harmless, as my calves were rendered unnecessary by the height of the ski boots (as anyone who has skied will agree, you can't really use your calves for skiing), and the swelling around Jess' knee actually helped to hold it in place. (quick note of excited personla accomplishment from Jess: "I got both my boots on all by myself today!) When we arrived at the mountain, we elected to spend the majority of our day on Spruce peak, Mansfield's sister-summit, so to speak. It is smaller, but still ... read more