A New England Road Trip to Remember

---

Recently, my husband and I had the opportunity to visit the New England states. We were both born and raised in North Carolina, so we were familiar with the East Coast. However, both of our parents had never taken us more north than Tennessee, so we still had lots to discover about this part of the country! My husband had a work meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, so we decided to fly into that destination and start our journey there.



Thankfully, the meeting only lasted about an hour or so and after that, we were free to explore the rest of the region on our own! We started the day out at the Liberty Bell. I was surprised to see how close we could get to the Bell itself! My husband is a huge history buff and seeing the bell actually made him tear up. It is a piece of our past that is full of significance and meaning. We also toured Independence Hall. We were thankfully able to join a tour group that was just beginning. It was a great way to learn a little more about the history of the city, get out of the heat, and see some incredible sights in the meantime.





From there, we decided to naturally walk to get some cheesesteaks for lunch, of course! We had heard that the two main and most popular establishments in the city were Pat’s and Geno’s. Rumor goes that the two restaurants, which sit just across from each other, have engaged in a friendly competition over who can create the best cheesesteak for decades! You’re either a Pat’s devotee or you always go to Geno’s. The two restaurants were not particularly close to the main area where we had started our day, but we just decided to walk there anyway. It was not too hot and there was a slight breeze blowing, so it was pleasant and a great way to explore our new surroundings.





I chose to get my lunch from Pat’s, also known (as the sign declares) as the “King of Steaks.” My husband ordered from Geno’s and we compared the two. Mine came with a decadent nacho cheese topping and his was topped with just a little white cheese that I believe was mozzarella, as well as red and green mini peppers that looked delicious. We shook hands afterward and agreed to call a truce. Both restaurants served incredible cheesesteaks that were much better than anything we had back home in North Carolina!





That was the extent of our day in Philadelphia. After walking back to our rental car, we kept driving onward. We did not stop until we reached Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. We had read a travel book that described the Grease Trucks that park in a nearby parking lot adjacent to the campus. We ducked into a study hall to check out the scene, then walked over to the Grease Trucks. One of the things we were surprised to learn was that in this neck of the woods, it is not uncommon to see sub sandwiches topped with french fries! We would discover more of these types of sandwiches in other locales we stopped at on our trip, as well.





We both got chicken parmesan subs, topped with french fries! It was a delicious combination and one that we have since re-created back at home on occasion. Then, the real adventure began. We thought that we had set our GPS in a way that would allow us to avoid driving anywhere near New York City. We thought we would drive right around it, skipping the hustle and bustle, as well as the toll roads, that led into the heart of the big city. Instead, by some twist of fate, we ended up finding ourselves directly in front of the Lincoln Tunnel! By the time we realized our mistake, it was too late to turn around. We had to pay the more than $20 toll fee, and we were suddenly thrust into the busy, crowded but exhilarating ride into the city.





There is nothing quite like driving smack down the middle of Time Square around midnight on a Friday night. By the looks of the crowd, you would have thought it was 12:00 noon, not the other way around. There were people everywhere and it was certainly not the smoothest or safest driving conditions we have ever been in, but we had a blast nonetheless. While we were in the city, we drove by the National September 11 Memorial and Museum as well.





From there, we were able to arrive at our accommodations for the night. We stayed at Aunt Betty’s Bed and Breakfast in Long Island, New York. This was actually Betty’s personal home, and what a lovely one it was! When we arrived, it was very late and no one was awake, but she had given us the key code to enter, so we did so and then checked ourselves in upstairs. The next morning, she had a gourmet breakfast prepared and we were fortunate enough to meet the other couple staying at the bed and breakfast with us. They were a very sweet couple who were about to embark on their honeymoon, which consisted of biking the Ring Road in Iceland! After breakfast, we toured Aunt Betty’s property a little more and took a tour of her backyard, where she kept a small coop of chickens!





That next morning, we took a ferry into Bridgeport, Connecticut from Long Island. The ferry takeoff location was only about a 15 minute drive from Aunt Betty’s bed and breakfast. We are both huge John Mayer fans and we had learned that this was the singer’s hometown, so we were excited to explore just a little. While there, we had lunch at a place called Merritt Canteen. This restaurant is known for having super spicy hot dogs! We thought it would be a breeze and absolutely no big deal. Let me just tell you, those things were hot! We found it difficult to finish our meal, even though we were starving.





After dining on our lunch, we decided to take a tour of nearby Yale University. Before we could begin the tour, we watched an introduction video put together by the Yale student body. It was entertaining and informative and a great way to orient ourselves to the history, culture and activities of the campus before discovering it. Afterward, we took off on a 45-minute foot tour of the campus, where we learned all about local landmarks, famous people who attended college there, and plans for future development. There’s even a special statue, where you’re supposed to rub the bronze boot and it will bring you good luck! Of course, we did just that as we passed by.





During the tour, we learned that there were many golf courses near the campus, in case anyone wanted to play the links, including the Course at Yale, located by the Maltby Lakes Recreation Area. This especially appealed to my husband, who has made it a point to play a round of golf on almost every major trip he has been on. His favorite, so far, has been the St. Andrews Links, which he toured on a business trip to Scotland. You can view here to learn why it’s significant and see the impressive photo gallery.





We ended our day by visiting a local apple orchard, where we picked some of the biggest apples we had ever seen! They were incredible, though we both thought that they got a little pithy as you bit around the fruit toward the core. We could not leave the apple stand without buying a little bag of cinnamon apple doughnuts and two cider slushies! It was a wonderful way to cap off a day full of adventure! This particular orchard was called Barber’s Orchard and has been in operation since 1871! We were especially impressed with the many different varieties of apples they had for us to pick from.




For dinner, we stopped at Mystic Pizza in, where else, Mystic, Connecticut of course! We are both eighties babies and love the film by the same name. Being so close, we had to make it a point to stop in. While much of the movie was shot somewhere else, there are myriad references to it throughout the restaurant. In fact, the movie is playing on a constant loop right as you walk in! I found the pizza to be delicious, with just a little bit of snap to the crust. It came out quickly and we also ordered a basket of fried pickles for an appetizer. Afterward, we walked over to a local ice cream shop and took a look at some of the boats parked in the harbor.





It was a whirlwind trip, but we were careful to schedule our days so they were not too packed, but allowed us to take in as many sights and make as many memories as possible. I even organized all of our stops into a travel binder, complete with page protectors and dividers! While that may have been a little bit of overkill, it really helped us stay on track. I am certain we will be back in this region of the country soon and next time, I hope we can bring the kids with us!

---