Cross another one off the list

Here I am on my second vacation of the year, albeit a much shorter, cheaper and closer to home trip. Vermont is the only state in the Northeast that I had never been to and decided a fall trip to Stowe would be the perfect long weekend trip. So, as of 1:15 PM EST today, I only have 8 states left to get to! The day started off bright and early with a 6 AM flight out of O'Hare on jetBlue. My dad kindly drove me at 4:30 in the morning. There were a lot more people at the airport at that time then I thought there would be. The flight left on time and was uneventful. Had a short 2 hour layover at JFK and then a 41 minute flight to Burlington, VT. I would like to point out that jetBlue is an excellent airline in my short, 2 flight experience. There seemed to be more legroom than other planes I have been on, save maybe some overseas flights. Your first checked bag is free, they have complimentary beverages and snacks (and that was even true on the short leg to Vermont!) and video screens in the seat backs with DirecTV and Sirius radio! And they had free Wi-fi in the terminal at JFK! I was really impressed by the amenities considering the ticket price was pretty cheap and that all other airlines are cutting everything I mentioned above. I had never flown them before and used them due to the price being the cheapest when I was looking. I will certainly be comparing their prices for future flights.

I have to say that Vermont is one of the prettiest places I have seen in the fall. I drove from Burlington to Stowe via I-89 and state route 100. As I hadn't had any lunch, I was hoping to find a McDonalds or something like that along the way at one of the exits. Well, I think I only went past 2 exits before I had to exit myself and no fast food! I don't know where else you would find that along an interstate. I stopped in the very cute town of Waterbury to find some lunch, but the visitor center was closed due to the flooding from Hurricane Irene and so was the attached coffee shop. All other places seemed to close at 2 and it was after that. So no luck other than some cookies I bought at the grocery store. It all worked out because I got some delicious pizza later on.

Really hard to take pics while driving.

The drive from Waterbury to Stowe is quite scenic. A two lane highway that never got above 50 mph. The route reminds me of driving through Door County, with the little towns and shops, only much hillier! I got to Stowe and really thought of Door County as it was just bustling and people were walking around, even with the drizzly weather. I arrived at my hotel and found it to be so charming. I am staying here: Gables Inn  I have one of the standard rooms and it is just cute.  It's small, with room for a double bed, dresser, side table and chair and then has quite a roomy bathroom.  No TV or clock or any fancy stuff, but free Wi-fi and breakfast.  Just check out the breakfast menu!  It's quite large and there are also weekend specials.  I'm looking to try something with some Vermont cheddar!  The owner greeted me and was very helpful.  He showed me around and gave me some tips on where to go for my late lunch/early dinner that wasn't too expensive.  Their dog, Yogi, is 14 and must spend most of his time lying in the office.  He doesn't get around much anymore, but was pretty cute!

I decided that pizza sounded good and headed out to try Pie.casso at the owner's recommendation.  Boy was it good!  I got the Pizza Margherita with fresh local mozzarella.  So good!  You could see the guy flinging around the dough and the atmosphere was very cozy feeling.  Brought my leftover piece and a half back to my room to munch on later.

MMMMMMM!!!!

It is now pouring outside and I'm ready to get into my jammies and plan out what I want to do tomorrow.