Thursday, January 30, 2020

USA TRAVEL GUIDE, ‘NORTHEAST’ VERMONT



VERMONT: THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE

By Clay Larroy

Traveling can be an important part of your life, whether for business or for pleasure. Take time each day to alleviate stress while traveling or vacationing and you will thank yourself for it when you get back home. With all the chaos, jet-lag, partying and other excitement of travel comes a whole lot of stress on your mind and body. By the time most vacations are over, another one is needed to recover so taking a few minutes each day to rejuvenate will make it easier for you to resume your normal life when it's all over. When you want to plan a vacation contact me!




Central Vermont -Full of Surprises
By Sherri Telenko
Small towns can be deceptive. Take, for instance the towns of Mad River Valley, Vermont. This region is a precise blend of what you’d expect: country stores, covered bridges and local color. According to a Waitsfield, Vermont resident, few people lock their cars here - except during zucchini season. If you don’t, you’re likely to end up with a stack of vegetables in your backseat courtesy of a neighbor anxious to get rid of his bumper crop.
But don’t be fooled. The quirky charm, slow pace and pastoral beauty of central Vermont hides an attractive secret most residents prefer not say out loud: beneath the veneer of simple mountainfolk lifestyle lays an upscale sophistication on par with that of trendy big cities. The entire area seems to embrace the good life without a hint of pretentiousness. And that’s exactly what attracts repeat visitors, vacation home buyers and urban professionals wishing to resettle in more serene environments.


Defined by a mountain landscape that blankets the state, Vermont is first and foremost a skier’s haven. Many towns such as Stowe (probably the most familiar) make the winter passion its bread and butter, establishing resorts, transportation shuttles and skiing conveniences to satisfy the slope hungry. Stowe Mountain Resort, for example, recently added an automated snowmaking system on Spruce Mountain, the first of its kind in New England.
Cross-country skiing is equally popular. Stowe has four inter-connected cross-country ski centers with more than 90 miles of groomed and 60 miles of back-country trails. The Trapp Family Lodge, made famous by its Sound of Music connections (the youngest Von Trapp son still owns the place), offers demos and clinics at its cross-country and snowshoeing center.
During the summer months, Stowe resorts open their lands to hikers, bikers and golfers. For those wishing for a break from energetic pursuits, countless spa facilities dot the landscape, including Stoweflake Mountain Resort’s 50,000 square-foot operation with 30 treatment rooms, dramatic waterfalls and a Hungarian mineral soaking pool.
Conveniences abound. But overall, with its rows of historic storefront facades and movie set atmosphere, Stowe seems a bit contrived.
Those looking for a more authentic experience should travel 35 minutes south to central Vermont where the state’s true small-town mystique shines through.
Montpelier, the state capital, sets the tone of the central region. With a population of approximately 8,000 (that swells to twice that size during the day when government employees’ stream in) it is the smallest state capital in the U.S. It is also the only one without a McDonalds. Yet there’s no shortage of coffee houses, bookstores or boutiques. Here’s where the blend of bourgeois and back roads begins, starting with the New England Culinary Institute (NECI). At NECI’s two restaurants - the Main Street Grill and second floor Chef’s Table - up-and-coming chefs get hands-on training in all aspects of the hospitality industry, from cooking and menu creation to front-of-house organization and waiting tables. Alton Brown of the Food Network’s Good Eats fame is a graduate of the 26-year-old school and regularly comes back for special events.
Stop in Montpelier for lunch. Then move southeast along winding Highway 100 through Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren, collectively known as the Mad River Valley - an area free from franchises or traffic lights. This is where rural rejects rustic and embraces understated savour faire.
On the boundary between Moretown and Waitsfield is the 1824 House Inn & Restaurant - one of the most innovative uses of an old barn in the state (and there are many). Partners Karl Klein and Chef John Lumbra run both the Inn and fine dining restaurant; the latter is open five nights a week year-round for dinner only. Housed in a circa 1870 converted barn original to the property, the restaurant is listed on the National Historic Registry. The 1,500 square-foot dining room comfortably accommodates nightly dining and many small weddings throughout the year.
Stop for the night further down Highway 100 at The Featherbed Inn. This 1806 house was saved from decay by the original innkeepers who loved the property so much they retired to a home adjacent to it. Now owned by Linda and Tom Gardner, it’s an elegant 10-room inn complete with feather mattress topped beds, antiques and an exceptionally lap friendly house cat named Thomacina. She, along with a marmalade buddy named Sneakers and two fluffy Corgi/sheep dog crosses, love to welcome visitors in a very down-home but private environment.
If you’re around on the weekends, don’t miss the strange dual-identity production facility next door. American Flatbread is a factory by day, restaurant on weekends and former livestock barn. American Flatbread is a company that creates gourmet wood-fired oven frozen pizzas using organic and locally grown produce such as free-range chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and peppers. These are shipped to stores across the country, but a real treat happens on Friday and Saturday nights when the production floor is cleared out and folding tables and chairs propped open. People line up outside for hours for a chance to eat Flatbread pizzas straight out of a wood-fired earthen oven. One night of Flatbreads and you’ll never stomach take-out chains again.
Finally, Warren Village is the end of the Mad River Valley line. This deceptively traditional town is home to The Pitcher Inn and Restaurant, an eleven-room Relais & Chateaux property that’s been welcoming guests into its uniquely themed rooms since 1850. Eight rooms and two suites are lavishly decorated, including the Teacher Room with a chalkboard for a headboard. The hotel facilities are colonial but contemporary. The wood-lined ski equipment locker room, for example, is complete with a glove dryer. The dining room adds a chef’s table to its 6,500-bottle wine cellar for very special occasions or indulgences. This discerning place is not without its small-town quirks, however. In the pub downstairs, only three stools line the bar in accordance with a hotly contested but enforced by law that forbids four or more seats along a licensed bar.
Across the street is the Warren General Store - designed to look just like one. A sign on the white framed screen door states, ‘If we are closed, please slide your money under the door.’ Wooden shelves line the country-esque outlet, the floor creaks as you walk and you’ll swear the shopkeeper is named Clem. But again, appearances aren’t everything. This country store stocks vintage wines, gourmet chutneys, trendy pricy clothing upstairs and houses a back-room cafe where staff is happy to make you a pesto tuna with olives sandwich to take on a hike. This store in small town Warren encapsulates the essence of central Vermont - upscale creature comforts thankfully embrace a down-home mountain charm that will appeal to the Bob Newhart in us all.
REFERENCE SITES:

“A year in Vermont, according to an old saw, is "nine months of winter followed by three months of very poor sledding.” 
― 
Bill Bryson

Live life and travel often, the more you travel, the more memories you create!


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