One of my great friends from college, Colin, attends Vermont Law School and I had been anticipating a visit to Vermont for years—with the fall leaves in full effect, now appeared to be the best time.  Before we made it to his village—-(yes, the village of South Royalton….I am from a small town but a village…but with such an aristocratic nomenclature perhaps I was reading too much into it?) We took a stop off to eat  near Derry, New Hampshire. I am huge fan of restaurants with a story and when I saw the sign that read “ How’s Your Onion?” I knew this was the place to stop.

We were greeted by a middle aged woman with a strong accent and an even stronger maternal presence.  After looking over the menu I knew this was going to be the hearty meal that I needed—apparently, the onion phrase was a family thing—when all of the Italian family was gathered, laughing and having a great time over delicious food, someone would ask  “How’s Your Onion,” another family member would proclaim, “good enough to make you cry.”  This food was indeed good enough to make you cry—I had the delicious bowl of spaghetti  with three homemade meatballs and garlic bread. My friends had something called spiked potatoes which sounded like a recipe stolen from the south:  potatoes with bacon , cheese, jalapenos—crushed barbecue chips were thrown on top and then they were deep fried in beer batter. Whoa!  There were no empty plates or stomachs.

For more info on How’s your Onion: http://www.howsyouronion.com/

Another cool fact about this part of  NH  was that Robert Frost’s farm was a few miles down the street but much to my dismay we did not go for the photo opportunity.

South Royalton, Vermont was indeed a village—no Starbucks, large food chains, or even gas stations from what I saw. It was pretty refreshing.  The landscape was filled with greenery with remnants of Hurricane Irene who definitely left her mark here. We met some of Colin’s law school buddies for a bonfire under the very starry Vermont sky.  It was indeed a great time for new and old friends.

The next day after a delicious brunch of venison chilli with Vermont cheese at the Harrington House in Bethel—we got to see the vibrant foliage surrounding the area. Stunning beauty—we also got a tour around the Vermont Law School with its historic buildings and quaint atmosphere.  If you ever want to just get away from it all and get some clean air—I would suggest this Vermont—I think my blood pressure dropped -30- just by being here..that was about to change…

Venison Chilli with Vermont cheese at Harrington House Restaurant.

Be sure to check out Harrington House if you are ever near Bethel, VT!

http://www.harringtonhouseinn.com/

En route to Boston, my friends thought it would be a great idea to stop of in Salem—yes, the Salem from the witch trials that we all read about . I wasn’t totally into it but I acquiesced for history’s sake.  The town had a very eerie feel of course—all decked out for Halloween…or is this how it is all the time? We happened to be here for the fall festival—which basically meant more creepsters that usual.  There were booths with masks and skull purses and what not.  We decided to go to the Salem Witch Museum which was pretty cool—you sat in a room as a narration gave you a historical play by play of the hysteria that hit the town and sent the word  ‘witch’ into an accusatory frenzy.  As the narration played—the dark room would be illuminated with illustrative scenes.

http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/

Well worth  the 9 or 10 bucks—afterwards a guide takes you through an exhibit of witches through the years and how that term was once good and has over time been transformed into a malicious connotation.  Very cool…but I was trying to take one last photo of the moon shining over the town….when this came out!!! Time to go!!!!! It was actually some type of flash error..so don’t call the ghost hunters quite yet. Now to Boston we go….

Boston is one of those cities that everyone seems to love! How could you not with its rich history. To say that I was excited to explore this place would be a vast understatement.  We were definitely not in South Carolina anymore, Bostonians , in my opinion, are a bit brash and always in a hurry. That’s ok—that’s why we have places like the upstate of South CarolinaJ  The first night in the city, exhausted from travel  we wanted to settle at a place where everybody knew our name…..Cheers!  We had a beer at the bar made famous by the television show and of course I documented the visit. Way cool!

The next day we were up early on foot—gawking at the beautiful buildings—the State House with that beautiful gold dome,  the tons of monuments in every direction. We stopped off at the famous resting place for Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and even Mother Goose ( who wasn’t a real goose, Emily!

As we continued to walk through the crowded streets we caught sights of the historic city hall. Next we were at the famous Quincy Market—which was vibrant with vendors and musicians enjoying the abnormally warm  October weather.  Here are some shots of some reenactors that were in the square. There were also some intense street performers there….one of their routines required one performer to balance on the other’s head. …crrrraaazzzzy!

Up next…to Paul Revere’s house.  There was no photography allowed inside but pretty cool nonetheless! People were very short back then—I had to duck a lot to maneuver through the house which has been restored of course.

Every since I did the duck tour in Seattle—I have fell in love with these things—since Boston is a water city it was time to get our duck on—part tour bus..part boat.  Here are some pictures from the city tour—part of it was blocked due to the Occupy Boston protestors. We jumped into the Charles River ( which has been distinguished as one of the cleanest rivers in the country) The pictures speak for themselves—with the lighting and reflection of the water,  it was absolutely beautiful  sight to behold. Take a moment and just indulge!

After the duck tour—-we went to meet one of my friends, Esther, from college.  She lives in Boston and had the perfect seafood place for me to try, The Barking Crab. I wasn’t thrilled by the service, however, but the clam chowder and shrimp was everything I desired and all of the lights from the financial district was magical. Its always great to catch up with special people from the college years!

Want to visit The Barking Crab when you are in Boston?

http://www.barkingcrab.com/

The Barking Crab, Boston, MA

Headlines, Headlines, Headlines! We have all seen the images of protestors demanding change plastered on newspapers and television screens. I expected that Boston would be occupied by the movement, but I hadn’t anticipated it on the walk back from dinner. Television live trucks, tents,  hundreds of people, and just as many gawkers lined the area surrounded by staggering skyscrapers, mostly financial institutions.  We observed the call and answer of the group for awhile as we documented the scene—here are some of those photographs. The next morning I learned that over one hundred protestors had been arrested during the demonstration. I presume it got a little rowdy after we departed?

Also of note—-a moving tribute for Steve Jobs outside the Newbury Street Apple Store. The storefront was filled with notes and flowers to the Apple icon.(See below)

On the last day in Boston we decided to visit take water taxi over to the U.S.S. Constitution—over -200 years old and as the sailor tour guide yelled,” and she still looks gooood.”  Old Iron Sides is a magnificent  sight and it was amazing to hear all the stories about her as well as seeing where the crew slept and worked. Want more of the history behind “Old Ironsides”

http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/visit/index.htm?gclid=CNGbgLjW7asCFQLj7Qod4wIoiw

Before we had to bid farewell to Beentown, one of my closest college friends, McMillan, called to meet us for lunch. McMillan is a talented musician who attended the Eastman School of Music in NY—he now plays in the area and manages a yoga studio. He is an all- round amazing person.  It was great to grab some delicious cuisine at a cool little place called “The Globe” while catching up!  What a great way to end a trip I wont soon forget.  Until the next adventure…..