Maine Destinations: Romantic places

Not to get all sappy and sweet on you here, but it’s Valentine’s Day and being the romantic I am . . . I thought I’d share some romantic places in Maine to visit with your favorite other in your life. Or your other and the kids . . . romance is all in how you spin it. I certainly love chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, a bubble bath, and the other stuff the merchandisers want you to think women want as gifts for Valentine’s Day, but I’m on a diet, flowers are ridiculously expensive, and our huge tub takes hours to fill. 

Give them an experience.

Give them a memory.

A string of bleeding hearts

A weekend getaway in Maine? Great Idea. For me, just going somewhere new is an experience I truly enjoy. Making memories in that somewhere new just comes with the package.  Going back to a familiar and memorable place is wonderful too. Shared memories bind us as couples and as families. Reinforce the bindings by continuously striving to create new memories and keeping the pleasurable memories of the past alive.  

These places are not just for Valentine's Day. In fact, some are best visited at other times of the year. I consider them romantic because a.) they are places to go with your spouse, partner, other half, friend with benefits . . b.) they are places to go with your family, the result of the romantic interlude.

Cape Porpoise Harbor

Cape Porpoise – just north of Kennebunkport, Cape Porpoise is a working harbor. The seafood is unbelievably fresh. You can watch the boats come in with the catch of the morning. Have a picnic on the dock. Just stay out of the way of the lobstermen. Have lunch at Pier 77.  For an authentic Maine experience, romantic and real, this is a great little village.      

the beach at Biddeford Pool

Biddeford Pool – I’ll write more about this place when I’m ready to expose it to the world. This was the beach of my teen years, on a blanket with my friends, rubbing baby oil on our skin for the deepest tan possible. Ah the days before we learned about skin cancer or worried about wrinkles! Why it’s romantic: it’s kind of hard to find. You have to have a pass to get to the beach. There’s a bathhouse with an outdoor shower. It’s a huge, long, wide beautiful beach. Like beaches in summer, people are hardly dressed, indulging in such carnal pleasures as taking a nap under an umbrella, basking in the hot sun reading a book (my personal favorite), the air is salty and hot and smells of the mix of sunscreens and sandwiches, and you can walk far away from the crowd and just be the two of you, or as many as you want, and swim and frolic all day. Bring your own snacks and drinks, but the ice cream truck does come by every once in a while. Rentals can be found here: Maine Seaside Rentals

Old Orchard Beach's famous pier

Old Orchard Beach – in the shoulder seasons of spring and fall, the weather is mild, the sun shines brightly, and the summertime crowds are nonexistent. The beach here is seven miles long and so wide at low tide you’ve got plenty of space to stroll in the sand. Skip stones, jump the waves with your pants on (or off!), and breathe in that salty air. Do like the summertime high school teens and sneak under the pier to make out. Do like grownups do and get a room (great discounts in the low seasons!). visitor info can be found here: Old Orchard Beach Info

Biking on the carriage trails at Acadia National Park

Bar Harbor – a coastal town that’s arguably the most requested destination in the state. There’s a good reason. This little town’s got a lot to offer. From awesome shopping and dining downtown, to whale watches and schooner day trips out on the sea, to bike rentals and canoe and kayak outfitters to take you out of town, there’s really something for just about everyone. Folks go to walk around the town dock and see the boats and birds. Poke your head into some of the shops, have an ice cream cone, and a lobster roll. Get yourself over to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor’s neighbor on the island, and enjoy Sand Beach, drive up Cadillac Mountain and drink in the view of the islands, or bike on the Carriage Trails. You can find yourselves alone for remarkably long periods of time.  On your way off the island, stop at Mainely Meat BBQ for sticky, finger licking barbeque. Or cross over into Trenton and pull into Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound , one of the restaurants just off the road whose gigantic steaming pots are perfectly primed to cook you a lobster while you wait. 

Visitor info can be found here: http://www.barharborinfo.com/

Portland's Old Port

Portland –  with a foodie reputation that’s growing by the moment, Portland is a city to visit if you’re into trying anything. Gelato Fiasco on Fore Street. East End Cupcakes right across the street. TwoFat Cats bakery up on Munjoy hill. More restaurants per capita than any other city in the nation. Beyond the belly, you can check out the Old Port and Commercial Street, for shopping experiences you won’t find any where else. If your blood really gets pumping when you shop, you’ve got to go to Freeport, just north of Portland. Freeport is the home of L.L. Bean and loads of outlets, as well as quite a few uniquely Maine stores like Mexicali Blues.   

Portland Head Light

As Maine’s largest city, Portland is chock full of culture, teaming with museums, live music, and theater. Nearby Cape Elizabeth is home to Portland Head Light, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country and located on the grounds of Fort Williams Park. Info about the lighthouse and the park are here: Portland Head Light

baskets of cherry tomatoes

Farmer’s Markets – With a very strong farm to table movement in the state, Maine has a lot of farmer’s markets, both in summer and in winter. For a listing, click here: Maine Farmer’s Markets

 Why it’s romantic: earth and seed and sun came together to produce gorgeous fruit and vegetables. The visual displays at Farmer’s Markets, as rustic as they can be, can’t help but stimulate you . . . somewhere. The passion of the people who live to grow and share their produce is palpable. If you and yours are shopping for items that result in a great dinner, well, all the better.

Here’s where you can find tons of info on getaways in Maine. 

If you find that your getaway has led to further romantic entanglements and want to plan your wedding in Maine, Real Maine Weddings is loaded with ideas for receptions, food, and guest lodging. 

Thinking about summer plans? Everything you need to get you started is here: Visit Maine

Come and fall in love in (and with) Maine.

Relax, you're in Maine.

 

 

 

Travel Tips: Things you might not think to pack

In this case, my husband’s fears are justified. With airlines charging more and more for overweight checked baggage, my tendency to push it to the weight limit pushes him over the edge. I’ve never been able to travel light. My husband can leave the house for the weekend with a plastic shopping bag’s worth of his belongings and not think once about a change in the weather that would have him chilled and needing a sweater or a change in dinner plans that might require a tie. His theory is that if we’re not going to a place where he can stop into a store to buy what he needs, he doesn’t need it. If the dinner plans now require a tie, either change the plan or go buy a tie – but never take one with you “in case.”

Ah, it’s always the “in case” that gets me. Maybe being a mother does that to a person. Maybe its having experienced the exhausting search for a department store in a strange town just to find men’s socks because he only packed one pair for the whole weekend and they got soaked in the rain on the first day. Maybe it’s just my nature to be prepared.

I can tell you this: my “over packing” or “preparedness” as I like to refer to it has allowed me to save the day on some of our travels. Ok, perhaps the day wouldn’t have been ruined had I not thought to bring a length of rope and some clothespins so that our swimsuits could drip dry on the patio and be ready for an evening swim after dinner.

Here’s a list of some things I always pack for a trip away from home:

1. Small kid’s safety scissors – it just so happens that not so long ago I had a small kid and we have a few pairs of these hanging around. They’re the perfect size to fit into your toiletries bag and you’ll be happy to have them when you need to cut open that plastic encased set of earphones you had to buy because the ones your brought got left in the plane.
2. Clothespins and a 3 – 4 foot length of rope – I have a zip bag in my regular suitcase with a dozen small wooden clothespins and a thin but strong rope. It’s been tied to chairs on a patio to dry our damp clothes and to lamps and a bedpost to dry travel documents that wafted into a puddle.
3. Air freshener – it could be the air freshener/disinfectant combo to pull double duty but here I’m recommending anything to freshen a stale or musty hotel room and – more importantly – the smells that occur when people are traveling on vacation, staying in a small room, being thrown off their regular routines and diets, and well . . . perhaps you know where I’m going with this. Just get some – they come in travel size. If you’re concerned about your liquids for carryon, even a candle (don’t forget matches) will do.
4. Zip bags – ALWAYS have zip bags. I have a handful of heavy duty zip bags in different sizes that I use over and over again. A larger one is used for my case of vitamins and medicine. (Have you ever had one of these open up in your luggage? I have.)  Another holds my contact lens stuff together and there’s one I use for things that have the potential of exploding in your suitcase, like lotions and hair care products. Smaller ones hold jewelry or pens or an impromptu sewing kit. I have a small drawer that I keep my travel things in and when I return from a trip and unpack my stuff, I put the bags in there as well as the travel sized products I return with. AND I always travel with a few to spare for situations that arise. I’ve used them to protect my camera, printed passes, travel documents when at theme parks on wet rides. They’ve protected dinner leftovers and keep all my tech thingamabobs from raveling everything together into one ball of cords and plugs. They’re great to use to collect seashells and also keep souvenirs and receipts dry and in one place. I can’t possibly list all their uses when traveling. Best thing ever invented.
5. Duct tape –Works to hold together a hair gel bottle that got crushed (and is now oozing) in transit. Works to identify your luggage on the airport carousel – just wrap the handle or stick it somewhere you’ll be able to see as it rounds the corner. It patches tears in clothing, shoes and bags, can be a child safety cover for the outlets in your hotel room, and can take the lint off of anything.
6. Wipes (baby or not) – my mother raised four kids and then helped raise dozens more running a daycare and loving her grandchildren. The woman was always ready with a wet facecloth in a plastic bag. From wiping our faces at a barbeque to cleaning off the trays on the kids highchairs in restaurants, they served an innumerable amount of purposes. Now I rarely leave the house without some sort of wipes within reach. Disinfectant wipes to clean, well, everything. Baby wipes for the faces and hands. In the car they can save upholstery from costly stains, clean the dusty console when you’re stopped at traffic lights, and wipe sticky fingerprints or paw prints from the windows. Lysol or other disinfecting wipes are a necessity in a hotel room, from the door knobs to the remote control (yuck!) to the bathroom counters and toilet seat. Whether you’re there for a week or a day, it’s most likely that someone was there before you. I’m not a germ freak at all, and maybe I should be given the number of things that can live on for days on the surfaces we touch, but some things need wiping.
7. Safety pins – as part of your travel sewing kit or not, safety pins are a multifunctional tool. Clasp the zippers of your day pack together to deter thieves; use in place of a missing button, zipper pull, or to mend other wardrobe malfunctions; tack kids' pant legs up when hiking through mucky terrain; even prevent static cling in a dress or skirt by slipping the safety pin into the seam of your slip (the metal has repelling properties). Bring a few to share. You could make someone’s day so much better by having one to offer a fellow traveler. Build up your travel karma bank. 
8. Luggage scale – referring back to my husband’s fears of the overweight suitcase, I bought this travel luggage scale from L.L. Bean. It serves triple duty – it’s got a built in alarm clock and flashlight. I find it especially useful on the return flight when I’ve added items I’ve purchased into the suitcase and there might be some wet clothes in there to just add to the weight. For years, I weighed the bag at home (me on the scale holding bag, me on the scale not holding bag, do the math = weight of bag) and that was fine. I’d often cut it close (47 pounds when the limit is 50 is one I remember) and then sweat it out as we approach the baggage scale at the airport, crossing my fingers that our scales weren’t too far off each other. So now I bring this luggage scale along, use it before the first flight then before the flight home, and in between to wake me for whatever adventure is next.
9. Small soft sided cooler – we have a half dozen coolers: the big red plastic take-to-the-lake cooler, the huge soft side dual compartment cooler, several mid sized, just-enough-for-a-beach-day cooler, and a handful of take-it-to-work-for-lunch coolers. The one I usually pack for a trip – if flying – is a soft sided cooler without the molded plastic interior. I can fold it flat in the bottom of my suitcase and it acts as a cushion against bumps and jolts, then when we arrive and unpack, we have a cooler to use for our day trips. On the return trip it has held the damp and sandy swimsuits and flip flops and the muddy hiking boots so that they don’t ruin the rest of the bag’s contents.
10. As always- The Book of Joy – a flexibly bound binder that holds – in order of their necessity (and in plastic sleeves) the boarding passes, the rental car reservation information, maps or directions to the hotel or resort, hotel reservation info with check in times and any prepaid excursions, passes or tickets. Make extra copies of each to give to your traveling companion. Include a copy of your passport and driver’s license, in case they’re lost. Reverse the order of the paperwork for the return trip (hotel, rental car drop off info, flight home info). NOTE: Somewhere else on your person carry a sheet of contact numbers, account numbers, logins and passwords to your credit cards, bank accounts, and your travel miles or frequent flier info.  You could put it into your phone, too, but have a backup copy printed somewhere that someone you can contact can reach in case you need to have it. Another idea on this: often, if booking online as I do most of the time, I get an email confirmation of the travel info. I forward that to one of the email accounts I have that will not be cleared off the server by your Outlook or other account. Gmail, Yahoo, etc work fine like this. That way if you lose some of your documents and your phone, you can usually access these accounts from any pc and you can then forward the info to wherever you are or print it directly from the business center at the hotel or write down the numbers you need.

So, if you’re wondering – I’ve never gone over the weight limit of my checked baggage either coming or going on a trip. I know that what I’ve stuffed into my carry on is at times, heavy and cumbersome, but the peace of mind I get knowing I’m prepared outweighs the pounds I’m carrying. 

And once in a while . . . I get to be a hero. Need scissors? Oh sure, I've got that.

Maine Coon Cat Update: The Year of Puffs

It was a year ago yesterday that we lost our awesome cat, Ocho. We believe he was a Maine Coon although having found him as a stray, we were never sure. He had all the typical traits of the Maine Coon: the fur coat with extra layers, the lion like ruff, his behavior more that of the family dog than expected of a cat, greeting us in the driveway when we returned home, his desire to hang with us, and his fondness for water; all reinforced the belief that we had found someone special to share our home.

That day last year two things happened. We had a pellet stove installed and my husband found our cat dead by the side of the road, after two days of looking for him. That day we experienced our first loss as a family. We sat together on the couch that night, feeling the heat blast from the new stove and unable to feel the glow. We all cried.

Over the weeks that followed, through the holidays, it was clear that something was missing in our home. Feline life was needed.

Knowing that I wanted another Maine Coon Cat, I began the research to find a breeder. My daughter and I went to meet a litter of seven kittens bred by Coldstream Cattery in Enfield, Maine. We went in search of a brown tabby male, like our Ocho. We found a gorgeous litter of kittens, six weeks old when we met them, and though we had gone for one kitten . . . we ended up getting two.

Apparently Bella thought her brother needed a bath.

After Christmas we brought them home.

The house was again alive with paws and fur and tails.

Bella and Buzzer are here. 

Bella & Buzzer snooze

I wrote about our first few weeks in this blog post from last year. Today I felt an update was needed. The kittens just had their first birthday. Things we’ve learned about these two Maine Coon Cats:

1.                  2 cats from the same litter can have 2 very distinct personalities.

2.                  3 cats of the same breed can have 3 very distinct personalities.

3.                  1 sweet little silver tabby girl cat can grow into a loudmouth, pushy, demanding, hyper focused, in your face kind of cat.

Bella "the Bell" is a silver tabby - here about 12 weeks old

4.                  That same sweet little silver tabby girl cat can also purr very loudly, be empathetic and attentive, and desperately need to be with her people.

5.                  1 shy boy cat can grow into a shy adult male cat who is a bit skittish and hesitant, must be bribed to purr, and defaults to his sister when its time to eat.

Buzzer "Buzzy Boy" beginning to claim his place in the house.

6.                  That shy boy can also make regular routine of jumping on your shoulders and laying there when he’s feeling the love, curls himself into a bowl on top of the refrigerator to nap, and plays fetch with a rubber ball, returning it like a puppy. 

Bella in the bowl; Buzz stretching out.

So we love our little kittens. We still miss Ocho and won’t forget him. I still sometimes look to see if he’s trotting into the driveway when I get home. Bella and Buzz are different from him and from each other. I guess it’s a study in nature vs. nurture of sorts.

Here are some photos of our year together:

My daughter with her new friends.

Bella's favorite toy is a sparkly puff ball and she loves to hide them and find them.

Like babies, sometimes the box is more fun.

A nice spot in the sunny bay window. It includes a great view of the birdfeeders.

One of Buzz's favorite spots is the top of the file cabinet in my office.

Bella prefers the window box for an afternoon nap.

I hope you've enjoyed the Coon Cat update. I'll post more photos now and then.

The Benefits of Travel for Teens

a teen's view of the white house . . .

What is the best age for kids to travel?  It could be argued that travel is good for a person at any age. The benefits of travel, whether within the U.S. or abroad, are wide ranging. The opportunity to see the world beyond your comfortable circumference opens your eyes and your mind. It increases tolerance and fosters understanding. It doesn’t have to be a far away land, world trekking adventure that makes a difference in your life. Travel and education are invariably intertwined. Even a trip across town can be educational if coupled with the right mindset.

You go. You learn. You come back home with a little more understanding of how the world works, how it got to be the way it is, and you lose a bit of the fear of the unknown, because after traveling to a place, its not so unknown.

viewing the canyons of southern California

Traveling as a family, whether the children are toddlers or teens, enriches us all. The time spent together, of course, is important, but the shared experiences are what make traveling with your family something that binds you. You create memories that serve to connect you as a family. It’s not necessarily the big things – visiting the monuments and historic sites – that make the journey a series of lessons. 

on the ferry to the statue of liberty, with Manhattan in the background.

Just the process of a trip, from the planning to the unpacking, is an educational experience. In the planning stages, it may well be the adults that make the decisions about the where and the when, but as a parent, you know you don’t make those choices without taking your children into consideration, whether you ask for their opinions or not. Their age level, abilities and interests determine so much of the logistics of travel. Will they be able to handle being in an airport for a 3 hour layover without having a meltdown? Can they carry their own luggage? Would an additional day or two in a particular city allow you to visit the sites you know they’d love?

calling home from a pay phone in Mexico

My friend Tom is an eighth grade history teacher. When we asked him at what age he thought that a child would benefit most from visiting historical sites, he quickly answered that the years between seventh and tenth grades are best for educational travel. His answer comes from knowing that the curriculum in those grades revolves around the history of western civilization in broad terms. In school, kids learn about the wars and the cultures of the ages that have determined life as we know it. They don’t always see it that way, but a good teacher can make all the difference. A good teacher makes it fun to learn, striving to make a connection between the student and the point in history being taught. I’m sure that in today’s world, full of buzzing and bells, screen time and constant stimulation, a student’s ability to grasp onto a piece of what brought us to this point in history is diminished by the noise. The way to get through the din is to create a connection and one of the best ways to do that is by experiencing history on a more organic, tactical level, through travel. 

the Gettysburg Address at the Lincoln Memorial

Though history is well documented, augmented and argued, it’s tough to make it stick without an association to it. It all seems so long ago and far away. That’s where travel can have a huge impact. Take the bits of the history that trickle through the chaos of middle and high schools, mix it with a hands on experience with the place where history happened and you have a bona fide connection that translates to learning, whether they realize it or not.

And it’s not just in the case of history. There’s poetry to be absorbed in Edgar Allen Poe’s city of Baltimore. There’s science, meteorology, archeology to be see at Mount St Helens. You can "feel the flutter" of the butterfly enclosure at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum.  There are Mayan ruins on the high cliffs above the Caribbean beaches of the Yucatan in Mexico.

Immigrant's luggage at Ellis Island

The grade levels that my friend Tom suggested are often a point in between the first exposure a kid has to a particular event and the more detailed study that happens in the later grades. When my daughter was in the fourth grade, her class did an extended project on Ellis Island. The students were first taught about the countries that were the homes of immigrants arriving there and had to select a character from them. My daughter chose a girl from the French countryside. They next had to research clothing from the time period so that they could portray their characters and tell their stories as applied to entering the U.S. at Ellis Island. On presentation day, families were invited to the classrooms of the fourth graders, where each class was a different station in the process of entry. Students, dressed in costume, told tales of their journeys and what they may have brought from their home countries, of hardships endured and of hope for the future.

entry ledger at Ellis Island

 Fast forward nearly four years and to our visit this past summer to Ellis Island. My husband, daughter and I arrived at Ellis Island by ferry from Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Upon entering the building, we took advantage of the free audio tour available. First exhibit: a considerable stack of luggage; trunks, satchels, crates and baskets served to illustrate methods of containment for immigrant’s precious items brought to this new world that we would see later on in the tour. We stood in the entry hall, heard voices and sounds as they were so many years ago. Medical exams and educational assessment, white tiled rooms that divided families and generations, stories of so many lives that passed through there. We saw graffiti on the walls left by people who waited there to be notified of their acceptance. The building and the grounds were overwhelming with sounds and promise. Towards the end of the tour, exhibits of propaganda posters and governmental advocacy highlighted the turning of the public against free immigration, some calling out to stop the onslaught, to essentially build a wall. It taught us all that the struggles of Americans and of those who wish to be Americans look and sound must as they do now, only different ports of entry and different countries of origin.  

Liberty has her flame; my daughter her phone

My daughter moved on ahead of us in the tour, anxious for the next chapter. It was hard to keep up with her. When eighth grade began this fall, she was excited to tell me that they will be studying Ellis Island in her social studies class and that she stopped by the teacher’s desk on her way out of class that first day to tell him that she had been there. Yesterday she told me how much she likes her social studies class this year, which thrilled me since it’s been a subject she’s struggled with in the past.

It is expected when visiting historic sites that some education seeps in. One would hope that would happen.

But there’s more to travel that educates on a whole different level.

The exposure to people, places, food, methods of transport, cultural expectations, and societal differences whether two states removed from home or half way around the world has an impact on the way a kid views life from there on in. If it removes even one layer of fear travel is worthwhile. 

Learning patience at the airport - both parties here needed the education.

 There are lessons along the way that as adults we might glaze over. Reading maps and road signs, maneuvering through an airport, checking into a hotel, riding a subway, hailing a cab, skyscrapers and projects, backyards of chickens and goats and donkeys that roam freely, landscapes that surprise in their variation, there are so many nuances of living on this planet that are a little less intimidating when you’ve experienced them yourself. You might be surprised at the things that kids notice on a journey. You might also learn something yourself.

a little fun with distortion . . Liberty perched high above.

 In my travel experiences with my family, we’ve found that the memories and experience gained far outweigh any concerns about the costs. We all look at the Statue of Liberty a bit differently now that we’ve been there and stood at her feet as she gazes out over the harbor. We laugh about the outburst of a fellow passenger on the small ferry we took from Manhattan to New Jersey. The three of us reminisce about the awesome handmade tacos we had at the tiny restaurant in the jungle when we visited an attraction nearby. When we see the Hollywood sign on the hills above Los Angeles, we remember that twisty narrow road we took to get up as close to it as you can drive and the haze that hung over the city in the heat that day. We’ve often seen a location in a movie or on TV that we visited in the canyons of California where directors use the unusually shaped boulders as backdrop for scenes that range from the Flintstones to Armageddon. 

Is it Bedrock or an alien planet? This canyon has been both.

at Madame Tusseau's she got to meet Will Smith . . sort of

Hollywood behind her, the future is bright

 The point is that travel changes you for the better. It educates, illuminates, and connects us to one another. It diminishes fears and increases confidence and understanding. With such focus in the coming months on giving, it could be an opportunity to give an experience rather than a thing. No you can’t hold an adventure in your hands and squirrel it away for safe keeping. You can end up possessing much more and having a deeper understanding and connection to the world around us and to your family. 

Civil rights lesson at the Smithsonian

Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit were certainly part of MY history.

Earlier entertainment

That’s a gift too big to wrap. Travel is the only thing we can buy that makes us richer. 

On Ellis Island

Just a few of the things teens can learn from travelling:

• Exchanging money – the US dollar vs the world’s currencies.
• Overcoming or adapting to language barriers by necessity; i.e. having to ask where the bathroom is or ordering food in a restaurant.
• Differences and similarities in foods, dress styles, architecture, and transportation.
• That the landscapes and terrain may be worlds apart in a different part of the country or the world but a smile is universal.

holding up the Washington Monument

 

My daughter has been invited to participate in a student ambassador program next summer that will include her in a group of teens from the area traveling to the United Kingdom. The group will visit England, Scotland, Wales, and both Northern Ireland and Ireland. They will participate in educational activities, confidence and team building exercises, some community service, a home stay with a local family, and even get a tour of Parliament in London by a member of Parliament. The program is run through People to People. Students who participate are responsible to raise the funds needed. Therefore she and I have been exploring fundraising initiatives, such as bake sales. Follow her progress at www.follownolasjourney.blogspot.com. 

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On the road: I love hotels

Comfy bed at Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel

I love hotels.  It may sound strange but I do.  Maybe it’s all the hoteliness of it all.  The beds made with fresh sheets and extra pillows.  The shower and tub all sparkly clean with nice fluffy towels.  All of the efficient, little shampoos and soaps.  And the best – the very best part – is that I don’t have to clean up!  The used towels disappear, the beds get made, and all is reset as if by elves.  

Awesome bed at Boston Park Plaza hotel

  Okay, I know that not all hotels are perfect and traveling on a budget as I do, I’ve had my share of crappy hotel stays.  I read reviews and check out the star ratings of the places I stay and do my best to select locations that are safe, clean, and try hard, even if they’re not part of the chain hotels.  I think that’s important.  On vacation, we stayed at the Americana Hotel in Arlington VA.  TripAdvisor.com reviewers said it was run down, yes, but inexpensive in an expensive market (Washington DC) and clean and friendly.  For the most part, they were right.  The front desk staff was attentive and very helpful, not acquiring the glazed over look of the frazzled, phone juggling, direction giving, name tag wearing, maintenance calling, folks I’ve met in some of the chains.  The breakfast area in the lobby looked recently remodeled but a bit cramped, but you can tell they were trying . . . donuts, muffins, cereal and good hot coffee.  We stayed there after having spent a week in a Wyndham Clubs resort in Williamsburg, VA, which was awesome, spacious, and generous, like a perfect little home away from home for us.   

In room coffee at Seaport Boston Hotel

So in comparison, the Americana Hotel in Arlington had a few things that were starkly differentiating.  Much smaller space (2 br condo vs. 1 room hotel with 3 people and perhaps you get the picture), no refrigerator or microwave (these are things I’m coming to require in a room-maybe I’m asking too much), really – I mean really – small bathroom with very little counter space or shelf space to put out our toiletries, a rattling and noisy air conditioner, and kind of a damp mustiness that I may have been imagining, but probably not.  But in its defense, the room at the Americana Hotel, had a great flowing shower and that noisy air conditioner kept the steamy summer temps nice and cool.  And with rates at just over half the cost of other hotels in the area, I can see why it is a regular traveler’s favorite in the area.  I would recommend it if you can deal with the dated but squeaky clean yellow tile in the bathroom and the not flat screen TV.  If you’re looking for a place to crash after a day of visiting the Smithsonian Museums and other capitol sites, this was fine.  It was within walking distance to the Metro and a mall and plenty of restaurants.  

Bed at Hampton Inn Chicopee MA

The hotel I’m staying in at the moment is the Hampton Inn in Chicopee, Massachusetts.  I’m here because the tourism organization that I work for, The Maine Highlands, is exhibiting at The Big E, which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, in anticipation of my pilgrimage.  New in my position last year, I hadn’t booked rooms for my group as far in advance as is needed and found myself booking here in Chicopee which is a bit further from the fairgrounds than most exhibitors like to be, therefore rooms were available at the last minute.  This year I booked a room closer to the fair for my volunteers, but having had a great experience here last year, booked myself at the Hampton Inn in Chicopee.  

When I got here yesterday afternoon, I was really glad I did book here.  Within the last year, the lobby has had a fabulous makeover.  They moved the free breakfast zone from the main lobby area to a separate room off of the lobby.  The free breakfast is one of the draws for me.  Another is the free hot coffee available 24/7.  At night, I get 2 cups robust coffee black to take to my room.  I like to have coffee first thing in the morning, and am not into getting dressed to go downstairs for coffee.  When my husband is with me, he does that (he’s one of those morning people) but on my own, I get the coffee, some creamers, and a cup of tea for that evening, then in the morning, I microwave the coffee (I know I know – not everyone likes microwave coffee and I’m usually one of those people but I’d rather have microwaved coffee than have to get dressed).  The room, a regular room, not a suite or anything, is comfortable, feels clean, and has the stuff I love in a hotel room – fridge, microwave, large desk with free wifi – a huge plus – beds with four pillows on each bed, a fluffy white duvet, a cool lap desk so I can write in bed, big TV with Showtime, and nice complimentary toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and mouthwash.  Plenty of towels, lots of light, a big comfy chair, huge closet, and rooms to spread out all my stuff.  I travel with a lot of stuff.  Breakfast this morning was a filling mix of scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, one of those pour-flip-sizzle waffles, mixed fresh fruit, and yep, more coffee.  They also had a three tiered display case of pastries, muffins, bagels and breads and three kinds of cereal.  I like to fill up at breakfast so that I can go for a while without having to stop to eat. 

Oh and the showers . . . its so nice to take a shower without that pesky having-to-leave-hot-water-for-others thing. 

The absolute best thing:  I don’t have to do dishes.  

Or slice or chop or negotiate and serve.  

efficiency kitchen at Best Western Chocolate Lake Halifax NS

It’s a mini vacation.  Ok, I haven’t been lounging by the pool or waiting in lines for a thrill ride or museum, but the little niceties of a good hotel room make it feel like that.  At home, there’s always some nagging chore that needs attention, something I have to tend to, work to be done.  In a hotel room that work might still need doing but unless you took it with you, you simply can’t do it.  You MUST sink back into the pillows and mush your mind with Honey Boo-Boo.  And in the morning, there’s no delay that comes from starting a load of laundry before work or getting the recycling out before the truck rolls around the corner. 

So for you my dear readers, I will suffer through trade show season staying at a variety of hotels along the way and when I can pull myself out of the plush mountain of pillows, I will write about them. 

I’d love to hear about what you love about hotels.    

Big pile of pillows at Hampton Inn

   

Written at the smooth and spacious desk in room 216 Hampton Inn Chicopee Massachusetts.