A Quick Road Trip North - Starting With NYC

The Millers were back "on the road" in August for a trip north to visit some family and friends.  The last time we were in NYC was New Year's Day and we hadn't been to Rhode Island since Christmas.  It was about time to introduce Darwin to our favorite people and places!

Leaving Raleigh after work on Friday has worked out for me in the past, because you get to DC after rush hour and into NYC at a somewhat reasonable time.  To our dismay however, we encountered some issues in Raleigh that had to be dealt with before we left and then hit traffic in Richmond, VA!  

 This is not what you want to experience 2 hours into an 8 hour drive!

Instead of burdening friends with a 3am arrival in NYC, we decided to find a dog-friendly hotel along the way. Our options were either the Red Roof Inn or La Quinta Inn.  We opted for a Red Roof Inn in Delaware, resulting in a poor first hotel experience with Darwin.  Not only was he clearly uncomfortable (even in his crate), but the hotel was pretty gross.  After talking with family who has stayed in a La Quinta Inn in northern Maryland, we will likely try that next time we are in a pinch.

Needless to say, we were back on the road as soon as possible Saturday morning.  With the terrible night's sleep behind us and a lovely morning, we were optimistic about the day.  We started the awesomeness 30 minutes into our drive with a stop at the awesome Amish Market in Mullica Hill, NJ for some breakfast.  They have the best breads!!

 The Amish Market breads are amazing!

Getting from Delaware into NYC on Saturday morning was a breeze.  I have never gotten into the city nor have I found a parking spot in Battery Park (lower Manhattan) so quickly! 

No traffic going into the Holland Tunnel

We got into the city by 9am and had the whole day to enjoy our favorite spots.  The first half of the day was spent in lower Manhattan.

Showing Darwin where we would take our lunchtime walk 

along the Hudson River and Battery Park

 

On our way to the World Trade Center site 

(in the distance behind Colin) 

We were amazed at how much has changed in and around the World Trade Center site since we left just  8 months ago!

 Picking up some delicious donut peaches 

from a Farmers' Market near Whole Foods 

Looking south but walking north along the Hudson River 

Taking a break from walking to enjoy the Hudson River on the newly renovated Pier 25.

While living in Jersey City, we sometimes played sand volleyball on pier 25. It had been under construction for the past 3-4 years, and now boasts mini-golf, sand volleyball courts, a small turf lawn, viewing stations to Jersey City and Hoboken, and the permanent seats you see in the photo.

Enjoying the best sustainable burgers and custard shakes from 

Shake Shack's newest location in Battery Park!

After lunch, we headed north along the West Side Highway to meet up with my friend Christina!  It was great to catch up with her and see the changes in her 2 year old daughter Layla.  Darwin also found a buddy in Christina's dog Reilly.

 Here you can see that Darwin's features are not completely that of a true Labrador.  

Darwin's eyes are much rounder.  Aren't they adorable!?

All morning we had stopped at several dog parks in lower Manhattan to allow Darwin to make friends, but he was not interested in any of them until he met Reilly.  When we let the two of them play in the dog park on the Upper West Side, he finally had some fun!

It was also Darwin's first time in elevator!

 Poor Darwin is freaking out in the elevator!

To end a wonderful day in NYC, we ate dinner at the vegetarian restaurant, Quantum Leap, in Greenwich Village with our friend Wei and our hosts for the evening, Colin's cousin Jon and his lovely girlfriend Temple.  Unfortunately, there was no outdoor seating, so dining with Darwin posed a problem.  Ordering food and eating in nearby Washington Square Park was an option, but when we noticed a table at the window we decided Darwin would be okay sitting outside if we watched him.  

The staff at the restaurant was enchanted with our little guy and accommodated his every need.  They even took this photo of him trying to get away from the open sidewalk by sitting on the flower pot.  We were able to make him comfortable by moving the pot away from the building so that he could fit in the space between the wall and the flower pot.  From that spot, he could watch people passing, but not be too close.  So many people stopped to check out his cuteness, take his photo, or even pet him.  What a guy!

Darwin trying to escape the open sidewalk 

at Quantum Leap in Greenwich Village.

The stars aligned for us on this day, allowing us to enjoy every bit of the best NYC has to offer.  We couldn't have asked for better weather, uncrowded streets, great people and delicious food.  Thanks to Veronica and Aldo for offering us a place Friday night and Temple and Jon for being great hosts on Saturday night!

What is your favorite thing to do or place to eat in NYC?

Check back soon to read about our adventures on the Islands of Long and Rhode - even though Rhode Island is not actually an island.

Visiting Savannah, GA April 21-22

Savannah, Georgia has been one of the towns I've always wanted to visit, so you can imagine my excitement when we decided to go there first on our spontaneous road trip.  My impression of the area before visiting came from the scenes from Forrest Gump.  I imagined plantations, parks and warm weather.  The beauty of the town exceeded my expectations right from the start.

Arriving into the historic district late on Thursday, we checked into our perfectly situated hotel on Liberty Street.  Even at night, we admired the wide median that boasted beautiful oak trees with hanging Spanish moss.

Tree-lined Liberty Street - location of Hilton Savannah DeSoto

Since we always try to travel on a budget, we decided to save ourselves about $6 by parking on the street instead of in the garage.  The only caveat was having to get up to pay the meter at 8am.

It was difficult to see anything at night, but the first thing we both noticed was all the parks.  So many of the streets we drove down had a block with a park in the middle of the road at just about every intersection.

 One of the many streets interrupted by parks

Waking to partly cloudy skies, we got our running gear on, paid the meter, and set out to explore the area with a run.  As Colin puts it, the experience was a "postive sum," I liken it to the term "win-win."  We exercised, did some sightseeing, and were able to see more in less time.  Our run took us up park-filled Bull Street to Forsyth Park, down park-filled Abercorn Street, and along the riverfront.  While exploring the riverfront, we stopped to read about the history of Savannah, which was posted on signs at short intervals.

 One of the many parks we ran through

The partly cloudy skies threatened rain at times, but none fell and the air remained hot and humid.  It felt a little swamp-like. Because of the temperature and run, it felt wonderful to take a dip in the hotel swimming pool before checking out.

 Hotel swimming pool from our room's balcony

Colin and I choose local, sustainable and/or organic foods whenever we can.  It's funny that we get many of our foods at the grocery store when we travel, so that we can spend a little more to eat a sustainable lunch and/or dinner.  Many of the restaurants I find come from the website search Eat Well Guide, which identifies local, sustainable and/or organic eateries and grocery stores.  Savannah offers several options for sustainable meals, with only a few open for lunch.  We opted for The Green Truck Pub, which sources meat and other ingredients from local farms.

My "Rustico" chicken burger with goat cheese, balsamic carmelized onions, roasted red peppers and basil was amazing.  And the cabbage soup offered that day was also delicious.

Colin's "Mighty Veg" sandwich with bean chili, banana peppers and red onions with a side salad was also really good.

I love traveling with Colin because we enjoy so many of the same things.  It's fun to order dishes we both like and split them, go running and use the time to explore, and just to make a road trip happen.  I guess we are two peas in a pod!

Before leaving Savannah, we were able to win another Priceline bid on a hotel in Jacksonville, FL.  We really wanted to stay at a hotel on Amelia Island, but couldn't get any hotels for our low bid.  So, we opted for the next best choice, which was to stay downtown.  We were able to get the Crowne Plaza on the waterfront for $65/night. 

So after feeling very satisfied with our meal, it was off to Jacksonville for the next leg of the trip.

Have you ever been to Savannah, GA?
What are some ways you explore new areas?

Spontaneous Road Trip Preparations April 20-21

About a week before Easter, we realized Colin was going to have a day off for Good Friday.  With family in town and Colin traveling for a bachelor party, we didn't really have a chance to think about what we might do with a three day weekend until two days before the holiday.  We started the process by thinking of where we could go with just three days and three nights.  Colin has been slightly obsessed with Jacksonville, FL, so we decided that would be one of the destinations for our trip.  Since we both had to work a full day on Thursday, we thought about a destination between Raleigh and Jacksonville and immediately decided on Savannah, Georgia for the first leg of the trip.  We have both been to Charleston, SC and have both really wanted to make a trip to Savannah on numerous occasions, but never did.

There was obviously little time to plan, but on Wednesday evening, after checking hotel rates on Kayak, we decided to try and use the bidding feature on Priceline to find a better deal on a hotel in Savannah.  After selecting our preferences (3.5 stars, historic district or riverfront in Savannah) we bid $65 for the night and our bid was accepted!  The hotel we got, the Hilton Savannah de Soto, was priced at $150 for the same nights on Kayak!

As soon as we bid, Colin remembered an online forum where people share their bids.  For those of you that have never used Priceline, if your bid is not accepted, you can't just go and bid higher for 24 hours.  You can however, change details about the bid (like number of stars or exact location).  We thought we were lucky with our bid on the Savannah hotel, because a lower bid may not have been accepted.  Based on the forum posts, it didn't look like we could have gotten a better deal than we did.

We also went to the library on Wednesday and checked out some travel books on Savannah, Georgia, and Florida and I e-mailed a friend who was familiar with the Jacksonville area.  His recommendation was to go camping at Cumberland Island National Seashore, off the coast of southern Georgia.  I spent Wednesday evening and part of the day on Thursday trying to make reservations for the ferry and campground on the island.  I managed to get us on a ferry for Saturday morning to come back the same day because I was told the campground was full.  But, the woman told me to bring our camping stuff because sometimes there ended up being room on the day of the trip.

So, as soon as we got off of work on Thursday, we grabbed our city bags and camping bags, our travel books, cell phones, laptop and chargers and got in the car headed to Savannah.  We had lodging booked for the night and a ferry ride planned to Cumberland Island on Saturday - and that was all.

 Above: My clothes for a 3 day trip without concrete plans

Below: Colin's clothes for a 3 day trip without concrete plans

 Below: Water bottles, cell phones, cell phone car charger, mp3 players are the essentials for any long trip.  Only thing missing is our dinner and snacks.

Have you ever taken a spontaneous trip?
If so, how does it compare to other trips you've taken?

Stay tuned for details about how we made out!