2,500 Miles in 10 Days
Earlier this month I drove 2,500 miles over ten days across the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada. A region I haven't been to since I was 13 or 14 years old. My girlfriend took some great photos.
Had you extracted the memories of this trip from my brain, melted them down into a shotgun shell, fired it at a Markdown editor, and inspected the aftermath, you would find this blog post. The bullet point formatting is inspired by this, the lazy mood I'm in, and some 4chan greentext memes I saw this evening. Here goes.
To Niagara (500+ mi, ~8 hr)
- obligatory stop at Culver's on the way (the Midwest is the Midbest)
- border traffic was terribly horribly bad even in the middle of the night
- NF downtown (Canada-side) was very clean and not nearly as tacky as expected
- the falls are super easy to just walk up to and see (even from downtown)
- apparently some jackasses try to tube down the upper river
- FYI I've been told this is a bad idea
- ran into Nikola Tesla
- had to walk the long way to avoid skunks in the hotel parking lot
- hotel coffee was criminal
- otherwise, nice cheap hotel
- quicky left after seeing the falls in the early AM to continue on
Me, driving, somewhere in Eastern Michigan
Jim Morrison in the great 1971 "L.A. Woman" music video (see the resemblance??)
Mighty Niagara Falls seen from Ontario facing south (camera lens distorted by mist)
An interesting take on hospitality at the Niagara Ramada Hotel
To Montreal (400+ mi, ~7 hr)
- drove past Toronto, nice needle
- knew they spoke French in Montreal but was shocked how European the city feels
- really cool and well done mix of classical and modern architecture
- staying in a hostel was a mistake
- metro system is fantastically efficient, clean, safe, and easy to use
- had fun imitating the French robot voice announcing each stop
- smoked meat sandwich and poutine at Schwartz's Deli hit the f**king spot
- learned the hard way that the local favorited bagel shops are cash only
- wasn't carrying any CAD when visiting Fairmount Bagel (2nd bagel purchase attempt)
- multiple kind strangers offered to pay for us which we took them up on
- made friends with an Adam Sandler lookalike that told us the neighborhood lore: immigrant waves over the years, gentrification, and how to navigate Mount Royal
- had a fancy dinner at a French brasserie called L'Express
- couldn't have gone any better -- enjoyed wine, soup, snails, duck, quiche
- (there's also a fun basement jazz bar a door or three down, I forget the name)
Seen from Place d'Armes: the Art Deco Aldred Building (center) and a monument honoring Paul de Chomedey's Iroquois defense (right)
Busy scene just outside the Mount Royal Chalet, with the Kondiaronk Belvedere in the foreground and the Montreal skyline and St. Lawrence River visible in the background
The menu at Schwartz's on St. Laurent Blvd
A picture of my good friend Ryan (top-right) spotted on the deli wall
French Canadians want you to buy Bitcoin! Sticker seen on a Mount Royal fence
To Maine (300+ mi, ~6 hr)
- this drive was crazy beautiful and likely my favorite stretch of the trip
- stopped at a gas station boasting the world's best portable toliet view
- divine autumn foliage all around
- scenic turnouts overlooking lakes
- picturesque bridges over rivers
- little winter ski towns with tiny mountains
- moose crossing signs
- border patrol guy has a future in stand-up comedy
- the town of Bar Harbor is outrageously charming
- pretty much what I always imagined as the quintessential East Coast town
- harbors, docks, beaches, hotels, restaurants, gift shops
- I recommend the Ocean Path and North Bubble trails in Acadia National Park
- both are serene, easy to accomplish, and offer amazing views
- got some fish and chips that really just sucked
- incredible night sky for stargazing
- downside to that -- don't forget to bring a flashlight for your walk home to your rental in the woods
- pitch black darkness while leaves rustle around you is mildly terrifying
PLEASE REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
This is what a gas station portable toliet view looks like in Northern Maine
Least beautiful sunset over the Atlantic, photo taken on the Oceanside Trail in Acadia National Park
Hanging out at the park in Bar Harbor, ME
"You Can Call Me Al" never sounded better
Facing south overlooking Jordan Pond from North Bubble Trail in Acadia National Park
To Boston (250+ mi, ~4.5 hr)
- you MUST take U.S. Route 1 south instead of the I-95
- quaint coastal town after town
- stopped in Ogunquit for one last lobster roll before leaving the state of Maine
- stopped in Salem, caught a Halloween parade, and saw the infamous witch trials graves (meh)
- walked around Cambridge
- loved the academic / collegiate atmosphere
- attempted to visit the Thirsty Scholar Pub featured in The Social Network
- found out it's been closed since COVID
- drank some Guiness and listened to live Irish folk music at The Druid (great bar)
- fish and chips redeemed itself
- temporarily lost sense of hearing
- tortured girlfriend with the Freedom Trail because history is cool
- plaque on building: "This buiding used to be a church but the pews were removed to shelter horses for the British army during the Revolutionary War"
- building is now a Chipotle
- had some of the best pasta of my life at Limoncello in Boston's Little Italy
- knew it was going to be good when I saw the size of the cross on the necklace the owner was wearing and how few buttons he had buttoned on his shirt
- stayed in Seaport which reminded me a lot of West Loop / West Town in Chicago
- must've had 8 chocolate mochas from the hotel caffeine machine
- excellent hotel coffee this time
- Boston is a 10/10 great American city
A photograph that feels like a Simon & Garfunkel song
Delicious sandwich from a lobster shack in Ogunquit, ME
The MA State House, located at the Boston Common's northernmost point
Three eras of architecture collide at the downtown site of the 1770 Boston Masscare
Pure Americana in Massachusetts
Attempting to follow David Fincher's footsteps, the now-closed Thirsty Scholar Pub in Cambridge
To Buffalo (450+ mi, ~7 hr)
- made a game out of counting Trump vs. Harris signs, suprisingly close contest
- Trump signs won by a landside in terms of enthusiastic display and absurdity
- stopped at Letchworth State Park to see another waterfall
- mind-blowing how suddenly the landscape changes from flat farmland to this massive gorge in the planet
- stumbled upon some hot air ballooners
- enjoyed a very peaceful and beautiful drive through the rest of Western NY
- more great quaint small towns
The famous steel arch railroad bridge, Letchworth State Park's main attraction
Hot air balloons getting ready for flight over the valley river
Love me some hand-painted signage
A proper meal at Duff's on Sheridan Dr. in Amherst, NY (just outside Buffalo)
To Chicago (500+ mi, ~8 hr)
- worst part of the trip (as expected)
- nothing picture-worthy
- went by suprisingly fast
- noticed when it comes to travel, the way back is always much less painful
- stopped at the biggest roadside oasis I've ever seen, somewhere in Ohio
Thoughts
Roadtrips are underrated form of traveling. This is my third large-scale one, and probably my favorite so far. They add a whole new dimension to your journey, one you cannot achieve traveling by plane. There's a certain weariness from all the time spent in the car that I weirdly enjoy, but the best part of course is insight in the vast stretches of rural life. Something alien to my background and lifestyle.
Not mentioned is the road rage, phyiscal pain from sitting for so long, energy drink consumption, and missing-an-exit stress. Nonetheless, I recommend the great Americ[anadi]an roadtrip.
Thanks for reading and Happy Halloween.
—JT