Road Trip through Vermont

I recently visited Montreal with a few friends in an effort to make the most of my current position in the Northeast. On our way back, we broke up the trip and made a few stops in Vermont.

The first stop was Burlington, a cute city with a bustling downtown area. We got out and flocked to Starbucks – not for their drinks, but for their bathrooms! We decided to walk along the Church Street Marketplace and pop into a few shops.

No New England trip is complete without some time at LL Bean. Once we got the fresh linens and camping supplies out of our system, we headed out to the strip. We passed by all of the basic young people stopping in to Lululemon and kept our eye on the prize: discount outdoor supplies. Though I wouldn’t call myself an outdoorsy person, I feel like I’m constantly in search of more gear (though I rarely admit this out loud to my peers).

I still couldn’t get rid of the outdoor supply bug, so we went into Outdoor Gear Exchange. I’ve seen their website, but I didn’t expect to find a physical store. After spending what seemed like hours pouring over their discount sock selection, I decided upon a pair of running socks from the local brand, Darn Tough, and a warmer pair for hiking from Farm to Feet. Got to love that lifetime guarantee!

With only minutes to spare, we arrived at the Ben & Jerry’s factory. Though we were too late to do the guided tour, we got ice cream (always a cone, never a cup) and visited the Flavor Graveyard. (And apparently, the Flyers lost really badly to the Penguins – who knew that you could listen to hockey on the radio?)

Afterward, we headed to Montpelier, the teeny-tiny capital city of Vermont. We got there just in time for golden hour, so we took advantage of the light. It was a Sunday, so the town was very quiet. I read that the population is very small, but it swells nearly three times during the work week since so many people commute for their jobs.

It’s hard not to love a place that seems so quaint and secluded. This trip has certainly tempted me to consider career possibilities in the picturesque state of Vermont. I always joke when I see a Capitol that it could be a place I work one day.

Greg has a thing for State Capitols, and he really enjoyed this one. We didn’t get to see the inside, but the exterior was quite nice.

As it was getting late, we made the final trek back to Western Massachusetts, returning to the real world and our responsibilities. My time spent in Vermont is brief, but I’m glad I got to take a nice road trip before the end of my Smith career.

I’m somehow graduating from college in a few weeks – I cannot believe this. These past four years absolutely flew by.