Most people would probably cringe at the thought of spending a week in the car with their significant other, but we say CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! Around the 2 ½ year mark of our relationship, we decided to take a road trip up the East Coast of the US. We both know several people along the route and thought it would be a great way to visit the special people in our lives that we don’t get to see often.
Our trip started in Sanford, Florida and we drove straight to Raleigh, North Carolina. This stop was the perfect amount of driving before our overnight break and it came with an extra special bonus of spending one night with our friends. They had a new baby at the time and it was great to be able to meet him and spend time with the whole family, although short.
The next morning we were awoken to the sweetest one year old climbing into bed with us and then she tried to hitch a ride in our suitcase. After packing up our stuff (and unpacking a toddler), we hit the road.
The funny/crazy thing about our next stop is that I had never been to New York City! I had always dreamed of going, but never had an opportunity. The whole way up I was thinking of all the fun things we had planned.
When we finally made our way into the city, we had a very eventful time in traffic. We were there during rush hour (poor planning, I know) and on top of that lane closures into the tunnels made it almost impossible for our tiny Ford Fiesta to merge. At one point we were stuck between two semi’s and I honestly thought we were going to be crushed right there. I was convinced they couldn’t see us and if they did they didn’t care. Thankfully Joffrey navigated us through the very aggressive roads and got us through the tunnel safely.
Our driving adventure didn’t end there though, this was after all NYC. We eventually turned down a road that had a cone laying in the middle of it and Joffrey was unable to maneuver around it, because TRAFFIC, so he ran it over thinking everything would be fine. WELL… it got STUCK! Yes, stuck and we were humiliated. Joffrey drove along for a while, until he found a place he could pull over and try to pull the cone out. Just seconds before stopping the car, the cone miraculously became unstuck.
Now we had another dilemma, we had to merge back into traffic. Joffrey put on his blinker, because that’s what you do to let other drivers know you need to get over, right?! WRONG! Other drivers started forming a line behind Joffrey the minute he pulled over to get the cone out. They were all honking and wanted him to drive forward in a bike lane/parking spots! Joffrey eventually got over and all of the people behind him proceeded to make their own new lane where we just came from. Coming from Florida this was a one of a kind experience!
Thankfully, our parents had already gotten a table for dinner because we were starving when we finally arrived. After dinner and an eventful travel day, we all crashed for the night.
The next day, we had a lot planned! For the first part of the day we checked in to our Airbnb, rode the NY Subway (not as bad as people said it would be), took the Big Red Bus around the city, and boarded the Horn Blower Cruise for a sea tour.
We started the Big Red Bus Tour in Times Square, which was exactly as I thought it would be from movies and tv. The architecture of so many of the buildings we passed by was incredible. Unfortunately, we didn’t go to the top of the Empire State Building because the line was so long and we had a lot to see.
When we got to the One World Trade Center building, we got off the bus and walked around for a bit. The 9/11 Memorial was such an emotional site. It was so beautifully and thoughtfully made. Walking around the memorial, there were roses and flags in some of the letters of the names surrounding the pool and it got me very choked up remembering that day. As emotional as this stop was, we would recommend visiting, even if for a short time.
I had read that the Hornblower Cruise was a must do, but we almost decided to skip it because we had so much planned and not a lot of time. I am so glad we didn’t! This cruise gives amazing views of the city, the bridges and the Statue of Liberty. We would definitely recommend this if you’ve never done it and/or are not visiting the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island.
After sunset, it was time for the most anticipated part of the day…meeting up with my Vermont and New Jersey family members for a delicious dinner at Becco’s followed by Wicked!
Seeing a show on Broadway was on my list of things to do in NYC and Wicked was the only option in my mind. Thankfully we were able to get tickets early enough to be able to check it off my list. The show was great, the music was amazing and the theatre was the perfect size.
Our third full day in NYC, was just as busy as our second. To say we did a lot of walking would be an understatement because that’s all we did the whole day (besides filling our bellies with delicious food of course). We spent almost the entire day in Central Park taking everything in! Central Park was the most shocking and pleasant surprise in NYC. I had no idea how HUGE it is and I was like a little kid in a candy store. I wanted to make stops everywhere! NYC really is like a concrete jungle and now I understand why Central Park is such an important part of the city.
Of course on our last day, we had to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We bought tickets in advance to walk up to the pedestal (we originally wanted to do the Crown, but we waited too long and missed out) and that was a workout! 215 steps to be exact and it was worth it! Pictures do not do Lady Liberty justice and you must see her in person.
After our short walk on the Brooklyn Bridge we jumped in the car and headed to our next stop… Brattleboro, Vermont. We were running a few hours behind schedule because there was still so much we wanted to see in NYC! Four days in the city just wasn’t enough!
For as long as I can remember, my aunt and uncle have lived in Vermont. As a little girl, I loved visiting there so much that I dreamed of moving there when I got older. I have lots of fond memories of being there, seeing snow for the first time in my early teens is one of them (I’m a Floridian, so this is normal). So when Joffrey told me he had never been, I knew it was a great opportunity for him to meet my family and as a bonus get a small glimpse of this charming state.
While we were there we apple picked, checked out the Harris Hill Ski Jump, visited my cousin in Burlington, and went on a factory tour of Ben & Jerry’s (oh and did I mention we got engaged on top of Putney Mountain (read more about that here)!
We trekked up the Harris Hill to get a closer look at how high it really is. As we were walking up, we tried to imagine doing the same walk, but in the snow with skis! This olympic sized ski jump has been around since 1922 and hosts a tournament each year where jumpers go 60 mph before soaring more than 300 feet in the air! We will definitely have to go back to watch this competition.
This was our first time apple picking and it was so much fun. There were so many different varieties of apples to choose from! We couldn’t decide between a few different kinds, so we ended up picking A LOT of apples. So many that we had enough to bring home and share with our family.
Ben & Jerry’s was the highlight of our time in Vermont (besides seeing my family and getting engaged)! This had been on my list of things to do for a few years and I finally did it. The factory tour was so much fun and included a sample, which is always welcome (ALWAYS) . We got to see new flavors, so I knew what to be on the lookout for when I got back home. Before leaving we walked around the Flavor Graveyard, which I thought was such a clever way to commemorate flavors that didn’t make the cut (hopefully my favorites don’t end up here one day), and then headed to visit my cousin at the University of Vermont (UVM).
When we arrived in Burlington, we checked out UVM’s beautiful campus and then took a short walk around some of Lake Champlain. The weather was gorgeous and the view was picture perfect. After our walk we went to a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop (because my whole family loves ice cream and we couldn’t leave my cousin out, don’t judge us) and headed back to Brattleboro for the night.
The next day, we packed up and headed to our next stop, Washington D.C.! We spent the next two days walking around EVERYWHERE. During this trip we walked around to see as many of the touristy stops as we could. We walked and walked and walked around the National Mall and past several historic buildings including the White House.
On our last night in D.C. we stayed with Joffrey’s god-sister, but before heading to their house we met up with both of his awesome god-sisters (and their families) for dinner at Founding Farmers. The food was delicious and the drinks were on point! It was the perfect way to end the last official night of our road trip!
The next day we started our journey back to Florida, but not without issues. The day we started our journey North was the beginning of historic flooding across South Carolina, which completely wiped out parts of I-95. We got lost a couple of times trying to navigate around ALL of the road closures (there were so many!). Before it got dark, we decided to stop in Florence, South Carolina for the night and relax. We are both navigationally challenged and without Google or Siri (did I mention there were so many road closures?!) to help get us home, we figured we might need the help of the sun.
This was and still is the longest road trip we’ve done together. To keep us distracted and pass the time more quickly, we like to listen to podcasts and fill in relationship books. These two things make a trip fly by. We had such a great time and can’t wait to take an RV across the United States one day!
The down and dirty of it all…
Destination 1 – Raleigh, North Carolina
Overnight visit with friends
Destination 2 – New York (4 days)
| Harlem | Stayed at a cute Airbnb close to the Subway |
| New York City | Big Red BusTimes Square – One World Trade Center – 9/11 Memorial – Hornblower Cruise – Skyline views – Statue of Liberty – Bridges |
| New York City | Becco’s for dinner |
| New York City | Wicked |
| New York City | The View for drinks |
| New York City | Central Park |
| New York City | Ray’s for pizza |
| New York City | Gray’s Papaya for a late night bite |
| Harlem | Harlem Shake for breakfast |
| New York City | Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island |
| New York City | Cowgirl Seahorse for lunch |
| New York City | Walked the Brooklyn Bridge |
Destination 3 – Vermont (3 days)
| Brattleboro | Harris Hill Ski Jump |
| Putney | Hiked Putney Mountain |
| Putney | Green Mountain Orchards |
| Waterbury | Ben & Jerry Factory Tour |
| Burlington | University of Vermont |
| Burlington | Walked around Lake Champlain |
| Burlington | Ben & Jerry’s for ice cream |
Destination 4 – Washington D.C. (2 days)
| Washington D.C. | Walked everywhere…just a few of our stops – White House – Lincoln Memorial – Washington Monument |
| Washington D.C. | Founding Farmers for dinner |
Destination 5 – Florence, South Carolina
Basically just an overnight pit stop due to road closures from the flooding in South Carolina
Memorable Moments
Christine’s
- Meeting baby Ty and Edy’s sweet goodbye from the front porch
- Seeing Wicked in New York City
- Walking the Brooklyn Bridge
- Climbing to the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty
- Finding my great grandmother in the electronic files at Ellis Island
- Eating ice cream at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory
- Seeing family and friends
- Getting engaged in Vermont on top of Putney Mountain!
Joffrey’s
- Surviving NYC rush-hour traffic
- Climbing the Statue of Liberty
- Successfully navigating the NYC Subway
- The queso at Cowgirl Seahorse
- Almost proposing in Central Park
- Proposing in Vermont on top of Putney Mountain
No Regrets! (except for maybe…)
- Not making time for Grand Central Station
- Not having enough time to stop at random roadside attractions along the way
Where will your next adventure take you?
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