During our New York City tour, we had an awesome time eating and seeing so many great things. I love cities more than anything. However, after a while Matt gets a little tired of the concrete jungle. So we decided to take a mini-break to the Hudson River Valley.
I've been dying to visit this area since I first started studying early American Art and the Hudson River School. I could stare at a Thomas Cole painting for hours. So off we ventured in the rainy weather and our Mini-Cooper (car rental win!) along the winding roads of the Hudson River Valley. We began our journey in Madison, New Jersey and drove Northeast on I-87 to Beacon.
Read moreI love the Northeast. There is something about all the history, culture, and architecture that has always made me feel at home. I also appreciate the fact that I can usually get my fill of sights, sounds and tastes when I am there.
Last Fall, Matt and I had planned to surprise a friend in New York for his birthday. But, with all the chaos of his accident and the knowingly frigid temperature in December, we rescheduled for this Spring. We are lucky to have a ton of friends and some family in and around New York City, so staying there is always a bit more interesting and easier on the budget.
Read moreby Ester Harrison
The next morning we woke up in our peaceful room at Rest and wondered over to have a delicious oatmeal pancake breakfast at the main house. After eating, we talked to our hosts, Laurie and Robert Williamson for a while about Dallas, changes in West Texas, and similar interests in farming, art and wine. They recommended that we head about an hour southeast to a tiny town called Eola. What's in Eola? Well, not much, except for the Eola Schoolhouse Brewery and Restaurant. Thirteen years ago its owner, Mark Cannon decided to move from Portland back to Texas and purchased this school house as his home. Sound interesting? Well, Mark is quite the character. We spent some time (okay, a few hours) talking to Mark, eating lunch, getting a tour of the school house all while tasting his microbrewery beers. For a town in the middle of nowhere, it was visited by 5 various groups of people who had headed to that region of Texas for one thing: Mark's famous beers (and I imagine his fun attitude too). We had a hard time leaving, but eventually hit the road back to Valera. On the way we pulled over to catch the last of a beautiful Texas sunset, as you do while in the Lone Star State.
Read moreby Ester Harrison
Years ago, I read about a little retreat three hours west of Dallas called Rancho Loma. The articles completely captivated me. I knew that somehow, someday I had to experience this place. Last month, we finally found a rare free weekend and set off west. Using the Roadtrippers app and website to plan an itinerary, I decided to make this a discovery trip of West Texas.
Honestly, I thought there would be very little to see except great expanse between Dallas and Valera, Texas. Boy, was I wrong. In fact, we had a hard time deciding on whether to stop at Dinosaur Valley State Park for a energetic hike, at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center for an animal adventure, or at the Dr. Pepper Museum for a cultural stop. All different types of activities and all 1 1/2 to 2 hours west of Dallas.
Read moreThe last time I was in California my family was driving through the massive state in our Silverado Suburban and we, the kids, had commandeered the radio for a reprieve from the classical music by shoving in our tapes of Ace of Base and Meatloaf. Needless to say, it’s been a while. This trip, I decided to make limited plans and travel with only a backpack throughout. A foodie excursion, I feasted at mostly farm to table and local restaurants, the price of which was offset by booking various types of nightly accommodations. From an Airbnb booking in LA to a Bed and Breakfast in Sonoma and a Hostel outside San Francisco, I tried it all.
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