Since this Blog is supposed to have information on traveling and what to do on your trips I guess I should tell something about my last trip. Wish I had had a trip recently, but I haven't, so how about a little information on the area I now live and work in?
The Upper Valley of the Connecticut River is comprised of the towns around White River Junction, VT Hanover and Lebanon, NH. There are some great places to visit all around here.
Today I think I will talk about White River Junction (http://www.whiteriverjunction.org/). The name is derived because it was a major train junction at the intersection of the White River and the Connecticut River. It is a strange little town. It struggles with it's identity like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. When you get off of I-91 at Exit 13 you see it's nature spread out before you. Some industrial bleak and some high culture. If you go west you come to a plethora of moderate to high end hotels on the south side of the road across from the stately old buildings of the Veterans Hospital. Even there it is a struggle between the upper end motels and the low end. There is a gas station and liqueur store just up the street before the turnoff to the modern Aquatic Center (http://uvac-swim.org/swimming/). Going to the east off the exit brings you to North Main Street which goes down to the main part of town. Immediately at the exit are a few places to eat and get gas. I am not a huge fan of China Station, a buffet restaurant, but it is inexpensive. If you turn onto Sykes Mountain Avenue just down the street past the McDonald's you will come to the Cross Roads Cafe. It's food is good over all and worth a stop if you don't want the usual fast food stop while traveling. A little further down is a place I really enjoy. I must admit it is owned by a friend of mine, Sing. The Taj-E-India (http://taj-e-india.com/) is a takeout only and catering place. It serves Indian and some Chinese food. You can order it as hot/spicy as you like and, unlike many places in New England get it spicy. I highly recommend this place.
Going back to Main Street you will come to an interesting place to visit the Tip Top Cafe (http://www.tiptopcafevermont.com/) and the other shops located in the same building and nearby are upscale and diverse. You can get antiques; make a stained glass window; have a costume made; bind a book; fire a pot; or dance the night away at the nearest thing to a club kid scene the Upper Valley offers. Further down the street are a couple of day restaurants that do breakfast and lunch. I have not tried either the Tucker Box or the Polka Dot Dinner nor Bo Ho's. In the same block of buildings are the Hotel Coolidge (http://www.hotelcoolidge.com/about/index.html) an old Railroad hotel; the Northern Stage Theater (http://northernstage.org/), which brings Broadway Shows to our area, and a number of artsy or funky shops. Near by on South Main Street is the Center for Cartoon Studies (http://www.cartoonstudies.org/) an internationally recognized art school. Further dawn the street is a fine dining establishment called Elixir (http://www.elixirrestaurant.com/) and a music venue called Tupelo Music Hall (http://www.tupelohallvermont.com/) which also functions as a dance club called Club 188 on some of the nights that there is no concert offered.
Bridge Street takes off from North Main just as it turns into South Main. along this street you can visit one of two museums in town, if it is still open, or get a yoga lesson. The Main Street Museum (http://www.mainstreetmuseum.org/) is an eclectic mixture of art and taxidermy displayed in an old Fire House, it also host an occasional evening of local music. Just off of Bridge Street is Depot Street where the second museum is located. The Rail Road Museum (http://cvrr.railfan.net/glorydays/pages/allaboard.html) is located at the Am Track Station and has a real steam engine as part of it's display. They also have a scenic railway that has special trips all year long, the Green Mountain Railroad (http://www.rails-vt.com/) it is a great alternative to leaf peeping from your car in all that traffic.
Across the bridge on Bridge Street is Maple Street and if you follow it on out to Hartford, VT you will come across a nice little historic society and Big Fatty's Barbecue (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/315/1420487/restaurant/Vermont/White-River-Junction/Big-Fattys-BBQ-Hartford) their barbecue is OK, but they are the only place in New England outside of a Cracker Barrel Restaurant that I have found fried okra!
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