We have been wanting to take a road trip throughout New England for awhile. All we knew was that we wanted to go drive up to Maine, and we wanted to go in the summer so we could take advantage of the best part of Lobster Season. We set out on an early Friday morning in July in our perfectly proportioned rental car.
All set to go, leaving NYC.
Portland, Maine is only a five hour drive from Manhattan, but we wanted to make lots of stops along the way, so our first day consisted of a scenic drive up to Boston where we stayed the night.
Our first stop was in New London, CT. We set out around 7:30am, and knew that we would be in New London around 9:45am, in time to get brunch. We wanted to go to a mom & pop restaurant and were not disappointed. We decided on
The Yolk Cafe where there was outdoor seating and we could take Bess. This place was great, and the atmosphere was so much fun. The owner and chef was a Harley-Riding, fun loving lady, who would playfully through pieces of bread from behind the counter out the window to some of the younger patrons. She even busted out a marshmallow gun! It was a great place to stop for our first resting point. New London was once a whaling port, and still had that seaside shipping industry feel, which set the tone for many of the small towns we saw throughout our road trip.
Our next stop was Newport, Rhode Island, about a one hour drive from New London.
We trecked along the Cliff Walks, and enjoyed the breathtaking views. We thought we saw seals, but turns out it was just big black labs on the dog beach below.
When we had just finished our hike
along the cliffs, I got a note from our friends Peggy and Jim from Miami. They
were also in Newport at that very moment!!! We joined them for an
afternoon coffee break and cupcakes and got to catch up for a bit, which was such an unexpected bonus to our trip!
After recharging with our mid-afternoon snacks, we made our way to Cape Cod, MA about an hour and a half away. We got there at about 5pm.
Our traveling diva, I mean, companion.
Our photographer, getting very into his subject.
It was sooooo bright!
Ok, that's better!
Bess is like, "Ok guys, enough with the selfies!"
We found a board that had Bess's name!
Artistic Family Selfie
After walking around for about an hour, we headed to Boston, MA, another hour away. This was our final stop for the day, and we met up with a family friend who lives in Boston for dinner.
Rob, Mario and me at Sterlings for dinner.
Love this picture!
The next morning, after a refreshing night of sleep, we got breakfast and walked over to Boston Common for a picnic.
Delciousness.
Enjoying Boston Common Coffee Co. in Boston Common!
Loved this Book Shop that was on the way back to our Hotel.
That blur right there is Bess, running at full speed up and down the halls of the Hotel.
After our picnic and stroll through Boston Common, we made our way up the East Coast to Maine. The original plan was to set out before sunrise, but we couldn't help it and really wanted the chance to walk around Boston Common especially since our Hotel was only a couple of blocks away.
We took the scenic route up US-1/ A1A instead of up I-95, so it took about three times as long, but was so worth it. The views on our road trip, and the time we spent in the car along the way was just as much a part of our vacation as the destinations themselves.
So that we could see as much of the coast as possible, we made sure to pinpoint these locations on our GPS: Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Beach Rd, Salisbury, MA; Seabrook Back Dunes, Seabrook, NH; Hampton Salt Marsh Conservation Area, Hampton, NH; Odiorne Point State Park, Rye, NH; Wallis Sands State Park, Rye, NH; and Rye Harbor State Park, Rye, NH.
Lots of folks enjoying the sunshine on the beach.
We couldn't help but be reminded of the drive up A1A in Broward County around Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale as we drove through these New Hampshire beach towns. If it it weren't for the lobster shacks and clam bakes, you wouldn't have noticed much of a difference.
And then... we were in Maine! Our first stop was the highly recommended
Lobster Shack Restaurant in Cape Elizabeth. It's located on a gorgeous rocky cliff, just south of Portland, and surrounded by the ocean and lighthouses.
Bess was not a fan of the fog horn from the lighthouse.
Amazing edit by Robs.
The line to wait to order our fresh seafood.
The view!
The Salted Caramel was amazing.
After we were sufficiently filled up on delicious fresh seafood and homemade ice-cream, we went on a DIY lighthouse tour of sorts.
Just couldn't resist this picture.
Our first stop, the Portland Head Light lighthouse.
It was so picturesque.
Next up was Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse along this rocky jetty.
Our last stop was the Bug Light lighthouse, which was along the shore of a park where people were bringing picnics for dinner and flying kites.
After making our way to the house were were staying at and dropping of our stuff, as well as our tuckered out pup, we made our way to the
Portland Lobster Company for dinner. They had live music and a super casual atmosphere.
Our lobster buzzer lit up and let us know that our dinner was ready. Rob and I looked up directions on how to eat a whole lobster so that we would be ready and not look like TOTAL amateurs. The lobster came with coleslaw, corn on the cob, and melted butter on the side. It was fun to crack the claws, and the best part was the lobster tail.
Afterward, we walked through downtown to the
Novare Res Bier Cafe for dessert. We had a Belgian Waffle à la mode coverered in fresh peaches and tried a Stout from the Maine Beer Company.
The next morning we got to really explore the house we were staying at and admire the unique decor in each room. I loved these vintage suitcases all stacked up and this contrasting photograph of a beautiful white furry dog.
The kitchen was sooooo cute!!!
We spent Sunday morning driving up the coast of Maine to Acadia National Park. We decided that we wanted to continue our trek up A1A instead of I-95. We stopped along the way a couple of times to take pictures. We made our way through Rockland and Belfast Maine before reaching Acadia.
Modern Art Museum in Rockland.
I just loved seeing this Map of New England hanging on the wall of the bakery that we stopped at for breakfast and coffee. It was fun recognizing many of the places we had already visited so far.
What a good sport.
Fishing boat and lobster traps.
Lobster buoys
It was lunch time when we arrived to
Acadia National Park, so we made our way directly to the Jordan Pond House to eat and try their famous popovers.
Our view from our table.
Afterward, we hiked a small trail with Bess to Little Long Pond, which was a dog friendly area of the Park. A lot of areas were actually dog friendly, but we thought it would be fun to go to this area and see how Bess would be around the the water.
Tree sap
After the short hike through the woods, we reached a gorgeous meadow and the pond.
Bess ran circles around us!
Thinking about swimming...
Nope, she didn't want to get in the water, so she hopped on the small patch of grass.
I got in and tried to coax her into the pond with a big stick she had liked playing fetch with, and thankfully, it finally worked!
Look at her go! She was a natural!
And then of course, the aftermath drying ritual which she normally does all over our apartment when we've given her a bath!
We drove around the park a little while and then hiked along the Ocean Path, which had amazing views of the Atlantic.
Brave Climbers below us.
Our last stop was Cadillac Peak a 1,528 foot high Mountain. We drove up about 10 minutes along a very twisty-turny two-lane road. Rob may or may not have been extremely nervous about the height... once we weren't driving anymore though, he was okay :)
It was realllllyyyy windy!
Smile!
We made it!
Another sweet shot by Robs
All of that hiking and sightseeing really got our appetites going, so on the way back to Portland, we stopped at a Lobster Pound shack. The lobster we had the night before in Portland was good... this lobster was GREAT, mouth-watering and delicious!
The next day was our last morning in Maine and we ventured around Portland.
This sign made me laugh out loud.. get it? Knotty? HAHA!
We took Bess to a dog park, and then said farewell to Maine!
We made one last stop on the way back to NYC in Old Portsmouth, NH. We had lunch at an Irish Pub that was located in what used to be the Old Portsmouth bank. We sat outside and had the view of the town's Church across the street.
Inside the Pub.
Original vault doors.
After lunch we took the faster way back to NYC along I-95 and made it home before 5pm with plenty of time to settle in before heading back to work the next day. I am so incredibly thankful for the fun trip we had exploring New England. The sites were gorgeous, the seafood was fresh and delicious, and the memories were so special.
Windy, fun, family pic at the top of Cadillac Mountain.
