Northeastern Road Trip

Today I set out from my hometown of New York to go visit my sister in Ann Arbor, Michigan for her birthday. Though I love seeing my sister, I absolutely hate driving out to visit her. It's pretty much just sitting in a car for nine hours, spending a day in town, then hopping back in my car and coming home. Doesn't that sound like fun to you? So this year, since I'll be sitting in a car anyways, I've decided to change things up and get the most out of visiting my sister by taking as long as I possibly can to go visit her.

Taking off from New York, my first stop was Boston, Mass. Every time I'm out that way, one of my must-dos is stopping at the Rat Pack Cafe just outside the city in Framingham. I found this swinging little joint on Yahoo! Mobile last year while driving to Boston and about to pass out from hunger. If you ever check it out, hit up the Baby Shrimp & Blue Cheese pizza. You'll thank me for it later.

With a full stomach, I made my way into Boston to stretch my legs. If you're never been  here before, all I can say is it's wicked ahh-some. Although probably best known as a college town, Boston is home to lots of great history, seafood, and some of the most intense sports fans out there.

After checking in to the hotel, I hit the street to walk off my pizza and build an appetite for dinner. One of the cool things about Boston is that you can pretty much walk everywhere. And as long as I was walking I figured I'd learn something too, so it was off to the Boston Common for the start of the Freedom Trail. For all you history buffs, this is a great walk and a nice way to see downtown Boston. In addition to visiting all the landmarks, be sure to walk the whole three miles and check out the U.S. Constitution at the end of the line.

Heading back to the waterfront, I visited the Boston Sail Loft  for some authentic New England seafood. I love everything about this restaurant from the old-style fishing decor to the tourist free atmosphere. And of course, the always delicious lobster.

The only thing I would complain about Boston is that I can't stick around here longer. As much as I'd like to, there's a big day of driving ahead tomorrow. Next stop, the Great White North!

Man, talk about a long day. With ten hours of driving and about 500 miles between me and Boston, I'm really looking forward to taking tomorrow off and wandering around Montreal.

I said goodbye to Boston this morning and headed north for Maine and a pit stop in Augusta before making my way to Canada. I have to admit, it was pretty exciting driving into town this afternoon. Not only have I never been to Augusta, every other city I'll be stopping in after this will be completely new until I hit Detroit next week.

While planning out my road trip, I looked up this restaurant in Augusta called Lauria's on Yahoo! Travel. Not only was it nice to get out of the car for a while, I was pleasantly surprised with how good the lunch was. I have to tell you, the one thing I love about the Northeast is all the seafood and Lauria's was no exception.

After lunch I hopped back in the car for the first long haul of the trip, 7 hours to Montreal. Ever notice how much better you sound when singing in the car? It must be the acoustics. Anyways... the drive was good and very green. Summer is definitely in full swing out here.

Aside from being a little tired, driving into Canada was a piece of cake. According to a post I found on Yahoo! Answers, U.S. citizens don't need a passport to drive across the boarder. From there it was a short ride to the Les Passants du Sans Soucy, a cool little B&B in the older section on Montreal and a night of much needed shuteye.

Incredible! All the reviews I had read about my hotel were absolutely true. As promised, my bed was comfy, the staff were great, and this morning I was greeted by a fantastic homemade breakfast. Delish! I couldn't think of a better way to start my first day in Canada.

Heading out on foot, I found myself smack in the heart of Old Montreal. Lining the cobblestone streets were a number of shops, public squares, and sidewalk cafes. The classic architecture and European flair left me feeling like I had been somehow transported to a bustling turn-of-the-century French city.

Walking around, I eventually came to the Notre-Dame Basilica which was a breathtaking sight to see. The inside is covered in ornate decoration and gold leaf impressions. A little known piece of trivia, the Basilica is home to one of the largest pipe organs in the world. The only thing missing was a hunchback hanging from the rafters yelling for sanctuary.

From the old world to the new, my next stop was the Biosphere for a lesson in eco awareness. While definitely a far cry from Old Montreal, the Biosphere was equally fascinating with interactive exhibits on climate, water conservation and protecting the environment. Although much of the museum is skewed for families, there was plenty of stuff to keep my interest going.

Seeing as Montreal is probably the closest I'll be getting to Europe for a good while, I treated myself to some classic French cuisine. The Pierre du Calvet Restaurant was a great find for a reasonably priced dinner. Although I wasn't brave enough to try the caribou, the food was delicious and the wine was magnifique.

Seeing as I only have one night in Montreal, I decided to try and find the one thing here that I wouldn't find anywhere else. Over dessert, I looked up some local nightlife listings on Yahoo! Mobile and came up with the coolest thing on the face of the earth, Laser Quest.

What's not to love about smoke, black lights, and lasers? This was great! I spent hours running around the massive mazes ducking, rolling around, and taking out the bad guys. This is a must do for anyone who comes to Montreal.

All righty, it's time for bed. Tomorrow's another driving day as I head south for Ottawa.

It's amazing how well you sleep after a night of laser tag. Today was a short drive to Ottawa for an easy day before the long haul to Toronto. While not as big as Montreal, I was equally impressed with Ottawa and how nice the city was. After checking in to my hotel, I decided to do some low impact people watching over at the Sparks Street Mall. Covering about three blocks, this outdoor shopping center or — centré as the French say — was pretty cool. There were a good amount of shops, a nice crepe place, and a lot of Inuit and other Native Canadian carvings and artwork.

A little known fact about Ottawa, it's home to the Elvis Presley Sighting Society who believe the king is alive, well, and living in retirement outside the city. Don't believe me? Then check out their headquarters at Moe's World Famous Newport Restaurant. While I can't really say I'm sold on Elvis in Canada, the fried chicken was pretty good and it was cool to see all the memorabilia on the walls.

Ok, it's bed time. Big day tomorrow, as I head to Toronto and my last stop in Canada.

After a light breakfast, it was back on the road for the six hour drive from Ottawa to Toronto. As much as I've loved visiting the cities of Canada, I really think one of the things I'll miss the most about my trip is driving from one city to the next. The country out here is so lush and the scenery is just gorgeous.

About two hours outside of Toronto, my new official copilot Yahoo! Mobile, found me a great little diner in a town called Petersborough for a quick bite to eat. The Enisa Diner turned out to be exactly what I was looking for — cheap, hot, and delicious. Perfect road food, if I do say so myself.

Driving into Toronto was incredible. It's the largest city in Canada its impressive skyline reminded me of the skyscrapers back home in New York. After getting settled in my room at the Isabella Hotel, I did a quick area search on Yahoo! Travel for a place to grab some dinner. Since it's pretty nice out I settled on the Boathouse Bar & Grill by the lake to chill out after my six-hour drive.

Dinner was pretty good and as much as I would love to go out, I'm beat. Anyways, I have a whole day ahead of me to explore my last stop in Canada.

After spending a whole day checking out Toronto; by far one of my favorite things has to be the subway system. Thanks to a post on Yahoo! Answers, I found out it goes everywhere I wanted to. Very nice. So I gave my car a much-deserved day off and headed out. What this city lacks in history, it totally makes up for with the best a modern metropolis has to offer. Even though it was a weekday, there were still people everywhere.

First stop was the Eaton Centre. Now personally, I'm not much of a shopper but I had heard so much about this place I had to see it for myself. Massive! Aside from all the shops and restaurants, just the building itself was pretty cool. A huge glass dome covered the whole arcade. And for all you future U.S. visitors to Canada, here's a little traveling tip: Buying stuff with a credit card gets you a better exchange rate. How about that?

From indoor malls to outdoor shopping. Yonge Street is also known as the world's longest street and while I have no proof, I'll take their word for it. Much like Eaton, there were all kinds of stuff going on here. But the big difference I found was Yonge catered more to boutique and vintage shoppers. I bought a hat. Not very vintage but it just seemed right. I could have spent all day here just people watching. It's very impressive how multi-cultural Toronto is, it really adds to the flavor of the city.

Off to find a little culture for myself, I headed over to Chinatown for lunch and more shopping. What a great mix of East meets West. Walking the streets you can find just about anything here from the latest electronics to ancient herbal remedies with a fresh pork bun to go. Chinatown is a must see.


With sunset approaching, I made my way to the CN Tower to catch a panoramic view as the sun was going down. If you've never heard of the CN Tower, it's pretty easy to find. Not only is it the tallest building in Toronto, at 553.3 meters it's also the tallest building in the world. Trust me you can't miss it. For a small price I went up to the observation deck for one of the best sunsets I think I'll ever see. With everything I've seen today it's amazing to think that Toronto is known because of Niagra Falls. FYI, Niagra Falls isn't even in Toronto. I guess it just goes to show you can't beat out Mother Nature, go figure.

After sundown, I hopped a train to the Entertainment District for dinner. Have I mentioned how much the subway here rocks? The Queen Mother Cafe has to be one of Toronto's best kept secrets. More than thirty years old, this little eatery offers some of the best Thai in the city and a nice little patio for outdoor eating. On the recommendation of a review I found, I went with the Bah Me Hang for my entree. Noodles, fried chicken, and prawns — this place could do no wrong.

And with a full stomach, I say goodnight and goodbye to Toronto. Canada is definitely going on my list of places to come back and visit in the near future.

With Canada behind me, this morning I left Toronto and made my way back to the States. Compared to all the driving I've done this past week, 5 hours to Detroit seemed to fly by in no time. One thing I'll say about Detroit is it's a FUN city. These people know how to do it right and they do it often. If you can't have a good time in the Motor City you're obviously doing something wrong.

Driving into the city I made my way to Greektown. Not so much a town as a district, Greektown is located downtown and it has it all. Restaurants, clubs, and shops — what more could you ask for? How about a casino? You heard me right, but I'll get to that later. Being the home of Motown, the soul of Detroit is found in music and good down-home cooking. And you can find both at Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen Cafe. Popping in for a late lunch, it's all about the gumbo and a Po'boy sandwich. If you like a little Cajun to go with your blues, this is the spot.

With a little time left to kill before getting back in the car, I decided to check out the new MGM Grand Detroit Casino. A little slice of Vegas in downtown Detroit, the MGM is just as classy and fun as it's counterpart in Nevada. After a quick walk around the building and a few tries at the slots, it was time to hop back in the car and bring my road trip to an end.

Pulling up to my sister's place in Ann Arbor, I would definitely put myself into the "Road Weary Traveler" category. Two countries, six cities and about 1400 miles later; I am looking forward to a birthday party, some R&R and no more driving. At least until it's time to go home.