We stayed in a Residence Inn that was amazing...it was just built in October and the rate was really low since it is the off season and they are still trying to get more visitors. My favorite part of staying in hotels is how excited the kids get to stay there. They always run in the room and check out everything from the tissues to the toilet, exclaiming, "Wow!" as they go. And let's not get started on the pool excitement :)
We went to Ben & Jerry's while we were there and took a little tour. We got to see the actual factory where the company really took off and got to see some Chunky Monkey ice cream being made. Then we got a sample of some caramel ice cream that was delicious...yum. Luckily, we went on the one day of our trip that the temperature was above freezing.
We spent the rest of the day driving around some of the little communities around Burlington (and trying to get Keri to take a nap...). It was beautiful, even if we did come in the dead of winter. I could totally picture how pretty it would be in the summer and fall.
Later that night we went swimming, took advantage of the exercise room, and the kids watched "The Parent Trap" on TV and ate popcorn and drank hot chocolate. We all slept so good, the beds were so comfortable (and that is saying a lot for a woman who is nearly 30 weeks pregnant).
Here is Keri enjoying her popcorn...
The room included a hot breakfast buffet (not just a waffle maker either...we got eggs, sausages, waffles with every topping imaginable, breakfast potatoes, and lots of other good stuff!) every morning and appetizers in the evening on some of the nights. The rest of the meals we cooked in our little kitchen after getting groceries at the store. And we might have eaten a whole bag of Valentine's Snickers' candy that was clearanced and calling our names :)
Saturday we drove around Burlington and ended up walking around the mall for a little while since it was FREEZING. I guess if we are going to consider living in northern VT then we better make sure we can hack the winters. Not that we aren't used to some long, cold winters already, but we should probably make sure we are really okay with that.
The rest of the time we just hung out at the hotel! It was so nice to just be together and swim and rest - after the last few weeks of being stuck at home a lot it was just what I needed to have a change of scenery and do some fun things with the kids.
I'm not sure why, but we decided to go out for ice cream the night before we left. You'd think with it being ten degrees outside we might have picked hot chocolate?
I think we came to the conclusion that Vermont is a possibility but we still have a few more places to consider. We liked that it has smaller towns near a big city, that we could live somewhere where we aren't 20 feet from our neighbors, and that it has character and isn't just cookie-cutter type homes and big store and restaurant chains. But we definitely heard from more than a few people about how liberal and political it is there and I guess there are a few laws they are considering passing related to dental taxes and some other healthcare changes that could make it a less-than-ideal place to set up practice. And there are quite a few dentists who have already discovered the beauty of Vermont :) So we'll see. But it was a fun getaway and worth it just to get out of the city for a few days and be together.
2 comments:
That sounds like a very fun weekend! Burlington sounds like a great place and I think all hotels should be like the one you got to stay in :) Obviously I think New England is amazing in general, so that would definitely be fun! Your kids are so adorable and I'm excited to see this new baby. I hope you're feeling well! Have a great week and I hope you're able to keep warm :)
I am so happy you are checking out the area...that is my single biggest regret...in 4 years we barely saw any of the many great places to see within driving distance. Keri is so grown up...ready to be a big sister for sure. Miss you guys. Good luck!
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