Before leaving Vermont, Brett and I decided we had to visit Quebec City. We had enjoyed Montreal but weren't as impressed as we had expected, mainly because it was so similar to many big US cities. However, we heard that Quebec City had a more European, historic, francophone flair and were eager to experience it for ourselves. We conveniently had a bedandbreakfast.com gift card. So, we looked up B&Bs that accepted the gift cards and planned a weekend getaway in Quebec City. Old QuebecThe place that all the tourists visit in Quebec City is Vieux Quebec, or Old Quebec, the historic, walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, Brett and I decided to explore VIeux Quebec as well. The streets were lined with adorable stone buildings and sidewalk cafes. Some of the shops in Old Quebec were more tourist-oriented, but Brett and I enjoyed walking through the streets, grabbing snacks, and looking at the various historic buildings. Sometimes, even though you know you're surrounded by tourists, it's fun to feel transported to a different time and place. Compared with Montreal, which felt more similar to large American cities, Quebec felt more like being in another country. Walking around the walled part of Old Quebec reminded me of being in a European city. We stumbled into a church-turned-library, and we climbed up the old wall, which provided a view of the old town. We wandered through the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, a beautiful and historic hotel on the top of the hill in Old Quebec, too luxurious for our budget but fun to see nonetheless. CantookOf course, Brett and I couldn't visit a new city without finding a coffee shop to try. We had looked up La Brulerie Cafe de Quebec, which had changed its name to Cantook Micro-Torrefaction literally days before we arrived. With the name change, we got a little lost, but ultimately found the small, cozy, wood-paneled shop in Old Quebec. It was on an adorable street of shops and restaurants though situated outside the historic city walls. Roasted coffee beans lined the wall behind the counter and big coffee roaster stood partially hidden in a back room. We ordered a Chemex for two and thoroughly enjoyed the coffee, as evidenced by the fact that we returned for coffee two more times on our trip (and bought a mug). Our experience at Cantook Micro-Torrefaction was a great example of why I love to visit coffee shops on our trips. As we traveled around the city, we had noticed buildings labeled CEGEP, and neither Brett nor I had any idea what CEGEP was. So, we started chatting with the baristas and asked them. They explained that CEGEP is part of the educational system, unique to Quebec, and is a college that students attend between high school and university. I enjoyed drinking my coffee while chatting with the baristas and learning more about the local customs and culture. Coffee shops in a city are a great way to explore the vibe of a city and interact with people who live and work in that place. Samuel-De Champlain PromenadeOn our way out of town, Brett and I drove along the St. Lawrence River and stopped for a lunch on the Samuel-de Champlain Promenade, a path that follows the river. All along the promenade, people were running, walking, biking, and taking advantage of this scenic path. On the pier is a cafe, an overlook, and a number of tables. We ordered food, then sat outside to enjoy the sunshine and views of the river. Auberge AmerikThe Bed and Breakfast that we found for our stay in Quebec was called Auberge Amerik, which we chose for the price and the fact that they accepted bedandbreakfast.com gift cards. The main pro of the B&B for us was the price, especially when compared with staying in a hotel closer to the old city. It wasn't as cheap as some hostels, but we were able to use our gift card, have money left over, and have a room to ourselves. The staff members that greeted us were extremely friendly and helpful, and our room was cute. However, the ceiling in our room had a leak, which caused a dripping sound all night that we tried to mask with towels on the floor. There was a gelato stand and a few restaurants within walking distance from Auberge Amerik. We definitely were not in a tourist bubble. The location made us feel like we were staying among people who actually lived and worked in Quebec City. We were also about 5 minutes by car from Third Avenue in La Cite-Limoilou, another neighborhood in Quebec featuring restaurants and old architecture. The major con of Auberge Amerik was our distance from the oldest, walled part of the city, meaning that we had to rely on our car and worry about paying for parking downtown. Still, since we had a car, this did not hinder our exploration of Quebec. One thing that we did not have time to take advantage of during our short weekend in Quebec City was the bike rental at Auberge Amerik. It is situated near multiple bike paths, and the hotel offers half and full-day bike rentals. We talked about renting bicycles and pedaling down to the Old Port along the St. Lawrence RIver, but we simply ran out of time during our visit. Brett and I both enjoyed visiting Quebec City, more so than our day-trip to Montreal. As I mentioned above, we enjoyed driving only 3.5 hours but feeling like we had entered a completely new place. There is much more to experience in the area - such as explore the quaint Ile d'Oleans, a mere 5 kilometers from Quebec City - but, for our quick weekend getaway, we stuck with the traditional Quebec City experiences. I was excited to have another opportunity to try out my rusty French, and we loved exploring this historic city, wandering through the twisted cobblestone streets at our leisure.
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Ah, the Big Apple. I just love New York City. Yes, it's kind of dirty and gritty. But, it it absolutely amazing that so many distinct neighborhoods, cultures, and people can be packed into such a small area. I love the energy of the city. Everyone is always on the move. It makes me want to do big things and be more than I am right now. My friend, Heidi, and I planned a Girls Weekend in New York, which ended up being kind of a "five year reunion" trip, since we traveled to Ireland together almost exactly five years ago. When I go visit Wisconsin, it's hard to divide time between family and friends, especially on short visits, so we thought, "Why don't we meet somewhere cool for a girls weekend and some quality time?" New York was the immediate answer, since we both love theater and had talked about a NYC trip in the past. First Night in New York CityThe first night I arrived, Heidi met me at Penn Station when my Amtrak train arrived, and we walked the 14 or so blocks to our hotel, Hotel Edison NYC. It has a beautiful art deco entry and lobby. The rooms were not spacious but fine, since we weren't planning on spending too much time in our hotel anyway. The best thing about Hotel Edison? We had registered for a "Grab-n-Go" breakfast with our room and felt a little nervous the next morning when there was no restaurant or breakfast room to be found. However, at the front desk, we received vouchers to pick up our breakfast next door at Danny's Gourmet, a deli with prepared food and made to order items. With our "Grab-n-Go" breakfast, we were entitled to a coffee/tea, pastry, piece of fruit, and yogurt. It was so easy to stop by and pick out our items, hand them the voucher, and take our food to go as we set off to explore the city for the day. The worst thing about Hotel Edison? It was really close to Times Square (which I'm sure is a plus in a lot of people's minds), which meant being practically assaulted by tour bus operators at every turn. Yes, the location was convenient for some activities, like waiting for Broadway tickets, but we spent much more time downtown and the aggressive tour guides were not pleasant. On our first night, we ate at John's of Times Square, a pizzeria in an old church. As you eat, you can look up and admire the old domed ceiling. We actually did not have pizza, as there was no gluten-free crust, but they did offer gluten-free pasta! Statue of LibertyThe one touristy plan that we had was to visit Ellis Island. I booked the ferry ahead of time online with Statue Cruises, the only official boat that stops at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You couldn't get a ticket for one without the other, so we sailed to the Statue of Liberty first. The skyline views were great as we headed out onto the Hudson. I had a similar experience previously in New York when taking the Staten Island Ferry, which is free and also offers great skyline views. Seeing the Statue of Liberty is one of those things that you should probably do once in your life. There is the option for a free audio tour, but we just walked around the statue and took some pictures looking up at her, reading a few signs about the history. In about 15 minutes, we had exhausted the Statue of Liberty. I'm not trying to say that it's not cool to see this symbol of America, but that's all there is to do - see it. To be fair, you can reserve a ticket to go up into the pedestal or the crown. I was going to reserve a pedestal ticket, as it did not cost extra, but the online store was sold out, and the crown tickets cost more. I was totally ok with this, since going up in the Statue of Liberty fits into my "views from tall things" opinion category. Namely, these tall landmarks (e.g. Statue of Liberty, Space Needle in Seattle, St. Louis Arch) are the things that make a city's skyline unique. When you look at and take pictures of the city from up in these landmarks, they are not in the picture, so the city looks pretty much like every other city without it's defining landmark in the shot. Given this opinion, I was happy to look at the Statue from the ground, with New York CIty in the background. Ellis IslandAfter circumnavigating the Statue of Liberty in 15-20 minutes, we boarded the ferry for Ellis Island. This was the thing that Heidi and I were eagerly anticipating. I enjoy learning about history, and Heidi actually had ancestors arrive in America through Ellis Island. Sailing up to Ellis Island, I imagined what new immigrants to America had thought when they were docking there, probably things like "We made it", not realizing that they had a long process ahead of them. At Ellis Island, we did take the free audio tours and headphones and spent hours exploring the exhibits, taking in the information about people arriving in America. Unfortunately, as a result of Hurricane Sandy, the climate control displays had failed and had not yet been fixed, so most of the original artifacts had been moved to another location for safekeeping. So, when we looked at a display that said "Medical instruments", there were blank spaces under the glass. I wish we had gotten to see the original instruments and documents! However, we were able to get a sense of the process when immigrants arrived, the medical examinations they underwent, and the conditions at Ellis Island. There was a beautiful display of photographs of immigrants in their traditional garb. Despite spending a few hours walking through the exhibits, we still didn't have time to see everything! World Trade CenterReturning from Ellis Island, the ferry dropped us at Battery Park, located at the very tip of Manhattan. From there, we walked to the World Trade Center site to see the memorials and 1 World Trade Center building. Looking over the pools was an interesting experience. The last time I had been in New York (January 2008), the site had been a dirt pit, filled with scraps of debris and construction equipment and surrounded by a chain link fence. Now, the World Trade Center memorial was so clean and pleasant that it was hard to reconcile the tranquil pools with the scene I remembered from seven years earlier, harder still to reconcile it with news footage September 11, 2001. Somehow, the pools looked vast and small at the same time. I had trouble imagining them being the footprint of building. There were names carved around the edge in tribute, and I felt incredibly sad to see one that said a woman's name "and her unborn child". ButterHeidi and I planned to meet up with a friend from high school who now lives in New York. He suggested that we grab drinks and food at Butter. I have to admit that the first thing that came into my mind was Gossip Girl: Blair: "I have a table at Butter, reservation's under Waldorf in case there's an after-party." Gossip Girl: "As any good general knows, you never let your soldiers see you sweat. Looks like this battle's ending at Butter, and the win goes to B." Jenny: "But Blair, um, we're all going to Butter and I was wondering if you wanted to join us?" I can't lie, I was excited to pretend I was Blair Waldorf for an hour or so. Although, I believe it has moved locations since the Gossip Girl days. We sat in The Garden at Butter, surrounded by brick buildings and fire escapes rising while string lights and greenery set the mood. The executive chef at Butter Midtown is Alex Guarnaschelli, an Iron Chef and Food Network TV personality. Heidi and I only shared appetizers, but the food was delicious! ChinatownAfter Butter, we planned to meet up with another high school friend, Kabir, who lives in Chinatown, where we ate a full dinner. Aux-Epices, the restaurant that Kabir found for us, featured French-Malaysian food and an exuberant owner. I can't be sure if it was in Chinatown or Little Italy, but Aux-Epices was delicious and fresh-tasting. Kabir and I had Malaysian-inspired dishes (Laksa and Curry Squid, respectively), while Heidi went the French route with mussels. The space was a cozy little restaurant, wide enough for one row of tables, with a wrought-iron gate framing the tiny porch and a brick wall behind the tables. I fell in love with the space immediately. One thing that I always hear about New York is that it's "so expensive". Yes, it is easy to spend a lot of money in New York City. However, at Aux-Epices, we were treated to wonderful food, friendly service, and great ambiance, and each of us paid $14 or less for our plates, comparable to a dinner out in Austin. After our meal, we considered getting ice cream, but we were all pretty full. Thus, Kabir decided to take us on a walking tour of Lower Manhattan. We wandered past an Asian movie playing in a Chinatown park, strolled through the streets of Little Italy, gazed up at City Hall, and walked halfway across the Brooklyn Bridge. The view of the skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge was incomparable at night. It was the perfect ending to our New York day to look back on the city lights with friends. P.S. 1 World Trade Center's spire was lit up in a rainbow to celebrate the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage equality! It also happened to correspond with NYC Pride Week, which occurred while we were in the city.
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AuthorMy name is Alyssa Good and I have a passion for travel, adventure, culture, and new experiences! I focus on budget friendly travel, trip planning resources, and seeking out new experiences. Archives
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