Alternate Vacation in Manchester, Vermont

"The best laid plans..."

We were planning on traveling to Austin, Texas to attend SXSW. We went last year and had a great time. My wife again received a stipend to write about the movies shown at the festival. This was just when the Coronavirus was starting to rear its ugly head. Large gatherings of people were beginning to get cancelled. We were hoping the date of SXSW would be early enough so it would not be cancelled. Unfortunately the festival was cancelled by the City of Austin, not the organizers. As much as we were disappointed, we realized this was the smart course of action. Testing was not even being talked about at this stage and the 100,000 attendees were coming in from around the world. Also, traveling in a hermetically sealed aluminum tube for 4 hours with recycled air would not have been the healthiest decision.

We still had the approved time off and wondered what we should do. My wife suggested Manchester, Vermont. She and her mom were visiting Bennington, Vermont years ago. They decided to take a ride north on 7A to look for Todd Lincoln's summer home in Manchester, Vermont. Afterwards, they continued north into town for lunch. She was so enamored with Manchester, she remembered the town years later. Hmmm...the Green Mountains, a quaint New England town, long, open stretches of open road...I'll start packing!

In the end it worked out perfectly. We went to bucolic Vermont, we had no schedule, we visited Bennington for an afternoon, and just chilled.

 My wife executing a pincer move to secure a piece of bread.

Local Vermont cheese? Yes, please!

I ordered the Shepard's Pie with braised ribs and my wife tried the Caesar's Salad with shrimp. 

The cost of the breakfast buffet was included in the price of the room.

North Meadow Farm

The only stipulation my wife had for the trip was she wanted to visit a farm. Since it was winter, the farm was closed for the season. However, the owner saw us wandering around and was kind enough to let us feed some of the animals.

Hello!

Zoey's Double Hex Restaurant

Meatloaf with rice pilaf and green beans for me and fish with the same sides for my wife.

Ponce Bistro

These sandwiches were made from local vendors and were beyond delicious.

Porsche Cayenne GTS

BMW M5 (F90)

The Battle of Bennington

No relation to Tony.

Madison Brewing Company

The security guard for the ATM.

Buffalo Chicken Salad for her and the Brats for me. 

The Mount Washington Resort

My wife and I are on the same page when it concerns the giving of birthday presents. We would appreciate more an experience as opposed to a physical gift.

I had heard other people talk about the beauty of The Mount Washington Resort. So I looked into it; completed in 1902, so it had the vintage vibe we both like, is situated deep in the woods of New Hampshire just northeast of the White Mountains, and the price was reasonable. Trifecta!

I called the number and made the reservation. The gentleman asked me what the occasion the stay was for so I told him it was for my wife's birthday.

After having lunch in Ashland, NH, I asked my wife, "Isn't a classic movie star buried around here?"
She looked it up and discovered Claude Rains is buried in Moultonborough, about 30 minutes away...in the direction of the resort. Off we go!

We find Red Hill Cemetery and locate his headstone (his name is difficult to read, it being black on black).

Claude Rains' home until his death.

The resort was beautifully lit up at night.

We have arrive and check-in, find our room, and open the door. Hmmm, this looks nothing the picture of the room I booked. My wife opens a door which we discover is the bathroom. We stand there with our bags trying to figure out what to do next. She looks in the bathroom and sees another door. I thought it was a closet, but she opens it and...



...this is our room! I said, wait, don't unpack, this is obviously a mistake. A room this size rents out for $700 a night. I go downstairs to the Front Desk and speak to the woman who checked us in. I explain the size of the room and how much I was quoted. She looked at her monitor and said, "You are here for your wife's birthday, right?" Correct, I reply. She looks at me and says, "We upgraded you as a gift." Pick.up.jaw.from.floor. I thanked her several times and returned to the room. My wife asked me what happened. I told her to unpack as they upgraded us to this room for her birthday.

The Great Hall was bustling with people. There was sampling of wine and dessert being offered.

In 1944, both the World Bank and the International Money Fund were created in this room.

We woke up early for a morning swim and were greeted with these mountain views.

The view from the back of the resort.

This is video is from the bridge crossing the river in the back of the resort.

The breakfast buffet was outstanding! I indulged in an omelet and the sausages were infused with blueberries. 

The mountain views from our table. The view I have at home when I eat breakfast is a wall. 

One of the amenities the resort offered was afternoon tea. I had never experience this, so I made a reservation for two. We had talked about attending afternoon tea in Boston, but never got around to it.

We sampled a charcuterie board from local vendors.

Goodbye!