I got into Burlington, Vermont on Friday evening (June 7th) and was astounded by the punch that such a tiny city could pack. Even with less than a population of 45,000 people (without the college), the downtown was a-buzz with activity: people, music, restaurants. After about 20 minutes of searching, I finally found a parking spot and strolled over to where the action was. From talking to some of the locals, this was a pretty normal weekend – Jazz Fest was going on but basically every weekend afforded more endless entertainment.
This quintessential New England town shows its colors as a lovely, welcoming place along Church Street – their pedestrian-only drag through the downtown. With local shops as far as the eye can see, what more could you ask for? Local pride is certainly well placed as favorites such as Ben & Jerry’s, and the various maple syrups from Vermont are known at least nationally, if not world-wide.
Burlington is known for their farmers’ market, and as luck would have it, I was in town for this Saturday festivity. The amount of variety at the different stalls was astounding: I enjoyed things ranging from various maple syrups to maple lemonade, all the way to some amazing alcohol. Although they had to move this away from downtown where it used to be, it still was an easy walk from where I stayed.
Even after finishing my trip all over the US and Canada, Burlington is still my favorite place to look to move in the US. While there are 2 Canadian cities that top my list, Burlington is a place that has a certain magic about it. The ambience made up by a mixture of environmentalists, intellectuals, and hippies sure marks all of my boxes. If you ever have the chance, make sure to come visit, you won’t regret you did!
Meals and Money Spent:
6/7
- Leonardo’s Pizza – Amanda’s Six Feet Under
6/8
- Uncommon Grounds – Cappuccino
- Burlington Farmer’s Market – Theo’s Maple Lemonade
- Church St. Tavern – Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich, 2 beers
- Ben & Jerry’s – Waffle cone with “The Tonight Dough” and “Wake and No Bake”
- The Cosmic Grind – iced coffee
- Public Library Book Sale – 1 book bought
- Church St. Vendor – Hot dog
6/9
- Uncommon Grounds – Brazilian drip coffee
- Monarch and the Milkweed – Pancakes (w/ Vermont syrup!!!) and iced coffee
- CVS – sun lotion, contact case, car key battery (saved me a few days later!)
- Ben and Jerry’s – 2 scoops in a cup (one for the road!)
- Laundromat 99 (officially in Winooski, but just down the road)
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