A Stay in Staunton

 “Not all those who wander are lost.” -J.R.R. Tolkien

Staunton is a small town in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. It is known for being the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson. It is also the home of Mary Baldwin University, formerly a women's college but now a co-ed institution. Staunton has a small but quaint downtown area with several restaurants, gift shops, and book stores. There are several lovely Bed & Breakfasts in Staunton and also a selection of hotels and inns.

I recently went for an overnight stay, arriving about lunchtime and leaving the next day about the same time. It's about a three hour drive from Greensboro. I traveled on Highway 29 through Lynchburg, a really nice drive in my opinion. The area is already special to me, because it is where my father grew up. We visited a few times when I was growing up. On this visit, I just wanted to be alone and see what I might find in and around the area. I was not disappointed.

I ate lunch at Shenandoah Pizza on Beverly Street downtown. Kathryn and I ate there with my niece last year when we visited her at Mary Baldwin. I have been thinking about the pizza I had ever since last year. You know, so often when you have something at a restaurant and really enjoy it, you are disappointed the next time because somehow it doesn't live up to your memory. That was not the case this time. My pizza was scrumptious again. It was so good that I almost went back for dinner. Spoiler alert: I didn't do that because I thought they might think I was strange. Just look at my pizza!!!

After this yummy lunch I wandered around downtown. I first went in Latitudes, a fair trade store just across Beverly Street. The shop reminds me a lot of Just Be in Greensboro, without the local artists touch. It's a great spot to get lost in for a little while. I next visited a couple of used book stores and of course made some purchases. One of the stores had two floors with piles of paperbacks, both children and adult everywhere. The other was more organized, with older books, some even collector-type books. It was hot, so I forced myself (ha! ha!) to get some gelato at The Split Banana further down Beverly Street. My chocolate gelato was delicious, but it was melting quickly in the heat so I could not get a good picture. I snagged one online so you could get an idea of all of their choices.

To add some variety to my visit, I hopped in the car and drove across town to the Frontier Cultural Museum of Virginia. I had never heard of this place before and only found it in a search for Staunton attractions. It is a really neat place. It is a living history museum covering frontier history from the Native Americans to the 1850's, including exhibits showing what life was like in the European areas where American settlers originated. The museum is a collection of buildings along a walkway. Some of the buildings were even brought over from Europe and reconstructed here. The staff is extremely knowledgable and friendly. I so enjoyed my visit. I have included a map below and several pictures which I took. There were tons of animals, but I only included a few in my photos. They are open 7 days a week, with hours changing slightly for December through March 8. The admissions fee is $12 for adults, $11.50 for seniors, $11 for students, $7 for children 6-12, and under 6 free.

I stayed in a non-impressive hotel (Sleep Inn) near the interstate and ate dinner at a non-impressive steak house nearby. I drove about 30 minutes to Harrisburg to go to a Barnes & Noble because I had not already bought enough books. It ended up being a very providential trip because it alerted me to a great place to visit the next day -- Grand Caverns.

Grand Caverns is definitely worth the trip. It was about 25 minutes from Staunton via interstate. I opted to take a longer more scenic route and enjoyed my quiet Sunday morning ride through the foothills. The cavern hours are 9-5 (April through October) and 10-4 (November through March). The website tells you to call for a reservation, but I had no trouble just going up to the counter when they opened and getting a spot in the first tour of the day. The cost is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $11 for children. The tour lasts about an hour and consists of a one mile walk through the caves. It is cooler in the cave, so bring a lightweight jacket. I definitely recommend this attraction. The pictures below do not do it justice.

I started back to Greensboro after this fun morning of exploring. I meandered down some smaller roads before getting back on Highway 29. I stopped for lunch at a little place outside of Lynchburg and got another pizza. All in all, it was a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend my weekend, and I encourage you to make the short journey to Virginia to find out for yourself. I am closing with a few pictures, the first three are what you would expect to see on a Virginia back-road, the final is something you would NOT expect to see. Just part of the fun of traveling!!

NYC Shortest Trip Ever!!

"One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years." -- Tom Wolfe

Here's a preview of my favorite site on this short trip!

Recently, Kathryn needed to attend a buyers market in Manhattan, and she kindly asked me to join her. Anyone who knows me, knows that I don't need to be asked twice when NYC is mentioned! This was to be a different kind of trip though; we would be in the city for only about 24 hours. It would be my shortest visit ever. Okay, a new first!

I actually experienced several new firsts on this trip: my first time to fly into Newark, my first time to ride New Jersey Transit, my first time to stay in Yotel, my first time to not step foot in a subway tunnel, and my first time in the Javits Center.

Flying into Newark is definitely not my favorite. Getting into Manhattan from this airport is doable but not simple. Here are some directions in case you ever end up in this same predicament of not being able to fly into JFK. The cheapest way to get to Manhattan is via New Jersey Transit train. Upon exiting your plane, look for signs to the AirTrain. Near the entrance to the AirTrain are machines where you can purchase NJ Transit tickets. It costs $13 one way to get to Penn Station New York, which includes the $5.50 AirTrain access fee. We bought round trip tickets for $26. This consists of two ticket stubs. The one shown below is for going into New York. Just keep the second stub safe for your return trip.

You need the ticket to get on the AirTrain, and then keep it handy because the conductor on the NJ train will collect it. After purchasing your ticket, board the AirTrain and get off at the last stop which says, "Rail Link." From here you will walk down to a platform to wait for the train. We arrived on a Sunday morning which meant a slightly longer wait. The trip into the city was about 30 minutes, ending at Penn Station New York. Pay attention to the stops because there's also a Penn Station Newark where you DON'T want to get off.

So, we arrived at Penn Station at about 11 am, and walked several blocks to our hotel, Yotel. This boutique hotel is on W. 42nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues. This new type of hotel is all about conserving space, automaticity, and saving time. We checked in at a kiosk later in the day. It even gave us our key card through a slot in the machine. Upon our first arrival, we had to store our luggage. Check out the picture and video below.

It was really cool to watch this YOBOT store luggage in large and small bins. If there was no attendant present, this was free. If an attendant was there to "help" you use the YOBOT, they asked for $5.00.

Our room was cute and compact. We had a street view, a shower, a full-size bed, and a large flat-screen television. The hotel had a restaurant and rooftop terrace, cafe, restaurant, and bar. We rode one elevator to the concierge floor and then used our key card to ride another elevator to our floor. Here are some shots of the room.

The bed rises up like a hospital bed for times when you're not sleeping, saving room at the end for walking. In the shower soap, conditioner, and shampoo were dispensed through large containers, another money saving idea. There was storage under the bed and in convenient places around the room, saving much space. Overall I was pleased with the room. I think Kathryn paid about $100, which is a deal in NYC.

After walking Kathryn to the Javits Center for her market, I went on my way to my number one place to see on this trip -- the Vessel. It was a very short walk to Hudson Yards from Javits Center, and I was there in no time. It does not cost anything to climb the Vessel, but because of enormous crowds of people wanting to make the 150 foot climb, there is a ticketing process. There are a couple of electronic kiosks near the Vessel entrance; I found one and chose an available time. My time was about 45 minutes away, so I went into the Hudson Yards mall space. It is 5 levels of upscale shopping and dining.  I ate at Shake Shack and walked around looking at all the different stores.

I was so excited to get out to the Vessel. You climb to the top by walking up alternate facing staircases. All along the way up, there are excellent views of the Hudson River, New Jersey, and various views to the east, north, and south. The prime time to be there is at sunset, but sunset ticketed times were gone by 1:00. I definitely recommend making this a priority for you on your next NYC trip.

After this amazing time, I took a walk on the High Line. They have just recently completed Phase 3 of this elevated walkway all the way out to West Side Highway. It was lovely. This phase actually curves right around beside Hudson Yards and connects to the previously built sections. The newer phase was not terribly crowded, but as I made my way south it became more and more difficult to walk comfortably through the Sunday afternoon walkers. I exited pretty soon and just walked around Chelsea, one of my favorite neighborhoods.

I spent the rest of my afternoon walking and soaking up the vibes of my favorite city. I watched an ethnic parade, rode on a downtown tour bus, and visited Bryant Park. I had a pleasant time, and then returned to the hotel to wait for Kathryn.

When Kathryn returned from her market, we checked in and then headed out to dinner. I remembered my previous visit and my meals at Blockheads Mexican Restaurant, so we decided to eat at their Time Square location. It was good, but somehow not as good as I remembered it. They do still serve free drink refills though! After dinner we both REALLY wanted a good dessert, and we happened upon the BEST cookie shop. It was called Schmackary's and is located on W. 45th Street near 9th Avenue. There was a line forming outside, always a good sign. The cookies were delicious!!! I have included a picture of the menu below. I will definitely be returning!

After a restful sleep, we both made our way to Javits Center. I agreed to spend the time accompanying Kathryn the second day. It was fun to watch her work, making selections of just what her Just Be customers would want. We left not long after lunch, returning to the hotel for our bookbags, then making the walk to Penn Station and the return trip by train to Newark Airport. This speedy trip was totally complete at 1:25 am, when I pulled into my driveway after the drive back from Charlotte, exhausted but happy to have spent even 24 hours in my Manhattan!