I've lived here in the Albany area for more than a year now, so I was getting more and more eager to get up to Vermont. Fortunately, K and I got the opportunity this fall and spent a couple days near Burlington. It was, of course, the perfect time of year, the fall foliage in full color, the temperatures just right.
I've always subscribed to the belief that Vermont is some kind of uniquely beautiful and special place, and my only fear was having that notion shaken. Now, it's not like I got the experience of living there, but in our few days around the state (we also headed down to Brattleboro for a literary festival), I found a place that possessed all the physical beauty I could have hoped for, a place where good food and good beer was the norm, and where the arts and creativity seem to be both thriving and embraced, both in the small and large towns of the state.
While I could go on and on about all of that, here I'll focus on the food and beer, especially around the Burlington area. It was pretty crowded with all the tourists out to look at leaves and some UVM alumni event, but that didn't do much to diminish the experience. I only wish we had more time to explore: to try out more restaurants, to drink more beer, to hike a little, to take a ferry across Lake Champlain. But hey, we're close enough--another visit wouldn't be too hard.
Here are some food highlights from this first visit--with a recap of my beer adventures to come soon.
