Our 1300 mile road trip - Day 6 - Burlington VT

After waking up and getting dressed we walked up to Church St Marketplace in search of Starbucks. Church St is adorable and welcoming with it's decorations, stores, and restaurants. I can't wait to come back later today and explore the area more. 

​Once back at the hotel we hopped in the car and made our way to Mount Philo. Along the way we passed lots of shopping and dining venues. We also passed a placed called Shelburne Museum which looked incredibly interesting. Definitely going to make a pit stop on the way back!

We decided to take the trail up but skip the Devils Chair rock formation. Along the way we let those hiking faster than us to pass. We were taking our time and stopping for photographs along the way. The climb is relatively easy but does have some areas of scrambling and a few steep inclines. At the top of Mount Philo we were greeted with amazing views and an accomplished feeling. We took the road down for something different and were happy with the relaxing route. 

On our way back to Burlington VT we definitely made our way to Shelburne Museum. The Shelburne Museum is odd, a little eerie (when you are the only ones walking around), but incredibly unique and interesting. We paid our entrance fee inside the gift shop and were given a map that showed us the entire museum but circled the buildings that were currently open. 

We wandered around on our own stopping at different exhibits and entering a couple of them. Along the way Greg helped keep us in good spirits with his silly side! We weren't here very long as it was kind of cold and we were also getting pretty hungry. Shelburne Museum is a worthwhile stop for everyone!

For lunch we made our way back to Church St for some lunch and then some shopping. A cold winter day and energy used for hiking calls for a comforting bowl of Ramen! At Gaku Ramen we were greeted and shown to a table. Our server brought us some water and asked if we'd like to order any other drinks. Sake please! For a starter we chose Karaage (Japanese fried chicken). The chicken was hot and seasoned nicely however it felt more like chicken fingers. I felt that there was too much flour vs a well mixed batter. I ordered the Spicy Tonkotsu with a soft boiled egg. My Ramen had a flavorful broth with for the most part nice toppings and good noodles. I do wish that the pork Chashu was cut to be thicker. Unfortunately the pork seemed more like deli meat. Greg ordered the Black Garlic Tonkotsu along with pork belly and a soft boiled egg. Greg's Ramen was good and the pork belly was a thicker cut. 

Time to walk off all of those noodles! Church Street had so much for us personally and also for gifts we needed. We shopped inside Saratoga Olive Oil Co for delicious vinegars, salts, and agradolce's. Our next stop was for some delicious chocolates at Lake Champlain Chocolates. Our last stop was to Homeport where we looked through gifts, home goods, and Christmas ornaments. 

To end the day we brought our bags back to our room and headed back out to catch the beautiful sunset. We crossed the street and first wandered about Battery Park. Our next stop was down the street to Waterfront Park where we walked along the water and admired the sunset and surrounding scenery. We would have loved to continue on to the Burlington Greenway however at this point the wind was turning bitter and we were ready to relax. 

​Back at the hotel we re-organized all of our bags and purchases so that we would be ready for New York City in the morning.