Kicking Through the Autumn Leaves

Fall is officially upon us, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. 

I've always loved the fall, at least the first couple of months of it. September is usually spent getting adjusted to a new season after the laziness of summer's heat, but by the time October comes around, I am ready to embrace autumn.

There's a lot to enjoy about the season, starting with the crisp air when you step outside. We get to enjoy some of the gimmicks of Halloween, such as corn mazes and haunted houses (I've never been much for candy), and celebrate on days such as my birthday and Thanksgiving. 

I'm eagerly looking forward to watching some wonderful October baseball (although it's sliding into November this year), one of the things I most strongly associate with the fall. 

But I don't always take advantage of all the Halloween hay rides, some Thanksgivings are more exciting than others, and sometimes the postseason is a huge disappointment. 

One thing that's always great? Fall foliage. 

Growing up in the Mid-Atlantic region meant that I always got to see the leaves change colors, and by the time November rolled around, I'd walk home from the bus stop while crunching as many leaves as I possibly could. I know exactly which stretches of my hometown have the best trees, and while in college, I loved driving down the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the middle of October.

However, suburban towns and highways are no match for the rest of America. New England, in particular, is supposed to be gorgeous.

For those of you who are planning to take a road trip in the next month or so, travel guides are compiling lists of places that you should see. If you're like me, you'll have to settle for the beautiful pictures. I think I'm most taken with and surprised by Michigan and Wisconsin, though several other states are home to some unexpected beauty.

See for yourselves:

From Forbes Traveler, 15 Fall Foliage Drives, and from Smarter Travel, 10 Fall Foliage Drives.

I'd like a paid vacation every fall to explore one of these locations, but until then, I suppose I'll just be appreciative for photography and the internet. 

Michigan Seems Like a Dream to Me Now

No matter where you go, transportation is key. I appreciate cities such as Boston, that are walkable, but understand that not every location can fit this bill. I am not particularly comfortable with or fond of Philadelphia's SEPTA, but I am able to navigate New York City and its subway with ease. Washington D.C.'s metro is pretty straightforward, and from what I remember, London's Underground is as well.

The transportation system in Ann Arbor seems convenient, although I didn't experience it to the point where I can be certain. The primary mode of public transportation is through the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA), which also serves the neighboring town of Ypsilanti. 

AATA provides buses (commonly referred to as "The Ride") that run throughout the city, most of which are easily accessible and cost only $1.25 per ride - this fee is waived for college students who are able to show ID. Although some of the areas surrounding the University are suburban, driving can be a hassle, especially when there are so many highways involved. The bus system means that residents can forgo driving, particularly on game days, when the traffic is extremely heavy. The buses are able to take people to a stop that's within walking distance of most anything they might need in the city.

So I didn't take the bus, but got to see plenty of Ann Arbor (and most importantly, the campus) on foot and as a passenger of the car. It's a lot safer to snap pictures when you're not the driver. And even then, sometimes they turn out a little blurry. I apologize in advance.

Some notable/favorite/interesting parts of campus:

The University's hospital and medical school

All those trees...

Michigan Stadium, where preparations are underway for the first home game of the season.

A slightly blurred Nickels Arcade on South State Street at dusk, then more S. State Street by night.

I could absolutely see myself attending grad school here, if it wasn't for the extreme winter weather. I can survive the cold, but to me, wind is one of the most loathsome weather conditions. Wind and low temperatures combined? Not so good.

I think I'll stick to Ann Arbor in the spring and summer time.

Food, Glorious Food

A trip has been unsuccessful if I didn't have the opportunity to indulge in some excellent cuisine. Eating is a very important part of travel, and in some places, food can be an integral component of a region's culture. Plus, some ingredients and dishes are native to one area, and so it's important to experience them while you have the chance. Some foods just aren't as good when they're recreated elsewhere.

None of this is true of Ann Arbor, but that didn't mean I was any less excited to see what unique places I could find. 

During our trip, my parents and I stayed at the house of family friends, so much of our eating was done indoors. The cooked food was excellent, but eating at home meant that I had to pay special attention to all the meals that were consumed outside. I think I fared rather well over the duration of our trip, and found some delicious places.

My first meal was a supremely late (5pm) lunch, at a campus deli located inside my brother's dormitory. Once the envy of his having dining halls and delis so easily accessible passed, I moved on to enjoying what was there. I'm pleased to report that I thoroughly enjoyed my made-to-order chicken sandwich, which gives me hope that my brother's taste buds won't be severely damaged by college food; at least not this year. Plus, there are several eateries, ranging from fast food, to chain restaurants, to some original little places located all over campus and the neighboring areas. I'm pretty sure I'd spend way too much time (not to mention money) eating if I went to school at Michigan. 

My exploration of the campus also enabled me to find some gems in Ann Arbor, hidden in between the Chipotles and Paneras. Not that some of those chains aren't gems of their own.

The day before the long drive home, my father, brother and I had lunch at Potbelly, a sandwich chain that can be found in several places throughout the midwest and in parts of the Mid-Atlantic region. My dad had been raving about this place since we first arrived, so naturally I wanted to try it out.

My meal was a completely underwhelming experience. I ate a chicken salad sandwich, which was good, but not really anything that I'll remember, or even seek out again. Serves me right for allowing my father to build it up the way he did. But I would like to give them credit for not drowning their chicken salad in mayonnaise - some places have some difficulty perfecting the chicken to mayo ratio.

We also dined at Paesano's one night, an Italian restaurant with a muted ambience that I really appreciated. As a carb lover, Italian cuisine has a special place in my heart, not only for the pasta, but for the baskets of bread that tend to precede the main meal. This place didn't disappoint on either count. I like when restaurants make small adjustments to classic meals in an attempt to make it their own; there were peas cooked into my pesto ravioli. Peas aren't a vegetable I typically enjoy, but I somehow really liked them in this particular case. And rather than provide regular butter to accompany the bread, there were small cups of herb butter, to give each bite a little extra zest. 

Over the past couple of years, I've developed a stronger love for ice cream and frozen yogurt, despite my general dislike for sweets and desserts. So when my father recommended that we go to Stucchi's, I could hardly say no. This small ice cream and frozen yogurt place is curiously located right next to Ben and Jerry's, on South State Street, a stretch of road populated by several restaurants, movie theaters and stores. I had the chocolate chip cookie dough frozen yogurt, and much like they advertised, it was creamier than most frozen yogurts I've had. Delicious. But still not as good as Halo Pub. Then again, not much is.

Ann Arbor, like most urban areas, boasts a variety of cuisines, including some that I've never even tried, such as Ethiopian. There sadly wasn't enough time to try some of these places, nor the others that I'd heard about. My parents have been raving about Mongolian barbeque since they ate it back in July, and I passed by a Jamaican Jerk place that made me crave Jerk chicken, Jamaican patties, and festival, even after dinner. I'm such a sucker for ethnic food.

In the meantime, I'll leave my brother to explore Ann Arbor's eateries. Hopefully he'll make some mental notes so I can further indulge the next time I'm in town.

Wading in a Sea of Yellow and Blue

Greetings from Ann Arbor!

The majority of these past few days has been chaotic, at best. Wednesday was spent primarily on the road, for a four state drive that got dull soon after hitting the three hour mark. I attempted to catch up on sleep, having gotten merely four hours the night before, but it's rather difficult to do so when you're in a car that's bursting at the seams with one's belongings. There were bags everywhere. But we finally made it, tired and disheveled, and probably a little cranky.

Thursday was the big day, and we arrived on campus bright and early to finally rid the car of everything we'd been carrying around. On the way to Target (for the odds and ends it's impossible not to forget), we got a bit lost, which I see somewhat as a rite of passage when you're in a new environment. Luckily, we had my father's Blackberry to bail us out. My parents abandoned me on Friday morning, which could have been an excellent time to share details of my trip here, if I hadn't been exhausted to the point of being relatively unable to form cohesive statements. This is apt to happen when you spend hours in a car one day, and then hours another day either walking the same three hallways of a dorm, or walking a mile the wrong way because your dad gave you incorrect directions to get to the car that was actually only 75 yards away.

But enough about the uninteresting aspects of the trip, I'm more concerned with sharing the parts of Ann Arbor that I've been able to explore, as well as the little things I've picked up in my few days here.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ann Arbor, let me provide some information:

Ann Arbor is a quintessential college town, and is essentially built around the campus of the University of Michigan. Because of this, the presence of the University can be felt everywhere: restaurants host banners welcoming students back to campus, while yellow and blue streamers and balloons adorn the checkout lines at Meijer (a supercenter chain of the Midwest).

My family has now been here a few times, whereas I have never even been to this part of the country before, so I've forced everyone to comply with my desire to explore the area, even if it's just within the campus. As would be expected, there are trees all over the University's sprawling campus, so I'm sure the air quality in this area is pretty fantastic. The abundance of greenery in Ann Arbor also makes for a gorgeous campus. I'm pleased to see my brother won't be spending the next four years surrounded by ugliness.

The University is comprised of three separate campuses. This place is just gigantic, and I spent the first day or two being completely overwhelmed by its size. With so many campuses and streets, driving had a tendency to get very confusing, very quickly. My dad navigated the roads with a tattered map he picked up on move-in day. It didn't always help. I still can't imagine walking around this place on a daily basis.

That said, from what I've seen, Ann Arbor is a great place both to live and to go to school. I have a lot to share from this trip, from the ever-important food findings, to the transportation, to the photographs. I'll write more about all of this once I'm home, and once I've got my mind functioning in its full capacity.

Until then, I'm off to go watch the town as they bask in the glow of Michigan's first win of the season.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

I'm a big advocate of planning. My world is populated with calendars, lists, and color-coordination.

Tomorrow morning, my family and I are driving my brother to Michigan where he'll begin his freshman year of college. Although I enjoy road trips, 11 hours in a car that is packed full of towels, suitcases, and storage bins isn't what I consider an ideal traveling scenario. 

Long trips require some preparation, mental and otherwise, so I've compiled a list of some tips for traveling on the road. As Steinbeck suggests, one can do all the planning in the world, and still have things go wrong. But I still think it's always best to venture out as prepared as possible.

1. Minimize the liquid intake. 

This can occasionally be quite problematic, especially if you hit the road early and really need your Dunkin' Donuts fix. I drove to Louisiana a few years ago, as a part of a service trip, and the drive was about fifteen hours long. I consumed water only when I ate, which was quite difficult for someone who typically walks around with her Nalgene attached to her hand. Sure, I was a little dehydrated when we arrived (and the humidity sure didn't help), but it was significantly better than forcing thirty people into a rest stop just for me.

Plus, there are often stretches of road that don't have rest areas for miles, and so whether you need a bathroom, some caffeine, or something to eat, you are out of luck. Once, en route to San Francisco, I needed a rest area only to find the nearest one was closed; we ended up finding one soon after, but it's really not an enjoyable experience waiting for one to show up.

2. Bring along some nourishment. 

I'm a big fan of eating, so I never really need an excuse for having food around. While rest areas offer us a wide array of places to eat, sometimes, they just don't offer what you want (I'd like a Wendy's at each one). Or perhaps you don't want to break up the flow of the drive by stopping. That's why it's always better to have some food on hand. I really enjoy granola bars and crackers of any kind (though Goldfish and Wheat Thins are among the best), and portable fruits are among my favorite types of snack. Just remember to bring along a trash bag for those apple cores and peach pits. 

As an added bonus, snacks are wonderful to have in case you get tired while driving, since the motions of eating help the body to wake up. My Goldfish saved us during a particularly dreadful stretch of our drive up to Boston last month, when we all came a little too close to falling asleep. 

3. Always have cash on hand.

My parents have been drilling this statement into my head since high school, but it hasn't always stuck. With the wonders of online banking, there's less of a necessity to go to bank, and so I've often found myself out with about five dollars in my wallet. 

My friend and I drove to Philadelphia recently. We were detoured off our intended route of I-95 due to bridges being underwater from the wrath of Hurricane Bill, and thus we were forced to take Route 1. Unfortunately, Route 1 has a toll, but we were without an EZ-Pass, and had a combined total of eight dollars and some change. If the prices on the New Jersey Turnpike were any indication, there was a possibility that we would be unable to pay up. Lucky for us, the toll was only 75 cents, or with my luck, we could have spent the night being detained by the police, rather than with our friends.

Just stop by the drive-thru ATM on your way. Because the anxiety is really not worth it. 

4. Try to know where you're headed. 

These days, it's very easy for people to hop into a car and let the navigation system handle the rest. Unfortunately, a GPS doesn't always select the best route for drivers. They don't know which roads are best lit for driving at night, or which roads are undergoing heavy construction. No matter what you enter into the system, sometimes it just can't help. Take, for example, the aforementioned trip to Philly, when the detour left us lost in the middle of New Jersey, and the GPS was unable to bail us out. Lucky for us, there was a cop on hand to guide us in the right direction.

If possible, try to have a general idea of where you're headed, or better yet, have some printed directions (thank you, Google Maps) or some maps (AAA always comes through) on hand, just in case.

This tip is especially important for those of you who don't like to stop and ask for directions. Me? I'll pull into the nearest gas station and talk someone's ear off. It's not always easy to know exactly where you're going, especially when you're venturing into new territory, but a little foresight never really hurt anyone. 

5. Bring along good tunes.

Good tunes is subjective term, so you'll likely have to confer with your traveling companions (if there are any) to see what music can be played. Or maybe you have the entire backseat to yourself, in which case, you're set if you've got iPod in tow. The iPod is especially important if your dad's idea of good driving "music" is a little less NPR and a little more ESPN. I've been known to watch SportsCenter a little more than the average female, but hours of bickering between father and son over the likes of Michael Vick and Joe Mauer has a tendency to get old. 

In some cases, music can also be a bonding experience. I've had several road trips, most notably the one to Louisiana, where music played a big role in my getting to know the people by whom I was surrounded. And on some days, nothing makes a drive more enjoyable than singing along to some music, even if it makes your neighbors on the road look at you a little strangely. 

As with every list I make, I hope I haven't forgotten anything on this one, though I imagine I'll find out tomorrow if that's the case. I'm off to make my second list of the day, the ever-important packing list. I'll return in a few days with tales from Michigan!