Woke up and after giving the bike a good once over we hit the road by 7:00. In contrast to the last couple days, we were blinded by sun glare instead of torrential rain. It was a good trade.
We headed east towards Baltimore, crossing into Delaware, making the first "new" state on two wheels this trip. Delaware went by fast, and we entered Pennsylvania near Philadelphia. Philadelphia was one of the few very large city skylines we saw despite being relatively close to many other large cities.
Shortly after Pennsylvania, we crossed into New Jersey. New Jersey sucks; I lived there for one summer and it was much like I remember it. Poor signs and lots of traffic (although to be honest, the traffic was not very bad). The signs for the New Jersey Turnpike weren't very well marked and we stayed on I-95 for longer than anticipated until getting onto the turnpike north of Trenton. No worries, we made it and rode through New Jersey.
We avoided the New York area by taking I-287 which was actually fairly scenic. From there, we took I-87 north to Kingston. This was also quite scenic. All told, the tolls for the day cost $17.15 which isn't terrible given the distance for the day. I am glad I don't have to pay that kind of ransom to get around home however, and the traffic was at times a bit much. On a few occasions, I-87 came to a near standstill for no reason. Road etiquette is lacking around here which I'm sure contributes to the mayhem.
We got to Kingston around 1:00 and after checking in and dropping a few things off we headed east into Connecticut taking NY-199 then US-44, then north into Massachusetts by US-7. The drive was very scenic and with the exception of one town having a festival, traffic was light to tolerable. This appears to be a weekend hotspot for antiques and old money, seeing a Bentley, Ferrari's and several other high dollar cars. On an absolutely perfect afternoon, there were innumerable motorcycles out and about.
We reached Stockbridge, MA and easily found a parking spot. From there, we walked down the street to Theresa's Cafe. This is The Alice's Restaurant of Arlo Guthrie fame. Someone named Alice who was a friend of Arlo's really did own it for about a year. It really is just around the back about a half mile from the railroad tracks!
They were moderately busy when we got there so it took a bit of time, but when we left the place was nearly empty. Since this is Alice's Restaurant, I guess this must be a Thanksgiving Dinner that just can't be beat.
Actually, it was more of a large snack to tide us over until dinner.
Once we ate we headed south and found the Church that Alice used to live at. It is now the Guthrie Center which has a mission statement to bring individuals together for cultural, educational, and spiritual exchange. I'm not entirely sure what that means, and there was something going on there so we didn't go in.
We headed back to the Roadway Inn for the night. This was the hotel I was a little nervous about due to many bad reviews online. The hotel isn't the newest, but it was clean and comfortable. The staff were very friendly and accommodating in letting us check in early and park the bike very near the room. The room was a little pricey, but given the area it was a bargain.
The view from the hotel is a gorgeous landscape of the Kingston and surrounding area. Of the hotels stayed at so far, it was the most picturesque.
The restaurant next to the Roadway was very good if a little pricey. Again, the staff were very cordial, even quickly cleaning a table so we could sit by the window overlooking the view.
Another great day on vacation, five new states on two wheels, and was able to get anything I wanted at Alice's Restaurant!
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