#WeekendCoffeeShare – Road Trip Planning 2022

Published on by Yinglan

Hello, welcome to #weekendcoffeeshare. Come on in and cool yourself off from the heat. I’m sure my AC is running by now though yesterday was, indeed, one of those rare days when I didn’t need to turn off on the AC. It actually rained yesterday, not a lot, but it was something and that’s better than nothing especially in this drought.

Unfortunately, today isn’t one of those days to stay cool. It’s going to be another one of those days that’s going to make you feel like you’re in an oven being roasted alive.

If we were having coffee, you might be able to tell from the title that I’m planning a road trip.

Unlike the last few road trips I took, this is much longer and more extensive. It involves 2 planes, a car, a 7-hour layover, and possibly 10 different motels/hotels. It’s got to be the biggest trip I’ve planned.

It’s strange, too, because earlier this week, I was talking to my therapist, telling him I was thinking about taking a trip this fall to see autumn colors in New England. I’ve been meaning to do research about the trip but haven’t had the time, since work is starting to pick up again.

Then on Friday, all of a sudden, Mom came storming into my room, telling me she’s going to give me the best birthday present this year by booking a trip to Japan. I previously tried to book a trip to Japan back in 2017, when I was in China. It didn’t work out. After doing some research on travel visas, this trip to Japan won’t work either as the country is not accepting any solo travelers at the moment.

“Well, where should we go?” Mom asked.

Daringly, I said, “How about New England? I’ve always wanted to see the autumn colors there.”

She wrinkled her nose. I shrugged and returned to work. I tried.

A few minutes later, she shouted, “Come here quick! Look at the airline tickets!” She was looking at flights to Buffalo-Niagara Airport in Buffalo, New York, and surprisingly, the tickets were cheap. So the trip planning began.

We spent Friday night mapping out a route and compromising on the places we wanted to stop and see. Though the route doesn’t contain the places I originally want to go – New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine – I still hope I will get to see autumn colors.

So here’s the preliminary route:

  • September 21, 2022 – arriving at Buffalo-Niagara International airport, pick up rental car, and head for Niagara Falls.
  • September 22, 2022 – after staying a night in Niagara Falls, Ontario, we’ll head for Toronto, Markham to be exact. We will be staying 2 nights there to tour Toronto as well as savoring some authentic Cantonese cuisine.
  • September 24, 2022 – heading for Ottawa to see the Capitol of Canada and possibly take a side trip to Quebec Province.
  • September 25, 2022 – Another day in Ottawa before heading back into U.S to shorten the trip the next day. Not sure about this part yet.
  • September 26, 2022 – Heading for the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey to Washington Crossing State Park. The history geek in me wanted to see this after listening to history podcasts for the last two years. I have always wanted to see the important places in U.S. history.
  • September 27, 2022 – Will be spending the next 2 days touring Philadelphia and possibly crossing into New Jersey again. Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, so many historic places to visit.
  • September 29, 2022 – Heading for Gettysburg. I think the Civil War is one of the most fascinating periods in U.S history. The other fascinating periods in U.S. history are the gilding ages, prohibition, and Great Depression/Great Western Migration.
  • September 30, 2022 – Heading back to Buffalo and will be spending the final two days of the trip touring Buffalo and possibly getting a second glimpse at the Falls before flying home on October 2, 2022.

Obviously, I still need to do more research on the places I want to see in each city but I think it’s so far mapping out pretty good. I last went to Canada in 2017 and saw the Rocky Mountain region. So I’m excited to be heading to Canada again, after 5 years. And to be traveling on my birthday, it’s got to be the most memorable birthday ever.

#weekendcoffeeshare is hosted by Natalie of Natalie the Explorer. I appreciate you stopping by and hope to chat again same time next week.

29 thoughts on “#WeekendCoffeeShare – Road Trip Planning 2022”

    1. Boston was on my initial itinerary. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it to the final draft. It was simply too far of a drive from Ottawa and with the days shortened during the autumn months, we didn’t want to risk too much driving at night in unknown territories. Oh well, there’s always the next time. Have fun on your cruise. 🙂

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  2. Wow, what a great trip. Between Buffalo and Toronto there is a small town called Niagara on the Lake, it is so pretty and you can find some good lunch spots. When in Philadelphia close to the historical sites there is the Reading Market and the selection of food is out of this world. Have a great time.

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    1. I’ll see if I can make it up there since I’m spending quite a bit of time around the Niagara Falls region.
      I’m looking forward to Philadelphia as I managed to book the hotel right across the street from the Reading Terminal Market. I hope to try some of the food there.

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    1. Absolutely! I’ve been to the east coast once to Washington DC and already, I’m finding the east coast is a much more exciting than the west. The west certainly has its excitements, too, but it’s all embedded in nature while the east is mostly in manmade objects.

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  5. Hi. Sounds fun. Keep in mind that fall colors begin in the north and drop south as fall progresses. If you are in Washington D.C. drive about an hour south and come see us on the farm. We live in the Shenandoah Valley in the heart of Civil War country. Apparently, rebel forces made camp on our farm but no battle occurred there.

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  11. My friends and I were considering Japan too but they’re only doing tour groups at this time unfortunately…oh well…the tickets from LA to Tokyo were really cheap in October.

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    1. I know, I would’ve flown from LA, too. Unfortunately, I had some bad experiences with tour groups and it’s a shame Japan isn’t allowing self-guided tours right now.

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