It’s funny how plans can change in a matter of minutes, or in my case- a matter of hours when driving in a completely different direction.

This past Tuesday, I had every intention of heading to NYC for the afternoon to check out an exhibit and grab an early dinner at one of the many restaurants I’ve bookmarked in recent weeks specifically for my next day trip to the area. I had gotten up early in the morning, showered, packed up my camera, and ate a decent breakfast before hopping in my car and hitting the road-

– where I ended up in Brattleboro, Vermont- instead.

I’m not exactly sure what happened. As I started to drive, winding around the back roads to avoid traffic while en route to my local Starbucks to grab a latte- I started thinking: about work, my plans for the coming days/weeks/months, my friends and family, my finances, the guy I’ve been seeing- pretty much everything- and it got LOUD inside my head while I was thinking.

I mean really loud- like I couldn’t even focus on singing along to the music I was thumping through my car speakers.

I realized that maybe NYC- one of the loudest places ever- may not have been a good option for me and I decided to head to quieter territory up North, instead- continuing driving on the back roads all the way up to Vermont- passing plenty of forests, farms, fields and roadside fruit stands on my way.

I eventually stopped in Brattleboro to stretch my legs, stroll the Main Street area where I perused a few shops and grabbed lunch at BrattleBurger– where I think I may have had one of the best bacon cheeseburgers in my life.

It was so good (and so was the strawberry lemonade!) that I’m debating putting together a list of my top ten favorite New England burger joints in the next few weeks just to celebrate the place and some of the other spots around the area where I go when I’m craving medium-cooked deliciousness on a bun.

By the time I was ready to head out of town and back towards home, it had started lightly raining in Brattleboro- and the storm followed me all the way to the state lines. Thankfully, I felt rested and rejuvenated by the time I got back to my place. My thoughts didn’t seem or sound so loud anymore- and I think taking such a nice, long drive and spending some time in a quiet, serene area was just what I needed.

Next week, though- I’m hoping to finally get to NYC! Loud or not!

xx