Alexander's New England Odyssey

What is New England? Well, it's the clam chowder without the tomato sauce, for one thing. But New England is much more than that. It was the site of some of the earliest European settlements in the New World. It is the birthplace of the American Revolution, and of such patriots and John Adams, Sam Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. It is also the birthplace of Jack Lemmon, and more Kennedys than we care to list. It is a place where people passionately root for the Red Sox and the Celtics, and where lobster is available virtually everywhere, including McDonald's.

Grafton Notch State Park,
Maine

While strolling through Maine's Grafton Notch State Park,
Alex and his father discover that "The Pine Tree State" has a
heck of a lot of birch trees.

In September 1998, Alexander and his parents took a driving tour of New England. The tour was not meant to be comprehensive – many worthwhile stops were passed by due to constraints of time. However, Alex did manage to at least pass through all six New England states. While he did not so much as get out of the car in Vermont or Rhode Island, and did nothing but eat and sleep in Connecticut, he did manage to sample the culture and attractions of the remaining three states: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

While in New England, Alex walked in the footsteps of dinosaurs near Holyoke, Massachusetts. He ascended the highest summit in the Northeast, and braved the winds at the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. He savored the beauty of Acadia National Park, and the charms of its neighboring town, Bar Harbor, Maine. He learned about life as a Pilgrim when he visited Plymouth, Massachusetts and the nearby Plimoth Plantation. He discovered the delights of "stop sign crackers" at the Yankee Settler's Restaurant in Farmington, Maine. And, in Ellsworth, Maine, he asked his father to urinate in a Wal-Mart fitting room. (His request, by the way, was denied.)

So what are you waiting for? Don't just sit there! Start clicking! Amazement and wonderment await! Join the Internet's best-travelled toddler on his trip through the Northeast, his New England Odyssey!