Downtown Montpelier Visit #1
Its been a week since we moved to Vermont - an exciting yet nerve-wracking decision/move but in the end I think was all worthwhile when I see my kids happy and enjoying every bit of the new environment.
Our new place is still quite a mess - boxes and boxes of items packed up all over the living room, dining room and sunroom. My goal was to get everything sorted and organized by end of the week but yesterday's weather was too beautiful to just spend it in the house. So, we decided to venture out a little - downtown Montpelier.
Its only one exit away, 10 minutes from where we lived. I wasn't sure what to do or where to go, therefore I contacted a lovely fellow Malaysian who is living in Montpelier and asked for recommendations. We initially decided to just go and have a relaxing time at the statehouse BUT my kids wanted to have ice-cream SO we end up ditching that plan and just stroll the downtown.
A little fun playing with the watered plants
I LOVE the cute downtown. I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to visit Montpelier but I am pleasantly surprised by how lovely the downtown is.
The Book Garden @ downtown Montpelier.
First stop was "The Book Garden" - It is hard for us to NOT walk into a bookstore because I grew up IN a bookstore as well (My mom used to own bookstores in Malaysia), a bookstore is just a wonderful place to spend time in. I WISHED I had all the time to just pick out books, having a cup of coffee and read away... I'll try to read a new book each month. Ladybug spotted the Marvel's comic books right away and wasn't going to leave without one. But this 'horrible' mom says NO :p ZT also didn't want to leave the bookstore because they had displays of his favorite superheroes. In the end, I had to 'bribe' them with ice-cream so that they would leave.
Rose flavor (Pink& Cookie and cream flavor @ Chill Vermont Gelato
We actually didn't find Ice-cream but we found this lovely store named "Chill Vermont Gelato". ZT doesn't care if its Gelato or ice-cream because he just wanted dessert :p While we were deciding on what flavors to get, I spotted a flavor named "Rose"! This reminded me of the Malaysian Rose Syrup Drink/ Bandung. Ladybug wasn't sure about it when I told her I'll get that flavor LOL. Boy am I glad because it tasted like Rose Syrup! It feels like 'home' away from home. Ladybug also ended up loving the flavor. SOOOO happy to walk into this tiny store! Love the texture and taste of the gelato, definitely coming back for more.
We then continue to explore the downtown area and again we found ourselves walking into another bookstore -__-" This time its the "Bear Pond Books". We couldn't resist when it says new & used books. Ladybug spotted this Waldo Scavenger Hunt post and was intrigued by it. I ended up googling up what it's all about and yup, Ladybug is IN! She wants to join the search in July.
Spot the stripes! Kids, parents and Waldo-lovers of all ages are invited to participate in Montpelier's community-wide Where's Waldo scavenger hunt this July! The 6th Annual Where's Waldo In Montpelier Scavenger Hunt takes place from July 1st to July 31st. Kids will get to know their downtown community by searching for Waldo in 20 downtown businesses - and search hard, he is a good hider.
On July 1st, Waldo figures will start showing up in public areas of local establishments. Anyone who wishes to participate can pick up a “Find Waldo in Montpelier Passport” (the official search list) at Bear Pond Books or the Kellogg-Hubbard Library and collect a signature or sticker for each Waldo they spot. Submit your completed (as many as you can find) passport to the bookstore at the end of the month to earn prizes! Easy, peasy. Or is it? Find Waldo!
The bookstore also has a cute & cozy children corner upstairs with a variety of up to date children books. both ZT and Ladybug wanted to just spend the rest of the day sitting in that barn looking children reading corner. Oh, and ZT loved the big brown bear at the corner.
We ended our day trip at the Bear Pond Books because I needed to get home and get dinner ready. Both ZT & Ladybug couldn't wait to head back to Montpelier and I certainly enjoy our time there as well.
