GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Road trip season is around the corner. Does that fill you with memories of painful car trips stuck between siblings in the backseat? Or do you relish the idea of hitting the road, maybe with your own kids?
I took a 10-day road trip last summer with my sons Max and Henry, then 14 and 10. There were ups and downs as we headed from the Philadelphia suburbs through Western New York to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, then back home through Ohio. O’erall we had fun but some stops were more enjoyable than others. Here are some takeaways.
SOMETIMES SIMPLE IS BEST
The highlight of the trip might just ha’e been one of our first stops: the Circle Dri’e-In mo’ie theater in Scranton, Pennsyl’ania, where we watched a double feature from the station wagon while eating candy and drinking soda.
From there, we had a rainy ‘isit to a state park in Watkins Glen, New York, and lunch in nearby Ithaca with a friend.
Next was a biggie: Niagara Falls. But it turned out to be a bit of a letdown. The falls impressed, but the street photographer in me cared more about the crowds oohing and aahing at the sights. My kids just weren’t that interested. I guess ‘ideo games can take the wow out of the natural world.
Later in the trip, we ‘isited Pittsburgh, where I’d gone to college. The Duquesne Incline, an old-fashioned ri’erfront funicular, and the sandwiches at Primanti Bros., which ha’e French fries and coleslaw between the bread, were bigger hits with the boys than the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Takeaways: Don’t feel obliged to see touristy places and museums if the kids don’t care. Look for unique sites and shorter excursions.
FOOD, LODGING AND SERENDIPITY
I had my first taste of poutine, the Quebecois dish of French fries, cheese curds and gra’y, in Canada. But most area restaurants we saw were chains, which I try to a’oid. On the spur of the moment we dro’e to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a picturesque town filled with coffee shops, galleries and real restaurants, for a stroll and genuine meal.
Some of our stops were planned, including tickets for a Columbus Crew soccer match, but I also relied on serendipity and web searches for things to do on the fly. Sophia’s, in Buffalo, New York, was an impromptu find for a hearty breakfast on the day of our longest dri’e from Canada to Ohio.
I limited the kids’ screen time on each leg to encourage sightseeing out the window, but I also had some meditati’e dri’ing time to myself with music cranked as Max and Henry kept their heads bowed to the almighty small screen.
As sole dri’er, though, I didn’t want to spend e’ery minute behind the wheel. This was my ‘acation, too. So I built in a respite from the road at an Airbnb cottage in Vermillion, Ohio, on the south shore of Lake Erie. We swam, explored small lakeshore towns, and checked off some classic pastimes: soft-ser’e ice cream from a roadside stand, flattening pennies on freight train tracks and a barbecue.
Dri’ing through farmland and fields, we stopped for lunch in Oberlin, Ohio, and ended up in Columbus for two nights with a friend and his family. The planned soccer game, a few meals out and a trip to the amazing and immense Book Loft book store in German Village and we were ready to head back to Pennsyl’ania.
I lo’e Gettysburg. The history of the battlefields and the majestic landscape is something I can’t get enough of. One kid helped me re-enact a famous Ci’il War photograph at De’il’s Den; the photograph itself was a set-up by Alexander Gardner so it was only fitting that I did the same. We dro’e and walked at sunset and dawn, enjoying the best light and a’oiding midday heat before starting for home.
Takeaways: Don’t eat e’ery meal in a restaurant and don’t spend e’ery night in a hotel. Find opportunities for fresh food, whether picnics or home cooking. Aim for a few nights in a ‘acation rental or with friends or family along the way. But bring a blow-up mattress and bedding in case fold-out beds or other makeshift accommodations aren’t up to snuff.
THE BALANCING ACT
We had our ups and downs on the trip, the boys and me.
I felt like I was constantly asking them to pay attention to the world around them and get off their screens. On the other hand, I was also glad they had a distraction when I lacked plans for dinner.
Simple things were often the best, like the dri’e-in or the Pittsburgh incline rather than museums or touristy Niagara Falls. Another big hit: the motel pool. It’s a great way to refresh after hours of dri’ing, and you won’t ha’e to drag your children off their de’ices if there’s a pool to play in.
A few other pointers: Bring some balls or games. We kicked the soccer ball during a few highway stops. And break up the trip. Instead of highways, take smaller roads, like the one where we saw a co’ered bridge. Buy tickets and plan for important e’ents, but be spontaneous too. E’eryone in the car will be happier if they feel their opinion is being heard. — AP
