Close your eyes. Imagine sirens, smog, bumper to bumper traffic, constant horn honking, and stressing out about everything…this ladies & gentlemen is NOT Vermont. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Vermont for the second time. Last year it was Stowe for vaca, this year was business in Burlington. Was it any less fun? Nope! Although my days were filled with meetings, there were still sights & adventures in between to share.

After about a 3 1/2 – 4 hour ride, I arrived in Burlington at around 11am on Wednesday morning. Off to meetings right away, but lunch wasn’t too far off. I got to go to lunch with one of my favorite teams. The spot of choice was Madera’s, a Mexican restaurant. To start, they brought out tortilla chips with salsa & refried beans. For my meal I decided on the Tacos de Pescado, the fish tacos. It was lightly breaded and served in corn tortillas. I chose to get the garlic cilantro cream sauce on the side. My plate included rice and refried beans. It was delicious!

Then, it was off to another office and a few more meetings; however, dinner & drinks were around the corner. First, a quick stop to check in my hotel room at Courtyard Burlington Harbor. It was a standard room, but I LOVED my bathroom!!

Next, it was time for a walk up the road for drinks at Bluebird Tavern. It was a nice spot with barely no one in the bar when we got there, but it was also slightly early. Vodka & cran and a cheese plate…delish!

Now it was time for dinner at Trattoria Delia. A bottle of red wine and apps to start – Calamari Fritti, Scamorza alla Griglia, and mussels in a red sauce (not on the menu but we requested). For my main entree, I selected the Pesce alla Griglia del Giorno which was salmon that day. The wood-fire fish was served alongside a fennel and arugula salad. It was light & fresh. Somewhere in between there came the second bottle of red. Lastly, for dessert three of us shared the Tiramisu -supposedly the best dessert. It was scrumptious – rich, velvety, and decadent, but not at all overwhelming. And the shaved Belgian chocolate on the top…yummy! There were tons of laughs shared over great food.

The night wasn’t over yet! There was yet another spot for the night…Red Square. Although I probably should have been in my room, how can you turn down your business partners…LOL. I only had one drink. The beer was Allagash White, a Belgian wheat ale. After that I just needed some water for that walk back to the hotel…Day one ended after 11pm…until tomorrow…