USA-C2C.com

Best of April 2004

Everybody loves them. Gab does. Michael does. We bet you read them too, even if you don’t admit it. Top Ten lists. The Best of. The Worst of. The Most this. The Least that. Well here is our contribution to the genre. A summary of our first month on the road. This one is a little late. The next one will be more timely.

We are already working on the next 30 days. So if there is a category you would like to see, drop us a line at gabandmichael@usa-c2c.com.

March 21, 2004 – April 30, 2004

Miles Traveled
4955.

Best Weather Day
April 17-19 Patriots Day weekend, Boston, Mass.

Best Opportunity to Test Michael’s “Jacket of the Year” (Worst Weather Day)
Newport, R.I.

Ugliest Capitol
Trenton, N.J.

Most Beautiful Capitol
Harrisburg, Pa.

Biggest Disappointment
Tie
* New Bedford Whaling NHP, New Bedford, Mass.
* Numerous Sites open only Memorial Day to Labor Day

Most Pleasant Surprise
Efficiency and Speed of the Security Check going to Statue of Liberty NHS and Ellis Island NHS

Cheapest Ballgame Ticket
$8 box seats – Portland Sea Dogs vs. Trenton Thunder, Portland, Maine

Most Expensive Ballgame Ticket
$90 (not spent) offered in the 6th inning by a scalper – Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees, Fenway Park, Patriot’s Day, Boston, Mass.

Best Sporting Experience
Patriots Day, Boston, Mass.

Longest Day
317 miles. Driving from Bar Harbor, Maine to Roosevelt Campobello Intl Park, NB; getting detained for 45 minutes by U.S. Customs in Lubec, Maine; driving to Saint Croix Island International Historic Site and then back to Bar Harbor, Maine.

Most Beautiful View
View from the Circle Island Ferry en route to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Ugliest Park Site Surroundings
Tie
* Mount Vernon Industrial Park surrounding Saint Paul’s Church NHS
* King of Prussia Mall surrounding Valley Forge NHP

Most Beautiful Park Site Surroundings
Weir Farm NHS, Wilton, Conn.

Liveliest City Center (Towns)
Harrisburg Pa.

Dullest City Center (Towns)
Bar Harbor, Maine

Worst Hotel Experience
Hilton, East Brunswick, NJ. Site of a statewide leadership convention of high school students. They woke us up at 3:00 a.m. with a knock on the door and three phone calls to our room.

Most Scenic Drive
Bar Harbor, Maine to Calais, Maine. Maine Route 1.

Highest Price for Gas
$1.88 on April 23 – Mobil Oil, Trumbull, Conn.

Lowest Price for Gas
Tie
* $1.64 on March 25 – Getty Oil, Paramus, N.J. (Full Serve)
* $1.64 on April 20 – Haffner Gas, Lowell, Mass. (Full Serve)

Most Out of the Way Site
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, Calais, Maine

Best Pizza
Barcelona’s – Garfield, N.J.

Best Local Cuisine
Philly Cheese Steak – Pat’s, Philadelphia, Pa.

Worst Acting in a National Park Service Film
Jockey Hollow re-enactment film at Morristown NHP, Morristown, NJ

Best Name for a Food Product
Don Mattingly Onion Rings at the Baseball Bar nearby Fenway Park, Boston Mass. The reason behind the name is that Don Mattingly never won a World Series Ring for the Yankees.

Most Unexpected Local Pronunciation
Calais, Maine (pronounced CAL-is)

Albany, NY • Augusta, ME • Bar Harbor, ME • Boston, MA • Bridgeport, CT • Concord, MA • Conshohocken, PA • Cooperstown, NY • East Brunswick, NJ • East Providence, RI • Eastham, MA • Fairfield, CT • Garfield, NJ • Harrisburg, PA • Hartford, CT • Hyde Park, NY • Lexington, MA • Lowell, MA • Lubec, ME • Madison, CT • Mashantucket, CT • Morristown, NJ • New Bedford, MA • New York, NY • Newport, RI • Northampton, MA • Oyster Bay, NY • Pawtucket, RI • Philadelphia, PA • Portland, ME • Providence, RI • Provincetown, MA • Quincy, MA • Salem, MA • Saratoga Springs, NY • Saugus, MA • South Norwalk, CT • Springfield, MA • Trenton, NJ • Uncasville, CT • Westport, CT • Williamsburg, NY

Acadia NP • Adams NHS • Benjamin Franklin N MEM • Boston African American NHS • Boston NHP • Castle Clinton NM • Edgar Allan Poe NHS • Eleanor Roosevelt NHS • Ellis Island NHS • Essex NHA • Federal Hall N MEM • General Grant N MEM • Gloria Dei (Old Swede’s) Church NHS • Hamilton Grange N MEM • Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt NHS • Hopewell Furnace NHS • Independence NHP • John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley NHC • Lowell NHP • Minute Man NHP • Morristown NHP • New Bedford Whaling NHP • Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley NHC • Roger Williams N MEM • Roosevelt Campobello IP • Sagamore Hill NHS • Saint Croix Island IHS • Saint Paul’s Church NHS • Salem Maritime NHS • Saratoga NHP • Saugus Iron Works NHS • Springfield Armory NHS • Statue of Liberty NM • Thaddeus Kosciuszko N MEM • Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace NHS • Touro Synagogue NHS • Valley Forge NHP • Vanderbilt Mansion NHS • Weir Farm NHS