My friend Amber and I hadn't seen each other since November, so once we realized that we lived fairly close (I in Vermont and she in New Hampshire) we decided to get together this summer.
The original plan was to go to Salem, Mass., but we ran out of money, so instead we met in the little town of Chester, Vermont.
We met and had lunch in 'Alice's Restaurant' - we had found it online under the name 'Raspberries and Thyme', but it had apparently changed names a couple of times since that web page was made. I had to stop and ask directions to find it out. The meal was very good and the prices reasonable - we had quesadillas and garlic bread, with raspberry linzer for dessert.
So after this the plan of action was basically to explore the "Common", a sort of little green by the main road, there in town, and see what kind of shops we would run into. Probably the best one was "The Silver Knot", a Celtic store that sold all sorts of Irish and Scottish things, from caps to scone mix to beautiful jewelry. The Common also had some nice bookstores, one used and one new, and a fabric/quilt shop with a seemingly endless progression of rooms filled with beautiful colors and patterns of fabric. We finished off our browsing with a drive just outside the main part of town, where we found a cool antiques and consignment shop.
All in all a great trip.