Car Rental Review: 2013 Ford Escape SEL 4WD

2013 Ford Escape SEL

National's Ford Escape SEL 4WD

• Rented From: Stamford, CT
• Car Class: Intermediate 4WD SUV (IFAR)  
• Miles Out: 23,918
• Miles In: 24,633
• Fuel Economy: 23 city/33 highway with 1.6L EcoBoost 4-cylinder and 6 speed automatic
• MSRP as rented: $28,170

One of my favorite features of Ford vehicles...an entry keypad. The code is usually in the glove box.

Pros:

• Interior is based on the Focus, so it's very familiar.
• The car in general is tons better the boxy last generation model.
• Engine is powerful and awesome on gas. The tank is also on the smaller side as well.
• Since the SEL is the middle trim grade, it had my favorite Ford goodies such as a USB port, Sync, MyFordTouch and automatic climate control.

Cons:

• No Vista Roof :-(
• Trial XM subscription was up.

The new Escape is certainly an improvement over the old one. I put over 700 miles on it over the 3 days I had it. The rate I paid was $43.99 a day, which is the usual intermediate rate at the location I rent from regularly. I'm not sure if National orders these in the Titanium trim, which is the highest trim level you can get. If you snag one of those, you're in for a treat...those have the Vista panoramic roof, foot activated liftgate, and keyless start. Even still, the SEL is awesomely equipped for the money.

Daytrippin': Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport, Maine

So.....I've been wanting to do this all summer, and I finally got to do it.

After spending last Saturday with a dear friend in Massachusetts, I decided to drive up in Kennebunkport since it was only an hour away from where I was.

While the other museums I've been been have focused more on traditional railroading, this museum focuses more on rapid transit. That said, this museum has a plethora of old rapid transit vehicles and buses for your perusal. 

After you pay and get your ticket, you're led out to a yard area with a loop track. The centerpiece of the museum is a restored 1.5 mile stretch of track that is used for trolley rides. Today, we were greeted by an old Connecticut Company open air car number 303.

Cars like these used to run in Connecticut cities like Stamford, Hartford, New Haven and Hamden. The Connecticut Company was the predecessor company to Connecticut Transit. Most of the current bus routes, especially in New Haven, were former trolley routes back in the day.

We saw quite a few old rapid transit vehicles. One of the first you see on the ride out is one of the former East Boston (MBTA Blue Line) cars:

 

 Other goodies we saw were old MBTA Red Line cars (I think they were 01400's),

former trolleybuses that used to run in North Cambridge, and this monstrosity from the '70s when the government thought they could help develop transit vehicles:

 

Apparently, there were lots of other cars that I didn't get to see, like the Hawker 0600's that used to run on the MBTA Blue Line (they were just replaced by newer Siemens cars in like 2009 or so) and those Boeing USSLRV's that used to run in Boston and San Francisco. Another car I would've loved to see was the PCC that ran in Philadelphia. 

It was a pretty good visit. I do want to make another one at some point mainly because I was only here for 2 hours and only got to see just a portion of what they had to offer. I'd originally planned to come here early Saturday and spend the portion of the day here...I wanted to stay overnight in Portland (which is like 15 miles north of Kennebunk) but the hotel prices were wicked expensive (who wants to pay $200/night at a Motel 6? Not me!), so I had to revise my plans a little. 

I plan on visiting again once it gets really nice in the Fall. 

In any event, I've published a set to my Flickr account here. The set highlights my whole weekend...I started out in Boston, hung out in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Portland, and made my way to Kennebunkport on the way back home to Connecticut. It worked out pretty well in the end.

It's an easy drive from Connecticut and New York - about 4 hours without traffic.

Seashore Trolley Museum
195 Log Cabin Road
Kennebunkport, Maine 04046

Website


 

Eats: Anna's Taqueria, Brookline, Massachusetts

Strolling through the trendy Coolidge Corner neighborhood with my friend, we were scoping out a decent place to eat close by. I'd ever been to Coolidge Corner, even though I'd even lived in the Boston area for awhile. My friend knew the area a lot better so it was easy to stop here on his suggestion.

Luckily, my friend had been here before and let me in on what to expect. It turns out they have two locations in the area, one immediately on Coolidge Corner and the other on Harvard Street close to the JFK birthplace...this is the one we went to.

For one thing, it was quite busy on Saturday night around 9:00pm. That's a good sign of any restaurant. Even though it was busy, they kept the line moving, which is definitely a plus.

I ordered a grilled chicken taco and a steak quesadilla along with a medium drink. 

 

My friend paid for everything so I didn't really know how much it came up to...he mentioned it was pretty reasonable, though. Looking at the menu online, I'm guessing it was maybe around $10 - $12 a person, which is pretty good when it comes to eating out in Boston. 

I loved the taco especially...the chicken was seasoned oh-so-perfectly. The quesadilla was in a different shape than I am used to but it was so damn good! A 10 definitely.

I plan on coming back when I visit Boston again...I can't believe I haven't found this place earlier. 

Anna's Taqueria

Various locations around Brookline, Boston and Cambridge

Website | Yelp Pages

Eats: The Clam Shack: Kennebunkport, ME

It seemed like this place came up on several searches for Maine's best lobster roll.

 

Since I was already in Kennebunkport visiting the Seashore Trolley Museum (separate post on that one later), I figured I'd give this place a try since everyone on the internet and on YouTube was raving about it.

I will say that the surrounding area is beautiful. It's located on one of the main strips in Kennebunkport. Traffic down here is pretty heavy so be prepared for that...parking is at a premium as well (I ended up being able to find a space on a side street but if you want to park in one of the lots, be prepared to pay up.). 

The place itself is literally a shack with two windows - one for ordering and the other for picking up. They have a few benches outside where you can sit and eat, or you can grab a table in the adjoining fish market like my companion and I did. 

Here's the "world famous" lobster roll with mayo and butter:

While I did like there was more lobster and less filler like celery and a ton of mayo, I thought it might have been a bit bigger. The hamburger bun is unique, to say the least.

The lobster roll was $16.95. My friend got a burger and we got two drinks as well. Total bill comes to around $30. 

This place takes CASH ONLY. A total WTF - most stuff here is pretty expensive so it's pretty absurd (at least to me) that they don't accept credit cards. I want the double points I'd be getting on dining by swiping my Capital One card here...lol.

Overall, it was a decent touristy experience. There's another place, Allison's, that they competed against on The Travel Channel. I wouldn't mind giving them a shot as well just to be fair.

The Clam Shack

2 Western Ave

Kennebunk, ME 04043

Website | Yelp Page

Car Rental Review: 2014 Chevrolet Traverse 2LT AWD

National Car Rental's 2014 Chevy Traverse 2LT AWD

• Rented from: Philadelphia 30th Street Station - free upgrade as I'm an Emerald Club member
• Car Class: Premium Crossover (PGAR)
• Miles Out: 2408
• Miles In: 2583
• Fuel Economy: 16 city/23 highway with 3.6L V6 engine and 6 speed automatic 
• MSRP as Rented: $38,865 

Pros: 

• A little better looking than the last generation.
• SiriusXM satellite radio was still working...as seen up above. Also, this generation has the MyLink system which is just kick ass!
• Loaded with goodies such as backup sensors, rear-view camera, remote start, and tri-zone automatic climate control.
• Not too awful on gas.
• Easy to maneuver and drive. 

Cons:

• They stuck the USB port inside the cubby on the dashboard...took me a while to find it (I actually had to look in the owner's manual to figure out where they put it.)
• Wood-like plastic trim is awfully tacky looking.
• Soft touch buttons were finicky and sometimes didn't want to work right.
• No dual-pane moonroof like in the LTZ's.
• No leather, which is just as well. It was almost 100 degrees the day I rented it.

While a pleasure to drive, there are better PGAR's to rent. You might be able to snag one of the Traverse's platform mates, the GMC Acadia SLT or Buick Enclave...those are even better equipped.

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania - Lancaster County, PA - July 6, 2013

A few pics:

A full Flickr set has been posted! It was definitely a fun day in Pennsylvania Dutch Country!

Daytripping: Bucks County - Philadelphia, PA, June 22 - 23, 2013

One of the awesome things about living in the New York Metro area is that there are plenty of neat places to go that are a train, bus, or drive away. 

Philadelphia is a place I like to go to at least twice a year. I usually take the BoltBus, which offers express service from New York. The fares are pretty decent (around $10-$15 each way depending on how far in advance you book) and the experience itself is miles above regular Greyhound bus service. The buses are fairly new and feature WiFi, electrical outlets and decent legroom.  

While you can easy get to Philly and come back the same day, I've preferred to stay overnight in order to get a better taste of what the town has to offer. Center City (what they call the "downtown" or Central Business District) has a wide selection of hotels for every budget...from the super cheap Days Inn to the Über expensive Four Seasons. You can usually get a decent room in the area for $120 a night, but if certain events are going on in town, that price could go up significantly.

Metro North from Stamford to New York

Nothing really special here. My bus was to depart Penn Station at 10:15am, so I hopped an express train Stamford at 8:24am and had plenty of time. There's a deli on 7th and West 36th Street where I usually grab a Sausage Egg and Cheese and a coffee. I also stopped by Tim Horton's inside Penn Station to grab an Iced Capp to drink during the ride. 

BoltBus from New York to Philadelphia

One great thing about BoltBus is that they use a 'group' system to keep boarding drama to a minimum. If you book your ticket early enough, or a member of their rewards program, you almost always get to board in the "A" group. Book late and you'll be stuck in "B" or "C". Of course, after "C" is when they start selling the remaining seats to those on standby and walk-ups. The tip here is to book early...or join the rewards program (You get a free ride after riding 8 times, so why not?).

The ride itself is only two hours and fairly boring, since it's on the New Jersey Turnpike for the majority of the run. It only gets interesting once you cross the Delaware River into PA and get on I-95 for the last few minutes of the trip. You see the city pop in front of you as well as cool bits like the SEPTA Market-Frankford line running in the median.

30th Street Station & National Car Rental

I'll tell ya, 30th Street Station is truly a multimodal facility. You can catch everything here, from SEPTA Regional Rail, Amtrak, BoltBus and MegaBus, and SEPTA city buses. You can even rent cars here...Hertz, National/Alamo, Avis and Budget have counters. 

I'm a member of the National Emerald Club. Being a member has it's benefits...one of them being expedited service when I arrive at the counter. Today, the agent, Gwen, already had my contract printed and a key ready for me. I was also upgraded to a Premium car! 

There's construction going on around the station, so the setup for picking up cars had changed since the last time I'd rented from here. The adjacent building is called Cira Centre, a building that sits on land Amtrak owns (the building itself is owned by a realty trust, and Amtrak leases office space). From 30th Street Station, you cross a sky-bridge to the new building and then take an escalator down to the parking area. 

The outside parking area was designated for rental vehicles and is huge! I asked one of the greeters for National where I could find my car and he led me to a very nice 2013 Toyota Avalon XLE. Wow! In a sexy silver color, the car was pretty nicely equipped.  Some of the cool features included Keyless Access with Push Button start, Display Audio with iPod integration, Handsfree Bluetooth calling, and full leather upholstery.

I paid the Intermediate rate (around $43.99 a day) and put around 150 miles on it driving throughout Bucks County and the Philadelphia region.

New Hope, PA

Located along the Delaware River, New Hope is a cute little town in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It's barely 2 square miles in area, thousands flock to this busy borough during the summer months.

The main drag in New Hope has something for everyone. There's lots of cute shops, restaurants, and other sights. Bikers also flock to the region and can be seen at many of the establishments.

New Hope and Ivyland Railroad

Since I love trains, this was a must-do during my New Hope visit. It runs as a historical shortline railroad, but in it's heyday, the line itself ran much farther south than its current terminus and connected to other railroads that ran into Philadelphia. The Reading Company owned what was then known as the New Hope Branch until they were forced to sell the line due to financial troubles. 

The New Hope station was recently restored and featured a ticket office, modern restrooms, a gift shop and a high-level platform area. Rolling stock on this line include several diesel-electric locomotives as well as a steam locomotive. 

The railroad offers hourly excursions most days of the year, with a reduced schedule during the winter months. The ride itself is around 9 miles round trip - the first part of the ride is from New Hope to Lahaska, after that the locomotive does a reverse move for the trip back to New Hope. The railroad also offers other types of excursions such as the "Grapevine Express" (basically a wine and cheese tasting), the Evening Star Dinner and Murder Mystery Theatre Dinner excursions. They also do excursions for kids as well as rent the consist for private charter (in fact, they had a wedding going on in the train next to us!).

The coaches themselves were mostly former Reading coaches repainted in the NHRR livery. You were able to choose to sit in the regular coach ($18.95), an open air coach ($24.90) or the First Class area ($25.90). First Class enabled patrons to secure a table and were entitled to private bartender service. Those sections of the consist were also air conditioned! 

I chose the Open Air seating option and picked up a ticket for the 3:00pm excursion. There was a refreshment stand on the platform where you could grab a soda while waiting. Trains started to board 10 minutes before departure. I chose a seat towards the back of the consist and was immediately greeted by one of the volunteers. She asked if I wanted a frosty beverage and I certainly obliged especially since they had Bud Light on board!

The ride was definitely enjoyable and it's definitely fun for all age groups. 

Shopping and King of Prussia

Of course, you can't really go to a new place without getting some shopping done. King of Prussia is one of my favorite malls to visit while in the Philadelphia area. 

While KoP has over 400 stores among the two sections of it's complex (some stores even have multiple spaces, for example, Bath and Body Works has two!), my two favorites are Express and J.Crew. As you can see, I treated myself to a few things...lol.

Other bits around Philly - in pictures:

Eats: Gino's of Long Beach

Linguine Shrimp Marinara

Budweiser in a "fancy" glass...okay, now!

Took a side trip out to Long Beach, New York last Sunday.

By the time I got there, my stomach was a rumbling. There's plenty of places to eat on the main street of LB so I decided on this place, which is apparently a staple in town.

It was a quick lunch...but a very tasty one. 7 out of 10.

They do have gelato on site...remember that.

Gino's of Long Beach
16 West Park Avenue
Long Beach, New York 11561
Website | Yelp Page

Car Rental Review: 2013 Kia Forte

2013 Kia Forte EX

National Car Rental's 2013 Kia Forte EX

• Rented from: Stamford, CT
• Miles out: 11,112 mi
• Miles in: 11,350 mi
• Class: ICAR
• 26 city/29 highway with a 2.0L I-4 engine and 6 speed automatic 

Not a bad ride, but at times it felt sluggish and underpowered. It had most of the standard features most compact cars have these days, like a USB port, satellite radio, etc. Unfortunately, the USB port did not want to play nice with my iPhone and the satellite radio subscription was up. Oh well.

I think I really prefer Japanese models...just sayin'. 

Fashionista Chronicles

I'm a J.Crew-aholic.  

I recently put away my winter clothes. During the process, I was a little distressed (at the time, anyway) to learn that I didn't have any shorts to wear for summer. 

As a J.Crew credit cardholder, I've been taking advantage of the wonderful sales they've been having over the past couple of months. As much as I do love J.Crew, the thrifty side of my brain doesn't like to pay full price for the stuff - one exception being the awesome pair of Vans I bought from there back in April; those were an investment. Of course, being on the email list means I get several emails a week letting me know what's new and what kind of sales they plan on having.

I bought these pieces at various stores around the area. My city, Stamford, has a store with a decent selection. When I really want to go wild though, I go to New York City. My favorite store is in Columbus Circle. There are other easily accessible suburban locations in Greenwich, Westport, and White Plains. 

While I've been mainly stocking up on shorts, I have found a few nice shirts as well. Since it's summer, I've been going for the polo style shirts or short sleeve button-downs. The sale rack hasn't had that many decent selections as far as short sleeve button-down shirts are concerned. 

Back to the shorts though, I love them. J.Crew generally has two styles of shorts, Stanton and Club. I prefer the Club style, since they are a bit longer (11" as opposed to 9" on the Stanton's). 

The ones I bought, from front to back:

11" Club Short in Red Micro-houndstooth

11" Club Short in Lightweight Chino - Bright Surf

9" Stanton in Seafoam Green

9" Stanton in Purple

(I couldn't find links to the last two since they are sold out online...you may be able to find them in the store!)

Generally, I'm very happy with their clothes and get compliments all of the time. That classic prep look is big around here.

The best part is that I spent less than $175 for all the stuff I've bought. This includes 4 pairs of shorts and 3 shirts (2 polos and 1 button down). The best time to hit up J.Crew is definitely during Final Sale. It's just oh so great. 

If you have a college ID, you can get an extra 15% off at most stores. You should definitely take advantage of that as well. It can even be an old ID, to be honest. 

Eats: The Meatball Shop, Greenwich Village

The Meatball Shop

64 Greenwich Avenue

Greenwich Village, New York City

http://www.themeatballshop.com/

I think I've found a new favorite! I actually tried this place a couple weeks back when I was in the mood for a meatball sub. Suffice it to say, I was here at night and the pics didn't come out that well. 

A return visit was in order! Just this past Sunday, I stopped by to have some of that meaty goodness. It was around 3:00pm, and there weren't many people there. I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a pint of PBR ($4).

They have a relatively simple menu. It's laminated and they give you a marker to choose your selections. You can choose from "Naked Balls" - 4 balls on a platter - or other items like a Hero or Meatball Sliders. 

This time around, I chose beef Naked Balls ($7 - you can choose from beef, pork, veggie or chicken) with the spicy meat sauce. The Meatball Shop also offers several sides that can go either under the balls or on the side. I chose Rigatoni ($5).

It was really, really good. I think I'm gonna like TMS...I like that it's pretty reasonably priced too. My total bill came up to $18...can't beat that with a stick!

They have a few other locations, the largest being in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I definitely plan on trying that one out soon.

CitiBike First Day Try Out

Here it is...the thing that New Yorkers have been bitching about for months.

I bought a day-pass...$10.82 after tax. They also put a $101 hold on your credit card until the end of the day.

I started off at 41st and Broadway in the Times Square area. The kiosks were easy enough to use, but some of the docks would not work with the first unlock code I was given. I ended up having to try three or four docks before one would actually unlock.

The ride from Times Square to Greenwich Village was pleasant enough. The route I decided to take was pretty simple.

• South on Broadway to 23rd Street
• West on 23rd Street to Seventh Avenue
• South on Seventh Avenue

I was going to visit my barber on 7th and Charles, but the closest bike station was on 7th and West 4th, so I dropped the bike off there. You only get the bike for a half an hour before hefty overtime charges start (annual members get 45 free minutes per ride), but thankfully the ride only took 25 or so minutes. 

Locking the bike took a nice hard shove back into the dock. After making sure the thing was locked in, the ride is logged as complete and you can then go about your business.

I used the system three or four more times throughout the day. There's an option to obtain a new unlock code at the kiosk, after which you insert the same credit card you used to buy the pass. Some of the credit card readers were finicky and took three or four tries to read my card. Once an unlock code prints out, you have 5 minutes to use it. 

Generally, I like the system.  I think it's probably best for just short jaunts from neighborhood to neighborhood...longer rides, even with an annual membership, will cost you a pretty penny. At that point, you'd be better off renting a bike for the day at one of the numerous bike shops around town.

I wouldn't mind paying $10 for the day pass, especially since the MTA nixed the 1-Day Fun Pass MetroCard...whenever I visit the city I'd take the subway at least 3 or 4 times. Bike Share is a pretty decent option but of course, I probably would still take the subway if I was going to another borough or pretty far uptown (they only have bike stations below 59th Street at the moment)

I learned that they have a similar, albeit much smaller, bike sharing system in Long Beach, NY. I plan on taking a day out there one of these days. 

People have been bitching plenty about this whole thing, but I did see a lot of other people on Citi Bike when I used it. I think it'll be pretty cool once the technical glitches work themselves out.