Issue:
July/August 2003

Text:
Ken Aiken

Photography:
Christian Neuhauser and Ken Aiken

Geographic Region:
VT, USA

Pages:
46 - 51

Visit the gallery for more pictures

That was my first solo ride. Cruising down Lake Street on my current Beemer (I still cancel my throttle return), I reflect on the changes that have taken place during the past 30 years. The rundown row of clapboard warehouses that once housed the BMW dealership is gone. So are the fuel storage tanks, the rail yard, and the gristmill. The seedy lakeshore district is now a rare jewel with a lakeshore park, public boathouse, natural history museum, sail dock, skate park, and a bike path that follows the shoreline for miles. The old brick warehouses are renovated and a row of modern, upscale townhouses curve up the slope beneath Battery Park. Much has changed in Vermont's Queen City during the past three decades and most of have been for the better.

Located on the shore of Lake Champlain, the city of Burlington is considered one of the most popular small cities in the country. Whether true or not, I can't say, but I can honestly state that with dramatic panoramic views of the lake and Adirondack Mountains to the west and the Presidential Range of the Green Mountains to the east, it's the most scenic city I know of in the contiguous United States. It's also a college town, the financial center of the state, and it supports one of the largest medical facilities in northern New England and numerous high-tech companies. The population is predominately young and highly educated. During the summer the lake becomes a playground for boating, swimming, sail boarding, SCUBA diving, and fishing; and in winter most of Vermont's premier ski areas are within an hour's drive.

The Lake Champlain/Hudson River passage was the most important waterway in eastern North America from the seventeenth to the middle of the nineteenth century and the Champlain Transportation Company (founded in 1826) holds the distinction of being the oldest steamship company in the world. In 1842, Charles Dickens described the CTC's luxury steamship Burlington as superior to any other in the world, "an exquisite achievement of neatness, elegance and order." The era of luxury steamships is past and Dickens would shudder at the current fleet of lake vessels, but the company still operates diesel-powered ferries that cross the lake on regularly scheduled runs. Burlington grew and prospered as a port and the best entrance into the City is still by water – boarding the ferry at Port Kent, NY, and 45 minutes later debarking on the dock at the foot of King Street.

It's late March. Despite an unusual bout of warm weather, Burlington Harbor is still locked in ice and the ferry remains moored in its winter berth. Perkins Pier, a bustling place during the summer months, is deserted today except for the migratory waterfowl that have arrived to line the narrow openings of water along the shore. However, along the waterfront, the bike path is already busy with skateboard, rollerblade, bicycle, and baby-stroller traffic. I stop to watch an attractive young woman skateboard down Lake Street while responding animatedly on a cellphone call, and then continue my ride up the hill to the heart of the city.

Burlington has often been referred to as a blend of Montreal and Boston, but these days the social flavor of the city leans more toward the former. It has a vibrant arts scene and supports the best variety of quality dining choices I've discovered between Montreal and the Big Apple. To gain a sense of what's happening in the Queen City, I peruse the postings on the bulletin board on the sidewalk by City Hall Park – one of several in the vicinity advertising current events on campus and around town. The Green Mountain Film Festival is going on, and across the street at the Flynn Theater, a renovated Art Deco masterpiece on Main Street, a large crowd is waiting to gain entrance to the next presentation. In the park, residents lounge on the steps of city hall and bask in the thin but promising sunshine around the central fountain. A street away tables are filled at the first of what will soon be many outdoor cafes along Church Street, where three blocks have been transformed into a pedestrian mall that's now the social center of the city.

The University of Vermont commands the heights of Burlington, affording spacious views both west and east. Established in 1791 by Ira Allen – the cornerstone of the first building placed by General Lafayette (1825) – this institution has grown over the centuries to become one of the most popular state universities in the nation. But UVM (Universitae Verd Mont – University of the Green Mountains) is not the only school in town: Champlain College, widely known for its business curricula, occupies only a slightly less exalted topographical and social position on the Burlington hillside. Social position in Burlington was, with rare exceptions, always reflected by where you lived on the hill. While the splendid architecture designed and constructed for UVM represented the apex, the exquisite mansions of the "Lumber Barons" and Burlington elite were constructed on the slopes leading down to Church Street. Today most of these splendid homes are owned either by UVM, Champlain College, or various fraternities and sororities. When you're riding the streets running across the slope (South Prospect, South Willard, and South Winooski, and downhill along Pearl, College, Main, and Maple) the richness of this city's architectural heritage quickly becomes evident.

Bud Shriner is one of those who came to attend UVM and never left. These days he can be found on the corner of Church and Maple streets blowing creative glassware in the workshop beneath his art gallery where I stopped in to see new designs he developed during the long Vermont winter. The vitality of Burlington is expressed by the inspirations of it's artists, craftspeople, musicians, and performers. Frog Hollow State Craft Center, Phoenix, Doll-Anstadt, and the Firehouse represent just a small sampling of the fine galleries in the city, and music events like the Jazz Festival held in June and performances at the Flynn and Royal Tyler theaters should also be checked out while in town. There's always something creative happening in Burlington.

But Burlington isn't just Church Street or the commercial developments that stretch down Route 2 to Tafts Corners in Williston or Shelburne Road to the township of the same name. Burlington is also about neighborhoods, so I cruise along North Street, the line of demarcation for what is known as the "old north-end." There's a sense of continuation in old familiar family businesses like the Gordon Stamp company and new entrepreneurs, like the purveyors at the oriental food market Siêu Thi Thái Phát, infuse a diversity that was lacking when I lived here 30 years ago.

There are popular waterfront parks to explore during the summer: Red Rocks, Oakledge, North Beach (with campsites), Leddy Park, and, of course, the Burlington waterfront itself. The vast wetlands, reserves, and parks of the Intervale along the Winooski River are not publicized in popular brochures, but definitely worth a look-see, and the community of North Burlington on Appletree Bay is hardly ever mentioned by anyone but locals in the know. However, when the sun begins to set the best place to be might just be at the foot of Pearl Street in Battery Park, site of the cannon fortifications erected to protect Burlington during the War of 1812. I suggest stopping at Beansie's Bus for the best fries in northern New England before settling on a park bench or sitting on the old stone walls to watch the sun dip behind the Adirondack Mountains. It's one of the best shows in town and admission is free of charge.

Burlington presents a pleasant counterpoint to the popular image of Vermont as a rural landscape of woods and farms populated by black and white cows. It's a place to recharge your cultural batteries in an amiable, personal atmosphere, where strangers mingle and strike up conversations in parks and at café tables. Most of all it's a beautiful town to visit and a wonderful place to relax in after a couple of days of touring. But I warn you: Once you visit Vermont's Queen City you may never wish to leave.

In General
With the Green Mountains to the east and Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains to the west, the panoramas viewed from Burlington are beautiful. It's ideal for urbanites who enjoy outdoor sports. Hiking, mountain biking, swimming, sail boarding, SCUBA diving, sailing, and fishing, are popular summer activities. When the snows fall, Vermont's major ski areas are only minutes away from the city.

One of the biggest problems Burlington has faced since the 1970s has been it's rapid population growth. During the 1990s pundits declared Burlington one of the most livable cities in the nation and during this decade it experienced one of the top growth rates in the United States. The Greater Burlington Area officially claims over 100,000 residents. While this is tiny compared with urban centers in other states, it represents a full 20 percent of Vermont's population. Despite the urban sprawl creeping down the main arteries

• Williston Road (US Route 2 South) and Shelburne Road (US Route 7 South)
  
• and stretching as far as zoning permits, the center of Burlington has become more vibrant and commercially viable as the area has grown. Unlike other urban areas, the center of this city remains the most desirable place to live, work, and play.
  

How to Get There
The most scenic interstate highway in the eastern United States is I-89 and even riders who despise the big slabs enjoy this one; take Exit 14W to go to downtown Burlington. Other options: Route 7 from Massachusetts or Canada and Route 2 from Rouse's Point, New York, or Bangor, Maine. My favorite Route is 9N to Asable, New York, then across the lake from Port Kent to Burlington on the ferry.

Climate
Lakeshore breezes cool Burlington in the summer and the modifying effect of the lake makes autumn temperatures slightly warmer than they are for other regions in Vermont.

Food & Lodging
Eating out is an essential element of the Burlington social scene so the number and variety of restaurants are astonishing in proportion to the population. My benchmark for sushi can be found at Sakura and I've only found a couple of Thai restaurants that can match Five Spice Café (their Burmese Mountain Ruby Chicken is one of my all-time favorites). Three Tomatoes is where I go for fine Italian cuisine (fantastico) and, on a hot summer day, an outside table at Sweetwater's is the place to be if you enjoy people watching. All of these, and many others, are to be found on Church Street. Of course, you might opt for seafood at The Shanty on Battery Street where you can overlook the waterfront, or pick up a batch of the legendary french fries cooked in Beansie's Bus at Battery Park. There are plenty of excellent watering holes (this is a college town), so please excuse me if I only mention the Vermont Micro-Brewery on St. Paul Street. The choices just go on and on.

While lodging of all types can be found on Williston Road (Route 2S) and Shelburne Road (Route 7S), the place to stay in Burlington is the Radisson on Battery Street and the best rooms are those facing the lake.

Money & Prices
In a college town you can find deals and eating places catering to students that are less expensive than those dependent on the business and tourist trade. In reality there is a great amount of overlap in Burlington, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. Dinner for two in the downtown area can run from $20 to $100. Deals for lodging are more difficult to come by in the Queen City and the Radisson is no more expensive than most sites on the heavily traveled highways leading into town.

Roads & Biking
There are fantastic roads for motorcycle riding beckoning just beyond the city limits. A 45-minute ferry ride to the west places a rider in the middle of New York's Adirondacks – just five miles from Route 9. To the south the expanse of the Champlain Valley lies and I recommend touring on Routes 116S, 22A, and 17W; to the north the beautiful Champlain Islands can be enjoyed on Route 2N; and the Green Mountains are just a short ride to the east via Routes 15E and 2S.

Addresses & Phone Numbers
For the best map and guide of Greater Burlington (and the rest of the world), visit the Map Center at 4050 Williston Road (Route 2S) in South Burlington or write:
Northern Cartographic
P.O. Box 133
Burlington, VT 05402
Phone: (802) 860-2886
For ferry schedules, contact the Lake Champlain Transportation Company.
Phone: (802) 864-9804
www.ferries.com
For more information about downtown Burlington:
Phone: (802) 863-1648
www.ChurchStMarketplace.com
For even more information, log onto the official Vermont website:
www.vtattractions.org