US Road Trip Overview

Just like we did for our European adventure, we wanted to put out a wrap up of our favorites from the trip and also some stats. Some were easy to pick out and others took some serious thought. Most of the places we visited on this trip we had never been to before and we crossed a lot of states off our list to visit. We have been keeping track of states and countries in an app called Been and if you want an easy way to do the same we recommend downloading it. Below is Will's before and after map from Been and then we jump into our favorites from the trip.

Will's states before our trip...

... and after. We'll come back for you, Utah and North Dakota!

Favorites

Favorite City

Maureen - Portland

I loved Portland for one obvious reason, they had tons of vegan options. It felt like almost every place we went had at least one vegan option, while we spent lots of time trying out all the vegan restaurants in the city. It's not surprising that Portland ranks #1 on many lists in the US for a vegan city. I also loved the vibe of the city and the hilly terrain by the river. Our hiking in the Hoyt Arboretum was one of my favorite things we did on our trip as well. I would definitely like to go back to Portland and Oregon in general.

Will - Austin

Austin easily had my favorite foods on the whole trip. Every place we went had delicious, authentic foods that were uniquely Austin. In addition to food there was a lot to do and see including the Texas State Capitol, the murals throughout the city, and all the parks and green spaces. We only scratched the surface of things to do in Austin mostly because the weather was a little gloomy while we were there. In spite of the traffic, I loved Austin and would definitely go back again.

Favorite National Park

Will - Yosemite

During our planning we almost passed on Yosemite to drive down the California coast some more. I'm very glad we didn't because Yosemite was by far my favorite park we visited. The views were spectacular driving into the valley and the hikes were fun, challenging, and rewarding. Yosemite's granite peaks were awe inspiring. I would love to go back and climb all the way up Half Dome someday.

Maureen - Crater Lake

More of the Oregon theme, the scenery in this state is just amazing: mountains, evergreens, rivers, etc. Crater Lake was one of the most beautiful places I've visited and it was kind of fun to tromp around in a foot of snow when we started our day in about 70 degree whether at our Airbnb.

Best View

Maureen - Grandview Park, San Francisco

San Francisco is a city with some great views. Since I missed some of them last visit, we made sure to check them out this time. We visited Twin Peaks, which was pretty great, but I loved the view from Grandview Park just at the top of the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. You can see the whole north part of the city from this point including the Golden Gate Bridge and the skyscrapers of downtown.

Will - Glacier Point, Yosemite

The view from the top of Glacier Point in Yosemite is what you imagine postcards from Yosemite to look like. Looking out over the whole valley with an incredible view of Half Dome was the best way to cap off an amazing park. We drove to the top but while we were up there, we saw a group of guys who had hiked up from the valley floor: 4 miles and 4,000 feet elevation gain. The view is definitely worth the hike but being able to drive is nice too.

Favorite Airbnb

Austin

We loved our stay in Austin because we were able to hang out with our hosts a bit and chat about the area, things to do, travel, etc. They were great hosts, had an adorable home, and two lovely cats. We always love Airbnb's with pets! The cats were a little shy, but were nice enough to let us pet them every once in a while.

New Orleans

Our home in New Orleans was a cute, updated, old home just Northeast of the French Quarter. We had a big room with a King sized bed and we loved the open floor plan of the house. Since there were 3 bedrooms in the house, all I could think about was bringing a bunch of friends to New Orleans and renting out the whole house.

Favorite Activity

Maureen - City Museum, St. Louis

We had a blast climbing our way through the City Museum in St. Louis. We almost didn't go because we were feeling very frugal, but I'm glad we did. It is basically a giant jungle gym that children and adults can both climb through and around. We learned how old we are, how hard climbing around on your knees is, and how dizzy a 10-story slide makes you, but either way, we had a great time.

Will - Vernal Falls Hike, Yosemite

You're probably noticing a trend: Yosemite is an awesome place. We did one big hike while we were there and we hiked it with our campsite neighbor, Kelsey. The trail was uphill the entire way to the falls and once we were there we continued up to the top via some crazy steep stairs. It was a very satisfying hike and had some great views of the surrounding hills and mountains.

Best Meal

Will - Micklethwait, Austin

One of my goals while in Texas was to get authentic Texas barbecue and Micklethwait Craft Meats was just the place for that. Similar to a lot of restaurants in Austin, Micklethwait is based out of a trailer with a tent and some picnic tables set up. We went on a slightly cold day, but that didn't stop me from enjoying some brisket, pork, and potato salad.

Maureen - Arlo's, Austin

This was a hard one because we visited so many good restaurants and vegan restaurants, but I chose Arlo's in Austin. It was a food cart with vegan fast food, burgers and tacos, and something about it made it so amazing. I'm sure it was anything but healthy, but it was probably the best veggie burger I've ever had (and since I've been vegetarian for almost 9 years, that's saying something).

Best Specialty Food

Will - Paco's Tacos, Austin

Breakfast tacos are all over the place in Austin and Paco's Tacos had some of the best in the city. They make all your tacos to order and have delicious flour and corn blended tortillas. If we lived in Austin it would be difficult for me to not eat breakfast tacos every single day especially if we were close to Paco's.

Maureen - Capital City Bakery, Austin

Another great vegan place we visited was Capital City Bakery in Austin. At this point, it seems fair to say that Austin wins the best food all around trophy from us. We actually visited this bakery twice while we were there because I wanted to get my fill of sweets when I could. We got a s'mores brownie the first time and a Hostess-like cupcake the second. The brownie was good, but the cupcake was amazing. I didn't get a photo of the cupcake because I scarfed it down too quickly.

Best Brewery

Will - Mt. Tabor, Portland

We visited a lot of breweries on our trip (see the infographic) and most of them had great beers. What set Mt. Tabor apart for me was how friendly everyone was. We came as they were opening and began chatting with the bartender (who happened to own the brewery as well) about our travels. As other people came in we chatted with them and never felt like outsiders. They also had great beers and didn't overdo it on IPAs like some other breweries in Portland did. 

Maureen - Wiseacre, Memphis

Wiseacre was a great brewery in all respects. They had amazing beer, a crazy quirky vibe, and a great atmosphere for hanging out and drinking beer. The taproom was really nice, but they had about 5 times as much space outside with tables, games, and a taco truck. It was relatively secluded in an industrial park-type area and had a railroad track running alongside with friendly train conductors that would toot the horn as they drove by. It helped that I had the best beer I've probably ever had there, more on that next...

Best Beer

Maureen - Kerfluffle, Wiseacre, Memphis

Kerfluffle from Wiseacre is an oatmeal stout which is my all time favorite style of beer. So we're already off to a great start. This one in particular was the perfect combination of smokey, sweet, roasty, and chocolatey without overdoing any one flavor. I will definitely have to figure out how to get some more of it.

Will - Pinya Breeze, 2nd Shift, St. Louis

I have an obsession with New England style IPAs. I really like the juicy, tropical hop flavors without too much bitterness. Pinya Breeze was everything I like about NE IPAs and more. Don't let the color description on the link above of "Golden Mud" dissuade you, it tastes about as far from mud as you can imagine.

Infographic