A Day in Burlington VT

I traveled to Northwestern Vermont last weekend, to update my inventory of Burlington, the Lake Champlain Islands, and the Stowe area.

Burlington is a young, vital city on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain. Being from the East Coast, I'm accustomed to beautiful sunrises. Lake Champlain is so big that it's like being on the West coast - it's the sunset that's spectacular here! The waterfront area is alive, bustling with the activity of a living waterfront with the addition of the ECHO Aquarium and Science Center, the Burlington Bikeway, and a maritime festival.

I walked a few blocks to the Church Street Marketplace and found a herd of brightly painted cow sculptures among the storefronts and eateries. As the day passed, the bovines were joined by crowds of tourists and shoppers enjoying trendy shops and alfresco fare.

A block west of Church Street are the Artists and Farmers Markets. I found beautiful vegetables, textile art, photography, street buskers and musicians under a canopy of trees behind city hall. There was even a dude supporting himself by charging for pictures of his cat riding his bike (I passed). It was a cooling rest from the August sun with people-watching opportunities for entertainment.

This part of historic downtown Burlington has many restaurants and preserved homes. It was a pleasant stroll back to the waterfront where vintage boats were on display at the Lake Champlain Antique and Classic Boat Show. After a lakeside lunch it was time to drive to the Red Mill in nearby Jericho. I crashed for a while in my hotel and went back to the waterfront for a beautiful sunset, complete with colorful sailboats and glowing clouds.

Vegetables, Beautiful Vegetables!

I went to the Farmers' Market in Burlington, Vermont this weekend and found a riot of color and texture in each stall. At this time of year, you get the deep rich colors of the root vegetables, and their shapes are amazing. Some of the vendors are happy to have people admire their produce, and I made sure to come back later to buy from them.

It was a happy break from my usual landscape images and a nice shady spot to cool off on a summer afternoon. When I'm in a city, I find it a good idea to switch gears and vary my focus from time to time. I think we do it naturally outside - changing from a mountain landscape to a butterfly portrait comes easily when the butterfly attracts our attention. In Burlington, I was shooting a festival, then the Church Street Marketplace, and the farmers' market was between them. After taking a few overview shots, I realized that I was more interested in looking at the veggies. Glad I did!