When it comes to planning the road trips that show up on this blog, most of our adventures involve days of reading online, previewing maps, looking up restaurants, and searching for destinations. On occasion, however, life circumstances necessitate that we improvise. To quote Max in the 2004 movie Collateral: “We’re into Plan B… now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, stuff happens… whatever man, we gotta roll with it.”
On a recent trip to Adirondack State Park, some unforeseeable events left us constantly changing plans and improvising on a moment’s notice. In the end, though, my wife and I were able to cobble together a fun weekend visiting with family and friends, exploring Albany and our beloved ADK, eating great food, and seeing some beautiful mountain sights.
So come along, then, on another journey to upstate New York.
Let’s begin:
Rolling with It.
Longtime readers don’t even need this map anymore – our destination is the largest state park in the United States: the Adirondacks.We set off mid-afternoon on a Friday, and promptly encountered loads of traffic as we slogged our way up the Garden State Parkway. This drive would also be a proper long-distance test of my new Acura TLX.Rather than drive up to the Adirondacks in one shot, we decided to spend the night outside of Albany. A Hampton Inn was our lodging of choice.In the mood for Mexican, we tried Salsa Latina for dinner. The restaurant, located a few miles from our hotel, had excellent reviews, and a plate of tacos sounded appealing.My grandmother grew up in New Mexico, and Tex-Mex food was her specialty. Due to this, I sometimes approach East Coast Mexican restaurants with low expectations… but boy was I wrong. Salsa Latina was one of the best Mexican restaurants I’ve tried on the East Coast. Scratch that… it is THE best Mexican restaurant I’ve tried on the East Coast. My taco salad was delightful, but my wife’s shrimp tacos were simply divine. If I was ever near Albany during dinner, I would definitely make a detour to return to this restaurant.The next morning, it was a trip to the hotel lobby for our complimentary breakfast! No trip to a Hampton Inn is complete without trying the make-your-own waffle maker. It hit the spot! Fueled up, my wife and I headed out to explore a little of the Albany region.Our next stop was to a historic warship permanently docked in Albany along the Hudson River: the USS Slater.The Slater is a World War II-era destroyer escort, designed to hunt enemy submarines. It served in the US Navy until the 1950s, and then was sold to Greece, which got another forty years of service out of the old ship. In the 1990s, the Slater returned to the US and has served as a museum ship in New York ever since. The Slater was not open for tours yet when we arrived, so we’ll definitely have to make a return trip!Our next stop was to the nearby city of Troy for the Winter Farmer’s Market. In a previous post, my wife and I visited the outdoor farmer’s market in Troy, but with the approach of colder weather, the vendors shift location to the Troy Atrium. Many farmers markets close down in the winter – this is a cool way to keep vendors in business and visitors well supplied with good food!The farmers market is pretty popular – we had to park several blocks away, and on the walk back we spotted this large monument to citizens of Troy who fought in the US Civil War.After departing Troy, we set off for the TLX’s first trip to the Adirondacks. We made a quick detour for a glamour shot at the Mohawk Valley Welcome Center.Rome! Poland! Traveling through the city of Utica always has a distinctly international feel.We arrived in Utica at lunchtime and made a mandatory stop at City Cafe in Whitesboro. I’ve raved about City Cafe previously: the restaurant and bakery is 100% gluten- and dairy-free. Diners with gluten and dairy allergies can order whatever they want on the menu with confidence that it will meet their dietary needs. I destroyed this chicken sandwich and annihilated the French fries. So good!And as City Cafe makes excellent cupcakes, we ordered an assortment of treats to take with us to the Adirondacks. I’m impressed with myself that I didn’t sneak a cupcake (or two) on the drive north.I let my wife take the wheel as we entered Adirondack State Park, and she proceeded to fling the TLX into and out of corners, over blind crests, and send it deeply into banked curves. Her review? Two thumbs up!Of course, one of our first stops was a glamour shot in front of Quiver Pond!Due to a series of unfortunate, and unforeseen, circumstances, my wife and I were not able to stay with our relative on the first night in the Adirondacks, so we reserved a room at the Water’s Edge Inn in Old Forge.While the hotel stay was unplanned, the view from our hotel room’s patio more than made up for it! The Water’s Edge Inn is a comfortable, safe, affordable option if you are looking for lodging in the Old Forge area.For dinner, the TLX had its inaugural drive to bring back pizza takeout for our dear relative and us. When in the western Adirondacks, the best pizza is always found at Screamen Eagle in Inlet. I scream! You scream! We all scream for… a regular pizza, a gluten free spinach-and-garlic pizza, wings, and a salad (yum).The next morning, we started with breakfast at Walt’s Diner in Old Forge. Leave it to the Jersey kid to find his way to a diner, no matter where he is!Walt’s has been in business for over a quarter century, serving diner grub to Adirondack visitors and locals alike. My ham omelette and my wife’s scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes both hit the spot!After breakfast, we decided to spend some time exploring Old Forge, and we kicked off our visit with a stop at Blue Line Coffee House.That will be an almond milk cappuccino for my wife (drink not pictured) and a Birch latte for me.Of course, the TLX’s inaugural visit to the Adirondacks had to include a stop at Old Forge Hardware, one of the oldest buildings in the downtown area.Although we’re still a few weeks away from Thanksgiving, Old Forge, like the rest of the nation, is gearing up for the Christmas season.We noticed some new signs around town. The Adirondacks are full of wildlife: deer, wild turkeys, bears, moose, eagles, loons, and many other creatures call the park home. Just because an animal looks cute, however, does not mean humans should feed them. Feeding animals reduces their fear of humans, raising the chances of a dangerous encounter. More on this later…Before heading back to our relative’s home, we made another stop in Inlet, to visit Fourth Lake Wine and Spirits, a small, independent wine shop that specializes in wines from upstate New York. The owners are friendly and helpful, the selection is excellent, and the prices are reasonable.We spent some time at Fourth Lake in Inlet. Ah, this view never gets old.Fortunately, we were able to get our weekend back on track, just in time to share an early Thanksgiving dinner with our relative. Stuffing! Turkey! Homemade gravy! Mashed potatoes! Cranberry sauce! Green beans! It was delicious… and we inhaled some City Cafe cupcakes for dessert.The northern lights were visible in sections of the Adirondacks on Sunday night, but sadly, we could not see them from our location. With almost zero light pollution, however, I was treated to a spectacular view of the night’s sky. My iPhone 14 Pro’s ability to take star photos (including the Milky Way!) continues to impress.Thanks to the stargazing event in Cape May two months ago, I opened up the Sky Guide app on my phone to see what constellations were above me – Cygnus, the swan, was directly overhead.The next morning, it was sadly time to head back to New Jersey. As I went out to load up the car, I encountered two deer on the front lawn. Expecting them to run away, they instead let me pass mere feet from them, and they acted like they were expecting me to move toward them. I suspect they have been fed by humans; this raises the chances of a negative encounter in the future. Don’t feed the wildlife, people. Feed your pets at home instead, please.Before beginning our drive, I took one last look at Fourth Lake. The boats are gone and the leaves have fallen… the next time I see this scene, it will most likely be covered by snow.After breakfast, we finished packing up the car and said our goodbyes to our relative. Passing the Wigwam Tavern along NY-28 is always a downer – it’s my sign that I’ve departed the Adirondacks. Can’t wait until the next trip back!We were nearing Latham, NY, at lunchtime, so we made a pit stop at DinerTime. The diner had good reviews and a range of gluten free options, so we stopped in to check it out.DinerTime was a decent meal. My wife enjoyed her Navajo wrap (grilled chipotle chicken, black beans, corn, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole on a gluten free wrap) while I had a Cuban sandwich. It hit the spot!Several hours later, we pulled into the garage of our home. The TLX was a fantastic road trip companion, transporting us in comfort for over 750 miles during the weekend. Onward!
TLX Test Drive Notes
Before closing, I wanted to share some additional thoughts on my 2020 Acura TLX after almost 3,500 miles of driving.
Overall, the TLX has been an excellent purchase. It has a powerful, responsive engine, it rides smoothly on the highway, but can also become quite spirited on curvy roads. The sound system quality is excellent. One surprise has been the fuel economy – I am getting better mileage out of the new TLX than I did with my old Honda. Despite filling it with premium gas (the TLX will run on 87, but runs more efficiently on 91 octane), my gas bills have decreased from my Accord. Fun fact: the 2020 TLX is actually cheaper to insure than my Accord as well.In the interest of objectivity, I also wanted to share some criticisms. First, the push-button gear shifter is a little gimmicky. It works fine, but honestly, a tried-and-true shift lever would be adequate for me. Second, and this seems to be a criticism of many modern cars, the door pockets have shrunk. In my Accord, I could fit my refillable water bottle in the door – helpful for when my wife and I stop for coffee and need to stow our water somewhere while we enjoy our coffees. The TLX’s door pockets are too small for anything other than a typical 12-ounce bottle of Poland Spring. Finally, the seat heater controls are accessed on a touch screen, and are no longer physical buttons. On my old Accord, I could turn on the seat heater simply by feel. The new buttons require me to take my eyes off the road momentarily to adjust them. None of these are major criticisms, but just observations from almost two months of ownership.Overall, however, the TLX is the nicest car I have ever owned. Time will tell if it will measure up to my 2012 Honda Accord coupe – my favorite car of all time. The TLX has big shoes to fill… but it is certainly off to a good start!
Wrapping Up
Even if our plans did not quite work out the way we intended, our trip to Adirondack State Park was still a fun adventure! With road trips, you have to keep a certain amount of mental flexibility, and be willing to change your itinerary on the fly. Becoming too married to what a trip “should” be is a recipe for disappointment. Remaining open to new opportunities helps keep you curious and ready for whatever adventure comes your way.
Thanks, as always, for coming along on this journey down the open road ahead.
The Open Road Ahead 
Well, I am pretty hungry after all this food.
Let’s have dinner — or breakfast!!! — at a diner!!!
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That sounds like a great plan!!
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