New England Impressions 

Kyle - former New England resident here. I find your channel interesting because UNLIKE many other channels you were the first to say "I was wrong" about something. You are refreshingly honest and open. Good work !!!

I’ve lived in New England all my life, and I’m surprised to learn that non new Englanders don’t eat ice cream like everyday on vacation.

New England residents!!! Finally getting some attention. New England cities are the best cities, built a long time ago so most of them are very walkable and not uncomfortable to be in.

As someone from New England, I can say, we’re not nice, but we’re kind. The “rudeness” comes from wanting to get to the point of the conversation. We are happy to talk and tell people what to see and do. We’re just not going to be fake friendly to people. Too bad you missed Truro and Provincetown at the end of Cape Cod. It’s so great, and the topography is more like the desert. You’ll be surprised you’re still in Massachusetts.

What I really like about GK is that he sees the country as a whole and doesn't try to divide it up into the political categories of red and blue. He appreciates the diversity of the whole and claims ownership of all of it. We need more of this today!

When it comes to lobster rolls, there are two versions. 1. The Maine lobster roll, which is basically lobster salad (cold). 2. The Connecticut lobster roll. Which is hot buttered lobster on a french style roll. Sadly, a lot of places serve it on a hot dog roll. Some places will ask if you want the ME, or the CT. They might ask hot, or cold.

Kyle, here are some places you should consider visiting on your next New England trip: - Narragansett, RI - Newport, RI - Falmouth, MA - Chatham and Provincetown, MA (if you have time, kind of far out on the Cape) - Gloucester and Rockport, MA - Northampton and Amherst, MA (My home :) ) - Laconia, NH (Lake Winnipesaukee) - Brattleboro, VT * Next time in VT take Route 100 instead of Route 7, it's so iconic!!!!

I live in New Haven. When Italian people immigrated to the northeast, most of the Neapolitans (people from Naples) settled in Connecticut. It's a bit unknown that most pizza in America is Neapolitan style pizza, and New Haven boasts the best pizza in the U.S. particularly at Pepe's, Sally's and Modern. You can also get Sicilian pizza in the area. Sicilian pizza is more doughy.

I love that you finally came to New England, Kyle. One if the most interesting topics to me is regional accents. I’m from the North Shore of Mass and when my mother grew up here in the 60s and 70s she says she could tell what neighborhood people were from just by their accents. Unfortunately, a very small number of youth these days talk anything like our parents and grandparents. Anyways, next time you come here YOU HAVE TO COME IN THE FALL. I repeat, COME IN THE FALL. Go check out the Topsfield Fair, the oldest fair in the country, and go into Salem or something (though the actual witch stuff happened in Danvers). And check out the marshes around here, we have a ton of them, they’re wicked pretty. But if you come in the summer, go to Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket . It’s one of the more beautiful places I know of

Us New Englanders are very direct and honest, but we are also very friendly and outgoing! Glad you saw that. Providence is definitely improving. We love our ice cream especially during the summer! Northwest Connecticut along the Appalachian Trail is definitely the highlight of the state (not the cities). Come back next time in the fall to see the foliage!

By concentrating on cities, you missed all the things that those who love those states really value -- the picture-book small towns with Colonial architecture, the beach towns of Cape Cod, etc. A friend once said of Connecticut that it was what he imagined heaven would be like. Growing up, I spent summers on the Connecticut short, near the Thimble Islands, and my heart is still there 60 years later. Not to detract from what you did see, but someone seeing this video gets little idea of the charm of the area.

Kyle, i know you like to talk about Boston as a peninsula. I'd like to direct you to a book called "Mapping Boston". It's a collection of maps throughout Boston's history. Most people, including Bostonians, would be shocked to see just how little of current Boston existed in the 1600s. Its a phenomenal book!

I grew up in Berlin. It seem a little rough but in reality it's a lot rough. Things went downhill when the papermill closed. It was always a tough town but at least there were good paying jobs back then. Still live in the area for the natural beauty and have some family and friends there.

Born and raised in Concord, New Hampshire. I live in Washington state now but love New England as a whole. The entire area feels like home. I loved going to. Pitchfork records as a kid

Connecticut is beautiful....your tour missed it all... you only showed the rich,or dumpy places.Our lovely state,has so many beaches,forests trails state parks,Historic homes,covered bridges,country farms. Come back in October in see the enchantingly charming of our flaming colors in our trees,our country fairs,apple orcards....

It's not just you, people in Boston have a running joke that "the cows made the roads"

“In this case, I was wrong.” The words of a trustworthy man. One more reason I like GK. Only the weak and dishonest can’t admit mistakes.

New England is such a beautiful place. One day, I'd love to live there

I live in Amherst, MA. Thanks for giving Western Mass a shoutout!! The Pioneer Valley is a hidden gem, honestly.

I am from New England, born and raised, and your review was excellent Kyle. Thank you for taking the time to assess so many details. I felt a little choked up as you recounted some of your discoveries there because I have been living overseas for years now and have only had a small handful of opportunities to get back to my roots over the past few decades.

Despite my RU-vid name, I’m from the Berlin NH area. Thank you for bringing attention to the area, it’s very sad. 2008 hit us hard and we lost most of our jobs. Montpellier VT is a cool town that was founded by my grandfather, Col Jacob Davis. Glad you joined New England!

Newport RI is a must see when you go back. Also Lost River in NH is a fun spot. Ausable Chasm in NY just over the border from Vermont is cool. 😎

I live in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, home of one of the best living museums in the country - Old Sturbridge Village. Good eating here, too. I grew up in the midwest and moved here in my late 20s. I have never regretted it. I appreciate you saying that New Englanders are friendly because that has been my impression in the close to 40 years I have lived here. I enjoyed this video. Thanks!

We did our family vacation this year to Boston, Mystic, CT, & Newport RI. What a fun, trip & everyone was so welcoming!

Western mass in the building! Nice seeing New England getting some love

One of the reasons I love New England so much is because no matter where you go in New England you feel like you are in one big state not 6 small ones. Everytime I leave the new England area I always feel out of place. Also next time you visit come up during the fall and you'll see some of the most gorgeous fall color you'll ever see

Providence has really made a huge turn around in the past few years! Its becoming one of my favorite small cities in the country. And for sure some of the best italian food in the country!

This sounds like a really cool trip. You're absolutely right about Boston being a lot of fun to walk. As a Mainer in exile, I'm excited for the next!

Looking forward to the Maine video. As a retirednaval officer, my favorite place in Connecticut is Mystic Seaport north of New London. And when you told that you have now visited all 48 contigous states madw me feel a little better about still missing 7. My next trip (cancelled in 2020 and 2021) should have changed that, so now I'm hoping for 2022.

As someone from New England (I left when I was four but went back every summer for a few years), the things I remember most were how good the beaches, seafood, ice cream, and square pizza were. Oh yeah and Boston is easily one of my favorite cities in the country.

I had always heard the same about New Englanders being rude, etc. We visited Newport, RI this past June when my son was commissioned an officer in the US Navy. We spent several days there and found the same thing you did. The people were extremely warm and friendly. I don't know how they got such a bum rep.

Glad to see you visited New England. I'm happy you found Pitchfork records, great shop that's been around forever. Berlin is really rough but at one time it was a booming little city before the papermills closed down.

I've lived in New England for 40 years and love my region. For such a quick visit, I think you did a good job of capturing the feel of the area. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit and saw what we New Englanders love about our home.

Great video! Having lived in the Western U.S. most of my life, I love seeing these quaint historic and walkable towns. Looking forward to your Maine video.

Maine and Vermont are amazing

If i were to settle in the US i think i’d choose Vermont, I’ve always admired the very natural small town vibe of the state ❤️ from Indonesia

As a mainer, I am super excited for the Maine episode!

Just an FYI from a former New Englander. Faneuil Hall is pronounced. "Fan-you-ull" Hall.

Pahk the cah in bah habah is the most New England thing you could hear just by chance! You should definitely check out Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester Mass next time it’s very quiet and a perfect place to take a long walk

Excited about this video and the upcoming one on Maine. We’ll be going next month for about a week or so. We do plan on going to Acadia National Park.

On another note, if you get back to CT, definitely check out the hills in the NW. Cornwall area. Feels a lot more New Englandy than the parts of the state you were in

Wow king this ruled. We’re not unfriendly just a little bit different. I found this really respectful. And of course, It’s educational!

Great video, Kyle! For your next New England trip, please consider visiting Northampton. It's a beautiful city in Western Massachusetts. Lots of great restaurants, a cool downtown, crazy looking houses, very walkable.

Thanks for checking out my area. I moved to North Carolina but I lived in maine for the first 22 years of my life. I can’t wait to see the maine video. Also, I would recommend that you come to New England in the first 2 weeks of October. The weather is alright, but you have the beautiful leaves changing with half the tourists. Visit Mt Katahdin in the 2nd week of October. It’s mind blowing how beautiful and remote it is.

Had our honeymoon in New England. Love this area! Yes, Boston really is a confusing network of roads. It's very European in its layout. You gotta get to Nantucket. When we were catching the bus in Boston, I was trying to get directions. But this guy's accent was so thick I was having a hard time. He could tell I wasn't getting him. Then just grabbed my shoulder and pointed to where we needed to go.

For your trip next year, I recommend the Flume Gorge hike in Franconia Notch, near Lincoln, NH, do more hikes along the Kankamagus Highway (give it a 2nd chance), and walk around Jordan Pond and Sieur de Mont trails in Acadia Nat'l Park. Looking forward to your Maine video to compare your experience to ours. After visiting several harbors (Bar Harbor, Boothbay, Kennebunkport), I'm glad we stayed in Camden. It was quaint, charming, relatively quiet even in July, and beautiful, especially the view from Mount Battie. Also recommend the Cabbage Island Clambake out of Bootbay Harbor (a bit touristy but worth it), and lobster and lighthouse boat tours are quite informative. I agree with you, was disappointed with the lobster roll (cold and too much mayo) and pricey.

loved the appreciation, accurate new england descriptions/experience n seeing so many places i’ve been in your photos i now get to walk the streets of manchester everyday knowing geography king has walked here

New England Represent! So glad you finally are exploring our awesome region!

Another banger of a video. New England is a very interesting place and Boston is a place I'd love to visit! Have a good day and keep up the great content!

New Englanders like their ice cream huh? Sounds like my kind of people! It sounds like a great part of the country, I'd love to check it out sometime!

Native New Hampshire resident here. Great job on capturing many New England aspects in a short period of time. Outstanding job! Bravo!!! I read many years ago that people in the US each lots of ice cream = an order of magnitude (10 times) on average more than anyone else in the world AND that New Englanders eat an order of magnitude more than your average US resident. I believe it's true and your journey here confirms it.

I'm relocating to NE this fall!! What a pleasant surprise. Plus helped me get some ideas for those first road trips. Thank you!!

👍🏼 Sounds like a great trip, and hope you get to spend more time in The Beautiful Berkshires 💚 next trip! 😎✌🏼

I've lived in New England my whole life. Born in Stamford and raised in southwestern CT, then moved to Boston after high school. One of the things that really surprised me when I moved was the difference in accents as well. Being from southwest CT I was obviously a lot closer to New York, and my dad grew up in New Jersey and lived in New York for a bit so my accent was lightly influenced by a New York accent. However, when I moved to Boston I was surprised to run into at least 3 other New England accents during my first year in the city. I also want to touch on the Ice Cream comments you made and I can safely say yes we do love our ice cream, a friend of mine from college who grew up in the south was astonished when my friends and I would eat icecream frequently, especially in the middle of the winter

As someone who went to college in Boston, this video pulled me down memory lane. Great video Kyle.

I've been waiting for a channel like this for some time.

Hey Geo King, glad to see you visited New England! Definitely make sure to spend a lot of time in the White Mountains on your trip next year, they’re beautiful! Keep on rolling out those videos!

I’m so glad you addressed the misconception about northeastern being rude or mean. I think people from here are just more honest and open. In general we’re not the type of people who will put on a fake smile- so sometimes we might have a straight face and it might come across as rude, but at the same time you know that if we’re smiling is because we’re actually happy lol. Just an over generalization of course but

I have to say you are spot on about New Englanders, I’m a life long Western Massachusetts resident and we are fiercely proud of living in New England. It’s true well eat ice cream when it’s 0° & snowing - it’s a staple! If you decide to come back to New England, I highly recommend you come visit Western Mass (there is so much more between Worcester and the Berkshires than even most Mass residents expect). Though don’t get us going on long conversations… You’ll never leave!

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip! As a New Englander, we are really proud of where we live so it's awesome to hear people say good things!

Great video. Excited for the Maine episode!

I’m happy you didn’t stop in Springfield haha it’s pretty rough and there’s not a whole lot going on, outside of that western Mass is beautiful just very small (From Chesterfield/Southampton)

I love these type of videos. Also very much looking forward to hearing about your trip to Maine.

FINALLY! Been waiting a while for you to come through and sadly I missed out.Cheers from N.H. and great video sir.👍💯

Hey just a disclaimer for Kyle / any other traveler, when doing anything in a woodsy area in the Northeast, make sure you wear long pants and regularly check yourself for ticks! My girlfriend recently developed Lyme disease from a tick, and I would not wish that upon anyone, not to mention the many other tick borne diseases. Lyme disease is trending upwards massively, and is especially likely in the summer.

I live in central mass so I’m super exited lol

As a retired social studies teacher, I love these videos from "foot geographers" who go there and then "school us" on their experience. As a woman, I am jealous that walking about alone in big city areas is possible for you. I rarely walk alone in my own small-city downtown, and never do so when it is dark.

Between the record at the beginning and 8:25, I'm glad you were able to reference one of New England's greatest exports 👍🏻

Great video. I'm a NJ guy living in Newbury, right down the road from Newburyport. And to get the pronunciation right, the emphasis is on "New" not "bury." The drive up 1A really is fantastic, as is Portsmouth. I also work in Stratham, which is next to Exeter. And Exeter is a great town, lots of small shops worth visiting. And YES, so many ice cream shops everywhere!!!

Boston is impossible to drive a car in. Two one-way streets we gave up and drive out. A great city to walk.

Great video Kyle, love that your travel videos are basically the same style as all your others, GK keeping it real always. Also northwest Connecticut is a must just to fill your brain with some unique areas, interesting mix of industrial run down river valley towns, rich farm villages and woods.. I grew up there in the eighties and it’s basically unchanged, just a little grittier.

Thanks. Have been incubating a trip to include this area for a while and this video has lots of great tips and useful information.

It's true about the ice cream. Wed stand in line on a Windy zero degree evening to get ice cream at JP Licks, in Boston, then go out for coffee. It's a completely different experience eating it when it's cold. Also the line is shorter.

CT’er here! Couple points for your future planning- You got Boston roads right. My sister’s lived there ten years and I still get turned around with all the roundabouts. Many of those roads follow original trails from farming centuries ago. Make sure you walk down Newbury Street if you haven’t. Sounds like you hit parts of the Freedom Trail there which is great. Next time around you could hit the town of Lexington to see one of the first town greens minutemen assembled at. But it’s not a must. The Wayside Inn in Sudbury is a marvel of American history In RI: you gotta hit Newport. I describe it as the cultural capital of preppy New England. Yachts, history, money - take a sail boat tour or at least drive to the massive estates like The Breakers (that’s the famous Vanderbilt one). You can walk along the sea cliffs behind the mansions on a path called Cliff Walk Lobster rolls: I recommend Connecticut style, which is a toasted bun with hot melted butter. Cold with mayo and chives is Maine style. Many places outside of CT won’t make it CT style. Connecticut (my turf) - Mystic is basically Newport’s quaint little sister. Bridgeport is a great example of decaying post-industrial New England with abandoned factories, struggling to reinvent itself. South Norwalk’s historic district is an example of a place that has made that transformation successfully. You were right about northwest CT as well. It’s beautiful. Kent is a nice little town up there. Kent Falls are a popular spot, you can kinda see them from the road. Fun fact: a piece of the Appalachian Trail goes through Connecticut in that area. Islands: having been to Block Island and Nantucket, I’d say they’re cool, but not necessary. Both are a logistical pain to get to if you’re trying to optimize your time. If I had to pick, I’d say Nantucket is better in terms of food and night life, though quite pricey A note on ice cream: Living in the DC-to-Boston megalopolis, consuming any “pure” product that doesn’t seem to have gone through an elaborate supply chain is highly appealing. That’s part of why we’ll go nuts over ice cream that’s in a rural place, or cheese in Vermont, or any apple orchard between Labor Day and Halloween. That reminds me: peak leaf peeping is mid-to-late October (hot cider and beautiful drives abound)

Pumped you were finally able to visit New England! I hope you can see some more cool stuff next time around! We have a bunch of cool small cities and towns to explore

Thanks for taking us along!!

I'm looking forward to the Maine video! I just took a trip to Acadia np myself last weekend, so the coincidence is a little uncanny but I'm definitely looking forward to hearing your thoughts

I'm so glad you made it to Vermont! I love it there so much. I believe it to be the friendliest state there is. I live in Pensacola and I agree with you that it's an untrue stereotype that people are rude there. If you're ever in Pensacola, I'd love to buy you a beer!

Born and raised in RI and living in Boston now, so I'm super excited you got to visit and seemed to enjoy your time here!! I love just walking around Boston and admiring the unique architecture. I've been here for about 5 years now but can still easily spend hours just wondering about. Definitely easy to get lost in (literally and figuratively)! Hopefully on your next trip you guys can see more of southern RI. I may be a bit biased, but I think the Rhode Island coast is one of the best! Newport is a classic must, I really love Brenton Point, Ocean Drive, and Cliff Walk. Jamestown, Narragansett, and Westerly are also personal favorites, with some great beaches and cool light houses. Also, you must give Dels lemonade a try!

You give me so many ideas for my own road trips. Very informative and interesting. Always wanted to do a New England road trip. Good video! 👍

I live in CT! For your next road trip I would definitely check out the northwest portion of the state. It is beautiful and has great hiking!

Oh! Also, there’s a great record shop in Rochester, NH called Skele-Tone Records. It’s right on a Main street surrounded by lots of restaurants and other shops!

Great video of your first impressions of the New England. Very cool to see your opinion on all these places that's we call home up here! Wish you stopped in Springfield to learn the rich history of the pioneer valley.

So glad you enjoyed your time here!

The Kancamagus is for driving. They have many spots to pull over for scenery and hiking.

Love New England! Vermont my favorite state. Check out Killington VT next time…wow! Beautiful 4 season mountain resort with a wicked awesome downhill bike park. Been going to Vermont my whole life, skied/snowboarded Killington, Jay, Sugarbush, Stowe. Town of Stowe….wow beautiful!!! Boston, ya gotta go to Union Oyster House…best dang clam chowda you’ll ever have! Go to a Sox game at Fenway Pahk, just don’t pahk ya cah dere…lol!! Glad you had a great time! I myself can’t wait to go back soon!!!

So glad you revised you rating for Providence. I saw the state capitol building video and I thought to myself he is looking at the wrong side of the building! Over the past 40 years Providence has literally moved rivers and highways. The improvements in my lifetime have been tremendous.

Very informative video! I live in the Portland, OR area, and have always been fascinated with New England--almost everything with it. I lived in Syracuse, NY briefly a few yrs ago ( for only 2 yrs before my job transferred me back to OR, ) and I was able to make a trip to Boston, as well as Portsmouth, NH ( different trips ) and a drive across CT as well. Before visiting the region, for 40 yrs, I had heard that New Englanders were rude, standoffish, and unpleasant to talk to, and from my experience during these 3 trips, I found it to be completely opposite. They were very open--especially in discussing the history of their town, extremely friendly, and I fell in love with the quaintness of much of the area. I haven't visited VT, RI or ME yet, but they are on places to see, next visit I make out to that region. So far, Portsmouth, NH was my favorite, and if it weren't so expensive to live there, I would have moved there, straight from Syracuse. My question to others out there who reside in the region: what are some towns/cities/villages that resemble Portsmouth?

I can’t believe you skipped the best places to eat in New Haven: Pepe’s & Sally’s pizza parlors, where New Haven style pizza was invented, and Louis’ Lunch, where they INVENTED the HAMBURGER!

For the whole ice cream thing, I can confirm being a new Englander that we do looooove our ice cream XD after sports games everyone goes out for ice cream, while on vacation you will more than likely get ice cream, the grocery stores have tooooons of ice cream in them and there’s ice cream stands practically everywhere, especially in the popular vacation spots

Glad you enjoyed New England! There are two unique times to visit, other than summer. Early Fall our deciduous trees change colors - leaf peepers from all over the US descend here just for the colors and to enjoy our delicious apples and hard cider. The second time is late February. Heavy snow, high winds, miserable driving, roads and schools closed but a great time to visit as there aren’t any tourists! No long lines at the ice cream stores! And you get to enjoy Maple Snow: take an ice cream cone, dip it in freshly fallen snow and top with maple syrup!

As a chauffeur in Boston for nearly 25 years, I have to admit that it took be about 5-6 years before I knew all the one way streets on Beacon Hill and in the Financial District...

The first thing I do when I watch your videos is look at which record you have on the wall this week!!

Hartford is rough but do go see the Mark Twain house. He wrote nearly all of his books in that hone and also raised his family there. Twain also lived next door to Harriet Beecher Stowe. The Stowe house is not nearly as interesting but while you're at the Twain hou inse might as well see Beecher's too.

Glad to see you made it up this way! I live in Maine so I hope you make a video about your time here as well! As far as southern New England goes don't skip out on Newport RI and Cape Cod! Newport is one of my favorite New England towns, and the mansions are gorgeous. I used to work on Cape Cod and I fell in love with the sand dune beaches and the changing geography of the region. Come back soon!

Can confirm we don’t refer to it as a peninsula. When you do your longer road trip next year you need to make sure you drive up the Essex coastal scenic byway in the north shore of Boston. No where near as scenic as the west coast or Maine but it brings you through some great historic towns such as Lynn, Marblehead, Salem, Gloucester, rockport. You would love stopping in all of them and walking the streets of each town they’re all beautiful.

I'm surprised you did a whole New England road trip without visiting Cape Cod. I'm not even from the region and I can tell you you've got to go there next year

So glad you enjoyed New England! Please try the pizza next time you come to Connecticut, we’re famous for it. :)

HOWDEY its Yaron, having his eyes light up when you showed pictures of your trip to Manchester and walking around the streets that I walk around everyday down on Elm St. I hope you enjoyed Manch-Vegas !!! ( I wish I could of gotten your autograph)

Thank you Kyle for sweeping through New England. I became a Texas transplant to New England about 40 years ago basically only Connecticut and Rhode Island so I wish you had more time to really spend in Rhode Island to see Newport to maybe take the Block Island ferry to Block Island to go see the north east ledge lighthouse on block island to see the beautiful coastline of south county and to Misquamicut beach the town of Westerly Rhode Island. I am glad that you enjoyed your trip. I have not hardly stepped into the state of Maine, and all the time I’ve been here only across the border from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the kid remain to some factory outlet type of shot, shops, or clothes, shops or something so I got to go past Kittery Maine, and really see the wonderful state of Maine one day.