Epic Trip Awards Ceremony

STATS
Distance Traveled: unofficial: 5,697
Number of Countries Traveled To: 3
Number of States Traveled To: 24
Number of Days: 9.5
Longest Uninterrupted Drive: 838 miles
Highest Toll: $9, Pennsylvania Turnpike
Desserts Consumed: 6lbs chocolate chip cookies, 5lbs gummy bears, asst. snickerdoodles & brownies
Animal Crossings: 4 - moose, deer, panther, crocodile
Lowest Temperature: 41 degrees; Lubec, ME
Highest Temperature: 88 degrees; Marathon, FL
Latest Arrival: 2am - Sandusky, OH & Lubec, ME
Earliest Wake-Up: 6am - Lubec, ME


AWARDS
Best City
Unanimous: Boston, MA - a combination of historical architecture, green spaces, & nice people.

Worst City
Amy, David, Jami: Key West, FL - beach paled in comparison to Daytona & traffic was annoying.
Chris: New York City, NY - everyone is in such a rush, & the subway sucks.

Biggest Surprise
Amy: Ellis Island - finding family members!
Chris: Mississippi scenery - a lot nicer than imagined.
David: Maine roads - infinitely better than Illinois.
Jami: Lower Ninth Ward (New Orleans) - was pleasantly surprised that there was hope & signs of rebuilding.

Biggest Disappointment
Amy: Times Square - overwhelming.
Chris: Key West - not nearly as great as people make it out to be.
David: Key West - where's the beach?
Jami: Key West - buzzkill.

Best Food (Not Including Breakfast)
Amy: Maine lobster - cheap but delicious.
Chris: Key Lime Pie - my favorite food, and an awesome version of it.
David: Blackened Grouper Sandwich
Jami: Maine lobster - it was smothered in butter, duh.

Best Breakfast
Amy: cinnamon rolls @ the Beasleys'
Chris: Casa de Beasley
David: homemade blueberry muffins in Lubec, ME
Jami: 2 lbs of bacon at the Beasleys'

Worst Breakfast
Amy: sour milk in Sandusky, OH (Days Inn)
Chris: stale cereal in Newark, NJ (Best Western)
David: crumb donuts from FL rest stop
Jami: spoiled chive sour cream in Newark, NJ (Best Western)

Best Drink
Amy, Jami: Prickly Pear Margarita at Sweet Water; Falls Church, VA
Chris: Corona in the Beasley hot tub; Dade City, FL
David: Pumpkin Ale at Sweet Water; Falls Church, VA

Worst Drink
Unanimous: Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's; New Orleans, LA

Best Hotel (Non-Residence)
Amy, David, Jami: Hampton Inn; Billerica, MA
Chris: Coconut Cay; Marathon, FL

Worst Hotel (Non-Residence)
Unanimous: Motel 6; Florence, SC

Best Roads (By State - Road Quality)
Unanimous: Maine

Worst Roads (By State - Road Quality)
Amy: Mississippi
Chris, David: New York
Jami: Arkansas

Best Roads (By State - Scenery)
Unanimous: Maine

Worst Roads (By State - Scenery)
Amy, Chris: Louisiana
David: Ohio
Jami: Florida

Best Bridge
Amy, Chris, Jami: Fort Knox Bridge, ME
David: Pontchartrain Causeway, LA

Most Difficult Drive
Amy: Maine at night
Chris: leaving Washington DC
David: Everglades downpour
Jami: NYC


State with the Worst Drivers
Unanimous: Massachusetts


Best Outdoor Attraction
Amy, David, Jami: sunrise at West Quoddy Head, ME/northeast Maine
Chris: Niagara Falls

Best Man-Made Attraction
Amy: monuments in Washington, DC
Chris: US Capitol Building
David, Jami: Statue of Liberty

Worst Man-Made Attraction
Amy: Times Square, NY
Chris: downtown Key West, FL
David, Jami: Southernmost Point Marker (Key West, FL)

Best Rest Stop or Gas Station
Unanimous: Walterboro, SC - where they had everything.

Worst Rest Stop or Gas Station
Amy, David: Como, MS - where the bathroom door didn't lock.
Chris: Ullin, IL - no card reader on the pump, is this 1980?!
Jami: the exit just south of Ullin, IL - where they film all horror movies involving murders at gas stations.

Most Friendly People
Unanimous: Maine

Best Travel Guide
Justin W. Litz


Strongest Accent
Amy: New York, NY
Chris: Ullin, IL
David, Jami: Billerica, MA

Best Mass Transit
Amy, Chris, David: Boston, MA
Jami: Washington, DC

Worst Mass Transit
Unanimous: NYC Subway

Best Mode of Transport
Unanimous: The Polk (Chrysler Town & Country minivan with Stow-n-Go seating)


Place Most Likely to Visit Again
Amy: New Orleans, LA
Chris: Boston, MA
David: Northeast Maine
Jami: Washington, DC


Place Least Likely to Visit Again
Amy, Chris, Jami: Key West, FL
David: New Orleans, LA