Sometimes timing can work out, so I took the opportunity to travel again for a few days up to Long Island. On the drive up, I was looking at the trees that were to my right. There were some nice shades of green, a couple of yellows and oranges, but reds and browns were sparse. It was still nice to see the scenery of the drive.

I made a stop at the Grover Cleveland Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike. I decided to order something that I’ve had a few times at this stop, the Gobbler Sandwich. This was purchased at reFresh & Co. The sandwich has gridlled bread, gridlled turkey, stuffing, gravy, and a cranberry aioli. The standouts of this sandwich are the stuffing and gravy. The bread is gridlled, which is the only thing I’m not enthusiastic about. Heating the bread on a griddle makes it greasier than if it were toasted. The bread is thinly sliced, so the butter that was put on the griddle makes the bread a bit soggy. The flavor is good, but the texture was not of my liking. I’ll still get the sandwich again, because the overall flavor is really good.

When I was on Long Island, I was able to get a couple of good meals. I had a gyro from Greek Cove in East Norwich. This has very large portions, so I was able to share about half of the gyro meat and still had a huge sandwich. The pita bread and tzatziki are both really good. The red onions have a nice crispness to them and add good flavor. The seasoning on the gyro also added to the traditional flavors. There are two good Greek places nearby – this one and It’s Greek To Me in Syosset. They both bring back fond memories of living in Greece when I was younger.

I also had the opportunity to go to La Bonne Boulangerie again, but I’ll write a separate post about that. I also had a slice of white pizza and a pepperoni pinwheel from Mario’s in Oyster Bay. The white pizza has a nice combination of flavors with the Romano, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.

When I drove back down from Long Island, I was able to look at the trees on my right (opposite side of when I drove up). There was more color on this side. There were the multiple shades of green, yellows, orange, some yellowish-orange, some vibrant browns and some dashes of red. If I wasn’t driving on the Turnpike, I would have stopped to take some pictures. Very nice scenery. My playlist was going, so I had some good music as well. I was very happy when “Sir Duke” started playing. Good sing along music, as well as the dancing while driving which was probably a sad spectacle to see.

There were a couple of stops on the way down. I stopped at the Thomas Edison Travel Plaza and got a brownie bite from Pret a Manger again. Still as good as ever. I also stopped at Chesapeake House in Maryland. I once again went to Earl of Sandwich. I asked about the Holiday Sandwich, but they don’t have that one yet. They let me know it will come the end of October or early November and will be there through the beginning of the year. I’ll have some opportunities to get it, so I’m not worried. I was going to ask for the Original 1762, but the words that came out of my mouth were The Full Montagu. I probably ordered it since I got the Original the last time. I’ve had The Full Montagu before, so I know it’s good. Roast beef, turkey, swiss, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mustard sauce. The sandwich was still good. The roast beef was easy to bite through and the combination of flavors with the turkey and the cheeses were perfect. The bread had a nice flavor, texture and bite through. The mustard sauce brings it all together. I kept the tomatoes in for the picture, but took some of them out while eating (not always my thing).

I still consider myself fortunate to be able to travel and to eat at all these places. Some of these places are repeats – but that’s just because they are good. I’m also grateful that I’m able to visit with and spend time with my family. It helps bring out the positives.