With a light heart and optimistic spirit, gleefully leaving behind the metaphorically stormy and oppressive atmosphere in New York City, we headed off north of the border to find peace and comfort with our congenial Canadian neighbors.

The itinerary was one we had taken before and we were joyously anticipating our return visit. As the northernmost tip of our trip was Prince Edward Island – approximately 13 hours north of New York City – we divided the car voyage into five stages.

The initial stop was a familiar area. It was a section of Portland, in the state of Maine, approximately five hours from New York City, though with weekend traffic the ride was about seven hours. On the outskirts of the city is a children’s delight, an attraction for some adults as well….for all who revel in extreme boisterous activity of boardwalk rides and games, this entire village was one big circus. This southern part of Portland had several small inns interspersed with simple but uninviting motels. We chose the largest B&B and hopefully, the most commodious of them all - Old Orchard Beach Inn - which consists of a few large multi-room mid-18th to 19th-century homes. Located in a suburb by the ocean, this is within a 10-minute walk of Old Orchard beach pier and Old Orchard beach located 5.2 miles (8.4 km) from Engine and 14.5 miles (23.3 km) from Goose Rocks Beach.

The Inn (2 to 3 stars) offers recreational features, such as a seasonal outdoor pool, centered in a sloping lawn and a simple garden. Additional amenities at this bed & breakfast include complimentary wireless internet access, wedding services and a picnic area.

Its hospitality includes 28 individually and period-decorated guest rooms, featuring microwaves and flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. The bathrooms with bathtubs or showers feature a few guest toiletries and hair dryers. However, it’s best to pack your own mirror!

As the pier was our only viable dinner option, we headed there, tired and hungry from our long drive. The most appealing option was a large and well-known ice cream parlor… old-fashioned and very tempting. Resorting to practicality - dinner before dessert - we entered the pier looking for a tempting restaurant. We settled on what was known to be one of the best in the area, MYST.

One of the attractions at the restaurant, besides the quality of food, is the level of service. Unfortunately, we did not find much evidence of this and waited for over an hour for our food to arrive, which was cold and disappointing. The positive news was - now we had a great deal of space for dessert!

We returned to the aforementioned ice cream super-shop. It lived up to its first impression, which was homemade ice cream with every possible flavor and topping.

Sated and sleepy, we retired and left the next morning, where a unique act of kindness awaited me.

Our initial drive to our next location had us crossing the border into Canada and resting overnight in Saint John, New Brunswick.

The good news was that the border crossing was a less traverse route, therefore, no invasive search or product restrictions - and a very congenial guard. I had anticipated our bottles being opened and counted as the permissible fluid and restricted articles had been made clear to us in our travel preparation, exacerbated by the lack of friendly messaging coming out of our White House concerning Canada. This was so far from reality, as our Canadian neighbors are truly warm and welcoming and thankfully, forgiving!

As the route through this lesser traversed entry point was intended to pass through a more sparsely traveled Route 9 (rather than Highway 95), we miscalculated the distance as well as our gas supply… which is a bad combination.

Thankfully, we had a spare canister in the trunk, allowing us the few extra miles, as we coasted into a much-welcomed gas station.

Our entry into Saint John, New Brunswick was delayed, but when we finally and circuitously located the Château Saint John trademark, it was an attractive and welcoming site!

Château Saint John was built in 2009 and has three sister properties in the Maritimes: Fredericton, Moncton and Bedford, which are all Wyndham hotels. This hotel was the epicenter of Saint John’s history, art and culture, giving it easy access to extraordinary diverse choices of restaurants. The well-respected Art museum across the street was unfortunately closed for renovation and reconstruction.

However, we experienced what many have shared - a massive confusion and a looming problem. As we had booked through an internet site (Booking.com), that somehow failed to register our information, there was no record of our reservation. Total drama!

Taking pity on my disheveled and exhausted presence, the registration manager, Tammy, not only found space in this stylish and totally filled hotel, but granted us “une gentillesse inattendu” and upgraded us, handing over the keys to their three-room grand suite – which was glorious! I later discovered that Tammy Sommerfeld had worked for the American Express Platinum and Centurion Travel and Concierge. She was obviously an excellent example of their high-quality.

After a well-presented breakfast, we piled our possessions back in the car to head for our next stop – Halifax.