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Hamburger Roadtrip

Chicago to New York · inspired by George Motz

By Ellen

June 12^th, 2016

So we did a Rockies Roadtrip in 2012 where, in our crappy motel just outside Bryce Canyon National Park, we watched a television show called Burger Land hosted by this Wolverine look-a-like. I joked that we could maybe do a Hamburger Roadtrip sometime. Back home we watched the complete “mouth watering” series, still joking about our roadtrip, until … we craved for another US holiday and Karl wanted to visit the Harley-Davidson factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I wanted to revisit New York City. Well, what to do in between? How about a Hamburger Roadtrip! Haha. This Wolverine guy’s name is George Motz, I bought his book Hamburger America and downloaded the app Burger GPS. A roadtrip was born; 21 days, 2344 mi / 3772 km, 18 hamburgers, 12 states + District of Columbia.

The hamburgers

And our winner is … Wedl’s Cheeseburger in Jefferson, Wisconsin! A Mom & Pops (small, independent, family-owned) with super tasty meat and delish caramelized onions.

Kuma Burger at Kuma’s Corner in Chicago IL

Cheezborger at Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago IL

Our Winner: Cheeseburger at Wedl’s in Jefferson WI

Butter Burger at Solly’s in Milwaukee WI

Purvis Burger with sticky peanut butter at Triple XXX in West Lafayette IN

Sliders with no stinkin’ cheese or sloppy sauces at the Hamburger Wagon in Miamisburg OH

Jack Cheese Burger at Thurman Cafe in Columbus OH

Chili Cheese Burger at Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington DC

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Beer Batter Burger at Tune Inn in Washington DC

Charbroiled Cheeseburger at Charcoal Pit in North Wilmington DE

Cheese Slider at White Rose Diner in Linden NJ

Cheese Sliders at White Manna in Hackensack NJ

Steamed Cheeseburger at Ted’s in Meriden CT

Original Burger at inventor of the hamburger Louis’ Lunch in New Haven CT

Bacon Cheeseburger at JG Melon in New York City NY

Bacon Cheddarshack at Shake Shack (original) in New York City NY

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE ...

We did more than eating burgers, a lot more actually. Our adventure took us from Chicago, Illinois to Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia♫ Blue Ridge Mouuuntains, Shenandoah Rihiver ♫, Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York (State), Connecticut and finally to New York City.

Chicago

We did the Riverwalk, checked out Cloud Gate aka The Bean in Millennium Park, visited the theater district, walked down picturesque Astor Street and along Lake Michigan (enjoying the breeze because it was hot), did some shopping and looped the Chicago L (short for elevated).

Cloud Gate, also know as The Bean, is a public sculpture at Millennium Park

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Smoke shack

As if there wasn’t enough meat on the menu … I really wanted to taste a perfect slow-cooked pulled porked at the Smoke Shack in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I also became a fan of root beer on this trip. No worries, it has nothing to do with beer, it’s more like cola with some kind of Blistex lip balm scent >_<

Harley-Davidson

After our visit to the Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations in Menomonee Falls, where they produce the bikes engines (ouch my ears!), we visited the museum. On display are historic Harley-Davidson items that tell the company’s story and history, such as photographs, posters, advertisements, clothes, trophies, video footage of vintage and contemporary motorcycling, and interactive exhibits, including 10 motorcycles that visitors can sit on.

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The founders: Arthur Davidson, Walter Davidson, William Harley and William Davidson.

100th running of Indy 500

When in America, do as the Americans do. So we decided to attend the 100th running of the Indy 500 in Indianapolis. We parked our car for $40 on the lawn of two hipsters, just a 20 minute walk from the speedway. We took our cooler with drinks with us (how American of us), which turned out to be the best decision because it was hot as hell. It’s amazing to see how proud the Americans are of their country. As always, I took of my hat and sang along with the ♫ Star Spangled Banner ♫

The race was awesome, I wasn’t expecting so much excitement with cars driving 200 laps. Two crashes in our turn did entertain this disaster tourist (as long as the driver was okay of course). The race was won by a rookie named Alexander Rossi, well done! It was a challenge to exit the speedway together with 350.000 other spectators, but luckily some neighbor kids had set up a lemonade stand, best lemonade ever! For just 50¢ I believe, $1 with tip.

Keep driving or park and start drinking!!

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE US AIR FORCE

The official National Museum of the United States Air Force is located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. This museum is gigantic and admission is free. My husband the aviation geek was my personal tour guide, haha.

On the right: North American F-86D Sabre

Lockheed SR-71A unofficially known as the Blackbird

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ASH CAVE IN HOCKING HILLS STATE PARK

Ash Cave is named after the huge pile of ashes found under the shelter by early settlers. The source of the ashes is unknown but is believed to be from Indian campfires built up over hundreds of years. One other belief is that the Indians were smelting silver or lead from the rocks. Still another theory claims that saltpeter was made in the cave. No matter the source, several thousand bushels of ashes were found. A test excavation of the ashes in 1877 revealed sticks, arrows, stalks of coarse grasses, animal bones in great variety, bits of pottery, flints and corn cobs.

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Appalachian Mountains

Hawk’s Nest State Park clifftop overlook provides a scenic vista of the New River. The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel arch bridge over the New River Gorge. Glade Creek Grist Mill in Babcock State Park was created by combining parts and pieces from three mills which once dotted the state. The venerable Humpback Bridge lays claim to being the oldest of Virginia’s remaining covered bridges, it was built in 1857.

Glade Creek Grist Mill in Babcock State Park

SKYLINE DRIVE

Roadtripping is hard work sometimes … In good spirit we started our journey along Shenandoah’s Skyline Drive, a 105 mi / 169 km road that runs the entire length of the National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We found a nice picnic spot to enjoy the Peanut Butter Pie we took from the Country Cafe in Hot Springs. Best. Pie. Ever! We were treated with beautiful vista after beautiful vista, but at 35 mph it took us ages, so we cheated and skipped the last third of the drive :o

Our rental car at the Roseloe Motel in Hot Springs

The best pie ever! Peanut Butter Pie from the Country Cafe in Hot Springs

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Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations

We did a Steel Toe Tour of the H-D factory in York, Pennsylvania. This is where complete bikes are assembled, including Karl’s 2014 Street Bob.

Washington DC

We walked along the Chesapeake-Ohio Canal Towpath in Georgetown, an old industrial neighbourhood. Onward to Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Washington Monument, White House, Smithsonian, Iwo Jima Memorial and Arlington Cemetery. Karl’s brand spanking new fitness tracker counted more than 23.000 steps, yeah!

Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool

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Iwo Jima Memorial (or the Marine Corps War Memorial)

EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY

The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was operational from 1829 until 1971. The penitentiary refined the revolutionary system of separate incarceration which emphasized principles of reform rather than punishment. Notorious criminals such as Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton were held inside its innovative wagon wheel design. At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected, and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide. The prison is currently a US National Historic Landmark, which is open to the public as a museum for tours.

Al Capone spent his time in relative luxury on Eastern State's "Park Avenue"

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Geno’s Philly Cheesesteak

Geno’s Steaks is a Philadelphia restaurant specializing in cheesesteaks, founded in 1966 by Joey Vento. Geno’s is located directly across the street from rival Pat’s King of Steaks, which is generally credited with having invented the steak sandwich in 1933. The cheesesteak has since become a signature dish for the city of Philadelphia.

STATUE OF LIBERTY & NYC SKYLINE

We walked 377 steps from the main lobby to the crown platform of which 146 steps up a claustrophobic double spiral staircase. The width of the steps is 18 inches / 46cm and head clearance about 6 feet / 1.8m

The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. It was a gift to the United States from the people of France. The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States, and was a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad.

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SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM

This museum is located on, in and around aircraft carrier USS Intrepid in New York City. Most impressive was our visit to submarine USS Growler.

Times Square

Brightly adorned with billboards and advertisements, Times Square is one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 50 million visitors annually. Approximately 330.000 people pass through Times Square daily, many of them tourists, while over 460.000 pedestrians walk through Times Square on its busiest days.

BROOKLYN & MANHATTAN BRIDGE

The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City and is one of the oldest bridges of either type in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Downtown Brooklyn.

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The Highline

The High Line is a 1.45 mile / 2.4 km long New York City linear park built in Manhattan on an elevated section of a disused New York Central Railroad spur called the West Side Line.

Flat Iron Building & New Yorker Hotel

Upon completion in 1902, the Flatiron Building was one of the tallest buildings in the city. As with numerous other wedge-shaped buildings, the name “Flatiron“ derives from its resemblance to a cast-iron clothes iron.

The New Yorker is a historic Art Deco hotel opened in 1930. Due to its noticeable marquee and proximity to the Empire State Building, it makes appearances in many films.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

The Empire State Building is a 102-story skyscraper. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet / 381 meters. Its name is derived from the nickname for New York, the Empire State. It stood as the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years, from its completion in early 1931 until the topping out of the original World Trade Center’s North Tower in late 1970.

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Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume Exhibition

Featuring 70 hand-crafted costumes from the first six blockbuster Star Wars films, this exhibition reveals the artists’ creative process—and uncovers the connection between character and costume. George Lucas imagined and created a fantastical world filled with dynamic characters who told the timeless story of the hero’s journey. The costumes shaped the identities of these now famous characters, from the menacing black mask of Darth Vader and the gilded suit of C-3PO, to the lavish royal gowns of Queen Amidala and a bikini worn by Princess Leia when enslaved by Jabba the Hutt. A special presentation for the showing at Discovery Times Square in New York features seven additional costumes from the latest record-breaking film in the franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Brooklyn Flea & Brooklyn Brewery

I wanted to look for a souvenir at the Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg. Found some old type cases spelling NYC, perfect! Plus we had a very tasty stone oven pizza.