Connecticut Day Trips

Town #113: Lebanon

2011-05-29T23:12:00.012-04:00

Today we headed out to Lebanon, a town known for its farms. According to the town website there are over 100 active farms in Lebanon today. I haven't been able to track down a list of farms by towns yet, but that might be the most farms in any town in Connecticut.

The farm we chose to visit was Beltane, a goat farm that produces a variety of artisan cheese. The farm has cheese tastings on many Sundays in May, and we were lucky enough to make it to the last one. We fell in love with the farm right away. We walked around the farm a bit and saw some of the goats. Goats happily munched on hay in small pens, and we found a small path with some informational postings about goats and the farm. There is even a nice pond with a swing that couldn't be more picturesque.

We found the cheese tasting room and were invited to try about eight different cheeses. I will say upfront that I am not a fan of goat cheese. I can barely choke it down and will avoid it all costs. So, Bruce was excited while I was dubious. But with a little coaxing I tried one after another and found them to be amazing. If you don't like goat cheese, you should definitely head out to Beltane and sample some of their cheeses. In particular, the chive chevre and the feta were pretty awesome.

All the people we met were friendly and down-to-earth. I can say we had more fun here than at any farm we've visited so far on this project.

Lebanon stats:
Population: 7,358
Size: 55.2 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Exeter, Goshen Hill, Leonard Bridge, Liberty Hill
Historic Places: Alden Tavern Site, Clark Homestead, Lebanon Green Historic District, John Trumbull Birthplace, War Office, William Williams House

Town #112: Suffield

2011-05-25T11:34:00.024-04:00

Suffield is a small town that borders Massachusetts in the north. It has been having a really interesting debate over one of its town buildings for several years, but first a little local geography note.

According to NECTA, Suffield is more closely aligned with Springfield than with Hartford. (If you are not familiar with NECTA, I wrote about it when I visited Enfield).

Suffield was even part of Massachusetts until 1749 when it became part of Connecticut, so it's a town that seems to straddle two places. Recently, I visited Suffield, and I could definitely feel the Massachusetts influence.

When I visited I was immediately taken by the architecture of the Kent Memorial Library. It has a light quality about it, and its the most unique library structure I've discovered in the state. Named after Suffield resident Alfred Kent, the library could easily be confused with the town of Kent's library (with the exact same name).

Architect Warren Platner designed the building and also built such famous spots as the Window on the World in the World Trade Center and Water Tower Place in Chicago. (He designed a regionally famous restaurant in my home state of Missouri as well.)

With such a unique style of architecture and such an interesting history associated with the building you would think some of it would be mentioned on the town's library website, but it's a bit more complicated than that. (All the information I learned about this library came form other websites and talking directly with library staff.)

Back in 2008 talks became serious in the direction of tearing down the building. Why? First, there are space restraints. The way the building was made makes it virtually impossible to make it ADA compliant. It's also a building that didn't take into account that it might need to one day be expanded, and the library happens to need expansion.

Having been there, I can understand why expansion is impossible. There is a brick sidewalk that follows the building around its full length, a busy street and a formal courtyard in the front, a pathway for cars immediately in the back, (not to mention the steep drop off), and massive windows along the sides.

Next, the people who work in the library find the structure inefficient for doing library work. It seems every detail--down to the furniture--was thought out by Platner in this 1970s modern structure, but he didn't know anything about the library field or library work flow, and it never occurred to him that it might be important.

And then there are those who just never liked the way the building turned out and wanted a more traditional structure.

It seems unlikely, at this point, the library will actually be torn down. The town voted against the demolition. But, it's getting close to three years since the vote and residents are becoming a bit impatient. The town has been trying to find something to take over the existing space and has met with those interested in turning the Platner building into a performing arts center. The new library will eventually be built in an alternate location.

Suffield stats:
Population: 14,704
Size: 42.9 square feet
Villages/Other Communities: West Suffield
Historic Places: Babb's Beach, Bridge No. 455, Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal, John Fuller House, Gothic Cottage, Hastings Hill Historic District, Hatheway House, Hilltop Farm, King's Field House, Alexander King House, Lewis-Zukowski House, Suffield Historic District

Town revisit: Colchester

2011-05-22T09:45:00.010-04:00

We have driven by a certain sign so many times in the last five years and today finally stopped at Priam Vineyards. Considering it is the only vineyard in proximity to where we live (and our love our wine), it's surprising it took us so long to get here. Whatever the reason we stayed away so long, we finally remedied it today.

Priam does not have a long, winding trail through grapevines to finally arrive at the main house. It's not even a short drive really. You turn off the main road, see a small sign on your left, drive past some dirt mounds and then notice the impressive barn-like structure.

The large New England red building where the tastings take place is lovely. On the Priam website the building is not red, but the website photo could have been taken years ago. (In fact, we're starting to get used to vineyard website photos being less than representative). As with our past Connecticut vineyard stops, the parking lot was packed. The small, interior bar area then was not surprisingly wall-to-wall people. We hung out for a while and finally got our chance to taste the wines.

We had noticed in the past that Priam does not put the year on its bottles, so we asked about that. We were told that there is a good deal of expense involved in putting a year on a wine's label. However, the vineyard is looking into a process for stamping the year on a bottle's cork.

The wines we tasted were what you would expect from a Connecticut vineyard. The whites were better than the reds and all were somewhat sweet. We would recommend the Gewurztraminer, a white with grapefruit notes.

The grounds are small. There is a nice back patio area to sit and sip wine. The owners' house can be seen on a hill from the back of the vineyard with the rows of grapes splitting the middle of the landscape. I couldn't help but think the view would be more impressive from the house than from where we were sitting.

The most unique aspect of the vineyard involves its energy use. Priam is the first, and at this writing, only vineyard in Connecticut completely solar powered.

The panels are positioned off to the side of the patio giving an urbane touch to the otherwise rural landscape.
Besides using solar power the vineyard also picks its grapes by hand and and does not use pesticides. We would recommend this vineyard to anyone interested in seeing traditional agriculture meet green farming--and, of course, to anyone interested in just having a nice glass of wine.

Check out our first Colchester visit.

Town revisit: Southington

2011-04-30T21:31:00.010-04:00

The Barnes Museum was one of the most interesting house museums we've been to in Connecticut. We loved this place and our tour. In case you are not familiar with this museum, the Barnes were a wealthy family who lived in Southington. When the last member of the family died without any children he willed the house to the town. What sets this museum apart from many other house museums in the state is that the house isn't filled with items that the family "would have used." Instead of period pieces, the items were actually all the items that the family did use. Even the photographs are accompanied by the items that were in the photographs. It gives an incredible sense of getting to know, not just a time period, but one family's experience in that time period.

The family also collected various items which are displayed in the house. The sunroom is called the goblet room because it displays the family's collection of glasses. There is another room that houses the collection of oriental items. The family did not travel abroad but were fascinated by Asian art and collectibles. The Barnes family seem to have saved everything--even the boxes their possessions came in and the receipts for those items. I was fascinated by the volumes and volumes of letters received and saved by the family. It really made me think about things like clutter, keepsakes, and hording in ways I hadn't before. The day we were there, the house we strewn with more than 500 hats the family members had collected and worn over time. The house itself is well-designed and a pleasure to walk through. If you are interested in house tours, you should definitely put this one on your list.

I'd also like to thank the museum for allowing me to take photos. (So often in Connecticut museums I'm told that pictures are not allowed. Often, I forget to ask now.)

Check out our first Southington visit.

Town #111: Stafford

2011-04-24T15:16:00.014-04:00

Stafford, like many towns in Connecticut, used to be a mill town. Walking around the streets you can tell that the town has kept much of its charm from those days. At one time a trolley connected Stafford to Rockville and the town could have grown much larger in time, but eventually the trolley was discontinued, and as the mill boom ended, the town settled into itself as it is today.

Stafford is fairly large, in land, if not population. It's the fourth largest town in Connecticut after New Milford, Woodstock, and Sharon. However, the Town of Stafford often incorrectly refers to the town as the third largest town in land size.

The town also has a rather strange public park/beach situation. In order to get to it, you have to go through an elementary school and the entrance to the beach backs up to the school playground. This is the first time we've visited a town that combines a public beach and an elementary school yard.

Another unique element of Stafford is its traffic circle. There are relatively few traffic circles in Connecticut--somewhere between 10 and 12. It's hard to explain why, and the photo does not help me with this at all, but the traffic circle in Stafford looks more like a traffic triangle. If you're not from the area it's a bit confusing. I think it's because the entrance to the traffic circle is off-center. Two of the entrances are on a corner next to each other, so it gives the seeming effect of having three entrances to the traffic circle instead of four. If I ever take a better photo, I'll make sure to post for illustrative purposes. But I should get on to what people think of when they think of Stafford.

What Stafford is known for: Stafford Motor Speedway

There are only a few racetracks (i.e., paved and oval courses) in Connecticut. There is one in Thompson and another in Waterford. There is also a road course track in Salisbury. But arguably the most well-known is the one in Stafford. The track opened in 1870 has plans to keep expanding in the future with more seating, scoring capabilities, and display boards.

*We'd like to thank our friends for taking the time to give us a tour of Stafford. Thanks, Brian and Veronica.

Stafford Stats:
Population: 11,307
Size: 58.8 square miles
Historic Places: Stafford Hollow Historic District

Town #110: Old Lyme

2011-03-20T15:10:00.010-04:00

Old Lyme is one of the towns in the Connecticut River Valley. Every time I visit this region there is something else beautiful to see. Depending on who you talk to, the Connecticut River Valley can include towns from as far away as Middletown or be limited to the towns along the shoreline of the state. But Old Lyme is undoubtedly one of the towns in this picturesque region.

What it's known for: Florence Griswold Museum

For those who live in the area it is also known for historically being a summer art colony and influencing American Impressionism painting. Old Lyme has always been about art. Today it has the state's only private four year college devoted entirely to fine art.

We visited the Florence Griswold Museum a little too early to see the gardens' flowers budding, but the rest of the museum was nice. The museum is split into two structures. One is the original house in which the art colony painted. The first floor is a self-guided house tour and the second floor is a museum to Impressionist art. There is also a more modern structure (picture above) that has three galleries of art. The Florence Griswold Museum is one of only two places in the state on all three of the following trails: art, garden, and women's heritage.

Old Lyme Stats:
Population: 7,488
Size: 28.8 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Black Hall, Laysville, Sound View, South Lyme
Historic Places: Bennett Rockshelter, Florence Griswold House and Museum, Lieutenant River III Site, Lieutenant River IV Site, Lieutenant River No. 2 Site, Natcon Site, Old Lyme Historic District, Peck Tavern, Springbank

Wives are in Connecticut

2010-10-20T10:44:00.004-04:00

I ran across this song. It mentions eight towns in Connecticut. It's not a feel good song, but since I don't know of any other song that is specifically about Connecticut (do you?) I thought I'd include the lyrics here.

THE WIVES ARE IN CONNECTICUT
(Carly Simon)

He figures out a restaurant
Where they won't be recognized
He can always slip the maitre’d a ten
Get a private little table and
try her on for size
Make a plan of where to do it when
He’s so sly, he’s in love with his lies

(Chorus)
And the wives, the wives are in Connecticut
The wives, the wives are in Connecticut
Trying to forget it, that they
really do regret it
That they moved up to Connecticut
That they moved up to Connecticut

The first year I was faithful
He confesses to the girl
Admitting to the least of his sins
His candor, so disarming, in
this wicked city world
She falls for it and once again he wins
He’s so sly, he’s in love with his lies

(Repeat Chorus)

The five flight walk up
Can he make it?
He keeps promising to go back to the gym
He thinks about his wife
So passionate last night
Was she really feeling it for him?

Or was it junior’s teacher?
Or the carpenter who put up the shelves
Or the mechanic who fixed the wagon
Or the gardener who dug the well
Or the Italian riding instructor
Or the man on the Carousel

Or the out of work actor in Westport
Or the surgeon who cured the ills
Or the Yalie from New Haven
Or the farmer in the Dell

(Repeat Chorus)

How about
The lifeguard at the yacht club
The hairdresser from New London
The tennis pro from Fairfield
The Fuller Brush man from Bristol
The fisherman from Mystic
The novelist from New Canaan
The usher at the movie theater
The architect from Guilford
The man on the carousel

Town #108: Stonington

2010-09-09T11:22:00.019-04:00

Today was a stark contrast to what was happening on the same day last year. I'm so grateful to have had this day to stand against it. For our 3rd wedding anniversary we decided to take three day trips. The only one inside Connecticut was this trip to one part of Stonington known as Mystic.

Mystic is undoubtedly the reason most people visit Connecticut from outside of the region. In fact, Mystic is one of the most visited places in all of New England. It was also listed in the book 1000 Places to Visit Before You Die. Click this link if you want to read what was written.

We walked all over the main Mystic streets and saw the historic area. We found a lovely coffee shop and bookstore and tried out Mystic Pizza. Unlike the 1980s movie that gave this place notoriety, Mystic Pizza does not match the movie at all. Maybe it did when the movie was filmed but today it sort of reminded me of a Pizza Inn meets a TGI Friday's than anything represented in the film.

New England Custom Blurb
It is very common in New England for an establishment to be named after its location and what it provides. By Midwest standards you get a lot of bland names such as: Newington Auto, Madison Wool, and Mystic Pizza. However, there is a quaintness and a regionalism that the practice also reinforces.

Back in Mystic we headed to the aquarium where we had a lot of fun as well. It's the perfect size for walking around in one day and not ending up exhausted. I've been to a few marine science museums in the past but this was my first chance to see a live sea lion show.

The penguins were the other memorable part of the day. The viewing spots were well thoughtout. We also learned from one of the trainers that penguins are more bite-y that people imagine.

Afterward, we walked around Olde Mystick Village. Honestly, you can skip that part if you've never been. It's basically a tourist trap.

Finally, we had dinner at the Inn at Mystic, in operation since the 1940s, and also in the book mentioned above. A new show will be airing on the Food Network soon and the inn's restaurant Flood Tide will be the first in the lineup. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner, attentive service and a nice view of Mystic Harbor. We wish the restaurant and the inn luck with the show!

Stonington stats:
Population: 17,046 (of which 4,001 live in Mystic)
Size: 50 square miles (of which 3.8 square miles is in Mystic)
Villages/Other Communities: Lords Point, Mystic, Old Mystic, Pawcatuck, Wequetequock
Historic Places: Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House, Mechanic Street Historic District, Mystic Bridge Historic District, Mystic River Historic District, Pequotsepos Manor, Robert Stanton House, Rossie Velvet Mill Historic District, Stonington Harbor Lighthouse, Stonington High School, Whitehall Mansion, Williams Clark Company Thread Mill, and the following ships at the Mystic Seaport Museum: Charles W. Morgan, Emma C. Berry, L.A. Dunton, and Sabino.

Town #107: Brookfield

2010-08-30T11:21:00.010-04:00

For Bruce's 30th birthday he was surprised by a birthday party at Digrazia Vineyards in Brookfield. It's a small place, but the outdoor patio area is great. This vineyard specializes in fruit wines and most of them are much sweeter than typical wines. We don't usually drink a lot of sweet wines, but we loved everything. Such a fun place!

The owner of the vineyard is a doctor. There are articles around the small tasting room about his gynecology practice and his interest in antioxidants which was his inspiration for the vineyard. The tasting room and retail shop are a small space, but since we were a larger group we were outside on the patio. This might be one of the smallest vineyards as far as tasting space, but the staff was so friendly and the wines so unique that we are just jealous that this vineyard is so far from where we live.

The weather was even great, too. Happy Birthday to Bruce and thanks to all his friends for making that long drive!

Brookfield stats:
Population: 16,354
Size: 20.4 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Brookfield Center
Historic Places: Brookfield Center Historic District

Town revisit: Plainville

2010-08-27T23:11:00.007-04:00

Last year, we tried to go to the Plainville Balloon Festival. We got up at 4 a.m. to see the early morning balloon launch. The day before there was quite a bit of rain, so sadly it was called off. To the left was our early morning view in 2009 before it was torn down.

This year, we decided to go the first night. That didn't go much better for us. The festival went on as scheduled but we sat in traffic for 3 hours total. Finally, we got parked and then re-parked by teenagers that really needed some adult help with that task.

Then we stood in the porta potty line that reached halfway across the park. There were 5 portable bathrooms. The festival is put on by the Plainville Fire Department and they estimate that 20,000 people attended in 2008. And this year was much bigger. So you can imagine that line moved really slowly.

There was only one balloon and that was taken down before we got out of the line, so there wasn't anything left for us to do but wait for the fireworks. Those were nice, and we heard the next day was great.

While we understood this was a small town putting on a typical small New England carnival--and having the ambition to do a bit more--it just hasn't worked out for us two years in a row. I doubt we'll try a third time. I'm sure many people have gone and enjoyed it through the years, so you might want to check it out for yourself. Maybe if you know someone who lives in the area you might get information on the best times to go.

There used to be a balloon festival in Bristol but that seems to have become defunct. Maybe something else will pop up over time to take its place.

Plainville is home to Connecticut's oldest airport, so maybe we'll visit that spot if we come back.

Check out our first Plainville visit.

Town #106: Greenwich

2010-07-10T23:14:00.024-04:00

Inside Connecticut, Greenwich is just another affluent town. Outside of the state, it's iconic. It's one of those places like Beverly Hills that has so many stereotypes associated with it, you're not sure you can appreciate it for what it really is.

Some parts of the town are pretty ritzy. Many celebrities maintain residences in Greenwich. The average house sells for a little less than 2 million dollars. We saw a lot of sports cars and expensive shops. One was even selling throw rugs for thousands of dollars as usable pieces of art. But once we got into Old Greenwich, the place was more low key.

First, we stopped at the Bruce Museum. It's a museum that's always intrigued me,

really for the name more than anything else. It turns out that the building was donated to the town by a wealthy textile merchant from New York. His only stipulation was the museum to be built had to be “a natural history, historical, and art museum for the use and benefit of the public." So today the museum is a bit unique. Whereas a museum could usually focus on one of these areas, this museum has to incorporate all three. It's a relatively small space by museum standards. Going today we saw about two dozen Andy Warhol prints: black and white next to the same in color. There was a historical display of Victorian dresses, and a natural history collection of many taxidermy animal species.

The science part of the collection was composed of various kinds of rocks and minerals. The most interesting to me was the meteorite that weighed 1200 pounds but was the size of large beach ball.

We were able to get through the entire museum in under an hour and a half. So we went for a stroll afterward. We noticed that this part of Greenwich is mostly named after Robert Moffat Bruce, the museum's benefactor--streets, buildings, businesses. For lunch, we ducked inside Penang Grill. There aren't many Malaysian restaurants around, so we were happy to find this spot. Malaysian cooking is usually very simple, but in the US it's usually spicy. The brown rice and broccoli I had was wonderful.

Down the street was the Computer Super Store, so Bruce insisted on checking that out. Then we went to the Black Forest Pastry Shop to get some tea. Afterward, on the way to the park, we got caught up in some traffic going to an "indoor yard sale" and ended up wandering through someone's house for a few minutes. Back on track though, we found Bruce Park and went for a stroll.

Originally the land was part of the Bruce estate and was used to create a 60-acre park with many walking trails. (The land was marsh before Bruce decided he wanted to make it a park. He brought hundreds of people to in to create the park--even raising the level of the land.)

The trails are broken up by tons of well-traveled roads. There was real a sense of privacy or tranquility where we were walking, but it was still a lovely setting. There are five sculptures in and around the museum and park. We ran across three while we were there. The Girl in Nature is an interesting one. Tucked back from the street, it is strangely mostly hidden among the trees and bushes, very easy to miss, and looks more like a short, elderly woman than a girl.

Greenwich stats:
Population: 62,236
Size: 67.2 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Banksville, Byram, Cos Cob, Glenville, Mianus, Old Greenwich, Riverside, Round Hill, Sound Beach, Stanwich
Historic Places: Bush Holley House, Byram School, Cos Cob Power Station, Cos Cob Railroad Station, Samuel Ferris House, Fourth Ward Historic District, French Farm, Glenville Historic District, Glenville School, Great Captain Island Lighthouse, Greenwich Avenue Historic District, Greenwich Municipal Center Historic District, Greenwich Town Hall, Greenwich YMCA, Knapp Tavern, Thomas Lyon House, Merritt Parkway, Methodist Episcopal Church, Mianus River Railroad Bridge, Nathaniel Witherell Historic District, New Mill and Depot Building, Putnam Hill Historic District, Riverside Avenue Bridge, Rosemary Hall, Round Hill Historic District, Sylvanus Selleck Gristmill, Sound Beach Railroad Station, Strickland Road Historic District, United States Post Office (Greenwich Main), William E. Ward House, Josiah Wilcox House

Town Revisit: Groton

2010-06-19T14:28:00.009-04:00

The same day we visited another fort. We went to the Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park. It's partially in New London, but it's listed on the CT Department of Environmental Protection site as Groton, so I'm going with the official designation.

New England Geography Blurb:
One thing that's been challenging about visiting all the towns in Connecticut is that the state is so small a lot of things are in more than one town. On the upside, the fact that everything is so close together makes it possible to take on a project like this and the limited number of towns means I should be able to finish it. But it can also be confusing. Sometimes I think I'm in one town and find out I'm in another. Or I drive down a road and I enter and leave five towns in the space of half a mile. In a couple spots, I have stood by a town sign and been able to read the next town sign from where I was standing.

So that aside, we were officially more in Groton than New London visiting Fort Griswold. Fort Griswold would be a great place for kids to visit, and in fact there were quite a few little boys running around. There is a marker for where Griswold fell and the fort is flanked by dirt sides covered in grass, a small opening leads to a covered walkway that leads out to another area with a few buildings.
This is the site where Benedict Arnold, Connecticut's least favorite famous native, led a battle against and captured the fort killing more than half of the 165 soldiers defending it. There is a museum on site, but it was closed for repairs which we have gotten used to encountering at this point. We'll make a point of heading back here on another day as this seems to be an interesting part of the state's history.

Check out our first Groton visit.

Town #105: New London

2010-06-19T08:44:00.004-04:00

For our first trip in quite a few months we headed off to New London on Saturday. The weather could not have been more beautiful.

Our first stop was the Bean and Leaf coffee shop. I don't often (or ever) say this about a coffee shop, but it was amazing. If you could imagine the ideal, Platonic coffee shop this would be it. It has a large are for people to meet, groups of couches, and full menu of simple foods besides tea and coffee, a spot for performances in the corner. The decor, like its name is simple but appropriate. I only wish this place existed nearer to me. I would be there all the time.

Our next stop was to the Fort Trumbull State Park. We walked around the whole exterior of the fort which took 20 years to build and was used for the coastline defense. It was a nice view right on the water and a nice well maintained path. You can go inside for a fee, but we decided to save the inside, structured part for another day. It was too nice to be inside watching educational videos.

New London stats:

Population: 26,145

Size: 10.8 square miles

State Parks: Fort Trumbull State Park
Villages/Other Communities: Ocean Beach, Pleasure Beach

Historic Places: Winslow Ames House, Acors Barns House, Bulkeley School, Central Vermont Railroad Pier, Civic Institutions Historic District, Coit Street Historic District, Deshon Allyn House, Downtown New London Historic District, Fort Trumbull, Jonathon Newton Harris House, Hempstead Historic District, Joshua Hempstead House, Nathaniel Hempstead House, House at 130 Mohegan Avenue, Huntington Street Baptist Church, Lighthouse Inn, Montauk Avenue Historic District, Monte Cristo Cottage, New London County Courthouse, New London Customhouse, New London Harbor Lighthouse, New London Public Library, New London Railroad Sation, Ohev Sholem Synagogue, Post Hill Historic District, Prospect Street Historic District, St. James Episcopal Church, Shaw Mansion, Thames Shipyard, United States Housing Corporation Historic District, United States Post Office (New London Main), Whale Oil Row, Williams Memorial Institute, Williams Memorial Park Historic District, Winthrop Mill, Nathan A. Woodworth House

Town Revisit: Hartford

2010-01-06T10:41:00.008-05:00

I spent my birthday in Hartford this year. Not something I ever imagined doing, but really there is more to do in Hartford than you would suspect...as I've been finding out lately.

The Wadsworth Atheneum, one of the 15 museums on the Connecticut art trail, was having an exhibit on Rembrandt which sounded interesting. It was the first time I'd been inside to see art. (A few weeks earlier we had gone to see a Rembrandt themed art-heist film called Incognito at the museum's First Thursday). It was a great exhibit and we'll keep our eyes open for other exhibits at the Atheneum in the future.

We spent a lot of time walking around the museum. Not only was the art nice, but the architecture of the building was amazing. It's hard to imagine that Connecticut might have a more beautiful structure than this one!

Later we tried to have a late lunch. The first restaurant closed after lunch, the next two close between lunch and dinner. Finally, we found a great Irish pub called McKinnon's that was open and willing to serve us. We could have stayed all day, but we had more stops to make.

We stopped over for a cannoli at Mozzicato's because I don't like cake much and usually try to have something else for my a birthday treat. The bakery is pretty well-known in the area and has been around since the 1970s. The owners also run a cafe next door. So, we were able to buy and eat the cannolis in the same place.

Finally we ended up at Trinity's Cinestudio and saw A Serious Man. We love Cinestudio's old-fashioned feel. If you haven't been you should go. It's probably not for everyone, but having a curtain pull away from in front of the screen while you're sitting in a balcony seat is worth whatever inconveniences you experience in this venue.

Check out our second Hartford visit.
Check out our first Hartford visit.

Town #104: New Canaan

2009-09-14T20:41:00.016-04:00

New Canaan is not just one of the most affluent towns in Connecticut, it's one of the most affluent in the country. A few years ago CNN named New Canaan the most affluent town in the entire country. So it might be strange to consider what it's known for.

What it's known for: The Glass House

More specifically it's known for the Harvard Five. Five Harvard trained architects settled here and built in the area.

One of these houses was made entirely of glass by Philip Johnson. Today it is one of the most impressive houses on the Historic Register and can be toured in New Canaan. Called (not surprisingly) The Glass House, it definitely lives up to its name. The house was completed in 1949 and other buildings were added to the 47 acres along the way. The main house is simplistic in nature. It's a glass box all with an open floor plan. The only solid structure inside is the bathroom that has a door on one side and a fireplace on the other. The house measures 56 by 32 feet.

Other structures on the grounds include a underground art gallery built into a hill, a library, a guesthouse and a very creative gate that uses a ship's mast. It's a tour unlike anything you've probably ever encountered.

If you're interested in seeing more photos from the day I visited, visit me on Flickr.

New Canaan stats:
Population: 19,984
Size: 22.5 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: n/a
Historic Places: The Hampton Inn (aka The Maples Inn), Hanford Davenport House, John Rogers Studio, Landis Gores House, Maxwell E. Perkins House, Philip Johnson Glass House, Richard and Geraldine Hodgson House

Town #103: Oxford

2009-08-30T21:19:00.020-04:00

Oxford is an interesting place. It's a town that before 2007 did not have a high school. Some students went to the nearby town of Seymour but a majority of parents sent their children to private schools. The town finally spent about $50 million to build a school in the town. We took a photo as we drove by. The high school isn't what people think of when they think of Oxford though.

What Oxford is known for: Rich Farm.

Perhaps the most talked about ice-cream stop in the state, we didn't make it over there. Our day just got too packed with stops. So, we'll have to find our way back to Oxford at some point.

What we did end up exploring was the small airport with an unusual venue. As part of my husband's birthday (and with his love of aviation) we went to the 121 Restaurant. The restaurant is next to the landing strip at the airport and gives a great view of planes taking off and landing. One recommendation is to sit inside. Those who were sitting outside kept having their conversations interrupted by the planes and the loud music the restaurant was playing. Sitting inside in front of large picture windows is the way to go.

Oxford stats:
Population: 11,709
Size: 33.4 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Quaker Farms, Riverside, Towanic, Zoar Bridge
Historic Places: Quaker Farms Historic Distric, Stevenson Dam and Hydroelectric Plant, Wooster Sawmill and Gristmill Site

Town Revisit: Plymouth

2009-08-30T07:26:00.009-04:00

We've been to the Clock Museum and the Watch Museum. There is also a museum in Connectiuct that is devoted to locks, so of course, I knew we had to stop there on Bruce's birthday eventually. It turned out that this was the year!
Because Connecticut had a rich industrial history, this is the kind of unusual museum that's somewhat commonplace here. It's one of the most rewarding parts of living in New England. The experience of seeing a huge amount of one particular common item (and one that you probably pay very little attention to in daily life) can give you some interesting perspective.

It reminds me of a scene from the movie My Dinner with Andrei. The film takes place in a restaurant and is basically two hours of philosophical meanderings.

WALLY: I mean, isn't there just as much "reality" to be perceived in the cigar store as there is on Mount Everest? I mean, what do you think? You see, I think that not only is there nothing more real about Mount Everest, I think there's nothing that different, in a certain way. I mean, because reality is uniform, in a way. So that if you're--if your perceptions--I mean, if your own mechanism is operating correctly, it would become irrelevant to go to Mount Everest, and sort of absurd! Because, I mean, it's just--I mean, of course, on some level, I mean, obviously it's very different from a cigar store on Seventh Avenue, but I mean...

ANDRE: [Interrupting:] But, well, I agree with you, Wally! But the problem is that people can't see the cigar store, now. I mean, things don't affect people the way they used to.

The message is one that I've long been fascinated with. The more we are exposed to something the less special it becomes to us. For example, the first time you flew on an airplane it was a memorable experience. But how about the 16th time?

The museum itself is inside what used to be a house in more than half a dozen individual rooms. An elderly man was our guide, walking with us through the museum until we got to the last room where he turned on a machine that directed us, quickly, from one exhibit to the next and then turned off abruptly. To the right you can see Bruce's favorite item at the end of tour: the beer lock.

For me, one of the best things I saw was the bathroom. I think the writing on the wall was to denote the direction to turn the lock handle. But I was just imagining how funny it would be to find yourself unable to unlock the bathroom door while inside a lock museum because you couldn't understand the locking mechanism. Then museum volunteer would eventually have to get you out and would look at you with sheer disappointment. After a dozen so incidents that would lead to writing on the wall, or at least that's how I imagine it.

Perhaps there is a more sober statement there, too. One about how we don't just find commonplace things subliminal, but that in some way our tools limit our imagination. We get used to every form of something (like a lock) working in pretty much the same way, everywhere, every time we encounter it.

Check out our first Plymouth visit.

Town #102: Beacon Falls

2009-08-23T08:06:00.016-04:00

Beacon Falls is a small town in Connecticut. There's no defined downtown area or green space, but there is a cool steel bridge in town and a small waterfall.

The Depot Street bridge (No. 3788) was built across the Naugatuck River in 1935. The bridge is on the registry of historic places. It's historical significance has to do with the type of steel trusses which were used in its construction. The town recognizes that the bridge is in need of repairs. When you drive over it, the sides are dotted with orange barrel cones. That, and the metal grips attached to it in places, makes a person wonder about how safe it is. It is still open to traffic, about 2000 cars a day roll over it, and the town has plans to "revitalize" it. There was over a million dollars earmarked for the project in 2008, but so far no progress. According to this website an inspection found the bridge structure to be deficient, so it would probably be a good thing if the renovation project started soon.

As a side note, I discovered the town website where it is claimed that friction matches were invented in Beacon Falls, but as with many local "claims to fame" this one is also inaccurate. The first friction matches were first created in 1827 by John Walker in England. Thomas Sanford of Beacon Falls later created a new "recipe" and sold it to the Diamond Match Company.

A little ways from the bridge and the adjacent mill is the town's waterfall. It's a nice little spot with a foot bridge in front and not too far of a walk to get there. The name of the falls is Spruce Brook Falls. The name of the town is probably a combination of the waterfall's name and the hill in town named Beacon Hill. Lots of people have taken pictures of the little falls, but here's my addition.

Back in May we also had dinner with friends here. The place was an Italian restaurant with a nice ambiance called Antonio's. The wine I had made an impression, and the waiter was nice enough to write its name down for me. It is one of the most flavorful "cheap" wines (under $10 a bottle) I've ever had.

Beacon Falls stats:
Population: 5,596
Size: 9.9 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Pines Bridge
Historic Places: Home Woolen Company
Must Eats: Antonio's

Town #101: Coventry

2009-08-09T09:09:00.017-04:00

We went to Coventry for this outing. We spent part of the day with the Connecticut Flickr group. The group travels around the state taking pictures about once a month.

What Coventry is known for: being the birthplace of Nathan Hale

So it was fitting that the Nathan Hale Homestead was our first stop. The town holds a farmers' market at the homestead every Sunday, so there was definitely enough to take pictures of.

After wandering around the grounds for a while we took a tour of the house where Nathan Hale was born and grew up as one of twelve children. We saw his traveling trunk and the gun he shot himself with as a child. The tour guide showed us a picture of a bed rug that was "sold at one point to Williamsburg and they won't let us have back."
The man who owned the house and donated it the town upon his death was quite a character. He has a huge stone memorial on the site to his horse. He had gone through quite a search looking for the house. He used historical documents and then went house to house examining bedroom doors, and scraping paint when necessary. When he found the right door he took it off the hinges and went right out the front door with it. He then proceeded to offer cash to buy the house. All this is according to our tour guide.

Nathan Hale is, of course, the famous Revolutionary spy who said, "I only regret that I have but one life to give my country." Probably one of the most famous last words in history. No one knows if that's exactly what he said, but that's probably beside the point. His words do seem more famous than what he did in his life or the circumstances behind his hanging. At his grave memorial in the Nathan Hale Cemetery, I learned a few interesting facts: he was hanged in New York and that his remains were never actually located. Earlier our tour guide told us he didn't live long enough to have his portrait painted, so we don't even know for certain what he looked like.

Later we headed over to Cassidy Hill Vineyard which opened in 2007. We had fun tasting their wines and taking photos around the grounds. The owner gave us a tour which was basically one large room downstairs.

I was surprised at how little space one would need to actually run a small vineyard. We also learned that only 40 percent of their grapes are grown on the vineyard. We found the white wines at this vineyard to be much better than the reds, and interestingly, I believe it was the white grapes which were grown at the vineyard. We had fun walking all over the grounds. We took pictures of everything from the grapes to the farm equipment--even finding a bit of tranquility that we don't usually experience in our part of the state.

One of our last stops was the Bidwell Tavern. The place is known not for their wings but for their wing sauces. There were probably two dozen available on the menu. The pub is a great example of, well, pubs in rural New England: large menu, lots of beer, the cook yelling so loud you could hear him at your table, a mix of people some in leather biker garb and others in shopping mall ensembles. We recommend the stop for the wings as well as the ambiance.

The photo album for all the pictures taken during this outing are on my Flickr page.

Coventry stats:
Population: 11,105
Size: 38.4 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: n/a
Historic Places: Brigham's Tavern, Capron-Phillips House, Captain Nathan Hale Monument, Coventry Glass Factory Historic District, Nathan Hale Homestead, Loomis-Pomeroy House, Parker-Hutchinson Farm, South Coventry Historic District, Elias Sprague House, Strong House
Must Eats: Bidwell Tavern

Town Revisit: Goshen

2009-08-01T13:56:00.014-04:00

Oh Goshen, we came back. And animals were involved again.

Our first stop was Action Wildlife Animal Park. Connecticut only has one zoo. So, perhaps that's why this place has been growing in popularity. There are a lot of animals here, but it's not your typical zoo. Most of the animals are farm animals from around the world. You can drive through, walk, or do what we did which was a combination of the two.

I was particularly interested in the fainting goats, but we couldn't find them. The signage needs a lot of improvement at this place. It's not a bad way to spend a few hours though. There is also a petting zoo made up mostly of goats, and a museum filled with taxidermy animals. We actually missed the "museum" as we felt we were running behind on time. But I'm not sure I'd actually want to see that. The adventurous part of me says yes, but the rest of me just hears taxidermy museum of exotic farm animals.

Time to head off to a different sort of Goshen field...We went to the Connecticut Wine Fest held annually at the Goshen Fairgrounds. This was the first time we'd ever been to a wine festival. We can't compare to any other, but this one had about 20 vineyards in one of the buildings set up at tables. There was a HUGE turnout. I have no idea how many people showed up, but we were shoulder to shoulder inside the building. The picture really doesn't do the chaos justice. I can say with a lot of certainty that this was probably the most packed event we've attended so far.

While the weather in Connecticut has been raining virtually all summer, each time we do something outdoors we get a one-day heatwave. This day was no different. Thank goodness for the benches under the tent for breaks from the sun and the heat inside the main building. The music was pretty good too. I would highly recommend one of the three acts that played. Shawn Taylor Duo has a bluesy-rock-folk sort of sound with introspective lyrics that went well with the breeze and a nice glass of any variety of wine. It was a lot of fun to sit and watch the festival attendees as well. There were people (like us) dressed casually all the way to the other end of the spectrum--people dressed like it was prom. Just a very interesting day. Most interestingly were the women in black cocktail dresses who came with men in t-shirts and shorts. There was a scene straight out of Desparate Housewives playing out in the women's bathroom, but that's another story...

One thing I was suprised about was how many blushes were offered as samples. I know the rose has been making a comeack in the last few years, but Connecticut wineries have definitely gotten behind the trend. I would say at least half of the wines we tried weren't red or white, they were blushes.

A couple wines we found to be particularly interesting:
Digrazia Vineyards in Brookfield. We tried several of their wines but Williams Sonnet was the most interesting. It is a white wine blushed with raspberry. It was so popular in fact they sold out before we could buy a bottle.
White Silo Farm and Winery in Sherman. We tried several here as well, but loved the Sangria. This wine was a combination of their Dry Rhubarb and Sweet Raspberry. Technically, combining a white and red wine to create a blush is a faux pas in the wine world, but in this instance it created an amazing taste. Very original.

Check out our first Goshen visit.

Town #100: North Haven

2009-07-25T11:51:00.029-04:00

After a few (or maybe about a half dozen) town revisits, we finally got back on track to visiting a new town. Grocers aren't really something we would normally get excited about, but we heard about a couple neat places in North Haven, so we decided to check them out. But first we stopped at the Holiday Inn for the Hamfest. No, not the edible kind. Bruce wanted to check out the ham radio sell-a-thon. He enjoyed the hammy goodness all morning. I wandered around taking random photos of things like these bubbles.

By 10 am we were starving. Maybe it was the subliminal references to ham. Not that either of us eats ham (for completely different reasons though.) We found our way to the nearest diner which happened to be called Demir's Restuarant. We were pleasantly surprised. It's definitely above average in service and quality of food.

After omelets and waffles, we finally got on track to our grocery adventure. Our first stop was Connecticut Natural Food and Produce Market. We stocked up on avocados, scallions, and tiny plums. It's a small place, but if you're looking for fresh fruits and vegetables (and you live in the area) it's a better bet than the average grocery store. The prices are great on all items that are fresh. Packaged things are not inexpensive, but seemed no higher than other specialty markets in Connecticut. There's no specific information about the market online, so I'm not sure where they actually get their fruits and vegetables. If I find out later, I'll add that information.

Then we took a drive over to Liuzzi's Cheese Grocer. OK, this place was an experience. And it was more than just cheese. I really think that anything that falls in the category of Italian food could be found in this place. It felt like a little piece of New York City plopped down in a random Connecticut town. The place was packed inside and out. The photo is a bit blurry, but the experience was a little blurry as well.

Our final stop was to the public library. I decided a few months back to take a picture of all the libraries I encounter from now on. Well, this particular library stop turned out to be more memorable than I had expected. There was a book sale going on in the lobby. The first floor is one flight of stairs up, so when you are in the lobby there is no staff around. The book sale books were all lined up on tables in the lobby. I had picked out a few books when a woman who came by to lock the doors gave me a brusk, "we closed at 1 pm." I apologized and went up to the first floor to pay for the books. I didn't have a clock with me, but I couldn't believe I had actually completely lost track of time. Upstairs, the clerks told me that I couldn't pay for the books because the library was now closed. So, I took the books back downstairs and on my way out I ran into the woman locking the doors. I asked if she had made an announcement. She told me that she had. I tried to tell her that I hadn't heard it, and maybe the staff should check the intercom system. But I didn't get most of that sentence out because she started lecturing me on how the library always closes at 1:00 on Saturdays and there is a sign on the door and I could have also looked the hours up online. When I got back to my car, I looked at my clock and it was just turning 1:00.

I did look up the library website to send an email to let them know that they might want to check their equipment, but to my dismay the library site does not have an email address listed for contacting anyone. There's not even a generic send-us-your-comments form. In fact, there's not a single name on the website in case you need to contact anyone directly. The one and only way to contact someone is by calling the main number. I know this all really amounts to one experience with this library, but for now I'm deeming North Haven Library as the least friendly library I've encountered so far. Would love to hear from anyone else who might have visited this library or has an opinion either positive or negative.

North Haven stats:
Population: 23,908
Size: 21 square feet
State Parks: Quinnipiac River State Park
Villages: Other Communities: Clintonville, Montowese, Quinnipiac
National Historic Places: Pines Bridge Historic District, Rising Sun Tavern

Town Revisit: New Britain

2009-07-23T12:29:00.025-04:00

I lived in New Britain for four years, but there were a few things I never got around to doing. So, we decided to go back and have an afternoon of industry.

First, we visited the New Britain Industrial Museum. Why does New Britain have an Industrial Museum? Well, because more hardware has been produced and distributed from New Britain than any other city in the United States. That, in itself, is interesting. It's also illustrated on the "poster" that hangs on the Industrial Museum's wall. Not the most exciting way to display this information, but it still makes the point.

Before I moved to Connecticut I had never heard of New Britain. But other cities known for producing hardware (e.g., Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago, etc.) are very well known. Perhaps those cities made a name for themselves in other ways, or perhaps Connecticut has had a long tradition of not promoting itself. It's really hard to know.

Our guide also told us that other industrial cities grew up near bodies of water and/or railroad lines. New Britain's industrial prowess happened in spite of its bad location as far as transportation outlets. So, New Britain is also unique in that the people were industrious enough not to be held back by those handicaps--and the city went on to be the main industrial supply hub for the country for many years.

So it has always been a bit surprising to me that the museum for New Britain's industrial history in basically one large room on the second floor of Central Connecticut State University's Institute of Technology and Business Development Training Center. Man, that's a long name for a building! We were told by the man who gave us the tour that the museum can only display part of what it owns due to space and weight restrictions. The floor of the building just wouldn't support some of the the larger, heavier items. Perhaps this is why (to my husband's great disappointment) we only saw the products that were made in New Britain and none of the machinery used to make everything from ball bearings to coffeemakers.) But, since our guide said they have been looking for another space for seventeen years, I kind of doubt a better place will be found.

The most interesting thing (to me) was the shelf of convenience products for modern housewives in the early to middle parts of the twentieth century. For example, if you didn't like seeds in your grapes, there was a machine for that. I loved this thing! Think of how much work it was to load the grapes in one at a time and turn a crank by hand to de-seed them. Then, ta-da, a seedless bowl of grapes. America apparently has always been in love with kitchen gadgets.

Anyhow, when we left the Industrial Museum we went to visit a place that was started during the industrial glory days of the town and which is still around making the same product: Avery's Beverages. Avery's is a small soda producer, and one of the oldest in New England. The operations are still in the same little red barn where it was started in 1904. You can even make your own if come on a Saturday with five or more people. We didn't know all the details, so we didn't get to take on that challenge. But after watching what a crazy, wet, and dirty mess it was for the employees making it, I'm not sure I am completely disappointed. Then again, Avery's probably doesn't throw kids on the assembly line. There's probably a nicer version for all of us "tourists" to the soda making world.

After the soda employees had enough of us and we had way too much soda, we decided to head over to the Hardware City Tavern and celebrate New Britain's industrious spirit with a few drinks. The aptly named pub is also where Harry Houdini did one of his famous straight-jacket stunts. He flung himself off the top of the building in the 1920s. Houdini, an innovator in his own way, fits right into New Britain's history. The bar has plenty of space, a great view of the downtown streets, and a sort of old-fashioned vibe. Hardware City (the tavern) opened in 2007, but it seems to be going strong in the actual Hardware City. Maybe a new chapter is coming for New Britain.

Check out our first New Britain visit.
Check out our second New Britain visit.

Town Revisit: Hartford

2009-07-19T18:31:00.017-04:00

When I first moved to Connecticut one of the few things I knew about the state for certain was that Hartford was the state capital. Shortly after moving here I realized two more things about Hartford: only about 100,000 people lived there but everything was so crammed together it gave the illusion of being a much, much bigger place. Then I learned the roads seemed designed by a team of madmen, so I decided to just stay out. Over the last ten years I've only been to Hartford three or four times (other than going to Real Art Ways) until last week.

Last week I ended up at the State Library. Quite a place. I've only seen the non-pubic spaces so far, but eventually I'm looking forward to seeing more. Especially now that I am getting my bearings and realizing what an architecturally interesting place the city is.
Usually when we visit a town we go to something that exists in the town. That might be anything from a structure like a museum to a gathering like an annual festival. However, the photo walk we went on in Hartford doesn't really fit our previous categories. It did take place in Hartford but it is not something you could actually do if you visited the city. There is the possibility that the photo walk will take place again in Hartford next year, so bookmark this site if you are interested.Anyway, we had a great time. All the pictures on this page were taken during the walk. The one above is a plaque to a counterfeiter which just seemed interesting. I found little information about Buel other than he was an inventor who designed the first American submarine and that he spent time in jail for his counterfeiting activities.

You can see more Hartford photos on my flickr page too. I was amazed at how little ground we actually covered in two hours. There was so much to see in Hartford that we could have spent the whole day taking pictures. The umbrella below is in the Travelers Insurance courtyard. It's their logo, of course, and probably isn't the biggest umbrella in the world, but it is huge and therefore worthy of inclusion in our big things category.
Check out our first Hartford visit.

Town Revisit: Middletown

2009-07-16T12:38:00.010-04:00

Witness the Largest Jack-in-the-Box...

In the world!
It's in Middletown, Connecticut. Exciting, no?

I have yet to see this in action, but Wild Bill's is worth checking out. The first time I went there I was...well, I don't really like mannequins or dolls and this place has disembodied doll heads hanging from the ceiling. You really can't describe this "flea market" you just have to experience it. It's awesome. Just go.

Check out our first Middletown visit.
Check out our second Middletown visit.
Check out our third Middletown visit.

Town Revisit: East Hampton

2009-07-11T13:39:00.018-04:00

Each year for the last 31 years East Hampton has been putting on what the town purports is the largest parade in Middlesex County. It occurred to me that I've never actually seen a parade in Connecticut before. I've been to parades in Missouri, New York, Maine, California, even one in Tennessee, but not here. So, it was fun to see things that most other people were probably used to seeing: Colonial garb, silly themed floats dragged along by pick-up trucks, odd little Shriner cars, pirates, Connecticut politicians, a man on stilts.

The music ran the gamete from fife to electric guitar. There was one marching band that looked like they jumped out of Monty Python and when they arrived they updated their costumes with neon sequins.

At one point I caught a picture of a corvette, a man dressed up like an early American colonist, and a gorilla. I'll never see those three things together again, ever.

There are additional activities for the town's celebration called Old Homes' Day. The picture to the right is a view of the carnival from our ferris wheel vantage point. As fairs go, it is small, but there are a weekend's worth of activities, so it would probably be difficult to have the fair be much bigger. And honestly, the residents have no complaints, so why change what works.

Afterward we drove over to the Middle Haddam Historic District. Middle Haddam and Cobalt are two villages inside of East Hampton. Middle Haddam is the part of East Hampton we like the most. It's the quiet, quaint part of town. The post office is one of nearly half that might be closing soon in Connecticut. A sad prospect as the post office is the cornerstone of most of Connecticut's communities that reside inside recognized townships. In case it's not going to be around forever, here's a photo of it.

Check out our third East Hampton visit.
Check out our second East Hampton visit.
Check out our first East Hampton visit.

Town Revisit: East Hampton

2009-07-05T21:46:00.022-04:00

East Hampton Historical Museum is hard to get into. Is it famous? No. Is it booked solid with visitors? No. But it is open a total of two hours a month! The town must have gotten tired of people knocking on a closed door because now this sign is downtown. Not that anyone would ever notice that tiny sign next to the pizza shop, but hey, why not? (By the way, where is the Memorial Garden? This sign is stuck in a curb with a few bushes. Does that constitute as the "garden"?)

But anyway, if you plan a visit, plan ahead. We were hoping to learn more about the town's history that we live in. But mostly I just confirmed that I am creeped out by mannequins. The museum has a mannequin in period dress in pretty much every corner of the place. In theory it seems like a good way to display period clothes. In actuality, well, just prepare yourself.

The most interesting thing in the museum is a signature of Mark Twain who signed a guest book for the now defunct (and as I was told by one of the museum guides) and non-existent Lake View House.

The museum itself is split between three buildings. One is an old one-room schoolhouse that was moved to the current location. The 1840 structure used to stand on Chestnut Hill but was dismantled and reassembled at its current location on Bevin Boulevard.

The main building houses the main historic items of the museum including many bells on loan from the Bevin family. The town has a long history of bell making as is evident from its nickname Belltown on many local businesses and the bell on all the streets in town. The factory is the only one in town still producing what it did more than a hundred years ago and according to Stanley Bevin when he was interviewed by The New York Times it is the oldest family run business in Connecticut.

The third building was built onto the back of the museum and holds what seem like "overflow" items. There are more mannequins and an area set up as a post office.

Here is a view of the museums from the front. The red building is the original one-room school house. The other is a replica of a typical building from the same time period.

Check out our second East Hampton visit.
Check out our first East Hampton visit.

Town Revisit: Bristol

2009-07-04T16:52:00.009-04:00

It's the Fourth of July and we headed to Lake Compounce. It is the oldest continuously running theme park in the United States. It's in a scenic setting set back away from the highways and the center of town.

Before the fireworks we got in a few rides on the Boulder Dash and the Wildcat. Both are wooden roller coasters. Boulder Dash is built into the side of a mountain and Wildcat is one of the oldest roller coasters in the country.

Maybe next time we'll try the Screaming Swing. That thing looks intense!

Check out our first Bristol visit.

Town #98: Bozrah

2009-07-03T21:48:00.028-04:00

I am willing to bet that this is one town many people from Connecticut have never visited. It's not the smallest town we've been to, but it has a very isolated feel. It's the only eastern Connecticut town without its own library, and public buildings and businesses are few and far between.

What Bozrah is known for: Having a strange name.

Most towns in Connecticut have English sounding names ending in things such as -bury or -field. This town struck out on its own.

Not only is it a unique name for the state of Connecticut, it is the only town named Bozrah in the United States.

The town itself isn't sure how the name came about. It was informally called New Concord before it was officially named Bozrah. A local legend suggests that the person who petitioned the Connecticut Assembly for township status was dressed so colorfully one of the assemblymen made a joke about looking like he had "come from Bozrah." And then the Assembly thought it was so funny they decided Bozrah should be the town's name. I have no idea if this legend has any measure of truth to it, but it makes for an interesting story.

We first stopped at the Exit 23 Restaurant. It's a little diner on the corner when you first get into town. It is the epitome of a small town diner. Here's Bruce with his cup of coffee. After getting caffeinated we continued onto our main town stop: the town's Farmers' Market.

We went on the opening day. Since it was the day before Independence Day the theme was Colonial Days. It's the biggest thing that happens in the town and the first farmers' market I have been to with parking attendants for the influx of arriving cars. It was raining on and off all day, so one has to suspect even more people would have been there otherwise. The market took place at Maples Farm Park. The town had just finished a rock wall enclosed gravel parking area for the new season which looked very nice. If you go, follow the adorable sheep signs. They will direct you to the park. I even found a four-leaf clover while we were there!

Across the street we saw something named Six Paca Farm. We decided to stop and were delighted to find a coffee shop/alpaca store. I have to say this is the most unique thing I've ever encountered paired with coffee. WE had a lot of fun drinking coffee and trying on alpaca wool hats. The owners did not even glower at our enthusiasm, and we ended up buying a hat before we left.

New England Custom Blurb:
On the way out of town we saw something I'd never seen for sale by the side of the road. New Englanders will put pretty much anything outside with a for sale sign on it, (or a free sign if they really want to be rid of the item) but this was the first time I'd seen this particular category. Sinks, yes, but never a bathtub.

Bozrah stats:
Population: 2,445
Size: 20 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Fitchville, Gardner Lake, Gilman
Historic Places: Bozrah Congregational Church and Parsonage, Fitchville Historic District

Town Revisit: Wethersfield

2009-06-21T19:44:00.017-04:00

New England Custom Blurb:
In Connecticut most towns have a historic district. It's a place where it has been agreed the buildings have some sort of historical or architectural significance. It can be a few buildings or a large area. In most cases, you drive through, see a sign, and have no idea why that area is historic. The boundaries of the districts are often obscure as well.

But visiting Wethersfield was different. The historic area, named Old Wethersfield, is the largest historic district in the state. And the town has done an impressive job.

The area has a lot of shops. We stopped in at Antiques on Main and then had lunch at Village Pizza. And in between we took tours of four of the homes in the historic district.

One of the most interesting was the Silas Deane House. The house which is a National Historic Landmark, was the home of the state's first diplomat. The house was built to further Deane's political aspirations and has some ornate details for a house of that period. The entry stairway has three different ballisters and must have been incredibly impressive for the time period.

The last house, also a National Historic Landmark, was the Joseph Webb House where George Washington once sleep and where he and General Rochambeau made war plans for five days. The most interesting aspect was the northeast parlor that had beautiful built-in cabinets with doors that could be closed for a more formal look. The first picture from the link above is a picture of the area with the door closed.

Lots of people have taken pictures of these museums and buildings, so to give a different perspective to the area, I took a picture of the courtyard between the buildings instead. If you want to see the buildings though: go here.

Check out our first Wethersfield visit.

Town #97: Goshen

2009-06-19T19:55:00.012-04:00

Goshen. One of the most agriculturally rural towns we have visited.

What it's known for: having one of the largest fairs in the state.

There are over 50 annual fairs in Connecticut each year, but Goshen's fair is a bit different in that it focuses on agriculture. Or so we hear. There are other agricultural fairs in the state, so we'll have to wait and see how this one might differ. It takes place in September; we'll check it out then.

As a footnote, Connecticut does not have a state fair. Instead, New England has what they call the Big E. The E stands for Exposition. It is the equivalent of a state fair for all six of the small states in this region. By state fair standards it's pretty enormous. If visiting New England, it's worth checking out for the experience.

Back to Goshen. Their fairgrounds get used for many other things besides the annual fair. Looking at their schedule it reads as follows: rodeo, Tibet fest, wine festival, 4-H, auto show. Such diversity! This is definitely one of the things I enjoy about Connecticut. You never know what you might find when you look around.

So, we went up for the town's annual rodeo. As I mentioned Goshen has a large fairground area. Many towns in Connecticut will do fairs in non-standard fair areas. I have experienced fairs in places such as town greens, blocked off town main streets, town fields, and even a commuter lot. I have yet to visit the really large Connecticut fairs such as Durham, Woodstock, and Hebron (which I assume have proper fairgrounds) so this was my first experience with fairgrounds in Connecticut.

New England Custom Blurb:
The fair itself was what you expect from New England fairs: carnival rides, carnival food, and carnival games. Connecticut fairs tend to focus mostly on the food category. You can get pretty much everything you could ever image to eat at a Connecticut fair. I saw one guy walk by with a 5-foot bag of popcorn, two fried doughs (THE New England staple for fair food), two bags of popcorn, and a diet coke. I personally tried the cherry limeade (quite a disappointment for a girl who grew up with Sonic cherry limeades) and a root beer float. Bruce, of course, had the basket of deep fried garlic. I can never talk him out of that.

The main event: the rodeo. Turns out the rodeo was small potatoes. Not much to say about it. The girls' drill team came out and rode in circles barely able to control their horses. Then the bull riders fell off one after another so fast almost none of them qualified. The fence was built improperly, making it virtually impossible to see. And, many people stood in front of the fence instead of sitting on the bleachers--in spite of the announcer's repeated requests not to do that--making it even more difficult to see.

We'll definitely go back to Goshen. We have the wine festival on our calendar and maybe even the official town fair. Also, we drove by this and I can barely resist a place that showcases farm animals from around the world.

Goshen stats:
Population: 3,092
Size: 45 square miles
State Parks: Mohawk State Forest
Villages/Other Communities: West Goshen
Historic Places: Goshen Historic Center, Hervey Brooks Pottery Shop and Kiln Site, West Goshen Historic District

Town #96: Cornwall

2009-06-19T18:55:00.013-04:00

We were driving to another town, and since we had some time to kill we thought it would be a good time to finally stop by Cornwall. Cornwall is a very small town population-wise.

What Cornwall is known for: West Cornwall Covered Bridge.

Actually, it is also known for Mohawk Mountain, the oldest and largest ski resort in Connecticut. Roughly a third of the residents in Cornwall are owners of second homes and many count the tranquility and skiing as their reasons for spending weekends in the town. But, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is the covered bridge.

There are only three historic covered bridges left in Connecticut. The one in Cornwall is the largest and made of red spruce timbers. For those reasons many consider it to be the most beautiful of the three covered bridges. The town of Cornwall also shows up in at least one poem The Hills of Little Cornwall that describes the tranquility of the town.

The bridge (on the National Register of Historic Places and built around 1864) is one of fewer than 1000 authentic covered bridges left standing in the U.S. today.

By the time we got to town in the late afternoon all the local shops next to the bridge were closed. So go early if you want to explore the small town a bit. We ended eating nearby at the Berkshire Country Store for sub sandwiches. So, if you get there late like us that is still an option. Both the bridge and the store can be found in the West Cornwall part of town.

New England Custom Blurb:
Sub sandwiches are a way of life in New England. I would even say the sub sandwich and pizza (including apizzas) are the two staples for New Englanders. The first Subway sandwich shop was started in Connecticut.

The name for sub sandwiches is also worth mentioning. In parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts the word grinder is used to describe what is more commonly called the sub or hoagie. Not much is known about the term but it seems to have first appeared during WWII in Massachusetts. Some Italian sandwich makers started selling their sandwiches to the men working on nearby war ships "grinding" hot iron. The nickname given to the men "The Grinders" and the sandwiches they liked to eat eventually became synonymous. But the term never spread far beyond that region.

Cornwall stats:
Population: 1,489
Size: 46 square miles
State Parks: Mohawk State Park
Villages/Other Communities: East Cornwall, West Cornwall Cornwall Bridge, Cornwall Center, Cornwall Hollow
Historic Places: Bridge No. 560, Cornwall Bridge Railroad Station, Cream Hill Agricultural School, Red Mountain Shelter, Rumsey Hall, Major General John Sedgwick House, West Cornwall Covered Bridge

Town #95: Waterford

2009-06-12T20:40:00.020-04:00

Waterford is one of my favorite towns in Connecticut. I've been there quite a few times to go shopping or to get a bite to eat. But today, I went to the Harkness Memorial State Park. On the park grounds sits the Eolia Mansion and its formal gardens. The gardens are one of a few still in existence that were created by Beatrix Ferrand. One of the others is the famous Dumbarton Oaks Garden in Washington DC.

On the other side of the park is an amphitheater that looks out to the sea and a pier leading to the Long Island Sound.

Although it was a gloomy, foggy day the park was still beautiful. It even had a sort of magical, surreal quality due to the weather. Can't wait to go back when the sun is shining.

Waterford stats:
Population: 18,940
Size: 44 square miles
State Parks: Harness Memorial State Park
Villages/Other Communities: Bartlett Point, Best View, Cohanzie,Dufree Hill, East Neck, Fog Plain, Gilead, Goshen, Graniteville, Great Neck, Harrisons, Jordan, Lake's Pond, Logger Hill, Mago Point, Magonk, Millstone, Morningside Park, Mullen Hill, Oswegatchie, Pepperbox Road, Pleasure Beach, Quaker Hill, Ridgewood Park, Riverside Beach, Spithead, Strand, Thames View, West Neck
Historic Places: Eolia-Harkness Estate, Graniteville Historic District, Hartford Colony, Jordan Village Historic District, Oswegatchie Historic District, Quaker Hill Historic District, Seaside Sanitorium, Walnut Grove
Other attractions: Eugene O'Neill Theater

Town #94: Wilton

2009-05-31T14:02:00.038-04:00

Here are few facts about Wilton:
Wilton is one of the most affluent areas in the United States. It is the headquarters of AIG and all its private schools are for elementary students. Twice a year the town hosts a tag sale (a yard sale for those who don't know that New England term) with the strange name Minks to Sink s. You can read the explanation for the name on the organization's website.

We thought the best way to take in this town would be to walk around the town center. We stopped into Mediterranean Grill for dinner. The restaurant purports to offer a fusion of Spanish, Italian, and Moroccan food. The menu is quite small--and we found it a bit overpriced--which would have been fine for the area except the service was less than adequate. We wouldn't go back, but if you are in the area, you might want to chance it. And if not, there were quite a few other nice restaurants to try.

Before we left, we stopped at the local bookstore and Swoozies which is an upscale party store that is spreading through the CT and NJ area. The store handles all the invitations and other such needs for throwing a themed get-together for a few friends or a kids birthday party. They handle weddings too.

We finally ended up at Starbucks. We always look for independent coffee shops, but it is getting more difficult to find independents left in Connecticut. Kind of a sad trend.

Wilton stats:
Population: 17,960
Size: 27 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Georgetown, Silvermine, South Wilton, Wilton Center, Gilbert Corners, Cannondale, and North Wilton.
Historic Places: Cannondale Historic District, David Lambert House, Georgetown Historic District, Hurlbutt Street School, Marvin Tavern, Sloan-Raymond-Fitch House, Weir Farm National Historic Site, Wilton Center Historic District
Must Eats: Wave Hill Breads

Town #93: Redding

2009-05-31T14:01:00.013-04:00

One of goals for this project is to get a picture of all the public libraries (at least the town's main branch) in the state. But I started that more recently, and it will involve revisiting a whole bunch of towns. For Redding, however, the library was actually the reason I went to the town. The town library is named The Mark Twain Library.

Mark Twain, who is from my home state of Missouri, lived in Connecticut for 19 years before moving to Europe, then New York and finally back to Connecticut to die. A friend convinced him that Redding, Connecticut would be a nice setting to build a house. So he did, and he lived in what he named Stormfield for about a year. In that year he was burglarized, his daughter was married, he fired his secretary for embezzlement, his daughter died, and then he did too.

Eventually the house burned to the ground as well. The saddest part is that he was denied his dying wish, but I'll get to that in a moment.

Until I moved to Connecticut I never knew that Twain spent so many years in this state. I knew him as being a Missourian who wandered a lot from state to state. I knew he spent time in New York, Europe and Connecticut, but it made little impression on me. We, Missourians, tend to have a wandering nature--in our hearts, even if we don't actually have the ability to travel--but deep down we're always still Missourians. I have to believe the same was true for Twain.

Since I first moved here I have always been amazed at how few people know that Twain was a Missourian--and to the degree they have adopted him as one of their own state heroes. Twain gets more press than Nathan Hale, Katherine Hepburn, PT Barnum, and Harriet Beecher Stowe combined, all of which were born in Connecticut and meant a great deal to history in their own right. (I do understand why they want to keep Benedict Arnold a secret; otherwise, I'd add him to the list as well.)

But I'm a bit off topic. Back to Redding. When Twain's daughter died he donated money and books to have the library be named in memory of his daughter. This was basically Twain's dying wish. The library opened in 1911 with the name The Jean Clemens Memorial Library. At some later date the name was changed and the only thing that still bears Jean Clemens's name is a meeting room within the library.

Anyhow, about 200 of the 3000 books Twain donated to start the library are still in the collection today along with some other items that belonged to him.

The library itself has quotations from the author lining the walls. There is a circular feel to the architecture itself. It seems to capture the Connecticut idea of what Twain represented quite beautifully--a man full of homespun quotations about life and books. If you are in the area be sure to stop in and take a look.

Redding stats:
Population: 8,270
Size: 32 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Branchville, Redding Ridge, Topstone, West Redding
State Parks: Collis P. Huntington State Park, Putnam Memorial State Park
Historic Places: Aaron Barlow House, Daniel and Esther Bartlett House, Georgetown Historic District, Redding Center Historic District, Umpawaug District School
Must Eats: Olive Market

Town #92: Ridgefield

2009-05-31T14:00:00.030-04:00

Ridgefield, like many towns in Fairfield County, is among the most affluent towns in the United States. The main industry for Ridgefield is pharmaceuticals, and for a town of under 30,000 there are nine public schools, a Montessori school, and two private schools. It's worth reading one page on the town's website as it is pretty indicative of the area.

The day we visited we stopped at the town's historical site. The Weir Farm National Historic Site is also Connecticut's only national park.

J. Alden Weir, who helped develop American Impressionism, owned the farm. The site is a tribute not just to Weir but to the evolution of American painting as well.

He and many others used the site as an inspiration for paintings. The park preserves the house, studios, barn, stone walls, garden, and pond. Most of the site was under restoration during our visit, so saw the garden and then took a walk to and around the pond. We were able to take quite a few pictures and had a nice leisurely walk among the frogs and dragonflies. It's a picturesque area--easy to imagine painters at one time set up with easels painting the grounds. In fact, people are still doing that today as the park has many painting activities and events.

The Weir Farm is the only U.S. national park dedicated to American painting.

Ridgefield stats:
Population: 24,210
Size: 35 square miles
State Parks: Seth Low Pierrepont State Park Reserve
Villages/Other Communities: Ridgebury, Titicus
Historic Places: Benedict House and Shop, Branchville Railroad Tenement, Frederic Remington House, J. Alden Weir Farm Historic District, Keeler Tavern, Lewis June House, March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Ridgebury Road, Phineas Chapman Lounsbury House, Ridgebury Congregational Church, Ridgefield Center Historic District, Thomas Hyatt House, West Mountain Historic District
Other attractions: Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

Town #91: Mansfield

2009-05-29T20:39:00.020-04:00

Mansfield is best known in Connecticut as being the town in which there is a community named Storrs where the University of Connecticut resides.

We headed to Mansfield for a non-academic purpose. We were going to the drive-in movie. Mansfield happens to have the last one of these in the state and it's a big one. It has three screens and plays a double feature on each. The best part is you get the second movie free!

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience watching Up followed by Star Trek on the main screen. We are kicking ourselves that we haven't discovered this sooner. We had no idea it was only 20 minutes from our house!

We have also discovered a great restaurant here called Wings Express. It's near UCONN and has the most flavorful Indian food in this area. It's funny that you can also get all kinds of junk food here: wings, mozzarella sticks, french fries. Perhaps one of the strangest combinations we've ever encountered, but being so close to UCONN it's actually a very ingenious idea. The only thing this place lacks is ambiance. No, actually, it sort of has a 50s diner atmosphere, so you might actually argue that point. If you enjoy Indian food, it's worth the drive.

Mansfield Stats:
Population: 24,558
Size: 45 square miles
State Parks: Mansfield Hollow State Park
Villages/Other Communities: Atwoodville, Chaffeeville, Chestnut Hill, Eagleville, Gurleyville, Hanks Hill, Mansfield Center, Mansfield Depot, Mansfield Four, Mansfield Hollow, Merrow, Mount Hope, Perkins Corner, Spring Hill, Storrs
Historic Places: Farwell Barn, Mansfield Center Cemetery, Mansfield Center Historic District, Mansfield Hollow Historic District, Mansfield Training School and Hospital, University of Connecticut Historic District—Connecticut Agricultural School
Must Eats: Wings Express

Town #90: Plymouth

2009-04-13T21:41:00.011-04:00

Honestly, this wasn't my first visit to Plymouth. Plymouth was a town I used to think was called Terryville. When I first moved to Connecticut there were few dealerships for the kind of car I had, and Terryville was the closest. So I got to know this town in relation to my car's problems.

New England Custom Blurb:
The reason I thought Plymouth was called Terryville is because Connecticut has a lot of unincorporated communities and sometimes those limbo-ish places are more recognized than the town proper. And because a lot of these places were assigned post offices, the place can be written on letters and mail as the town name, even though they are only designations. Confusing, right?

There are a lot of reasons why these places exist without really being recognized. Some were neighborhoods, others were cities that consolidated. But the most typical reason is these designations were considered to be villages within a town. They were designated by the one structure common to all: the post office. Now, a lot of these post offices are closed or being considered for closure. Somehow I think that will only make the situation more confusing down the road.

But the reason we came to Plymouth for this trip was an early Valentine's Day celebration. I don't think you can live in New England and not, at some point, take a ride in a horse drawn carriage and be shivering under a blanket with someone you love. Fortunately, I can now say we did it!

Wood Acres Farm also gave us each a glass of champagne for the ride. That would have been lovely if the ride had been in June instead of February. As it was, I was distracted by how cold the liquid was even through my gloves and trying not to spill it because drinking it wasn't an option.

On the flip side, we had a lovely time warming by the fire when we returned. All in all, an evening to remember.

Plymouth stats:
Population: 12,183
Size: 22.3 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Allentown, East Plymouth, Greystone, Hancock, Pequabuck, Terryville, Tolles
Historic Places: East Plymouth Historic District, Plymouth Center Historic District, Terryville Waterwheel

Town #89: Haddam

2009-04-08T09:33:00.022-04:00

Haddam is the town you end up in when you go over the Swing Bridge from East Haddam. There is an upscale deli there. Eat there or opt for gourmet take out food. We've stopped in a few times and definitely recommend it. Check it out if you are also passing through.

Otherwise, Haddam used to known for the Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Reactor, but it was decommissioned in 2007. It is also the location of the Thankful Arnold House. Whereas many Connecticut historical homes are the history of wealthy and prominent men, this one presents the life of an average widow. I have driven by but have yet to go inside. I will definitely go back though as I plan on visiting all 14 of the Connecticut Women's Heritage Trail sites. I just think it deserves a visit of its own.

Haddam even shows up "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Wallace Stevens:

O thin men of Haddam,

Why do you imagine golden birds?

Do you not see how the blackbird

Walks around the feet

Of the women about you?

The town also has two neighborhoods. One is Higganum and the other is Haddam Neck. We have yet to step foot in Haddam Neck, but we took a walk in Higganum last year and found this in the woods:

We're still not sure exactly what it is or used to be.

More recently we stopped at Haddam Meadows State Park for a picnic, but it started raining five minutes after we arrived. I did get a nice shot of a white heron though. On our way out of town, a sign caught our eyes. The cemetery was for 30 Mile Island Plantation. Not only is Thankful Arnold buried there, but it is the oldest cemetery in Haddam. It turns out 30 Mile Island was actually 14 acres, and it was later renamed Haddam Island. It is now a state park but it is only accessible by private boat.

Haddam stats:
Population: 7,635
Size: 46 square miles
State Parks: Haddam Meadows State Park, Haddam Island State Park
Villages/Other Communities: Higganum, Ponset, Shailerville, Tylerville
Historic Places: Haddam Center Historic District
Must Eats: The Cooking Company

Town #88: Norfolk

2009-04-02T09:38:00.020-04:00

Norfolk is a very small town in the northwest part of the state. Mostly known for its three state parks and the Yale Summer Music School, there is also a performance hall there. They've been booking national guests lately. The funny thing is the place is in the middle of the woods. Performers say they can't believe it when their GPS tells them they are less than a mile away and they have yet to see any real signs of life.
The place, which used to be called Village Hall, was renovated and renamed Infinity Hall. It has the usual Connecticut charm you would expect--attention to detail and just a smidgen over done in a regionally stylized way. There is a cozy feel without being cramped. That's hard to get right and this place does it very well.
But being so close to woods and offering a bar in the concession stands, people tend to get a little too drunk. At least they did when we were there. Maybe it was just a bad night, or an unusually rowdy crowd. Still, we'll definitely go back again to check something else out.
Be aware: The hall will have a restaurant opening on May 1, but until then there only one restaurant nearby (that we noticed.) The service might be some of the worst you'll find (if our experience was typical), so you will want to eat before you go.
Otherwise, you will find the place a pleasant surprise. In a state where it's hard to see any national acts unless you go to a casino, we're really excited about this one. One last note: the seats will scare you when you first arrive, but don't be too frightened. They are actually quite friendly on the back.

Norfolk stats:
Population: 1,676
Size: 46 square miles
State Parks: Campbell Falls State Park Reserve, Dennis Hill State Park, Haystack Mountain State Park
Villages/Other Communities: North Norfolk, South Norfolk, West Norfolk
Historic Places: Francis Benedict Jr. House, Bigelow House, Braman Camp, Carr House, Childs House Wing, Starling Childs Camp, Converse Camp, Farnum House, Gould House, Haddock House, Haystack Mountain Tower, Hillside, Holbrook Camp, Knox Camp, Low House, Ludlow House, Mead Camp, Moseley House Farm, Moss Hill, Mulville House, Noble House, Norfolk Country Club House, Norfolk Downs Shelter, Norfolk Historic District, Prentice House, Rectory and Church of the Immaculate Conception, Rockwell House, Rubly, Rubly Carriage House, John Shepard House, Sports Building, Robbins Stoeckel House, Tamarack Lodge Bungalow, Tom Thumb House, World War I Memorial

Town Revisit: New Haven

2009-01-06T09:17:00.008-05:00

Over the last few years Bruce and I have gone to New Haven a ton of times. We have often taken trips to Bella's for brunch and then to IKEA. The waffle on the left is the typical fare with fun presentations.

But today, was my birthday and my husband took me to a great French restaurant in New Haven. We went to Union League Cafe. The name is not at all typical for a French restaurant, but it is partially due to the fact that the restaurant's building used to be used for the Union League Club (a private social club.) The food was wonderful. But no pictures. Like most French cooking it just has to be experienced. If you like French food you, should definitely have dinner here some night.

Check out our first New Haven visit.

Town #86: South Windsor

2008-10-12T10:22:00.022-04:00

We stopped at Mill on the River restaurant. We were seated between an elderly woman's 100th birthday party and an office of about 20 businessmen discussing golf and stock options. So the experience was a bit out of the usual.

The restaurant itself was very large, decorated somewhat formally, but it also had a more casual air. The menu was large, the food was good, and the price was less than I would have expected.

You walk over an enclosed foot bridge to get inside the restaurant. We should go back in the daytime as we've been told the restaurant is extremely picturesque.

Something else that is interesting about South Windsor is The Shops at Evergreen Walk. The shopping center itself isn't all that interesting, but its possible evolution is. South Windsor was historically a more agricultural town, but it also situated next to Manchester. Manchester has long been known for the Buckland Hill Mall and its shopping venues in general. After years of seeing how much revenue Manchester was making they decided to put in their own retail space. One of the most popular and successful malls in Connecticut is Westfarms, a "boutique" mall. My best definition for that would be trendy, upscale women's fashion chain stores. More recently The Shops at Farmington Valley were also opened in Canton. It's an open-air large-scale strip mall.

So, it seems like South Windsor is taking a cue from all three towns to create an outdoor, boutique mall with as many stores as possible.

The thing I find funny about this kind of shopping in Connecticut is that we don't have the climate for it. If it's not snowing, it's raining. I am surprised that Nutmeggers have taken to this kind of shopping so much. Perhaps, not being in a conventional mall makes the shopping feel less like shopping and more like going for a walk, but how many days of the year is it actually comfortable to shop in a spot like this?

Anyway, a lot of people don't know the Evergreen Walk shops are in South Windsor. Located on the border of South Windsor and Manchester, it's an easy cross over for Manchester shoppers, and a brilliant location on the part of South Windsor.

South Windsor stats:
Population: 25,985
Size: 28.7 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: East Windsor Hill, Wapping
Historic Places: East Windsor Hill Historic District, Elmore Houses, Windsor Farms Historic District

Town revisit: Bethlehem

2008-10-11T10:23:00.010-04:00

This was our second visit to the town of Bethlehem.

For this trip we attended the town's annual garlic festival.

We found every product you could ever imagine made with garlic. We bought some garlic jelly and but we passed on the garlic oil.

Bruce had a lot of deep fried garlic--because it's not a New England festival/fair unless even the vegetables are deep fried.

As a note: garlic might be good for the digestion but too much deep fried garlic definitely does not have the same effect.

It wasn't all garlic though. We also found a lot of innovative products like the pesto we bought and fell in love with as well as many kinds of farm fresh produce. We can't wait until next year to go back!

And we're still planning on returning to visit that abbey...

Check out our first Bethlehem visit.

Town #85: Southington

2008-09-28T10:22:00.023-04:00

Bruce and I took part in the Apple Harvest Race in Southington this year. There was a 2-mile and a 5-mile race. We did the former one. The Apple Harvest Festival is a growing event that spans 10 days every Autumn and is host to a wide variety of events. The festival, happening every year since 1969, is one of the larger fairs we've discovered in the state.

New England Custom Blurb:
New England is so small it developed a bit differently than many parts of the country in some ways. For example, there is no such thing as the all-American state fair here. Instead, there is the Big-E in Massachusetts--a sort of mega-state fair. It's something that everyone should experience at least once. (But I'd recommend going on a weekday as the traffic and crowds on a weekend can be traumatizing.) Within the boundaries of Connecticut most towns have their own version of a fair. Some are bigger than others but most are very small events. A few town fairs, such as the one in Southington, have developed into something that truly is more of a festival than a fair.

At this year's festival I definitely did more walking that running. But I still finished at about the halfway mark in the pack with a 30 minute flat time. I'm proud of that. Bruce did even better (as the trophy pictured above illustrates.)

This wasn't really our first visit to Southington. This was our first planned visit, but I used to drive through Southington a lot, and once we had a company banquet held at the A qua Turf Club, a popular event and wedding spot. Then last year, Bruce and I had planned to go to a ski resort--but ended up with less time--so we went to Mount Southington, and I skied for the first time ever!

Southington is a great spot. It has a small town feel even though it's not one of the smallest towns in the state. If you're in the area, check this one out.

Southington stats:
Population: 42,077
Size: 36.6 square feet
Villages/Other Communities: Marion, Milldale, Plantsville
Historic Places: Luman Andrews House, Atwater Manufacturing Company, Sela-Barnes House, Barnes-Frost House, Blakeslee Forging Company, Icadbod Bradley House, Clark Brothers Factory No. 1, Clark Brothers Factory No. 2, Avery Clark House, Captain Josiah Cowles House, Ebenezer Evans House, Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal, Levi B. Frost House, Stephen Grannis House, Timothy Hart House, House at 1010 Shuttle Meadow Road, House at 590 West Street, Hurwood Company, Lake Compounce Carousel, Marion Historic District, Meriden Avenue-Oakland Road Historic District, Roswell Moore II House, Peck Stowe & Wilcox Factory, Plantsville Historic District, Dr. J. Porter House, Pultz & Walker Company, Jonathan Root House, Dr. Henry Skelton House, H. D. Smith Company Building, Southington Center Historic District, Southington Public Library, Horace Webster Farmhouse, West Street School, Rev. John Wightman House, Valentine Wightman House, Woodruff House, Captain Samuel Woodruff House, Ezekiel Woodruff House, Jotham Woodruff House, Urbana Woodruff House

Town #83: Windsor Locks

2008-08-30T23:58:00.020-04:00

I planned a mini surprise trip again for my husband's birthday this year. I try to plan around things he is interested in and this year's theme was aviation.

First we went to a town called Windsor Locks.

What Windsor Locks is known for: Bradley International Airport.

In fact, the town's land size is so small the airport take up a third of the land. If you fly in and out of Connecticut you'll most likely do it from this airport. The airport also has an aviation museum and that is where we were headed. The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks showcases the history of flight. I can say I've never seen so many airplanes from different time periods all scrunched together like that. It was inspiring to see the innovation of the human mind.

I can still hardly believe the picture to the left is real. While some people were afraid of the idea of flying, others obviously embraced it. I guess thrill seeking was not invented recently!

Our next stop was at a restaurant in Guilford with an aviation theme.

Windsor Locks stats:
Population: 12,411
Size: 9.4 square feet
Historic Places: Enfield Canal, Memorial Hall, David Pinney House and Barn, Windsor Locks Passenger Station

Town #84: Guilford

2008-08-30T20:55:00.004-04:00

After the New England Air Museum, we traveled to Guilford and had dinner at Cafe Grounded. The building is a quonset hut just off the town's historic center and is made to look like an airplane hanger and most of the seats upstairs are real airplane seats. It's really an ingenious design.

OK, this does not apply to the ones in this picture obviously, but it gives you an idea of the ambiance. Here's a better look at the design. Downstairs is open to the air and you'd get a great (but different) experience downstairs. Also, the food was absolutely amazing. Highly recommended!

The next time we come back we will need to visit Henry Whitfield House. It's a house museum, but it's not just any house museum.

What Guilford is known for: The oldest house in the state.

Today, the Henry Whitfield House is owned and run as a museum by the State of Connecticut.

Guilford stats:
Population: 22,307
Size: 49.7 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Guilford Center, Guilford Lakes, Indian Cove, Leete's Island, North Guilford, Nut Plains, Old Quarry, Sachem's Head
Historic Places: Acadian House, Thomas Burgis II House, Dudleytown Historic District, Jared Eliot House, Falkner's Island Lighthouse, Griswold House, Guilford Center Historic District, Hyland-Wildman House, Pelatiah Leete House, Medad Stone Tavern, Meting House Hill Historic District, Elisha Pitkin House, Route 146 Historic District, Sabbathday House, Henry Whitfield House
Must Eats: Cafe Grounded

Town #82: New Milford

2008-08-19T17:03:00.025-04:00

After we left Washington, we drove up to New Milford.

What it's known for: being the largest town in Connecticut (in land size.)

The main part of town was blocked off by the town's second annual antique car show. There were more than 200 classics cars parked and being driven all over the downtown area. It gave a sense that we had traveled back in time.

So it seemed only fitting that we stop in a few shops that reminded us of "times gone by." We found the best toy store ever called Play. One of the most original stores, not just toy stores. The store has a genuine sense of fun and adults as well as children would be entertained what can found here.

We stopped for some ice-cream as well at All Aboard Pizzaria and Ice Cream Parlor. The shop is right across from the historic railroad station if you are guessing how it got its name. The shop is beautiful. We hopped up on the counter and had a few scoops of ice cream.

New Milford was a stark contrast to New Preston; it bustled where the former town slept. We had a lot of fun walking around this town that had so much charm.

New Milford stats:
Population: 28,667
Size: 63 square miles
State Parks: Lovers Leap State Park
Villages/Other Communities: Boardman Bridge, Gaylordsville, Lower Merryall, Merwinsville, Northville, Park Lane, Still River, Upper Merryall, Wellsville
Historic Places: Boardman's Bridge, Carl F. Schoverling Tobacco Warehouse, E. A. Wildman & Co. Tobacco Warehouse, Hine-Buckingham Farms, Housatonic Railroad Station, J. S. Halpine Tobacco Warehouse, John Glover Noble House, Lover's Leap Bridge, Merritt Beach & Son Building, Merryall Union Evangelical Society Chapel, New Milford Center Historic District, United Bank Building

Town #81: Washington

2008-08-19T14:04:00.012-04:00

We went to the Fire House in New Preston and then did some antiquing around the town center. New Preston is a village in the town of Washington. Washington is one of those tucked away places in Connecticut, the places you think of when you think of the state. At least, I know the town represents what I thought of Connecticut before moving here.

What it's known for: being the inspiration for the fictional setting for The Gilmore Girls.

It's a town with a shop-lined downtown with antiques shops, fruit stands, a deli, as well as an upscale kitchen store and an obscenely expensive antique furniture store. Turn one way and you see a tall, slender woman crossing the street in a designer scarf and heels with her Labrador. Turn another to see people hanging out in khakis and sweater vests while sipping coffee and chatting with friends. It's a truly quaint place. There is no quick and easy way to get here and that's just the way you would want it to be if you wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle.

Washington stats:
Population: 3,693
Size: 38 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Marble Dale, New Preston, Romford, Washington Depot, Woodville
Historic Places: Calhoun-Ives Historic District, Kirby Brook Site, Mount Tom Tower, New Preston Hill Historic District, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Sunny Ridge Historic District, Washington Green Historic District

Town #80: Montville

2008-05-04T10:34:00.021-04:00

We have driven by The Dinosaur Place every time we have gone to Waterford wondering what it could possibly be. There is a huge dinosaur in the parking lot. We've been told it's "authentically" sized.

I thought it was a kid's store focusing on dinosaurs and Bruce thought it was a museum of some sort. Today we stopped speculating and went inside. Basically, it's a shop with rocks for sale. OK, it's more interesting than it sounds. Kids can even dig for rocks and other fossils. Otherwise, it is a large shop for a variety of "fossil related" items like jewelry made from various stones. So, I think I ended up being more correct. If I had friends with kids visiting, I think this would definitely be a spot I'd want to show them.

There are supposed to be other crazy-large dinosaurs in the walking path, so we'll be going back to check that out at some point.

What it's known for: Mohegan Sun Casino.

The casino was our next stop. At 250,000 square feet it is one of the largest casinos in the world. Casinos aren't really our thing, but we wanted to check it out anyway. And it was the only place to get a massage on short notice apparently. (It was my first ever massage.) Afterward, we had dinner and bought some junk food. Great day!

Montville stats:
Population: 19,612
Size: 44 square feet
Villages/Other Communities: Chesterfield, Kittemaug, Massapeag, Mohegan, Oakdale, Palmerville, Uncassville
National Historic Places: Bridge No. 1860, Fort Shantok, Raymond-Bradford Homestead, Uncasville School

Town Revisit: Middletown

2008-04-19T18:37:00.009-04:00

In Middletown we found Baldwin Furniture. It was a bit surreal, as you might pick up from this photo I took outside the building. It's not every day you can sit in an Alice in Wondlerland size chair.

The place was wide open, and we found only one employee inside. You pick out the pieces of lawn furniture you want from the piles stacked on top of each other.

New England Custom Blurb:
The furniture at Baldwin is made in the Shaker tradition. The Shakers were an off-shoot of the Quaker religion and were considered to be a utopian movement. While there is only one active Shaker community remaining in the U.S., they did make quite a mark while they were around. They became known for things such as crafts and furniture making because of their innovative spirit and attention to detail. The Shakers influenced the furniture traditions in New England and the Adirondack outdoor chair became synonymous with the region. I always thought of them painted sky blue and sitting next to the ocean, but you'll just find these all over the state and New England.

Sitting in the chairs we were sold. So comfortable. Ours, are, of course, more human sized.

Perhaps this is when you know you're an adult, when you buy a set of lawn furniture and it makes you absolutely giddy.

And now I feel very New Englandy when I look out the window and seeing these handmade Shaker chairs.

Check out our first Middletown visit.
Check out our second Middletown visit.

Town #79: Groton

2008-04-13T18:36:00.022-04:00

Today we visited a museum that tells the story of what Groton is known for: shipbuilding and submarines.

When we arrived at the Nautilus Museum in Groton I was surprised by how many people were there. It was not extremely crowded by museum standards, but still there were probably 30-40 people inside this small museum. Impressive by Connecticut standards. And not just Connecticut plates could be found on the cars in the parking lot. There were cars from as far away as California. A first from any museum we've visited so far.

The museum itself has two parts. The first part in about the history of submarines and includes museum plaques and photos through the history of the subject. But there were also many artifacts having to do with submarines and submarines technology.

The museum's second part is outside and down a walkway. Visitors are then allowed a walk-through tour of the Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine.

For residents it is worth visiting to learn about the state's history in this area. Also, anyone who is interested in history or submarines would likely enjoy it as well.

Groton stats:
Population: 39,167
Size: 45.2 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Burnett Corners, Center Groton, Fort Hill, Groton Heights, Groton Long Point, Mystic, Noank, Poquonock Bridge, West Mystic
State Parks: Bluff Point State Park, Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, Haley Farm State Park
Historical Places: Avery Point Lighthouse, Branford House, Burnett's Corner Historic District, Fort Griswold, Groton Bank Historic District, Mystic River Historic District, New London Ledge Lighthouse, Noank Historic Disrtrict, Pequot Fort, Jabez Smith House, USS Nautilus Submarine, Edward Yeomans House

Town #78: Chester

2008-03-29T23:40:00.015-04:00

Chester is a cute town even by cute New England standards. We decided to stop by Restaurant du Village. The country French restaurant (pictured above) is what one would expect from such a place: a bit pricey, on the formal side, and staffed by people who speak mostly to you in French. But more than that we found the place to be friendly and cozy. The food was amazing! It was one of the best meals we've ever had. I know we've never had anything more tender, flavorful or unique in our lives. We would highly recommend this place if you are ever in the area and looking for something special or romantic.

We also took a ride on the second oldest ferry in the state. (The oldest one is operated in Glastonbury and Rocky Hill). I had never walked onto a ferry before. We have always driven onto the boat. Walking on somehow made the experience feel more like a proper boat ride.

New England Custom Blurb:
Many US states have ferries. For example, Washington state has the most ferries in operation and New York's Staten Island Ferry is the busiest in the nation. In comparison, New England ferries (at least the ones I have experienced personally) are very small operations. They would more appropriately be called water taxis as they are small short-range river crossing vessels. Whereas a ferry ride in most places will take at least 30 minutes, in this part of Connecticut the ride will not even be five minutes.

Update: The French restaurant mentioned in this post has closed. A different French restaurant opened in its place.

Chester stats:
Population: 3,832
Size: 16 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: n/a
Historic Places: Charles Daniels House, Dr. Ambrose Pratt House, Jonathon Warner House, Old Town Hall, Villa Bella Vista

Town #77: Glastonbury

2008-03-16T12:24:00.020-04:00

For this visit we went to the South Glastonbury Historic District. Pictured here is the Museum on the Green. Originally built as the Town Hall, it is a small one room museum dedicated to the history of the town and its artifacts. On the wall were tools settlers would have used inside and outside the home. One of interest was a small waffle iron. (But then perhaps waffle irons just exploded in size over the years.)

A group of Brownies was inside getting a lesson on how limited girl's lives used to be. Of course, they were all shocked girls could not do the same things as boys once did. Girls not voting seemed preposterous to each of them. It is always eye opening to hear such things explained to children. Hearing "they wouldn't let girls do this" and "they wouldn't let women do that" did not sound any less strange to me now than when I was a girl myself.

After the museum we went a few miles down the road to the South Glastonbury Public Library. We briefly got lost because the museum guide had not heard of the South Glastonbury Library and instead directed us to the main library in Glastonbury saying we "must be mistaken about it being red." But eventually we got on the right path and found it. If the two places look very similar that might be due to the fact that the same man built both structures.

The library is basically one room built in 1828. It was originally a Methodist church. Note the two doors. They were used as separate entrances for men and women. Later it became an African-American church and is on the National Record of Historic Places. Many anti-slavery rallies were held here. Here is a picture of
the inside as it is today.

Granted the village of South Glastonbury has a much different feel than Glastonbury, the town it resides in. I have heard Glastonbury considers itself "the wealthiest town east of the Connecticut River." Whether or not this is true, it's the kind of thing you hear in Glastonbury and something that seems to be a point of pride for local residents. The town has a lot of upscale chain stores and quite a few restaurants. It's also the largest town closest to the town I live in. I have been to Glastonbury many times including: Barnes & Noble, J Gilberts, Max Amore, Plan B, Whole Foods, and various department stores. It even has quite a few historic spots. And it's a town that has grown on me over time in spite of certain drawbacks.

New England Custom Blurb:
I'm not sure I can say this is a custom as the Internet really isn't that old. But it's definitely something I've noticed over time. Town websites in Connecticut have a way of photographing the town without any people and showing only the most remote, scenic spots. I think Glastonbury is as good an example of this as any other. Because towns show only farmland, barns, historic buildings, bodies of water, and autumn leaves people from other regions have an impression of New England that's not exactly accurate. It's most definitely not accurate as far as central Connecticut is concerned. I know when I moved here 10 years ago my Midwestern consciousness expected the entire state to look exactly like Farmington. I'm not sure any other region of the US has done such a convincing job of marketing its image as New England.

Glastonbury stats:
Population: 33,089
Size: 52 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Addison, Buckingham, East Glastonbury, Hopewell, South Glastonbury
Historic Places: Abraham Coult House, Curtisville Historic District,Glastonbury Historic District, Glastonbury-Rocky Hill Ferry Historic District, Dr. Elizur Hale House, John Hollister House, Kimberly Mansion, South Glastonbury Historic District, Giddeon Wells House, Welles-Shipman-Ward House, J.B. Williams Ward Historic District
Must Eats: Plan B

Town #75: Windham

2008-02-17T12:38:00.022-05:00

So when your town is known as Heroin Town throughout the state you might feel a bit nonplussed. When the Hartford Courant does a report on the problem you might confuse the word slander with embarrassment. But if your town is then highlighted on 60 Minutes II you might do something a bit rash like grab hold of something, anything, to take the spotlight off the "King Kong." Keep this in mind as I tell you about Willimantic, Connecticut.

We went to the Willimantic Brewing Company and had lunch. We were pleasantly surprised at this restaurant that brews its own beer and is housed in an old post office.

Before leaving we could not help but ask the waiter why the local bridge has frogs on it. (We knew the story, but were curious about what a local might say.)

He was amazingly accurate about dates (it happened in 1754) and times (during the French-Indian war). He said, the Minute Men (I had heard the villagers) heard screaming one night. Afraid Indians were attacking, they grabbed their guns and started shooting into the night. The next morning, everyone discovered a bunch of dead and dying bull-frogs. Apparently the frogs were fighting over territory due to a drought. That's where I had heard the story ended. But the waiter said local legend has it that the next night the Indians did attack and due to their "preparedness" and "vigilance" the Minute men were successful. (Of course, that last part is not true.)

You've got to love these New England stories. Could anyone make this stuff up?

When I first heard this story I was, first, shocked that a town would want to keep this tale alive in any form. And, two, disturbed that they would randomly shoot in the dark at screaming. What if the object of the screaming needed help?

This story does exemplify two things I have learned about Connecticut over time.
1. People here are in love with local history. No matter what. Absolutely in love.
2. It's every man for himself (or mob, depending on the situation.)

In case you're curious here's a picture from one side of the bridge.

And I suppose when the alternative is heroin maybe the Frog Fight isn't really that bad after all.

Windham stats:
Population: 23,733
Size: 27.9 square feet
Villages/Other Communities: Willimantic, Windham Center, North Windham, South Windham
Historic Places: Fourth Camp of Rochambeau's Army, Dr. Chester Hunt Office, William Jillson Stone House, Main Street Historic District, March Route of Rochambeau's Army-Scotland Road, Prospect Hill Historic District, Willimantic Armory, Willimantic Elks Club, Willimantic Footbridge, Willimantic Freight House and Office, Willimantic Center Historic District

Town Revisit: New Britain

2008-01-25T12:52:00.004-05:00

We went to a crazy party at a German restaurant in New Britain.

Verdict: German coleslaw good, German cottage cheese bad.

I doubt Germans really yell Ticki Tocki Ticki Tocki when they bring out the big pitchers of beer? But it was fun, nonetheless.

Check out our first New Britain visit.

Town #71: Bethel

2008-01-16T12:25:00.014-05:00

Once upon a time I almost lived in Bethel. It's a cute, quaint little town with a walkable square and interesting, locally owned shops. But, being in Fairfield County, I couldn't find a decent sized apartment for the amount I was willing to spend.

But for the past four months, Bethel has become my home away from home. To try and cope with the three hour commute each day to work, I started staying at a local hotel once or twice a week. I did discover a neat coffee shop and area bookstores thanks to a friend, but for some reason the downtown area was thirty minutes from the hotel. (Connecticut has few direct roads though, so it's not that surprising.) While the Microtel was everything I could have wanted, it was very difficult to be away from home and to feel like a traveling salesperson. So, today starts a new, scary, and happy chapter of life.

If you find yourself in the downtown Bethel area it is worth checking out. The local coffee shop is called Molten Java and has a great vibe. People hang out in a dorm room-esque atmosphere playing board games and listening to music and, of course, drinking coffee and chatting. (They also have a variety of hot chocolates and teas available if coffee isn't your thing.) You can even order their coffee online. Drink up! Next door is Rainy Day Paperback book store that is also worth checking out.

Not in the downtown area, but still in Bethel, one day we stopped at the Sycamore Drive-In. No one was doing the drive-in thing, so we went inside. Perhaps it is only on certain days or times? Anyway, the place was very busy. We found a spot at the counter and had lunch. The root beer floats which are served in frosty mugs were pretty darn amazing. Even if you're not into fried American food, go there for the float.

Bethel stats:
Population: 18,760
Size: 16.9 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Grassy Plain
Historic Places: Greenwood Avenue Historic District, Rev. John Ely House, Seth Seelye House
Must Eats: Sycamore Drive-In, Dr. Mikes

Town #70: Union

2008-01-06T16:20:00.018-05:00

For my birthday, I had lunch with Bruce and my brother at the Traveler Book Restaurant in Union. I had been talking about going for some time, so I was quite happy to investigate this restaurant that gives free books to each paying customer. The book selection was mostly popular fiction from the last several decades, but the concept was a lot of fun. On the outside, the place looks like any other house-restaurant in New England, except for the rather large sign on which you will probably only notice the words FOOD and BOOKS.

Inside, the walls are lined with books and after a meal you are free to browse and take up to three books. Downstairs there is a bookstore where books are also sold. It's one of those places that is crammed full from floor to ceiling and you can barely squeeze through the rows because they are so close together. Be careful of neck strain, but don't miss this part of the experience as well.

What it's known for: Being the smallest town in Connecticut. Population-wise that is. There are fewer than 1,000 residents and it's always been that way as almost a third of the town is state park land. The town was also the last settled east of the Connecticut River.

New England Geography Blurb:
This is really more about Connecticut geography than the region. State residents split the state into two regions: West of the River and East of the River. The Connecticut River flows the length of the state North to South--splitting it roughly down the center--and has greatly impacted the settlements and history of the state. For the most part geographical points to the west of the river are more commercialized, developed and industrial. Points to the east of the river are quieter, more rural, and much less developed.

Union stats:
Population: 693
Size: 29 square feet
State Parks: Bigelow Hollow State Park
Villages/Other Communities: Mashapaug
National Historic Places: Union Green Historic Center

Town #68: Bethlehem

2007-12-13T13:34:00.013-05:00

Every year since the 1930s the Bethlehem, Connecticut post office has supplied special stamps to decorate holiday cards. We decided to go this year. We found a few tables with numbered stamps everywhere. There are 69 individual designs. It was a bit overwhelming, but we settled on a few that we liked and got to work.

One group of women came prepared with cardboard sheets to layer their table and plastic gloves to keep the ink off their hands. They were the pros. We were less so. I have a bruise on my palm from all the stamping. I did not even know it was possible to do that to yourself!

This was one of our favorite designs:

There is also a Christmas festival but we must have missed that or we were too early. All the activity we saw was at the post office.

We plan to come back here to visit the Abbey of Regina Laudis. More on that later.

Bethlehem stats:
Population: 3,595
Size: 19 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: n/a
Historic Places: Joseph Bellamy House, Bethlehem Green Historic District, Caleb Martin House

Town Revisit: West Hartford

2007-11-16T12:35:00.014-05:00

Blue Back is a "controversial" shopping center that just opened. It is controversial because a lot of local residents do not want it...

Update: I deleted most of this post because it doesn't really seem relevant now. At the time there was loud debate about this shopping center.

Area residents were saying the project was "doomed to fail" for about 2 years while the shopping center was being planned and built because they didn't want it. As an outsider I notice that Connecticut struggles with the idea of progress. State residents want shopping and restaurants but towns and individuals seem to want businesses to locate in other towns.

It gets even stranger when some large chains are embraced (e.g., Dunkin' Donuts), but others (e.g., Wal-Mart) are shunned. I'm sure many residents would argue this point with me, but couldn't that Dunkin' Donuts be putting the small mom and pop coffee shops out of business in the same way Wal-Mart puts small corner stores out of business? But that analogy is a bit general.

Specifically, West Hartford has always been about shopping and Blue Black was the the town embracing that fact. And as of this date, (April 25, 2011), the shopping center is still going strong.

Check out our first West Hartford visit.

Town #67: Middlefield

2007-11-02T10:32:00.014-04:00

Bruce and I had been to Lyman's Orchard before. We went in August of 2006 to pick raspberries, but ended up with pears because we were too late. This time we decided to do the Corn Maze. We've actually been saying we were going to do it for, yeah, since we met.

It was the very last weekend for the corn and it looked pretty brown and tired, but at least we made it this year!

On one hand, we had a lot of fun. On the other hand, we were the only people there without kids so we felt a little weird. But we got over it pretty quickly.

Actually, if the looks on their faces were any indication, I think we had way more fun than the people with the kids with all the chasing because the corn maze has rules about running (posted everywhere) but the kids ran around anyway. They were kids in a maze made out of corn stalks for the first time. Kind of a hard rule to enforce.

There was also the volunteer guy who followed us everywhere. (I guess he was supposed to keep an eye on people in case they got lost, but it got a little creepy.) Every time we turned around he'd pop out of the corn. But he soon has his hands full with those kids, so we lost him.

Middlefield stats:
Population: 4,281
Size: 13.3 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Baileyville, Middlefield Center, Rockfall
Historic Places: David Lyman II House, William Ward Jr House

Town #66: Portland

2007-10-08T13:06:00.016-04:00

I had a serious drop off in blog posts here due to wedding planning. We had no time to do our usual exploring for the last three months we were planning the wedding.

Now it's a month since we actually got married and we have been so busy working on the house (every free moment of our lives) that we have had no time to do our usual exploring.

We hope to get back to it soon, but it may be a while with NaNoWriMo beginning soon...

We have mentioned this to everyone by now, but we had a lot of fun at our wedding. For those who weren't there we said our vows at St. Clements Castle in Portland. It was terrific to have so many of those we cherish with us for the day. We had our honeymoon in New York City. We stayed at the Waldorf, explored the city, and saw some shows. It was wonderful, and now Portland is more than just the town we drive through on our way to Middletown and back. It'll always be a special place for us.

But Portland is also more than just this one spot.

What it's known for: The Come on Over Sign

As I mentioned in another post, the state of Connecituct is approximately cut in half by the Connecticut River and residents offer think of the state at two distinct regions: west and east of the river. In the central part of the state there are two towns just on either side of the river. Middletown is on the west side and Portland is on the east. Portland is actually nuzzled into the river in a sort of horseshoe shape with the river bordering three sides of the town. So there are not a lot of ways in an out of town by car. One of the main access points is the Arrigoni Bridge. Over the bridge, one leaves Portand and enters Middletown. On your return trip you see a very large sign with huge letters that reads Come on Over.

The sign is 10-foot by 132-foot and was built as a retaining wall by a local lumber yard owner in 1925. To spruce up the retaining wall he had the wall painted red and the letters put on in bright white. Now it's a local, visual icon for those who cross the bridge on a regular basis. Of course, there are those who might say Portland is known for its quarries or even the giant roadside wiener mobile; however, we think the longevity of the sign, and its uniqueness, give it the slight edge. But we'll undoubtedly visit the other two spots in due time.

Portland stats:
Population: 9,543
Size: 25 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Gildersleeve
Historic Places: Indian Hill Avenue Historic District, Daniel and Mary Lee House, Portland Brownstone Quarries, Williams and Stancliff Octagon Houses

Town Revisit: Manchester

2007-05-06T10:51:00.007-04:00

Last week we were unsuccessful yet again at getting into a Connecticut museum. We tried the Barker Animation Museum in Cheshire, but they will now only be open on Saturdays.

So this week we decided to do some more geocaching. Geocaching is a GPS-oriented scavenger hunt similar to letter boxing. We ended up finding two. That's a first for us in one day.

The first was in a Lowe's parking lot, so we had to work on our covert skills. (Those who do not geocache do not know what the geocaches are and will often abscond with them if they notice a geocacher find one. So care is needed not to draw attention to oneself when geocaching in a public area.)

The second was at the Center Springs Park in Manchester. It was a nice walk in a surprisingly deserted park. We also found our first travel bug, so we will have to get right back out there to find him a new waypoint on his little alien adventure before he rendezvouses with the other aliens and lifts off from Michigan. (A travel bug is an item that must travel from geocache to geocache in order to arrive at a certain time and place.) I can't pronounce his alien name, so I just call him Al for short. Here's a photo of Al the Alien.

Check out our first Manchester visit.

Town #61: Monroe

2007-05-01T07:33:00.012-04:00

Monroe is a quiet town with 75 percent of its residents made up of married couples. That, I find interesting, but another fact about the town is also intriguing. The town named itself after President Monroe. At first, I thought this a bit strange as I could find no link between that fairly forgotten president and the town.

In fact, the town seems to have had a hard time deciding on a name. The town was first called Ripton Parish, then North Stratford, that changed it slightly to New Stratford, and followed that with its penultimate name Huntington.

But then something happened across the country. According to the town's historical society many towns were renaming themselves after President Monroe in 1823. He must have been a wildly popular president. In fact, I found 21 towns in 19 states named after President Washington but 27 towns in 21 states named after President Monroe. While he is all but forgotten by most people today, Monroe's legacy seems to be his town names.

Besides the name and the bust of Monroe on the town seal there is nothing Monroe-ish about the town. Not that I would know what Monroe stood for as I know very little about the man. I would have happily hunted down and photographed a statue or a plaque, but as far as I know, the town never erected anything like that.

So I had to be content with finding non-Monroe things in Monroe. First, I stopped at Panino's Pizaa and Pasta restaurant. The place has great tasting bread and a big menu of New England favorites. The service and prices were great as well.

I wandered around a bit more and ended up at the local Goodwill. The most interesting thing I saw all day was the shelf marked Bric-a-Brac. The term is French and means low quality or low value nicknacks. I have never seen it used in a store before, and I also don't think I've even heard that term since I was a kid.

It was a fairly uneventful visit. Some towns can be more challenging than others. I just need to investigate a bit more thought, I'm sure Monroe has some interesting spots.

Monroe stats:
Population: 19,650
Size: 26 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: East Village, Stepney, Stevenson, Upper Stepney
Historic Places: Daniel Basset House, Monroe Center Historic District, Stevenson Dam Hydroelectric Plant, Thomas Hawley House
Must Eats: Panino's Pizza and Pasta

Town #59: Colebrook

2007-04-13T09:52:00.009-04:00

As we were driving out of state to Vermont, we drove into Colebrook. We didn't actually see any buildings in town although we have been told that a few exist and they are worth seeing.

Colebrook, which was the last settled town in Connecticut, had an impressive general store, but it is now closed. Also, Colebrook is one of only four towns in Connecticut that does not have its own library. (The other three are: Barkhamstad, Bozrah, and Hartland. Interestingly, three of the four border one another.)

We ended up stopping at the Algonquin State Forest and going for a hike before continuing our drive toward Vermont. It was such a quiet place. We did not even encounter any other people or cars while in the forest.

Colebrook stats:
Population: 1,540
Size: 32 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: North Colebrook, Robertsville
Historic Places: Colebrook Center Historic District, Colebrook Store, Phelps Farms Historic District, Arah Phelps Inn, Rock Hall

Town #58: Danbury

2007-04-10T12:56:00.016-04:00

I was in Danbury for several years and did not get around to seeing too much. This wasn't becasue there was nothing to see, but because I was so busy and expected to have several more years to check things out. But before leaving I did manage to see a couple of talk--one given by Jane Goodall, and the one I attended this night.

A couple of people from the show Mythbusters came to Western Connecticut State University's Danbury campus for a talk about the show. Grant Imahara and Kari Byron both came with some slides and took questions from the audience.

The interplay between locals and "outsiders" was more interesting than the actual presentation. Imahara and Byron seemed to take the questions in stride even though they asked everyone to ask one question (in the spirit of allowing everyone to get to ask a question). Then every single person who was in the line at the microphone said, "I have two questions." Fnally , when one man bumped that up to three questions Byron had to tell him that was too many, and then mouthed something in confusion to Imahara. He shrugged and shook his head. From their exchange of looks throughout the event, and witnessing the unnecessary mob rush for seats at the beginning, I could tell they were learning a bit about how New Englanders think and act. It was priceless.

Danbury stats:
Population: 79,743
Size: 44.3 square feet
Villages/Other Communities: Germantown, Mill Plain
Historic Places: Ball and Roller Bearing Company, Hearthstone, Charles Ives House, Locust Avenue School, Main Street Historic District, Meeker's Hardware, New Haven Railroad Danbury Turntable, Octagon House, John Rider House, P. Robinson Fur Cutting Company, Tarrywile, Union Station

Town #57: Waterbury

2007-04-08T15:47:00.025-04:00

While living in Waterbury, I have done little exploring. I often feel as if I have been exiled here. I moved here at the end of 2004 to be closer to work. I await the day I get word that I can rejoin those in the central part of the state where I'm more familiar. But, this week, we gave it a stab.

Mostly I have seen the Brass Mill Mall and a few other streets near where I live. This day we drove through two historic neighborhoods: Overlook and Hillside.

Unintentionally, we drove through an industrial park and saw a mountain in the distance with graffiti all the way up the side. The graffiti was pretty spectacular. Where else would you find ninja-like vandals spray painting graffiti large enough to see from a mile away?

We stopped at the historic Sheffield Street Bridge that is blocked off and rotting away. It was serene, and a bit sad, to see and hear the brook nearby. Poor landmark!

Some other notable places we saw in Waterbury: Timexpo Museum and Holy Land. The most interesting spot we visited was Timexpo, a museum that pays homage to the town's watch making history. (It does get a little weird at the end when you walk through the "time tunnel" but just go with it). Then there is Holy Lan d, a miniature version of the actual Holy Land. It is now owned by a seclusive order of nuns who do not maintain it or allow visitors. It used to be a tourist attraction in the 1960s from what I've been told.

Waterbury's a unique place. I'm sure we'll see more of it.

Waterbury stats:
Population: 108,000
Size: 28 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Hopeville, Town Plot, Waterville
Historic Places: George S. Abbott Building, Bank Street Historic District, Benedict-Miller House, Beth El Synagogue, Bishop School, Downtown Waterbury Historic District, Elton Hotel, Lewis Fulton Memorial Park, Hamilton Park, Enoch Hibbard House and George Grannis House
Must Eats: Tequilas

Towns #52: Stamford

2007-04-01T15:53:00.014-04:00

So, Bruce and I took several months off from exploring. It was the mildest winter I have experienced in the seven years I have lived here, but when it's cold the last thing I think about is traveling around to personally uncharted territory.

Our first trip of 2007 around Connecticut was to that little area that sticks out on the extreme southwest tip of the state.

Stamford has been ranked as one of the safest cities in the U.S. in the past. It's also the second library in the country to rent part of its space to a Starbucks. (More on that in a future post.)

We were headed to a different kind of place. Bruce had been given a gift certificate to Connecticut H ome Wrecking. The history of the place is interesting because it was started as a architectural salvage from home demolitions. But we didn't find the place as unique as we had been led to believe we would.

The most disappointing thing was the fact that much of the furniture we saw were actually reproductions. Not too much else to say except, sadly, we left without using the gift certificate.

Stamford stats:

Population: 118,475

Size: 52.1 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Belltown, Glenbrook, High Ridge, Long Ridge, North Stamford, River Bank, Springdale, Turn of River

Historic Places: Agudath Sholem Synagogue, Church of the Holy Name, Cove Island Houses, Deacon John Davenport House, Downtown Stamford Historic District, Fort Stamford Site, Benjamin Hait House, Hoyt Barnum House, John Knap House, Linden Apartments, Long Ridge Valley Historic District, Main Street Bridge, Marion Castle, Merritt Parkway, Octagon House, Old Town Hall, Gustavus and Sarah T. Pike House, Revonah Manor Historic District, Rockrimmon Rockshelter, St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church, St. Benedict's Church, St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church, St. Luke's Church, St. Mary's Church, South End Historic District, Stamford Harbor Lighthouse, C. J. Starr Barn and Carriage House, Suburban Club, Turn-of-River Bridge, Uniterarian Universalist Church, United States Post Office (Stamford Main), Zion Lutheran Church

Town Revisit: Middletown

2007-01-12T13:59:00.004-05:00

We drive by the New World Laser Tag all the time in Middletown. We must have been in a strange mood because after dinner we stopped by and tried it out. It turned out to be fun. We played a couple of other people we did not know.

For those who have never done it, it was dark and foggy and we had these vest "suits" and "guns" to use. The object was to hit the flashy things on other people and keep yourself from getting shot. I won, but Bruce's claimed his gun didn't work properly. Turned out he was right after the equipment check, so we may never know who is the better shot. (I'm not sure how likely we'll get the urge to try it again.)

Check out our first Middletown visit.

Town #48: Manchester

2007-01-06T13:56:00.015-05:00

All my life my birthday wish has been this:
"Please, just one year of my life, let it be 70 degrees on my birthday."

Well, having a birthday in January and living in Missouri, New York and Connecticut all my life, I knew it would never happen. But it gave me something to wish for.

I can't believe it was actually 73 degrees yesterday!

We saw people driving around with the top down, wearing shorts, men working without shirts, and guys on motorcycles. I don't even care if people are freaked out by it, that was the best birthday present ever!

Since I've been incredibly ill since before Christmas, it was nice to also be able to eat crap on my birthday. (It's amazing how a little thing like getting your appetite back and being free from stabbing abdominal pain can be so exciting after being sick for a while.)

Bruce also took me duckpin bowling, something I've wanted to do for some time. We listened to This American Life and then stopped at some lanes in Machester. Duckpin bowling is to the Northeast what drive-in movie theaters are to the Midwest--part of a vanishing cultural past. The tiny balls were so cute!

New England Custom Blurb
Duckpin Bowling started around 1900. At first it was an alternate game for professional bowlers to practice with smaller balls. Later, someone decided to make the pins smaller to match the balls and a new game was born. At one time duckpin bowling was incredibly popular. It was reportedly Babe Ruth's favorite sport outside of baseball and there are still some photos that exist of Babe Ruth playing the game. Today the game is relegated mostly to the East Coast but there is a Hall of Fame. The game has similar rules to traditional bowling but three balls are rolled per turn, and I've been told, no one has ever rolled a perfect game.

Not exactly what Manchester is known for. Other than shopping, that would be the Manchester Road Race. We chose duckpin bowling instead. A great day all round.

Manchester stats:
Population: 55,572
Size: 27.7 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Buckland, Highland Park, Manchester Green
Historic Places: Edward L. Burnham Farm, Case Brothers Historic District, Cheney Brothers Historic District, Main Street Historic District, Manchester Historic District, Pitkin Glassworks Ruin, Union Village Historic District, US Post Office-Manchester Main, Woodbridge Farmstead

Town Revisit: East Hampton

2006-11-19T14:31:00.019-05:00

Last Thursday we decided to do some geocaching. The last time we managed to go geocaching was in January...in another country. I don't really know what happened for the last ten months.

Day one: We got lost. We got as far as the river and realized we were on the wrong side it. Oops. We had a nice walk through Hurd State Park though.

Day two: We found an old abandoned mill followed by some old abandoned railraod tracks. After some thought, effort, and climbing up the side of a steep hill we found the geocache. Yay, success!

Maybe next year we'll be more on the ball...

And since Bruce lives in East Hampton, there will probably be more information about the town as time goes on. Here's a little more about this small town. It was the hometown of one of Connecticut's governor's, Bill O'Neill. It is also home to Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company which is the only company left in the US that produces bells exclusively. You will notice its impact on the town as many things are named after the town's nickname Belltown. The town's street signs also display a bell.

East Hampton also has a large lake in town named Lake Pocotopaug.

Comstock Bridge, to the right, (one of three remaining covered bridges in the state) is part of East Hampton as well.

We'll be adding more information about this town as time goes on.

Check out our first East Hampton visit.

Town #46: Madison

2006-11-01T11:42:00.012-05:00

We also drove to Madison and explored a bit. We stopped at one of the places Madison is known for, R.J. Julia Booksellers, to experience the largest independent bookstore I've been to in Connecticut. It's a bookstore that sort of feels like a Barnes and Noble, but they do it all as an independent. There are over 300 events held at the bookstore every year, so there is always something to go see. The gift selection feels almost as expansive as the bookstore itself. And if you get hungry there is a separate cafe area. The food won't be prepackaged and/or microwaved like you'll get at a large chain bookstore. We had the quiche, and it was wonderful.

One particularly nice thing the bookstore does is give a little blurb about many of the books on the shelf. This is like the staff recommendations most people are familiar with (and the bookstore does have one of those shelves as well) but it's just more extensive and gives a great sense of involvement with its customers. I also greatly appreciate the free bookmark they give you when you buy a book. It's free advertisement for them and something an avid reader is always searching for. The only drawback to this bookstore is how far it is from where we live.

Our last stop was to the Meigs-Bishop House, one of the historic sites in Madison. The house was built in 1690 and is now a teahouse and British food shop. We didn't stop for tea but we bought several treats from the extensive selection of jellies, beverages, sauces, and candies. Who says the English don't eat anything appetizing?

Madison is also known for Hammonassett State Park which as the longest public beach in Connecticut. But if you're a resident of the state, you'll pay between $9 and $13 to get in. Non residents pay a considerably higher price. The cost doesn't seem to detour anyone though. It's one of the most popular outdoor places in the state and will even cause traffic backups at times.

Madison stats:
Population: 18,812
Size: 36.8 square miles
State Parks: Hammonasset State Park
Historic Places: Allis Bushnell House, Hammanasset Papermill Site, Madison Green Historic District, Meigs-Bishop House, Jonathon Murray House, Shelley House, State Park Supply Yard

Town #45: East Hampton

2006-11-01T11:08:00.020-05:00

Last weekend we took off walking.

Later we decided to go for a hike. It turned out to be more of walk though as the trail we were on was very level. That makes sense considering its history.

The Air Line Rail Trail, once railroad tracks, now is a path that stretches across the state.

We walked right over the Rapallo Viaduct, but did not find a marker. We did stumble upon the Lyman Viaduct marker though much further down the road. The Rapallo Viaduct was originally a railroad bridge that spanned 1,380 feet. The Lyman Viaduct was a railroad right-of-way at one time.

We started in East Hampton and walked for at least six miles round trip. There was an encounter with a baby snake, and we were briefly chased by two small dogs. Good time!

East Hampton stats:
Population: 15,363
Size: 36 square miles
State Parks: Hurd State Park
Historic Places: Belltown Historic District, Comstock Bridge, Middle Haddam Historic District, Rapallo Viaduct

Town #44: Westbrook

2006-10-03T22:41:00.011-04:00

What it's known for: Having one of only two outlet malls in Connecticut.

Tanger Outlet Mall in Westbrook has over 65 outlet stores. I used to stop there because of the Waldenbooks, but that was closed a few years ago. Still, on a nice day it can be a nice alternative to a traditional mall.

Tanger is a national chain. I have been to the one in Branson, Missouri, and I have a feeling these are all pretty similar where ever you find them. The one in Westbrook has a movie theater unlike the one in Branson, but the one in Missouri has quite a few more choices for restaurants than the one in Westbrook. In fact, there are only two spots to eat here. The Westbrook Tanger location is rather small, so it is understandable. Christa's Cafe and Fiore's of Westbrook are the two listed restaurants. Fiore's is a pizza place while Christa's (my favorite of the two) has a wide variety of sandwiches and beverages.

Check it out if you are interested in outlet malls.

Westbrook stats:
Population: 6,599
Size: 21 square feet
Villages/Other Communities: Chapman Beach, Coral Sands, Grove Beach, Grove Beach Point, Grove Beach Terrace, Horse Hill, Island View, Kelsey Point, Little Standard, Middle Beach, Pilot's Point, Pointina, Pond Meadow, Quotonset Beach, Sagamore Terrace, Salt Works, Stannard Beach, West Beach, Westbrook Center
Historic Places: Doane's Sawmill, Lay-Pritchett House

Town #43: East Lyme

2006-10-03T15:19:00.013-04:00

We had been hearing about the Book Barn in Niantic, a village in East Lyme, for a long time. It's probably the most well-known independent bookstore in the state. This place is just what it sounds like--a lot of books in a barn. Actually, there are six barns. Well, really it was more like one barn and five sheds. But cute sheds.

Getting Around: The owners give you a map which explains what category you can find in each barn. Pretty easy and straightforward.

Service: Nothing special. There's really too many books for them to know what they have and nothing is computerized. They basically just ring people up.

Restrooms (always important): An outhouse. Oops, no there are books in the outhouse. You'll have to use one of the two port-a-potties.

Ambiance: This is where the Book Barn shines. They have done a great job with personal touches. The horror section has cobwebs and creepy music, for example. In fact, the music was perfect in every section. There were cats wandering throughout the grounds and in the buildings that added to the charm. The gardens could have used a little work, but still quite cute.

Book Quality: This, unfortunately is where the Book Barn has gone wrong. What happens when you have books open to the elements? They don't hold up so well. The barns are open to the air and humidity and sun, so even books that had been arrived a few weeks ago were already in poor shape. Also the selection was pretty haphazard. Overabundance of some titles and other expected titles were missing. For example, having many editions of H. G. Wells In the Days of the Comet but no copies of Invisible Man seems like a strange choice.

Book Price: On things that were "new" to the store (books purchased in the last week) the price was great. Most were $4.00. On ones that had been hanging around longer, that price started not to look all that attractive.

There is more to explore in East Lyme itself, so we'll plan on making another trip to this town.

East Lyme stats:
Population: 18,459
Size: 42 square feet
State Parks: Rocky Neck State Park
Villages/Other Communities: Black Point, Crescent Beach, Flanders Village, Niantic
Historic Places: Thomas Avery House, William Gorton Farm, Thomas Lee House, Morton Freeman Plant Hunting Lodge, Rocky Neck Pavilion, Samuel Smith House

Town #41: Enfield

2006-08-30T20:28:00.002-04:00

Our first stop of the day was to the Bickford's in Enfield. Bruce thought all the Bickford's had left Connecticut, but it turned out one is still around. As a kid he used to get something on their menu called a Big Apple, so it was a step back down memory lane for him.

Enfield is a town that made used to make gunpowder and more than 50 people died over the years because of mill explosions. There are still trails in Enfield that contains some of the ruins of those mills. Enfield is also one the towns is Connecticut that border another state.

New England Geography Blurb
New England is literally unlike any other place in the US. It's the only non-geographic area in the country that is recognized by the US government. And, for a variety of reasons, NECTA was created. NECTA, which stands for New England City and Town Area, places Enfield in Massachusetts rather than Connecticut. According to NECTA, Enfield is more closely aligned with Springfield than with Hartford. While this makes little difference for the State of Connecticut, it can be interesting to those interested in regionalism and New England culture.

After brunch we were off to Bristol.

Update: Since this post, the Bickford's in Enfield closed and there are no longer any locations in Connecticut.

Enfield stats:
Population: 45,411
Size: 34.2 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Hazardville, North Thompsonville, Scitico, Thompsonville
Historic Places: Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Mills, Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Mills Historic District, Enfield Historic District, Enfield Shakers Historic District, Enfield Town Meetinghouse, Hazardville Historic District

Town #42: Bristol

2006-08-30T00:36:00.019-04:00

After leaving Enfield, we went to the American Clock and Watch Museum in Bristol. Bristol is one of three towns in Connecticut with important watch making history (Plymouth and Waterbury are the other two.)

Bristol is known for a couple of things (Lake Compounce Amusement Park and ESPN Headquarters), but those would not be stops for this day. But we do plan to visit each at some point in the future.

Inside we found every size and kind of clock and watch you could imagine. The collection includes clocks dating back to the 1600s and some watches even older than that. We saw antique sundials, wooden clocks, and even a two-story clock tower housed inside the building. Many of these still work, ticking and chiming as you make your way through the rooms. The sounds were as much a part of the experience as seeing the instruments, gving this Connecticut museum a unique quality. The museum says it has over 1500 clocks and watches on display--more than you'll likely ever see in one place anywhere else.

Bristol stats
Population: 61,353
Size: 26.8 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Edgewood, Forestville,
Historic Places: Beleden House, Bristol Girls' Club, Ernest R. Burnwell House, Copper Ledges and Chimney Crest, Endee Manor Historic District, Federal Hill Historic District, Forestville Passenger Station, William I. Jerome House, Main Street Historic District, Marlborough House, Rockwell Park, South End Historic District, Terr-Hayden House, Townsend G. Treadway House

Town #40: Winchester

2006-08-29T09:50:00.014-04:00

For six years, I've been saying I was going to the Gilson in Winsted, Connecticut. Finally, it happened. The unique movie theater has two seats side by side then a space and two more seats side by side along the theater. In front of the seats for each grouping is a small table. Before the movie starts a waitress comes by and offers a menu. Not only can you order a full meal, but you can get wine and beer as well. The venue is perfect for a date since the seating arrangements are by twos. Surprisingly, it wasn't loud to be surrounded by food and liquor while the movie was playing. At the end, the waitress brings the bill for the movie and whatever food and beverage you ordered. If you can get there, I definitely recommend the Gilson Cafe and Cinema.

I'll possibly add a picture of the theater at some point, but I didn't have my camera the day I was there. Here's an alternate one from the Winsted Green which runs alongside Winsted's two-year college, Northwestern Connecticut Community College.

Winsted is a very nice city. Yes, it's a city that's inside a town. I don't know the whole story except that it was city (being on the census register and everything) until the 70s or 80s when it became a part of Winchester. (With such a small population how Winsted is considered a city is also a bit confusing). Maybe there were benefits for Winsted to take an alternative route. Pretty suitable for the hometown of Ralph Nader.

Winchester stats:
Population: 10,857
Size: 33.8 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Winchester Center, Winsted
Historic Places: Moses Camp House, Gilbert Clock Factory, Solomon Rockwell House, West End Historic District, Winchester Soldiers' Monument, Winsted Green Historic District, Winsted Hosiery Mill

Town #39: Plainville

2006-05-21T10:19:00.011-04:00

The Book Exchange is in Plainville, Connecticut. (For those who remember, it's not where it used to be. It's now on the Southington border.) It was one of the first places I discovered when I moved here six years ago. When I first moved to the area, Connecticut has a rather generic feel to me, so I was looking for something with a bit of character, and one day I stumbled on this bookstore.

It's a used bookstore with an impressive inventory. In this day and age I have no idea how they stay in business. There are books there that I think probably haven't moved in years. I picked up a book the other day and brushed off the dust like I was in some kind of old movie. But then the store does have that fantastical quality. It's the kind of place where you wouldn't be all that surprised to trip over an old lamp and have a genie pop out.

But what you'll definitely find is over 40,000 hand-picked titles--which is impressive enough--but it's not just books. They also have everything from LPs to DVDs. If you're still looking for CDs, they have the most extensive and eclectic collection for sale that I have ever encountered.

At this writing, there isn't too much more to say about Plainville. Little seems to have ever happened in Plainville and little of what happens today sets it apart from other spots in the state. Even the town's website (at this writing) doesn't offer much in the way of town history. Instead, it suggests visiting the town's historical society website and all the links on that page are broken. Plainville does have a town balloon festival and the oldest private airport is also located here. So, we'll come back and check those things out. But, on the whole, Plainville is a lovely town, but aptly named.

Plainville stats:
Population: 17,382
Size: 9.8 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: n/a
Historic Places: Charles H. Norton House, Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal, New Haven District Campground

Town #37: East Haddam

2006-04-01T07:27:00.009-05:00

East Haddam is quite frankly stunning. It's beautiful to drive through its main street and across the Swing Bridge. Crossing over heading towards Haddam you see the Goodspeed Opera house on your left and a span of the Connecticut River on either side of you.

The East Haddam Swing Bridge is the largest swing bridge in the world according to the town of East Haddam. It certainly is beautiful and worth a trip to the town just on its own.

The photo here doesn't begin to do the town justice, but I was actually trying to get the rainbow. We'll post more pictures as when we get over to East Haddam.

East Haddam stats:
Population: 8,808
Size: 46 square miles
State Parks: Devil's Hopyard State Park, Gillette Castle State Park
Historic Places: Amasa Day House, Bridge No. 1603, Bridge No. 1604, Bridge No. 1605, East Haddam Historic District, Goodspeed Opera House, Hadlyme North Historic District, Little Haddam Historic District, Millington Green Historic District, Oriole Rockshelter, Roaring Brook I Site, Roaring Brook II Site, Seventh Sister, Warner House, Wickham Road Historic District, Working Girls' Vacation Society Historic District
Other Attractions: Nathan Hale Schoolhouse

Town #34: Colchester

2006-01-14T07:26:00.004-05:00

Colchester is a town I drove through before I officially started looking for interesting day trips. I have visited the Starbucks, the movie theater, and a local pizza shop. I am also aware of Harry's Place, a popular roadside burger spot in warm months.

Here are some stats about the town and we will eventually return for a more thorough visit.

Colchester stats:
Population: 15,389
Size: 49.8 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Colchester Center, North Westchester, Westchester
Historic Places: Bacon Academy, Blackledge River Railroad Bridge, Henry Champion House, Colchester Village Historic District, Hayward House, Lyman Viaduct, River Road Stone Arch Railroad Bridge, Wheeler Block
Must Eats: Cafe Mangia

Town #33: Middletown

2005-12-05T17:32:00.013-05:00

Have dinner at It's Only Natural in Middletown, Connecticut. Since coming to Connecticut it is one of only two vegetarian restaraunts I have found here. (The other is Claire's in New Haven.)

And besides being important to me for being the location of my first date with my boyfriend, it also has some very good food. It's Only Natural is funky and eclectic.

They sometimes add interesting wines to their list. For a while they were serving Ladybug Red which uses ladybugs instead of insecticide to protect the growing grapes. It has a nice mellow taste; quite affordable and enjoyable.

Middletown stats
Population: 47,428
Size: 42.3 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Highland, Newfield, Westfield
Historic Places: Alsop House, Bishop Acheson House, Broad Street Historic District, Church of the Holy Trinity and Rectory, Coite-Hubbard House, Connecticut General Hospital for the Insane, Edward Augustus Russell House, Harriet Cooper Lane House, Highland Historic District, Jacob Pledger House, Main Street Historic District, Metro South Historic District, Middletown Alms House, Middletown South Green Historic District, Miller-Dunklee House, Nehemiah Hubbard House, Old Middletown High School, Russell Company Upper Mill, Saint Luke's Home for Destitute and Aged Women, Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, Sanseer Mill, Seth Wetmore House, Starr Mill, Starr Mill Road Bridge, Town Farms Inn, Old Middletown U.S. Post Office, Wadsworth Estate Historic District, Washington Street Historic District, Wilcox Crittenden Mill, Middletown Woodrow Wilson High School
Must Eats: It's Only Natural, O'Rourkes

Town #32: Vernon

2005-10-19T11:40:00.010-04:00

We had a fun trip to Vernon today. Our first stop was Golfland and Games. This place is the mother ship of game variety. There are go-karts, batting cages, arcades, bumper boats, an 18-hole miniature golf course, and even a real 9-hole golf course. We spent several hours there and did not even manage to do everything. The miniature golf was a lot of fun because it was so difficult (or we are so unskilled) that our scores were hilarious. Those will not be revealed here, but trust us, we were bad.

After we finished we stopped at the locally famous Rein's Deli. Rein's is a New York style Jewish deli that's been operating in Vernon for over thirty years. Bruce had trouble choosing what to eat. I, on the other hand, being non-Jewish and raised in the Midwest had trouble deciphering the menu.

Both of these places warrant a revisit in the future.

Vernon stats:
Population: 29,491
Size: 18 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Dobsonville, Rockville, Talcottville, Vernon Center
Historic Places: Florence Mill, Minterburn Mill, Old Rockville High School and East School, Rockville Historic Center, Saxony Mill, Sharpe's Trout Hatchery Site, Talcottville Historic Center, Valley Falls Cotton Mill Site

Town #31: Salisbury

2005-09-15T08:28:00.014-04:00

Bruce and I went racing in an area of Salisbury known as Lakeville. We took a professional go-kart racing class at Lime Rock Park. They decked us out in full race gear--flame retardant clothing, helmet, and neck brace. We were beginners, so our cars' top speeds were "turned down" but we must have been going around 50 miles per hour. The top speed of the karts, our instructor told us, was 65 miles per hour.

Lime Rock is one of four racetracks in the state and the only road course track in all of Connecticut.

Since the racing class started early in the morning and Salisbury is a long way from us we ended up staying in a nice inn. We chose it because it was the only place we could find in the area, but we enjoyed its country inn charm. You get a rustic feel here at the most northwestern town in the state.

We definitely need to come back and visit Salisbury. We have a couple other stops in mind. We'll be back eventually, Salisbury!

Salisbury stats:
Population: 3,977
Size: 60.1 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Amesville, Joyceville, Lakeville, Lime Rock, Ore Hill, Taconic, Twin Lakes
Historic Places: Bridge No. 2305, John C. Coffing House, Lakeville Historic District, Limerock Historic District, Mount Riga Ironworks Site, Salisbury Center Historic District, Scoville Memorial Library, Scoville Powerhouse

Town #30: Hartford

2005-06-15T08:30:00.014-04:00

In an age of multiplexes and googleplexes, Real Art Ways is a place to see movies that in much more low-key. They do a good job of being a lot of things to a lot of folks. Some of the other things you can do here: explore the art gallery, hear live music, have a discussion about a film, or attend a cocktail party.

Founded in 1975 it's been through many changes, but it's one of the country's oldest spots for independent film and alternative arts.

If you're ever in Connecticut, definitely stop by here. But since it looks like an old warehouse on the outside, you'll have to know the address.

There is a lot more to do and see in Hartford. It's the state capital after all. You could probably pick any spot and not even realize how many national historic places you had visited there are so many. It can be a confusing and nerve wracking place to drive in though, as probably most state capitals are. We'll be making trips back to this town before we leave though. Some of the places we intend to check out:

Harriet Beecher Stowe House
Wadsworth Atheneum (nation's oldest public art museum)
Mark Twain House
State Capitol Building and the Old State House

Hartford stats:
Population: 124,512
Size: 18 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: n/a
Historic Places: Allen Place-Lincoln Street Historic District, Ann Street Historic District, Apartment at 49-51 Spring Street, Armsmear (also known as Samuel Colt House), Asylum Avenue District, Asylum-Trumbull-Pearl Streets Historic District, Austin House, B.P.O. Elks Lodge, Lucius Barbour House, Boce Barlow Jr. House, Henry Barnard House, Batterson Block, Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue, Buckingham Square Historic District, Building at 136-138 Collins Street, Building at 142 Collins Street, Building at 83-85 Sigourney Street, Bulkeley Bridge, Amos Bull House, Bushnell Park, Butler-McCook Homestead, Marietta Canty House, Capen-Clark Historic District, Capewell Horse Nail Company, Capitol Building, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Charter Oak Bank Building, Charter Oak Place, Cheney Building, Chevry Lomday Mishnayes Synagogue, Children's Village of the Hartford Orphan Asylum, Christ Church, Church Home, Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House, Clay Hill Historic District , Collins and Townley Streets District, Colt Historic District, James B. Colt House, Congress Street Historic District, Connecticut State Library and Supreme Court Building, Old Hartford Statehouse, Day House, Calvin Day House, Day-Taylor House, Department Store Historic District, Dillon Building, Downtown North Historic District, Elizabeth Park, Elm Street Historic District, Engine Company 1 Fire Station, Engine Company 2 Fire Station, Engine Company 6 Fire Station, Engine Company 9 Fire Station, Engine Company 15 Fire Station, Engine Company 16 Fire Station, First Church of Christ and the Ancient Burying Ground, First National Bank Building, Footguard Hall, Fourth Congregational Church, Frog Hollow Historic District, Goodwin Block, Grandview Terrace Boulevard, Hartford Club, Hartford Electric Light Company Maple Avenue Sub-Station, Hartford Golf Club Historic District, Hartford Seminary Foundation, Hartford Times Building, Hartford Union Station, High Street Historic District, John and Isabella Hooker House, House at 140 and 144 Retreat Avenue, House at 36 Forest Street, Hyde-St. John House, Imlay and Laurel Streets District, Isham-Terry House, James Pratt Funeral Service, Jefferson-Seymour District, Wilfred Johnson House, Judd and Root Building, Keney Tower, Laurel and Marshall Streets District, William Linke House, Little Hollywood Historic District, Lyman House, Main Street Historic District No. 1, Main Street Historic District No. 2, Mather Homestead, Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Municipal Building, Myers and Gross Building, Nook Farm and Woodland Street District, Northam Memorial Chapel and Gallup Memorial Gateway, Old North Cemetery, Parkside Historic District, Perkins-Clark House, Antoinette Randolph Phelps House, Phoenix Life Insurance Company Building, Polish National Home, Arthur Pomeroy House, Pratt Street Historic District, Prospect Avenue Historic District, Royal Typewriter Company Building, Saint Anthony Hall, Second Church of Christ, Sigourney Square District, Dr. Frank Simpson House, South Green Historic District, Southern New England Telephone Company Building, Spencer House, St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, Moore and Tryon Stackpole Building, State Arsenal and Armory, Stone Bridge, Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Saints Cyril and Methodius Church, Temple Beth Israel, Mark Twain House, U. S. Post Office and Federal Building, Union Baptist Church, Upper Albany Historic District, Wadsworth Atheneum, Washington Street School, Watkinson Juvenile Asylum and Farm School, Webster Memorial Building, West Boulevard Historic District, West End North Historic District, West End South Historic District, Wethersfield Avenue Car Barn, Widow's Home, Windsor Avenue Congregational Church

Town #20: New Haven

2003-04-01T07:18:00.013-05:00

New Haven was one of only a few Connecticut towns I had heard of before I moved to the state--or, consciously, had an association with the state. I knew Hartford for being the state capital and New Haven for Yale. (And, probably Greenwich, depending on how much time I would have been given to think about it.)

New Haven is the largest city I've gotten to know well in my time here. I've spent time here for a variety of reasons. For a while a friend lived in the area. After that I took graduate classes at Southern Connecticut State University.

There are so many things to see and do in New Haven, I'm sure we'll make a ton of trips here in the future.

New Haven stats:
Population: 129,779
Size: 20.3 square feet
Villages/Other Communities: Fair Haven, Westville
Historic Places: Ahavas Sholem Synagogue, Beaver Hills Historic District, Beth Israel Synagogue, Elisha Blackman Building, Chapel Street Historic District, Russell Henry Chittenden House, Christ Church New Haven, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Connecticut Hall-Yale University, John Cook House, James Dwight Dana House, Dwight Street Historic District, East Rock Park, Edgewood Park Historic District, Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal, Five Mile Point Lighthouse, Fort Nathan Hale, Goffe Street Special School for Colored Children, Grove Street Cemetery, Hall-Benedict Drug Company Building, Hillhouse Avenue Historic District, Elizabeth R. Hooker House, Howard Avenue Historic District, Imperial Granum-Joseph Parker Buildings, Lighthouse Point Carousel, Lincoln Theatre, Othniel C. Marsh House, Lafayette B. Mendel House, Morris House, Mory's, New Haven City Hall, New Haven County Courthouse, New Haven Green Historic District, New Haven Jewish Home for the Aged, New Haven Lawn Club, New Haven Railroad Station, Caroline Nicoll House, Ninth Square Historic District, Orange Street Historic District, Oyster Point Historic District, William Pinto House, Plymouth Congregational Church, Prospect Hill Historic District, Quinnipiac Brewery, Quinnipiac River Historic District, Raynham, River Street Historic District, Southern New England Telephone Company Administrative Building, Southwest Ledge Lighthouse, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Strouse-Adler Company Corset Factory, Trowbridge Square Historic District, Upper State Street Historic District, Welch Training School, Westville Village Historic District, Whitney Avenue Historic District, Winchester Repeating Arms Company Historic District, Wooster Square Historic District, Yale Bowl

Town #16: Wethersfield

2002-04-01T07:11:00.015-05:00

Wethersfield was settled in 1634. The only town that is older is Windsor, settled in 1633. Wethersfield has the title of oldest settlement because the town of Windsor was initially mostly a trading post. But still, there were people there and as far as the state of Connecticut is concerned Windsor is the oldest town.

As an outsider, I find the "controversy" very intriguing. Wethersfield missed being the oldest by a few months. However, the town still likes to claim the title anyway (as you will notice from the sign if you click on it.)

The onion that is at the top of the sign is the crop that was widely produced and traded throughout the town's history.

I first visited Wethersfield when I started working in this town. I noticed there is a big difference in the town proper and the original section named Old Wethersfield. The main part of town is centered on the Silas Deane Highway and has modern shops all along the way. Old Wethersfield has a much more Colonial feel, is slower, quieter and has many house museums.

What it's known for: Old Wethersfield

Wethersfield stats:
Population: 26,220
Size: 13 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Griswoldville, Old Wethersfield
Historic Sites: Buttolph-Williams House, Joseph Webb House, Roger Butler House, Silas Deane House, Old Wethersfield

Town #4: Newington

2000-03-01T21:35:00.010-05:00

Newington is a town I drive through often. It seems to be a crossroads between a lot of other towns I need to get to. I know there are other things in Newington but the first thing I noticed was the Iowa Jima monument that can be seen from Route 9.

I used to think that this statue was a replica (or a copy) of the one in Washington DC, but actually it's not. It was created from one of the photos taken at the same time as the one we think of in the nation's capital. But it's not the exact same scene. This shot happened a few seconds after the most famous one. It's so similar you would never know without seeing them side by side.

Here's a photo from Newington and if you click this link you can compare it with the one in DC. Once you compare them you notice some slight differences like the varying positions and postures.

Interestingly enough, there are also other Iwo Jima monuments out there. One is in Florida and another in Virginia. These are exact replicas of the one in DC. There is also the model that was used for the DC statue that can be found in Texas.

Newington stats:
Population: 29,676
Size: 13.2 square feet
Villages/Other Communities: n/a
Historic Places: Cedar Hill Cemetery, General Martin Kellogg House, Enoch Kelsey House, Newington Junction North Historic District, Newington Junction Railroad Depot, Newington Junction South Historic District, Newington Junction West Historic District, Unni Robbins II House, Willard Homestead

Town #2: West Hartford

2000-01-15T20:05:00.007-05:00

West Hartford is a town for those who like to eat and shop.

What it's known for: West Hartford Center

New England Custom Blurb:
Most towns in New England have what is called a town center or green. In the Midwest we have squares where the courthouse is located (often in the center and then literally squared by other buildings). While the concept is similar the look of centers versus squares is dramatically different. For instance a town center usually has a much more fluid design and a lot more green space. The square concept generally has a more industrial look.

West Hartford's Center is probably one of the more well-known in the state. It is also large. I don't know if anyone is keeping a record of the size of town centers, but this one is so large it's hard to know where it ends and the rest of the town begins. We've been to quite a few restaurants there such as: Elbow Room, Shish Kabab Restaurant of Afghanistan, Tapas, and Mediza. All of these are great and we'd recommend any of them for good food and a fun evening.

West Hartford stats:
Population: 61,173
Size: 22 square feet
Villages/Other Communities: Bishops Corner, Elmwood, West Hartford Center
Historic Places: Charles E. Beach House, Beardesly-Mix House, Moses Brace-Uriah Cadwell House, James Butler House, Benjamin Colton House, Elizabeth Park, Samuel Farnsworth House, Asa Gillett House, Timothy Goodman House, Hartford Golf Club Historic District, Sarah Whitman Hooker House, Daniel Hosmer House, House at 847 North Main Street, Edward W. Morley House, Mount St. Joseph Academy, Old Center Burying Yard, Prospect Avenue Historic District, Revolutionary War Campsite, Elisha Seymour Jr. House, The Spanish House, Stanley-Woodruff-Allen House, Allyn Steele House, Temple Beth Israel, Watkinson Juvenile Asylum and Farm School, Noah Webster Birthplace, Noah Webster Memorial Library, John Wells Jr. House, West End North Historic District, West End South Historic District, West Hill Historic District, Whiting Homestead, Whitman House

Town #1: New Britain

2000-01-01T20:30:00.010-05:00

The first town I lived in after moving to Connecticut was New Britain. I spent four years there and it will always remain as one of my favorite towns in Connecticut. Sure, it has its problems, and most state residents stigmatize it, but it felt the most "real" out of all the places I spent time.

There is a lot of really interesting history about New Britain. There is quite a bit of industrial history too. Stanley Tools was started in New Britain. The wire hanger was invented here. It's also where basketball dribbling was perfected and racquetball was born.

Some things we still we still intend intend to check it out eventually:
Hole in the Wall Theater
Avery Beverages
Industrial Museum

The town is quite diverse with the white population being about 68 percent. That's pretty unusual for a place in Connecticut. New Britain also has the largest Polish community in the state.

Some great things to see and do in New Britain:

Walnut Hills Park: My favorite park in the state. Great mix of steep hills, rolling meadows, and level ground with the walking path that is about a mile.

New Britain Museum of American Art: The oldest art museum in the country devoted to American art. It's one of the best museums in the state.

Great Taste: A Zagat rated Chinese restaurant. Considered the best place for Chinese food in the state. Very formal. Definitely won't be your usual Chinese food experience.

New Britain stats:
Population: 71,254
Size: 13.4 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: n/a
Historic Places: Burritt Hotel, City Hall Monument District, Commercial Trust Company Building, Erwin Home for Worthy and Indigent Women, First Lutheran Church of the Reformation, Francis H. Holmes House, Masonic Temple, New Britain Opera House, St. Mary's Parochial School, Sloper-Wesoly House, South Congregational Church, Tephereth Israel Synagogue, Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, Walnut Hill District, Walnut Hill Park, Washington School, West End Historic District