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You are here: Home / Archives for Travel & Destinations

Travel & Destination

This is, by far, my most popular category for those who love to travel and find really cool places to visit. Laura and I have lived in the northeast United States for our entire lives, with the exception of a six month stint in Florida. Throughout our lives, we've visited so many incredible locales. From New York City, to the coast of Connecticut to the mountains of New Hampshire, the posts contained in this travel and destinations category will hopefully inspire you to spend time in a few different places that we've gone to. I've tried my best to capture beautiful and very realistic photographs to help persuade you to get out and enjoy these wonderful locations.

Christmas Tree From Lebanon Christmas Tree Farm

December 19, 2010

Lebanon Christmas Tree Farm – Looking Down Dirt Road

We got our Christmas tree on Friday. Some would say that’s late, but I would say it’s right on time. We did our own cutting and now that Christmas is only a week away, I am confident this tree will last for a good long time. We usually have it up for about a month, […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Saybrook Point Inn & Spa For Thanksgiving – Old Saybrook, CT

November 30, 2010

Saybrook Point Inn and Spa Docks

There’s something beautiful about the Long Island Sound. It’s something very forgettable, but beautiful nonetheless. The feeling fades so fast after we get back into town. By the time we pull down the driveway, it’s almost gone. It’s the strangest thing…feeling so far removed from someplace we were just over an hour ago. Each time […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Back To The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

February 9, 2010

Interior of a Picture Gallery with the Collection of Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga

Ahhh, Sunday. What a fine day for a return visit to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art up in Hartford, CT. Again, this little trip was “suggested,” but I’m not complaining. Me complain? I don’t think so. I don’t want to make a long post out of this. All I really want to show you […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Christmas Dinner At Saybrook Point Inn

January 2, 2010

Looking North from the Saybrook Point Inn up the Connecticut River

My lady and I have a nice little tradition going. We’ve been doing it for a few years now and it really seems to be working out rather well. What’s the tradition? Well, it’s basically avoiding the world during the holidays and spending time with each other over a nice dinner. We’ve found some great […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting Madison Center, CT

December 7, 2009

Rocks in water at Hammonasset Point, CT

Have I told you lately that I enjoy the Connecticut coast? So it snowed on Saturday night. We didn’t let that stop us on Sunday. Sunday’s weather was perfect for a ride in the car to see what was going on down in Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton, Madison Center and Guilford Center. I really wanted […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Hunt Christmas Tree Farm in Coventry, CT

December 4, 2009

Hunt Christmas Tree Farm in Coventry, CT

Here we go, Christmas tree 2009. Thursday was the day. We didn’t know if the weather was going to cooperate any more than it has and there is nothing worse than trying to find and cut down a Christmas tree in the snow. Actually, I have never done that and now that I think about […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting Old Saybrook, CT For Thanksgiving

November 28, 2009

Private home near South Cove in Old Saybrook, CT

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Okay, enough of the pleasantries. This Thanksgiving, my lady and I had dinner at the Griswold Inn in Essex, CT. Since we had been there a few times before, this wasn’t a huge deal for us. What was a huge deal was the fact that dinner was buffet […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Branford, CT and the Thimble Islands

November 22, 2009

I have been discovering so many things about the state of Connecticut. It’s really an interesting place with such a variety of weather, lifestyle and landscape. An area that I have been getting to know a bit more is the Western Connecticut shoreline. After this Summer’s many visits to Essex, CT, I decided that it […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT

October 20, 2009

The Hartford Times building – downtown Hartford – now closed

I have oftentimes described myself as a Utilitarian. Each time I described myself this way, I can’t say that I remember knowing what that term meant. I always kind of figured it was something like, “must have some sort of utility” or “get all the feel good stuff out of the way and let’s get […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lenox and Lee, Massachusetts

October 4, 2009

Windy Hill Orchard in Great Barrington, MA

On Thursday of last week, we decided to head up to the Berkshires for some apple picking. Every year, we end up going too late and are rushed by the end of the season. Of course there are still apples to pick, but many of the varieties are already gone. This year, we thought it […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Schooner Cruise Up Connecticut River

September 23, 2009

Sailboats on the Connecticut River near Essex, CT

Well, we finally did it. We took the schooner cruise on the Mary E. up the Connecticut River. This was something we were supposed to do about a month ago. When we got the great idea, the weather was nice and cool. When it came time to actually drive down and get on the boat, […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting Block Island – Again

September 23, 2009

Old fishing boat at Point Judith, RI

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this post is worth over 38,000 of them. I apologize. I deleted about half of the photos I took yesterday, but so many of them were good that I didn’t have the heart to cut any further. You’ll just have to look at them. I think I’ve […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Infinity Hall in Norfolk, Connecticut

August 3, 2009

I just wanted to write a quick something about a little gem I found yesterday called Infinity Hall in Norfolk, Connecticut. We had to go to a baptism yesterday in Millbrook, NY. We did that, ate and left. On the way back to CT, I decided that taking the scenic route up and over Rt. […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Strawberry And Raspberry Picking At Rose’s Berry Farm In Glastonbury, CT

July 29, 2009

Strawberry field at Rose’s Berry Farm in Glastonbury, CT

We had a little adventure yesterday. We went to Rose’s Berry Farm in South Glastonbury to pick some strawberries and raspberries. This is one of those events we like to do every year but consistently screw up the schedule. We have good intentions, but somewhere along the lines, we miss what we are looking for. […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Back To Essex And New Hartford, CT

July 26, 2009

Nice house with American flags – Essex, CT

Boy, what a weekend. Laura’s brother and girlfriend came over for a weekend visit. They arrived yesterday and left today. Their visit was tentative, so when they said there were going to make it, I was a happy boy. Since they showed up in the late afternoon, there was only one real thing to do…bring […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting Essex Connecticut

July 18, 2009

Gazebo in park in Essex, CT

A few nights ago, out of nowhere, I was bitten by something. I didn’t know what it was, but when I woke up, I wanted a boat. I guess I was bitten by the boat bug. This is horrible. I have never wanted a boat in my life. I think it all started when I […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Salmon River – Connecticut State Forest

July 16, 2009

Salmon River State Forest picnic area

The other day was kind of rough. I spent a good amount of time on the internet getting phone numbers for “Pick Your Own” farms around the state and calling them. I was disappointed because so many of them didn’t have anything to pick. Many of the crops are running late because of the lousy […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Farmers Market In Coventry, CT

July 12, 2009

Smaller horse pulling carriage at the Nathan Hale Homestead

Today was pretty fun. Went went up to the farmers market in Coventry, CT. You know, it’s a funny thing. As I was standing in the shower this morning, I thought to myself that I probably wouldn’t be going to the Coventry farmers market today if it weren’t for Laura nudging me along. This will […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Blueberry Picking At Belltown Hill Orchards

July 5, 2009

Blueberries on blueberry bush

Today, we splendidly enjoyed ourselves over at Belltown Hill Orchards in South Glastonbury, CT picking blueberries. Boy, I hope I don’t get sick of all this fruit. There are a bunch of months left to pick-your-own. Since we had never been to this farm before, we had to use the GPS for the last few […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

The Dairy Bar At Uconn

June 9, 2009

Uconn Dairy Bar

When my parents were up visiting a few weeks ago, they brought up the idea of going out to get some ice cream. I thought it was a great idea…I just didn’t know where any ice cream places were. I think there are a few Friendly’s around, but that’s not the kind of ice cream […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

A Barbados Caribbean Vacation

May 29, 2009

The other day, Laura and I were talking while we were walking. It was a full out walk and talk. I was telling her how I was looking at pictures of Naples, Florida online and how there were some pretty good looking beaches there. It’s really hard for me to tell Laura about places I […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Mashamoquet Brook State Park in Pomfret, CT

May 16, 2009

Mashamoquet Brook in Pomfret, CT

Since we weren’t able to eat lunch or dinner at the Sharpe Hill Vineyard, we decided to head out towards the Harvest Restaurant in Pomfret, CT. Laura and I had eaten there before and found it very nice. On our way to the restaurant, we passed a little sign that said something like “State Park […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Sharpe Hill Vineyard in Pomfret, CT

May 16, 2009

Parking lot of Sharpe Hill Vineyard

Boy, it’s been a busy few days. My parents landed at the Bradley International Airport, North of Hartford at about 12:30AM, Thursday morning. Laura and I got there at around midnight, so we had a hang around for a few minutes. It wasn’t too bad. Strangely enough, you get to watch some very interesting people […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting Stonington, CT

April 30, 2009

DuBois Beach sign

Since it was a bit cooler yesterday and the sun was shining, we decided that it was a great day to hop in the car and take a trip down to Stonington, CT. Lately, I have been wandering around Google Earth checking out the Connecticut shoreline. It’s amazing how much neat stuff is around there. […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam, CT

April 18, 2009

Looking down the river at Devil’s Hopyard State Park

We had a little adventure today. I decided that it would be a really nice day to go for a short hike at Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam. After all, we haven’t been there since last year. We had to run down to Norwich for a little while, so the park wasn’t that […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Blue Back Square In West Hartford, CT

March 31, 2009

Blue Back Square in West Hartford, CT – Looking south

We went on a little field trip up to West Hartford, CT yesterday. Laura’s sister and her man are in the area for about a week, so we all thought it would be nice to meet up and have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in West Hartford. We have never been to this particular restaurant […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Valentine’s Day At Foxwoods And MGM Grand

February 15, 2009

Top of MGM Grand at Foxwoods hotel at night

If you weren’t aware, yesterday was the day of love. It was the day that souls join, people buy each other chocolate and roses and tell each other how much they love one another. If you are “with” someone, it was the day to remind yourself how much they mean to you. If you aren’t […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Christmas Dinner At The Mayflower Inn

December 26, 2008

Mayflower Inn walkway

We did it. We really did it. For the first time in our lives, we didn’t exchange Christmas gifts. It was a bold (and more difficult than expected) move, but one that we thought we needed to do. If you haven’t noticed, the exchanging of Christmas gifts has…well, lost something throughout the years. I notice […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Mayflower Inn It Is – Christmas Dinner

December 15, 2008

I just got off the phone with the Mayflower Inn in Washington, CT. You really should see this place. It has to be one of the nicest we’ve been to. I did notice that their prices have risen and their menu has shrunken. I actually had the fellow I spoke with over the phone email […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting The Harvest Restaurant In Pomfret, CT

December 14, 2008

Harvest Restaurant fireplace

Today was the day to get in the car to go for a drive up north. We have been planning for this drive ever since we came back from Thanksgiving dinner. We are basically looking for someplace to have a nice Christmas dinner. The original plan was to drive up to Woodstock, CT to visit […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting Downtown Hartford, CT

December 13, 2008

Intersection of Central Row and Main Street.

Yesterday was an action packed day. I am telling you, ACTION PACKED!!! It was packed with action. Okay, we started off by driving up to Hartford to pick up Laura’s friend. She lives near White Plains, but doesn’t have a car. She figured that the easiest way to get here would be to take Amtrak […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Red Lion Inn Review – Thanksgiving 2008

November 28, 2008

Red Lion Inn chess table

I made a very important self discovery today. It took all of my life, but I finally discovered that I am a critic. It feels really great to at last figure out what my problem has been for all these years. At times, I have thought deeply about why things are, how things are, where […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Shopping The Shops At Evergreen Walk – Again

October 21, 2008

Rhys Console Table

We had a pretty fun night last night. Initially, we planned to make a quick trip up to Bob’s Discount Furniture in Manchester. We need a whole lot of furniture. We need to furnish the entire bedroom, dining room, living room, my office and some odds and ends elsewhere. Needless to say, this is going […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting Putnam And Connecticut’s Quiet Corner

October 17, 2008

Autumn country road, CT

Today, we hopped in the car and went for a little ride. First, we stopped by the local library so Laura could get a library card and pick up a book. The town library is newly renovated, expanded and really very nice. I haven’t been in a library in years. You should have seen me…I […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Windy Hill Farm & The Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, MA

October 3, 2008

Windy Hill Farm from behind

Well, well, well, where have we all been? I guess it’s that time of year again for our annual visit to Stockbridge, MA. This is the time I usually get a gift certificate to the Red Lion Inn for my birthday. It’s a great excuse to drive up to the Berkshires to go apple picking […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Cruising From Portland To Glastonbury, CT

September 5, 2008

Box of tomatoes

Yesterday, we had to run all over the place to get a bunch of errands out of the way. We had to go to the pharmacy, the hardware store, the bank and then grocery shopping. We did the pharmacy and the hardware store locally, but went to the bank in the next town over. After […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visting Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, CT

September 2, 2008

Bridge near pond at Gillette Castle State Park

On Monday (Labor Day), we decided to get in the car and cruise down to Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, CT. This has been on my “to do” list for a while. We weren’t really in the mood for a hike. We kind of just wanted to see the castle. I read good […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

A Night Out At Evergreen Walk in Manchester

July 26, 2008

This is a photo of Evergreen Walk in South Windsor looking in one direction.

Last night, after we went to Circuit City, we stopped by The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, CT. It’s near Manchester. We had to visit Pottery Barn to get some plates and napkins and things like that. I am not even sure how this turned into a blog post, but since I […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Pictures Of Luray, Virginia

July 19, 2008

Old rusty school bus in field – Luray, VA

If you have ever driven through Virginia, you would probably agree with me when I say it is a very pretty state. I like to drive down Interstate 81 because of the scenery. Virginia has a very diverse landscape, which makes almost the entire state exciting. I am sure I mentioned that I love to […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting Newport, Rhode Island

July 17, 2008

brenton-point-state-park

Yesterday was a pretty eventful day. We decided to hop in the car and drive out to Newport, RI for a quick visit. I always think everything is so close to anywhere I am. When we are about halfway there, I realized that I am just an optimist. My butt starts to hurt and I […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Somerset Square in Glastonbury, CT

June 19, 2008

Tree Line and Sidewalk in Glastonbury, CT

Last night was pretty fun. My brother, Jeff, came over and we went out to dinner. Lately, you pretty much have to drag me out of my chair to get me to do anything. I have my head stuck staring at this horrible computer screen 24 hours a day. It really is unattractive. Jeff told […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Fisherman’s Memorial State Park, RI

May 28, 2008

Fisherman's Memorial State Park

On Memorial Day, we took a cruise out to Point Judith, RI (above). I took some photos of that, but wanted to post some pretty funny pictures here in this post really fast. For some reason, these are funny. They are of the entrance of Fisherman’s Memorial State Park in Rhode Island. It’s out near […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Point Judith Lighthouse, Narragansett, Rhode Island

May 28, 2008

Driving Towards Point Judith Lighthouse

As I mentioned in the post below, we took a quick cruise out to Narragansett, RI on Memorial Day. We didn’t stay very long, but long enough for me to grab a few pictures. I have been to Point Judith in the past…it’s the place you need to get on the ferry to go to […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting the University of Connecticut – Storrs, CT

May 21, 2008

UCONN Building

Yesterday, while out and about, Laura and I decided to do a drive-by at the University of Connecticut, or better know as UConn in Storrs, CT. I took a gander at this area on Google Earth a few times and we actually wanted to visit for some time, but never got around to it. Now […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Shopping at Pottery Barn and Eating at Carrabba’s

May 17, 2008

Carrabba's Take Home Bag

On Thursday night, my brother met Laura and me up in Manchester for dinner. Laura and I left a little early so we could visit Pottery Barn at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor. I really like Pottery Barn, not for its fame from a certain “Friends” episode, but for its quality furniture. I need some […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Food Shopping at Shaw’s in East Hampton, CT

May 17, 2008

Lake Pocotopaug in East Hampton From Road

In an effort to learn more about the area we now sleep in, I have been suggesting that we visit different grocery stores for our food shopping. So far, we have been to Whole Foods in Glastonbury (very nice, but expensive), our local grocery store (pretty ok), Super Stop and Shop in Colchester (big and […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

We Met Whole Foods Today

April 28, 2008

Fuel Cafe Stout Beer

If there is one thing that should motivate you to move to a new town, it should be Whole Foods. I remember a few weeks ago when the realtor was showing us houses in this area, she said, “Ooh, and they are building a brand new Whole Foods here. It should be open in a […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

The Olde Stone Mill – Tuckahoe, NY

April 18, 2008

The Olde Stone Mill

Laura and I were down in Tuckahoe, NY last night and decided to visit “The Olde Stone Mill” restaurant. The reason I had interest in this restaurant is because we saw it during the last season of Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey. This is one of our favorite reality shows because it shows different types […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Visiting Millbrook, NY – Park, Zoo & Winery

April 10, 2008

Millbrook Winery

Today, Laura and I had to bring Holly the dog to the vet. She had to have her teeth cleaned and some minor surgery. The vet had to put Holly under (not down, as Rob mistakenly thought today), so we had to burn about six hours of the day. Since we live an hour away […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

Mayflower Inn in Washington, CT

March 4, 2008

Mayflower Inn Sidewalk

Laura and I decided to get in the car and visit Washington, CT yesterday. What was the destination? Well, no less than the Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, CT. As I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, my mother purchased a gift certificate for us a few years ago for the Mayflower […]

Filed Under: Travel & Destinations

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