Our road trip to Mystic, CT turned out to be quite a magical and relaxing weekend! After living in the city now for almost 2 full months we were seeking the peace and quiet, but in normal "S&E Hood" fashion, also a great adventure. We successfully found both last weekend.
Friday
Our weekend started Friday night with an extremely fun night out with our new friends Iliana and Neil to a local neighborhood pub called Valhalla. This particular pub has a robust beer list and it was packed to the brim people which turned out to be a cozy way to spend a cold Friday night, and a perfect way to kick off the long weekend.
Saturday & On...
We were up and ready to go Saturday at 6a...we couldn't wait to start the trip! We had to get creative in planning our first big weekend trip away because we wanted to bring along Nora but in NYC you cannot bring a dog on a subway, Amtrak, or Greyhound so we decided to rent a car and road trip it instead. All packed up, we grabbed a Taxi with Nora and headed out to LaGuardia airport to pick up our rental car. You are able to rent cars everywhere in Manhattan but the price per day for a car here versus near the airport will run you approx. $50-$100 MORE per day. After picking up a cute Nissan Rogue, we were off and onto the open road. If anyone knows Stuart, you know he LOVES to drive and after months of getting around by foot, subway, and the occasional Taxi, Stuart felt free behind the wheel and we were both excited to break out of the constraints and limitations of the city.
Yale
Our first planned stop came from a suggestion by our friends Iliana and Neil who attended Yale in their undergrad. They told us we had to stop at Clarie's Corner Copia in New Haven, CT across the street from Yale and get a piece of the Lithuanian Coffee Cake. Following one of our top adventure rules, we took the advice of a former local and made our first pitstop, which turned out to be delicious!! Stuart and I split a piece of the coffee cake and I had the most amazing omelet made with basil ricotta cheese (something I will remake at home soon).
After breakfast we took a stroll around Yale's campus!
Next, continuing North to Mystic, CT we took some detours to explore a few small towns along the way. The small towns lining I-95 to Mystic, CT are so quaint with a rich sense of history dating back to the 1800's.
We finally reached our Mystic, CT B&B which was a perfect little place nestled in the harbor just a few blocks from downtown Mystic, CT. If you want to travel by Amtrak, the train lets off right downtown where you can walk to all of the hotels, B&B's, and restaurants...it's all planned out in perfect Northeast fashion.
Here are some of the Mystic, CT highlights from our trip!
Little White Steeple
Local Pub
Main Street
The Famous Mystic, Pizza!
Beach in Stonington, CT
The Old Lighthouse in Stonginton, CT
Our dream Summer Home
City Park
Small Town Feel
Colonial Architecture
THE Best Lobster Roll. A traditional Maine Lobster Roll is made with cold Lobster Salad but other states have adopted a warm Lobster Roll with a garlic butter topping. We decided to try both and make our own judgement at one of the best Lobster Roll restaurants in Mystic, CT.
Erica's Vote: Lobster Salad
Stu's Vote: Lobster Salad
I guess we should listen to Maine where these rolls of deliciousness originated. YUMM
Stuart and I spent our days driving around Mystic, Stonington, and surrounding small towns exploring the architecture, food, local shops, book stores, and just relaxing back at our B&B with a book or fun TV show. Not all trips result in making our personal "Best of" list, but this one has a few of those honors. Criteria for making "the best of" list is experiencing something special enough to be cravable. Stuart and I do not love routine, doing the same thing over and over, or visiting the same vacation spot time and again...we like to experience the "new" because we feel there is so much to see in this world. But, there are a few exceptions and those are most definitely on our "Best of" list.
Best of Mystic, CT
#1. Best quaint northeast getaway. If we are ever craving the peace and quiet again, there is no doubt this will be our secret refuge.
#2. Best seafood we have had anywhere. Hands down. We had amazing seafood dishes at Bravo Bravo and Noah's Restaurant.
After 3 days of bliss in Mystic we packed up and headed back to the city on Martin Luther King Day. Our fun didn't end there though because we got an exciting call from Stu's cousin Allie in NYC to invite us to the recording of The Colbert Report. This was our first live TV show taping and it was a BLAST!! It was incredibly sweet for Allie to invite us and it was the perfect way to wrap up an absolutely PERFECT weekend. We cannot wait to explore other Northeast towns and cities!
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