There are plenty of fun things to do in Connecticut, no matter what the season, hence why I’m sharing Part II…
Low Cost Indoor Event:
Attend the annual Northeast RV & Camping Show at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT
These RV’s are sweet! Much larger on the inside than they appear~
Nice shower!
Love the indoor mood lighting and ambience…
Free Family Fun:
Go to the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New Haven, CT
Fun time driving Jocelyn Maminta on the 2018 NHV parade route in the News 8 Range Rover!
Loved hanging out with the News 8 team on the 2018 NHV parade route: Mark Davis, Keith Kountz and Jocelyn Maminta.
Jocelyn Maminta was born to be in a parade 🙂
Three of the News 8 meteorologists and News 8 team on the 2018 NHV parade route
Awesome time driving Jocelyn Maminta in New Haven’s 2018 St. Patrick’s Day Parade. News 8 team leads the way…
Good (One Price) Eating:
Check out a restaurant or two or three at the bi-annual (Spring) New Haven Restaurant Week – New Haven, CT
Spring New Haven Restaurant Week – Pacifico Restaurant
Prix Fixe Dinner at Pacifico -(The Shops at Yale) salmon, side dish, beet salad, malbec, coconut ice cream – yummy!
Harvest Wine Bar & Restaurant (The Shops at Yale) Delish Prix Fixe lunch – salmon with julienne carrots and beets, side salad, dessert and lemon water
Brew Baby:
Hang out at one of Connecticut’s most talked about new breweries: Brewport – Bridgeport’s CT’s Brewery and Restaurant where the only thing on the menu to eat is specialty pizza and gourmet salads…
What Brewport is famous for…
The humungous bar…
Me and my girl squad outside on Brewport’s deck; Brewport serves wine too; family sized salad – enough for 4 “hangry” girls; veggie pizza – delish!
Connecticut’s Live Theater:
Check out Cameron Mackintosh’s version of Phantom – Waterbury Palace Theater – Waterbury, CT
This spectacular production played out very well in the stately Waterbury Palace Theater
Or Beautifulat the legendary Shubert Theater, New Haven, CT
The lead in Carole King’s Beautifulcould blow!
Shubert’s OnStage event for Beautiful – hung out with Robbin S, listened to the local musicians and hung out at “The Bitter End.”
Or Crowns at Long Wharf Theater, New Haven, CT
Me and my girlfriend Mia loved this gospel musical celebration which appealed to theater goers young and old
The costumes and of course “Crowns” were spectacular and a show all by themselves
That’s it for now. So remember, there are plenty of fun things to do in Connecticut and some are even low cost or free so enjoy!
Whether I am travelling to a new city or town, or just socializing in or around Greater New Haven, anyone who knows me knows I love me some sushi! And It doesn’t take long to get me in a “sushi mood” where I like to check out a new sushi restaurant. However, an old fave will get me every time (smile).
What I enjoy with my sushi is one or more of the following:
edamame with sea salt
miso soup
iceberg lettuce salad with ginger dressing
super hot green tea
And usually when I crave sushi it involves a date of some sort. Whether it’s me and my S.O., me and a client, me and one of my relatives, me and one of my good friends or me and a co-worker, a sushi day usually turns into a good sleeping night (smile).
So here are the sushi restaurants I have eaten in once, twice and some even more than three times. These are my faves,not necessarily everyone else’s faves…
For all-you-can-eat, I like Sushi Palace in Orange, CT. The sushi and sashimi is always fresh so it never tastes like it’s been sitting out all day…
Sushi Palace, Orange, CT
For specialty rolls, I prefer Dozo Asian Bistro and Sushi in the Westville section of New Haven, CT. The sushi looks as appetizing as it tastes plus it’s big, juicy and delish!
Dozo Asian Bistro & Sushi, Westville, CT
For those exotic looking specialty rolls, I like to go to Pink Basil in Mystic, CT. They never disappoint and the outdoor seating in the Summer is a big plus.
Pink Basil, Olde Mistick Village, Mystic, CT
Although pricey, the sushi rolls at the Summer Shack in the Mohegan Sun Casino are to die for.
Summer Shack, Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT
Me and my S.O. spend alot of time in Lewes, DE, especially as the weather gets warmer. Last Summer we went to The Cultured Pearl in nearby Rehoboth Beach for the most delicious and colorful sushi in town. It’s expensive though, especially during “the Season.”
The Cultured Pearl, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
When my niece Dimitrica was traveling from North Carolina to Massachusetts for business last year, she stopped in Connecticut to visit me. She too is a fan of sushi so I couldn’t help but treat her to one of my local faves: Tokyo Sushi II in North Haven, CT. The interior may look like a pizza parlor but the sushi is out-of-this-world good!!!
Tokyo Sushi II, North Haven, CT
Social media is a great avenue for a new restaurant to post food pics and I must admit that Soga Sushi’s awesome food pics on FB got me there! It’s located right in North Haven, CT so me and my S.O. stopped in last weekend after a long day of running errands. The sushi did not disappoint and the complimentary tasty orange slices afterwards were a nice touch (smile).
Soga Sushi, North Haven, CT
Me and my S.O. recently went to see Office Hour at the Long Wharf Theater and afterwards headed to one of my super faves: Kumo New Haven where the sushi is always fresh, always good!
Kumo Sushi Hibachi, New Haven, CT
Me and my S.O. love to go to the movies any time of the year so we headed over to Iron Chef after a Saturday matinee at Holiday Stadium 10 Cinemas in Wallingford, CT. This restaurant was well recommended by a “sushi friend” and it truly was delish!
Iron Chef, Wallingford, CT
It’s no secret that Olde Mistick Village is one of my favorite shopping destinations in Southeastern Connecticut so when I’m down that way, Go Fish is one of my two fave sushi restaurant Go-To’s…
Go Fish, Olde Mistick Village, Mystic, CT
So whether you are stuck on Sushi like me, or just craving something uniqely different for lunch or dinner, Japanese is the way to go!
It’s officially Winter in CT which for the most part makes me feel low-keySAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) as it means the weather is extremely cold, the days short and the nights, super dark on my drive home from work…
To compensate, I try my darndest to look for fun, free, enlightening and/or educational things to do just to keep me from participating in my favorite pastime, i.e., sitting in my La-Z-Boy to watch TV and eat snacks (smile).
So here (in no particular order) are some of the ways (in the past) I have kept myself occupied (and far, far away from the snacks) during the dark, dreary days of Winter in CT:
Ice skating – Since I enjoyed this activity so much as a child growing up in Groton, CT I figured I would try it out again as a full-grown adult – I must admit it was easier said than done (smile).
Northford Ice Skating Rink
This is a fun and easy activity, especially in the Winter: taking a hot bubble bath after a long day of work: Put your slippers on…
My bathroom 🙂
Visiting a local museum – this free activity is not only educational but truly enlightening.
The New Haven Museum
Relaxing in a salt cave. This was such a unique activity I had to write a blog post about it: Cave Girl
Saltana Cave & Spa
Going to a live taping of The Viewin NYC – a truly magical day from beginning ’till end: The View (from Lajeune)
ABC Studios in NYC
Spending the day enjoying a special exhibit – educational for sure: Harlem for Days!
Yale’s Beinecke Museum – the Harlem Renaissance exhibit
Going to see a free lecture at the local university. I recall this event quickly becoming “standing room-only.” To me this proved the staying power of the written word…
Quinnipiac University featuring Margot Lee Shetterly, the author of “Hidden Figures”
Spending a relaxing Day at the Spa – this never gets old…
Norwich Inn and Spa – Spa Day with my “Sisters in Christ”
Skiing in the month of February – Super fun and exhilarating! SkiDate
Mount Southington Ski Resort
Spending time (and money) at the casino…
Mohegan Sun Casino or Foxwoods Casino
So whatever activity you choose to participate in this Winter in CT, do try to make it memorable 🙂
I was chit chatting on the phone with my girlfriend Christine the other day and we (two middle-aged women with highly stressful careers) were discussing different ways we relax. Here’s what we came up with:
Full Moon Yoga once a month at the Community Yoga Center
Zumba classes at the local community center
Monthly back and neck massages at the local massage center
Drinking green, black or Chamomile hot tea
Listening to relaxing music
Reading books, magazines, etc.
Cooking and/or Baking
Playing with our canine pet(s)
Meditating
Coloring with crayons in Adult coloring books
True story: I recall about 17 years ago watching a Paid Program on TV one sleepless night and the next thing I know a Softubarrives at my front door. I ordered the Softubbecause I was still working in the same highly competitive stressful industry I work in today so I figured it would be nice to come home from a super long day of work and soak in a tub that’s not in my bathroom (smile). I enjoyed my Softub for about 5 years and only sold it because I was selling my home in Westville and looking to downsize…
Here are some of the reasons why I initially purchased it:
stress relief
affordable price
simple portable unit with easy set-up
the simple Hydromatic unit uses a standard 120V outlet (no high electric bills!)
hot water is therapeutic
exterior of tub is weather resistant (withstands all 4 seasons)
Aesthetically pleasing to the eye – in 7 designer colors (I chose dark blue)
Everything is included in the price (Softubhot tub, Hydromatic Power Pak, Sealed High-Density Insulated Cover, Underwater Illumination, your choice of exterior decorator colors, and a 5-year limited warranty).
A basic 2-person spa Softub (the one I ordered) comes with four Hydrotherapy jets, Hydromatic motor unit, security straps, an accessory bag including a foam connector cover, matching exterior cover, filter, owner’s manual, warranty card, large assembly sheet and water treatment kit. It costs about $3500.
However, I checked online, and you can get a GoplusPortable Inflatable Bubble Massage Spathat seats 4 for just $319 from Wal-Mart! That’s with free shipping and no tax! Here’s what a Goplus looks like:
Not too shabby (smile).
So if you, like me, are looking for ways to relax, the options range from a simple Adult coloring book and crayons to a SoftubHot tub…
Today is Friday, September 22nd, or as my good friend and News 8 Chief Meteorologist Gil Simmons would say, it is the “Autumnal Equinox.” Fancy! And really just another way of saying Fall (smile). Fall in Connecticut means it’s that time when folks can truly enjoy festivals, fairs, carnivals and outdoor expos.
Speaking of festivals, on Saturday, September 16th I had the distinct pleasure of attending the 10th annual Garlic Festival at Olde Mistick Village in Mystic, CT.
Free admission and free parking so I expected it was going to be crazy busy and I was so-ooooooo right…
I must admit I’ve always had a fondness for Mystic…you see I grew up in Groton, CT (right next door to Mystic) so I spent a lot of time in that town (especially while in high school) visiting friends, eating Mystic Pizza, working after school at the ABC Film Lab, hanging out at “The Village,” as we called Olde Mistick Village back in the day, walking downtown during the annual Mystic Arts and Crafts Fair, chilling out at the marina, visiting the Seaport, watching my sister Casandra conduct tours during her kick a– Summer job at the Mystic Aquarium, etc…
So I was looking forward to spending time at The Village once again, albeit now through the eyes of my middle-aged self…
On that particular Saturday, as luck would have it, the weather was sunny and delightful – – perfect for walking around and enjoying the sights and sounds.
Folks (couples, singles, families, dogs, and babies) came from all over Connecticut and beyond.
One of the first things I did was head over to the duck pond. I was not disappointed…
Love seeing the ducks!
Especially when they dive underwater!
Sampled the wide varieties of olive oil and artisanal honey at Sticky Situations, which was jam-packed with folk!
Bought a souvenir gift from Sophia’s Magical Christmas Shop.
Hung out at Franklin’s General Store for free samples of delish fudge and the experience of a trip back in time…
Spent time at Garden Store Specialties to check out the whimsical gifts for the lawn and garden.
Even made time for lunch with my client Joyce at my new fave, Pink Basil…delish!
Enjoyed a ‘cold one’ at Jealous Monk, a social hall and beer garden.
Garlic galore!
You don’t even need to like the taste of garlic to attend this annual festival as there is truly something for everyone. There’s live entertainment, farm fresh goodies, specialty food carts, vendors, crafters, artists and even authors. And it all takes place at the coolest Village in Connecticut!
