Tag: #newhaveninsta

Fun things to do in Connecticut (besides fidget!)

There are plenty of fun things to do in Connecticut this Summer (or next Summer if you missed one or two here) and lucky for you they are all within driving distance.  For now here are just a few (in alphabetical order):

 

Bluff Point State Park, Groton, CT

This state park in Connecticut is not so easy to find by car but once you do locate it, you are in for a pleasant surprise…You will discover that it is a fantastic place to take the family for a picnic, to go for a swim at the beach, to go on a long hike, to clam, to fish, to go jogging…

 

Me and my fam enjoying Bluff Point State Park
Me and my partner with my great nephew Harlem

 

Captain’s Cove Seaport, Bridgeport, CT

This Seaport is, in my opinion, one of Bridgeport’s best kept secrets!

It’s cute, it’s quaint and it’s a great way to while away an afternoon.  The outdoor shops, the fresh seafood, the live bands, the livelier crowds, most definitely a must-see in the Park City!

 

Picnic tables galore at Captains Cove
Big fun at the Seaport

 

Catamaran Lighthouse Cruises, New London, CT

My sister Casandra and her husband Alfredo went on one of these lighthouse cruises last Summer and had such a good time, they convinced me to try one (smile).  I love catamarans, traveling on water and educational tours so I’m looking forward to the good time I know I’ll have (smile).

 

My sister Casandra on the Lighthouse Ferry boat ride

 

International Festival of Arts and Ideas, New Haven, CT

The arts become alive in New Haven the first 3 1/2 weeks in June and, as they say, there is truly something for everyone.  And most events are free and open to the public.  This year (2017) there were over 200 events(!)  from walking tours to workshops to master classes to concerts on the Green to film festivals…This is by far one of the best ways to learn about the arts and culture in the city of New Haven without breaking the bank.

 

2017 International Festival of Arts and Ideas concert

 

Jonathan Edwards Winery, North Stonington, CT

I’ve heard nothing but good things about this CT Wine Trail winery and vineyard which is nestled in the hills of Stonington, CT.   I’m looking forward to going for a taste or two this Summer…

 

 

Olde Mistick Village, Mystic, CT

I grew up in Southeastern, CT so Olde Mistick Village or “The Village,” as it was affectionately known, was the destination for shopping, for movies, for hanging out with friends, for enjoying ice cream or candy or fudge…

As an adult I find it’s an even better place to make memories – the movie theater now sells alcoholic beverages and snacks, there’s even a Brewport on premises!   The Village itself is dog friendly(!); the one-of-a-kind shops feature a variety of authentic, unique wares; there are a good number of restaurants serving breakfast or lunch and/or dinner.  There’s even a Sushi restaurant – Pink Basil – Yay!   And Franklin’s General Store is the place to go for unique gift items and free samples of “America’s Best Fudge.”  Yummy!

 

Me in front of one of my fav restaurants Pink Basil
Joyce Reskinoff the owner of OMV with News 8’s Co-Chief Meteorologist Joe Furey
Me, my sister Casandra and my gf Thais at The Taste of Mystic

 

Travelers Championship, Cromwell, CT

The 3rd week of June is special in Connecticut because Travelers Championship (part of the PGA tour) takes place right at nearby TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, CT.   I love seeing live sports up close and personal because I find it is such a great way to connect to the sport as well as to its individual players.  And you don’t necessarily need to be a golf fan to enjoy Travelers as there is a Fan Zone with lots of unique booths, a Kids Zone for the children, plenty of food booths, ice cream trucks, beer tents and even live entertainment.  It’s truly a happening time~

 

Me and James and my cousin David from Newport RI who was working the event

 

That’s it for now – enjoy your Summer!

Sincerely,

 

TVFL

 

Hot Comfort Foods

I used to love me some weekends growing up ‘back in the day’ in Groton, CT.   Especially  in the dead of Winter because my mother, Jean Anna Tinsely Hollis, would cook all 7 of her Hollis kids pancakes and bacon or waffles and bacon on Saturday mornings and eggs, bacon, grits and buttered toast on Sunday mornings.   Weekends were truly a time to sleep in, eat a ton of “Brunchy” foods and then go to church.

Perhaps that is why to this day I Love New Haven, as it is truly a foodie destination, and restaurants that serve “brunch” are not at all hard to find.

I celebrated my 55th birthday this past weekend with my girls – it was almost 2 weeks after the fact as I was actually born on Valentine’s Day.   However, one of my three girlfriends was not available until this past Saturday since I had bucked tradition by choosing to celebrate my birthday this year over brunch instead of dinner.  And believe it or not, the hardest part for me was choosing where to go as I had 3 former neighborhood faves in mind:  The Pantry, Bella’s Cafe and Lena’s Cafe and Confections.  

I spent my first 10 years in New Haven living in the East Rock section where The Pantry was the place to go for brunch.  This was back in the day when I was un-clean so I would devour the pancakes made with chocolate chips.

 

 

I spent the next 11 years living in the Westville section of New Haven and everyone who lives in Westville knows there are two go-to restaurants for brunch:  Bella’s Cafe and Lena’s Cafe and Confections.

“Bella’s,” as it is affectionately known, is long and narrow inside and the food is fantabulous  – especially the brunches which are served from 8am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.  The brunch menu changes each and every week and they don’t disappoint.  The weekend we went I had the fabulous french toast.  Yummy!   And well worth the long lines and the wait!

 

Yummy french toast!

 

Lena’s Cafe and Confections is less than a block away in a much larger space.   As it turned out, this was the chosen restaurant.  And surprisingly we did not have to wait in line at all and the food was out of this world.  I had soft cooked eggs, turkey sausage, cheesy grits and a toasted english muffin with butter.

 

We are the Fab 4 – ladies who golf (smile)

 

Hot Comfort Foods are now my new birthday go-to and the good news is there are so many more restaurants to try in so many other New Haven neighborhoods (smile).

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

 

New Haven, CT Fall(ish) eats!

I am writing this food blog post on a Fall day in New Haven, CT (that feels more like late Summer to me) so my restaurant lunch choices may reflect that (smile).

I also eat, dress and live for the weather as opposed to the season so if my good buddy and Chief Meteorologist Gil Simmons of News 8 (ABC) tells me that it’s going to be 80 degrees outside, but the calendar doesn’t agree, I go with the temps…

With all that said, here are just a few of my favorite places to eat lunch in New Haven, CT when the leaves start to turn and the temperatures finally cool down:

New Haven Salad Shop – don’t let the name fool you.  This little gem on High Street in downtown New Haven also builds super hearty wraps that will easily fill you up until supper time.  There’s little room to sit inside though so I suggest you find a space on the Upper or Lower New Haven Green to enjoy your lunch.

 

 

City Point Kitchen  – a newer restaurant in the Oyster Point neighborhood of New Haven (beautiful water views!) with excellent, locally sourced food.  I tried the crab cakes over a salad bed on the afternoon me and my gf Christine went.  It’s cute and quaint inside and the small staff is friendly and very attentive.

 

Photo credit:  Mike Franzman Photography

 

Louis Lunch – By the time I went there, I had been working at News 8 for about 5 years.   Me and my co-worker Terri were talking about places in downtown New Haven to eat lunch  that were within walking distance.   I think she was the one who suggested Louis Lunch.   The fact that it was and is still legendary made it an obvious choice.  And quite frankly, I was a tad bit curious about the fact that I heard catsup was never allowed on their burgers.  The burger itself was good (always served on toast, not buns; with tomato, not catsup; and cheese whiz, not cheese.)   I missed my Ketchup though (smile).

 

Photo credit: Mike Franzman Photography

 

Pepe’s Pizza in New Haven – It’s no wonder that there are so many locations in Connecticut now – even at the Casino!  This pizza is by far one of the best in the ‘pizza-saturated’ city of New Haven.  And the Little Italy neighborhood where it resides is always a treat to walk around in.

 

Photo credit: Mike Franzman Photography

 

In the Upper State Street neighborhood of New Haven, you would do yourself a disservice if you did not stop and partake of a pie or two from Modern Pizza.  Well known for their brick ovens and thin crusts, these pies are to die for…

 

Photo credit: Mike Franzman Photography

 

If you have the time, and/or have saved some room for dessert, go to Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop on Wooster Street in the Little Italy neighborhood of New Haven.  Libby’s is known throughout the East Coast for their cannolis and other baked goods.  I can certainly understand why – Yummy!

 

Photo credit: Mike Franzman Photography

 

Happy Fall and enjoy your lunch!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

 

Peetza Weetza!

Back in college in the mid-eighties, I truly had a love affair with pizza.
What’s not to love?!?   It was cheap, it was plentiful and it was easily had!  The greasy, gooey, cheesy red variety with pepperoni or sausage was what I craved the most.  And I liked my crust thick back then.  These were obviously pre-Clean Eating days (I am now a Colon Cancer survivor with a delicate stomach).  But back then my stomach was a cast iron that could absorb even the hardiest of dishes. I usually had a beer or two to swallow the slices down as pizza and beer were a true match made in heaven…

 

 

Fast forward to today and I like to think my tastes are a little bit more sophisticated.  Give me an upscale pizza restaurant, with a “wide variety of my favorite pizza toppings,” a coal-fired oven and then (stop it!) spoil me by allowing me to name my custom-made pie and you have a customer for life!  That’s what happened today when I taste tested at the soft opening of a brand new restaurant in downtown New Haven featuring the latest concept in pizza, grinders, and salads…you custom make your pizza or grinder or salad so you get exactly what you want on it.

I stood on line and had everything I love put on my custom-made pie, as well as my own crisp build-your-own salad, and all of the ingredients are fresh and locally produced.  Yummy!

 

 

 

If you are at all familiar with the New Haven restaurant scene, think “Chipotle” meets “Modern” in an upscale setting…the restaurant I am speaking of is called Ah-Beetz, which simply means “Pizza” in Italian.

 

Again, once your pie is finished you get to name it.  I named mine LJ’s Vegetarian Delight (smile).  My creation was meatless with lots of cheese, tomatoes and veggies. And it only took minutes to cook!

 

 

After my first bite of LJ’s Vegetarian Delight I was in love, but this time it felt good and, more importantly, I felt healthy…

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

R U Social?

Back in the day,  when I was growing up in Groton, CT, to be “social” meant something other than what I think it means today.  Correct me if I’m wrong but here’s what I think: back in the day being social meant that you had a certain number of friends or people who you would actually hang out with in person, socialize with, do things with, etc.  Today being “social” means having a certain number of social media “friends” or “followers” that “like” you and that you communicate online with, having a certain number of social media accounts,  spending more time with your mobile devices then with each other, and posting photos about what you are doing while you are doing it and sending the “pix” online to your “followers” even before you are finished doing it.  I have my hand up as I’m guilty of it (see my blog post: An Apple a day…).  For instance, at home I am never too far away from my iPhone, my iPad or my MacBook Pro – clearly I’m an Apple fan – but it’s exhausting and sometimes I just want to retreat to a quiet place where there is no WI-FI or so-called “friends” to “follow” me…

 

techies

 

I’m not a “social media butterfly” i.e., someone who is always connected to social media sites, constantly giving updates, but rarely socialize with any of these “friends” or “followers” in real life.  I connect with people in “real life” as well as on-line, hence where the exhaustion sets in.   So this weekend I am taking a break, un-plugging, un-wiring and getting back to basics.  Life without the internet.  Let’s see how long I last…wish me luck!

 

Zombies

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL