In which we discuss:
- Connecticut’s quaintness, real and imagined.
- Regional destinations that surprised us, pleasantly or otherwise.
- When prepping for a trip, do we prefer planning it all out or leaving everything to chance?
Summary
What Connecticut features qualify as quaint? Johnna and Kerri talk about happy surprises and a few disappointments in regional travel. Is it better to travel based on an itinerary or on whichever way the wind blows?
Special Moments and Details
CTMQ has published a piece on the fairy houses that gets mentioned at 4:45. Kerri has written a bit about the slang [8:30] that needs to stop in 2018.
We start our chat about regional surprises at 15:00. Learn more about historic, and possibly quaint, Benefit Street [18:50] on the Rhode Island tourism site. Johnna was not wrong about Burlington being the most populous city in Vermont [26:25]. The New Haven rant [27:00] inspired an idea for a dating app. And if you’re wondering, here’s some background on why New Haven can claim to be “America’s first planned town” [30:00]. Wild Bill’s Nostalgia [32:15] is hard to describe, so peek at their website for a better idea. The Connecticut Old State House & Museum of Curiosities, and its famous two-headed calf, get a mention [39:25]. Kerri was ultra wrong about the length of the ice jam that the Coast Guard had to deal with back in January [41:40].
Our conversation about planning begins at 43:10, and meanders into a slightly off-topic look at such topics as Valentine’s Day dinners and Edible Arrangements.
Note: podcast contains occasional, relatively lightweight curse-words. Use the earbuds at work or around the kiddos.
Music: “Below the Waves” by Keshco
Going/Steady 
So enjoyable to sit in on your conversation! Many years ago I passed through Richfield Springs, NY. Now that was quaint in the sense you mean– old frame buildings a little askew, not entirely in use, but picturesque in a Victorian gingerbready way. Likely different now. Conn may be too affluent to have that kind of quaintness. Certainly West Hartford is far from quaint– Yikes! I see Shelburne Falls, MA, as quaint. Although not Litchfield or Woodstock VT idyllic New England, it is very tidy and well taken care of, like them, yet old fashioned and unexpected in its beautiful riverside setting with oddly charming features like the flowered trolley bridge and glacial potholes. Monhegan Is is quaint; it takes you right back to the 19th century with the wood frame, mansard roofed hotel and cart paths for streets. I’ve never been very drawn to New Haven either but I find Hartford fascinating, partly because I grew up nearby. And I love the Beatrice Cuming New London scenes and the idea of her getting of the train and being so taken with the place that she never continued on to Boston.
LikeLike