My excitement about the drive to Connecticut stemmed out of my love for the show The West Wing. You see, President Jed Bartlet (played by the unmatched Martin Sheen) was from New England. So, it was natural that I wanted to explore that part of the country. I imagine Summer’s excitement was on account of revisiting the region where she went to college (Smith) and seeing her friends after a long pandemic hiatus. The drive was easy and comfortable (at least for me, the passenger) and a good part of it was scenic too. In particular, I enjoyed looking at waterfront houses and constantly checking on Zillow how much they cost. And things got more and more beautiful as we got closer to Old Lyme – my (now) favorite small town in America!
On Bettina’s recommendation, we had booked an Airbnb cottage in Old Lyme, not too far from her place. To me – this cottage was pristine! A roadside home with excellent decor and cool amenities, this cute little delight also came with a lovely big, beautiful, lush green backyard where you could just sit listening to the birds looking at the trees. The decor was thoughtful and cozy and the hosts, humorous and considerate. I had mentioned to them that I’ll be missing the Stranger Things finale due to the trip, so they left me Eggos in the freezer (it’s a show reference). The place was stocked with books and board games and had a very welcoming vibe making our stay quite memorable.
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The next few days were spent driving through the tree-flanked streets of Old Lyme, checking out fancy New England-style houses, eating at local restaurants and pubs, and of course enjoying the cottage. It was also my first time meeting the utterly beautiful, vibrant and charming Smith gang – Bettina, Christine and Ivy. Bettina’s house and neighborhood was so spectacular, I nearly started dreaming about buying a house in that area! Driving to and from Old Saybrook, I started talking like a local. Every time I saw a dreamy street or a scenic house, I exclaimed with a grin – “Good Ol’ Old Lyme”! The one time I saw a knocked-down garbage bin, I cried “Damn tourists!”.
We also made a short trip to a book reader’s heaven called ‘The Book Barn’. A charming campus with buildings dedicated to specific genres, The Book Barn was a place one could spend the whole day at. It had inexpensive books set up in creative cabins and trolleys and obviously, I bought a bunch. We also drove to the nearby white sand state beach that our kind hosts had left us a parking permit for. Lounging around the cool sand looking at the changing colors of the evening sky went well with the theme of a relaxing getaway. Bettina was kind enough to give us a tour of the historic Essex Old area where we bought chocolate truffle shots and explored some more fancy houses.
Our last day in New England was spent driving to Rhode Island to check out the popular Newport Mansions. I didn’t realize that some of the mansions we visited were actually featured in the show The Gilded Age (duh!). The Breakers (home of the Vanderbilts) was humongous from outside and truly lavish from within. As we walked through each room, observing the furniture, the walls, the ceilings (boy, the ceilings!), I couldn’t help but be transported to the era of luxury and pomp. Each room had a unique purpose and so much space. Chateau Sur Mer was smaller but as delightful and the walk from one mansion to another was a nice way to experience the neighborhood.
The tickets for the 2-mansion tour cost around $70. There weren’t many good food options near the mansions so that was a bummer. We ate a cold sandwich and a burrito in the cafeteria by The Breakers and decided to have a better meal for dinner back in good ol’ Old Lyme.
After a short stop at a beach on the way, we made our way back to Old Lyme for one last evening. Then followed a quiet dinner, quick breakfast the next morning, and heartfelt goodbyes full of dramatic waves and laughter. We made it in time to return the rental car and reach the airport before the scheduled flight. However, the flight got delayed and I wasn’t sure we would be able to make our connection in St. Louis Missouri. Thankfully, an American Airlines employee came to our aid and booked us on a Chicago connection, getting us home at the exact time we had expected. And that was the end of my memorable first trip to New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island! There are worse ways to spend a summer break, no? 🙂
Some more pictures:
