I thought I would take a moment today and talk about the other stuff. We chat on here about bucket list spots and dream trips a lot. But, if last year taught us anything, we should just be grateful for the option to get out.
I'm sure we can all agree that life can drag you down. Everyone has their own way of coping with the bad stuff. My first thought has always been to run away. Not forever, just to distract myself for a while.
Where I live is a microcosm. That means that there are several different landscapes in a small place. I can go to the shore and go to the mountains all in the same day. You can be in the city one moment and in the country the next. Everything is diverse. It makes life interesting.
Therefore, over the years, I've developed some go to hidey holes where I can get away from it all for a bit.
One of those amazing little day trips is to a village called Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York. We call it Port Jeff. From Connecticut, where I live, there are several ways you can get there. You can drive, which takes roughly three and a half hours with no traffic on the Long Island Expressway and all other roads in and out of New York City. With regular traffic, it takes up to four hours and more. The trains don't go right into the village, so they aren't really an option either.
What I do is take the ferry out of Bridgeport. It costs around $30 for a day round trip and you get a boat ride across the sound twice. Personally, I would go just for the boat ride. The ferries run every hour most days, and there's a snack bar and even a cocktail lounge on board. If you're taking a longer trip and going about Long Island some, you can make a reservation ahead of time to take your vehicle.
I like to sit on the deck and watch the water go by. You get some great views of local lighthouses, sailboats and the shore line. It's good for the soul.
As we all know, covid-19 is still effecting some things and when riding the ferry you must wear a mask while inside the boat. If you are outside on deck, they ask you to practice social distancing.
Port Jeff Village is a place to wander, get something to eat and drink, and go shopping for no reason. Every shop is cute. Everything is sea themed. Most things are small shops locally owned. Most of my favorite restaurants are seafood, but all the genres are represented. There are art galleries, small museums, a community center, parks and a public beach. It's one of the cutest places you'll ever visit right down to its British phone booth.
Some things are still cordoned off because of the virus, but you don't feel inhibited. It's just a great place to relax. Most restaurants were already blessed with outdoor seating, so life is almost unchanged in the post pandemic world.
Over the years, I've learned that one thing that relaxes me is the view. And don't forget to ignore your phones for a while. I do that too.
But, if you need to get away for a little while, Port Jeff is a great way to do it and a great way to spend some time on the water.
Another one of my favorite hidey holes is right here in CT in Collinsville. Lasalle's is one of my favorite places to eat and hang out. They have everything and I mean everything. They will pretty much make anything you want to eat from sandwiches to salads to pizza, to ice cream and more. They've always had outdoor seating, and they've always had a water bowl in case you have a thirsty pet.
Collinsville has great antiquing, a museum, restaurants, and one of the most popular river greenways around. The Farmington River Greenway not only goes through Collinsville; it goes for miles and through several towns. It's beautiful, well maintained and well worth spending some time on. I have noticed that with the onset of covid-19, it became more popular than ever. It sometimes is crowded on the weekends these days, and there are a multitude of bicyclists.
Collinsville Canoe and Kayak is one of my favorite stops. I'm a kayaker by hobby, but a lot of my friends have never tried it. I love renting a canoe or kayak and paddling up and down the river. The prices are reasonable for rentals, the staff is great, and they always seem to have enough canoes, kayaks and paddle boards to go around.
Collinsville is a great place to get lost for a bit. On the weekends, I will warn you, it is a festival almost every week. There is normally a farmer's market, some extra crafts for sale, and quite often a band on the square. It's a lot of fun, but I like the quiet so I go during the week most of the time.
Then, there's one of my all time favorites; Wilmington, VT. This little town sits on Route 9 in southern Vermont, and is the cutest little village you ever did see. I've been running away to this one for 25 years.
I recommend that you do go to this one on the weekend. That's when the flea market is on at the edge of town, where you can buy just about anything you want. Then you can head into town to shop at all of the great little places that sell just about anything you might want from British woolens to homemade fudge.
Wilmington is home to some of my favorite small businesses. Dot's Cafe is one of my favorite spots to eat. It sits right on the river, and as a result, it got washed away during a hurricane in 2011. It took them several years, a lot of donations of money and hands on help, but they are back and better than ever. Another one of my favorite spots is the Maple Leaf Tavern with their creative menu and their wonderful staff.
The country store is a stop that I always make time for when in town, and they have officially been around for 55 years they tell me. I understand why. If you want something that looks like or tastes like traditional Vermont, you need to stop by.
One of my favorite bookstores in the world is Bartleby's. I've been a customer there for 25 years. They carry a lot of off beat books and they have a huge selection of local authors like Archer Mayor. They also have a lot of author visits and book signings. The staff is great and the store is a lot of fun.
The one thing that makes the trip to Wilmington absolutely wonderful is the drive. The town sits in the Green Mountains, and you drive through the Berkshires on the way. Just outside of town is Mount Snow, where skiers spend their winters on the slopes. I normally take Route 8 all the way up, and it's some of the most beautiful and charming scenery you'll ever see. I look forward to the drive, which is something that I don't normally say.
So, that's just some of my hidey holes. It's a lot of fun to get away and not think about things for a while. It's nice to get a change of scenery without diving into a bottle or popping pills. If I learned anything during the pandemic, it was to appreciate these places even more. As time goes on, we'll be taking more time to check things off our bucket list, and with any luck, we may someday get to go to Canada again. The day trip makes life a little easier. The day trip is up and running again after covid-19. If you need to get away because life is a hassle, find a spot where you can relax and make sure you go and enjoy it. A day away may just make life a little less taxing. So, run away, it's only for a while, and enjoy!
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