Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Tortoise and the Hare * visit to a house under construction
We met our friends Lisa and Doug at church and joined together for a trip to Bristol to see a large home Doug has been building with a work crew. Doug and Lisa suggested we eat first, and chose The Tortoise and the Hare on Main Street in Bristol, so we found our Entertainment coupons and arrived a little after 11 a.m. The place was crowded (a good sign), but the waitress kindly moved another couple and cleared a table for us, when she found out we’d traveled all the way from the Northeast Corner just to eat there. We weren't served for a half an hour, but we didn't mind and chatted the time away. They were serving breakfast only today but that was OK with us. All four of us got omelets, which were delicious, and the specials looked very attractive as well.
The fare was very inexpensive and all the locals were there for their Sunday breakfast. It is definitely worth going back to. They didn’t honor our coupons since the restaurant had changed hands only a couple months ago, but it was still a bargain; Doug treated us since we drove.
After a leisurely meal and visit, we drove to Doug’s project and were very impressed with a 3700-square foot house under construction. It’s in the framing stage and is closed in. We inspected the entire place from top floor to basement and were amazed at the multiple bathrooms, closets, gas fireplace, size of the master bedroom suite, kitchen, living area, and other amenities. The tub on the top floor with a view, the multiple-roof lines, and other features were equally awesome. The interior work should also be spectacular.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Town #17 Stafford Springs (visit #2)
December 10, 2008 (written up out of sequence)
Treble Troubadours * LadySong
We went to First United Methodist Church on Church Street and enjoyed a Christmas concert featuring the Treble Troubadours and LadySong. It was an enjoyable program and a nice break in the holiday preparation. We met, by chance, two friends from our church, and sat with them. The church sanctuary is a beautiful structure—colonial New England with typical high ceilings and beautiful woodwork and columns. A beautifully built pipe organ graces the front of the church, but we did not hear it played. We would like to sometime. (Bob)
Treble Troubadours * LadySong
We went to First United Methodist Church on Church Street and enjoyed a Christmas concert featuring the Treble Troubadours and LadySong. It was an enjoyable program and a nice break in the holiday preparation. We met, by chance, two friends from our church, and sat with them. The church sanctuary is a beautiful structure—colonial New England with typical high ceilings and beautiful woodwork and columns. A beautifully built pipe organ graces the front of the church, but we did not hear it played. We would like to sometime. (Bob)
Town #7 Hartford (visit #6)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Tamarind Grill
Today’s plans ended up being scrambled, a mystery ride of sorts. We and two other couples planned to go to an organ concert, part of the concert series at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Hartford at 3:00, then follow up with supper at City Steam downtown afterward. Well, when we arrived for the concert, we found a mass going on; obviously, the concert wasn’t at 3:00! Two weeks earlier it had been arbitrarily changed to 5:00, but since we hadn't returned to the website in the previous two weeks, we didn't know that.
So we decided to eat first . . . but when we got to City Steam we found they didn’t open until 4:00. Okayyyy. On a cold and very blustery February day, we walked around blocks from Main Street to Trumbull to Pratt, finding only a Dunkin’Donuts open, and the sole server there taking a nap on a table in the window to boot. We finally the found the Tamarind Grill on Pratt Street open, with Thai food. It was wonderful (food, atmosphere, and service). Each of us ordered something different and was pleased with it. It was the first time eating Thai for several of us and we were pleasantly surprised. Considering the dearth of eateries in downtown Hartford open on a Sunday afternoon, Tamarind should have been full, but they apparently expected fewer diners than they had. Nevertheless, we were glad to have found it and to have expanded our horizons. The server even got us out by 4:30 as requested, and we made it to the organ concert in time.
Tamarind Grill
Today’s plans ended up being scrambled, a mystery ride of sorts. We and two other couples planned to go to an organ concert, part of the concert series at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Hartford at 3:00, then follow up with supper at City Steam downtown afterward. Well, when we arrived for the concert, we found a mass going on; obviously, the concert wasn’t at 3:00! Two weeks earlier it had been arbitrarily changed to 5:00, but since we hadn't returned to the website in the previous two weeks, we didn't know that.
So we decided to eat first . . . but when we got to City Steam we found they didn’t open until 4:00. Okayyyy. On a cold and very blustery February day, we walked around blocks from Main Street to Trumbull to Pratt, finding only a Dunkin’Donuts open, and the sole server there taking a nap on a table in the window to boot. We finally the found the Tamarind Grill on Pratt Street open, with Thai food. It was wonderful (food, atmosphere, and service). Each of us ordered something different and was pleased with it. It was the first time eating Thai for several of us and we were pleasantly surprised. Considering the dearth of eateries in downtown Hartford open on a Sunday afternoon, Tamarind should have been full, but they apparently expected fewer diners than they had. Nevertheless, we were glad to have found it and to have expanded our horizons. The server even got us out by 4:30 as requested, and we made it to the organ concert in time.
Town #39 Tolland
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Tolland Historical Society Antiques Show
Tolland is like Willington, in a way—so familiar we despaired of finding something we haven’t seen there. However, for years we bypassed the annual Tolland Antiques Show at the old Tolland High School. This year we gave it a visit. It’s a benefit for the Tolland Historical Society. There were a lot of dealers and the event appeared to be well attended. We are collectors of “collectibles” more than antiques, but like to look. This was definitely not a show for the frugal consumer. We wonder what effect the down economy has on high-end antique sales. ($10 admission) (Bob)
Tolland Historical Society Antiques Show
Tolland is like Willington, in a way—so familiar we despaired of finding something we haven’t seen there. However, for years we bypassed the annual Tolland Antiques Show at the old Tolland High School. This year we gave it a visit. It’s a benefit for the Tolland Historical Society. There were a lot of dealers and the event appeared to be well attended. We are collectors of “collectibles” more than antiques, but like to look. This was definitely not a show for the frugal consumer. We wonder what effect the down economy has on high-end antique sales. ($10 admission) (Bob)
Town #38 Waterbury
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Timexpo Museum * Bacco's Restaurant * Howland-Hughes Building
We don’t want to lose our momentum, so, even though today is cold and blustery, we ventured out. The day started gray but by the time we reached Waterbury the sun was out and the 1.1 degree reading at home in the early morning had improved to 28 about 11:15 when we arrived in Waterbury. Our friend John Bellino grew up in Waterbury and recommended we visit there. His dad worked for Timex for over 54 years and holds the record for the person employed the longest by the company.
The Timex museum (Timexpo) is conveniently located at the Brass Mill Commons Mall, right off I-84 in Waterbury. They have three floors of exhibits that were well presented and informative. We had no idea that Timex had gone through so many name changes and corporate iterations. The museum’s website presents all the changes clearly. We were surprised that it had officially been called the Timex Company only since 1969. The name had been used before that to identify a product line, but the company name then was U.S. Time Corp. (1944-1969). More information about the clocks that were displayed would have been helpful, but their creativity in designing timepieces to meet every time-keeping need for every person was amazing. Remember the early television ad that had a Timex watch attached to a motorboat propeller underwater? That ad is reconstructed at the museum.
We ended at an exhibit based on Thor Heyerdahl’s explorations which was very interesting but didn’t seem to have a connection to Timex. The connection was a Mr. Olsen, who had been the president of one of the Timex Company’s predecessor firms. He supported and invested in Heyerdahl’s ventures.
We had lunch at Bacco’s based on an online review that was exemplary, and we concurred. Lunch at 2 p.m. is risky, and the dining room was sparsely populated. The food was excellent but our waiter was inattentive. Bob had veal parm and I had a special—cheese tortellini with Portobello mushroom and gorgonzola cream sauce. (Timexpo $12; lunch $28)
I’d read about the Howland-Hughes Building, formerly a large, well-known, G.Fox-like department store. It has a unique shape and “the largest open architecture footprint in Waterbury's downtown” (from the website). Now its 124,000 square feet of space is largely empty, except for the street level, with local businesses in it, the most interesting of which was the Made in Connecticut Store. (Jan)
Timexpo Museum * Bacco's Restaurant * Howland-Hughes Building
We don’t want to lose our momentum, so, even though today is cold and blustery, we ventured out. The day started gray but by the time we reached Waterbury the sun was out and the 1.1 degree reading at home in the early morning had improved to 28 about 11:15 when we arrived in Waterbury. Our friend John Bellino grew up in Waterbury and recommended we visit there. His dad worked for Timex for over 54 years and holds the record for the person employed the longest by the company.
The Timex museum (Timexpo) is conveniently located at the Brass Mill Commons Mall, right off I-84 in Waterbury. They have three floors of exhibits that were well presented and informative. We had no idea that Timex had gone through so many name changes and corporate iterations. The museum’s website presents all the changes clearly. We were surprised that it had officially been called the Timex Company only since 1969. The name had been used before that to identify a product line, but the company name then was U.S. Time Corp. (1944-1969). More information about the clocks that were displayed would have been helpful, but their creativity in designing timepieces to meet every time-keeping need for every person was amazing. Remember the early television ad that had a Timex watch attached to a motorboat propeller underwater? That ad is reconstructed at the museum.
We ended at an exhibit based on Thor Heyerdahl’s explorations which was very interesting but didn’t seem to have a connection to Timex. The connection was a Mr. Olsen, who had been the president of one of the Timex Company’s predecessor firms. He supported and invested in Heyerdahl’s ventures.
We had lunch at Bacco’s based on an online review that was exemplary, and we concurred. Lunch at 2 p.m. is risky, and the dining room was sparsely populated. The food was excellent but our waiter was inattentive. Bob had veal parm and I had a special—cheese tortellini with Portobello mushroom and gorgonzola cream sauce. (Timexpo $12; lunch $28)
I’d read about the Howland-Hughes Building, formerly a large, well-known, G.Fox-like department store. It has a unique shape and “the largest open architecture footprint in Waterbury's downtown” (from the website). Now its 124,000 square feet of space is largely empty, except for the street level, with local businesses in it, the most interesting of which was the Made in Connecticut Store. (Jan)
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