1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die (6 page)

The State Capitol is crowned by a gold-leaf dome.

Rural Sophistication Under the Elms

Connecticut

The notion that the real New England is an endless drive from the urban chaos of New York City is dispelled upon approaching the Litchfield Hills, a bucolic swath of horse farms, verdant woodland, and sophisticated
villages tucked into rolling hills. Unfolding beyond every bend is a classic Currier & Ives landscape of 18th- and 19th-century saltbox farmhouses, red barns, imposing clapboard mansions, stone walls, and quiet lakes such as Bantam, the largest in the state.

Dapper, neatly preserved Litchfield anchors the region, with its tidy, elm-shaded green, elegant storefronts, and refined restaurants. The once prosperous trading center played a valiant, behind-the-scenes role in the American Revolution. On the outskirts of town you’ll find Connecticut’s largest nature preserve, the 4,000-acre White Memorial Foundation, whose Conservation Center Museum contains extensive exhibits detailing the region’s natural history. Some 35 miles of trails (including 6 miles of the Mattatuck Trail, which traverses the county before joining the Appalachian Trail in Cornwall, 13 miles northwest of here), are available for biking, horseback riding, hiking, and cross-country skiing.

In this naturally endowed corner of New England where little changes, 2006 saw the arrival of the ultra-luxury mini-resort, Winvian, on the edge of White Memorial Foundation, in the neighboring town of Morris. The all-inclusive 100-acre retreat with 18 sumptuous individual cottages is tailor-made for anyone from the living-well-is-the-best-revenge school of life: Fly-fishing to fill an idyllic day and wine tastings for the palate are among its offerings. Myriad face and body treatments are provided by the relaxed but super-sophisticated 5,000-square-foot spa. Prices are out of this world, but so is the service.

About a half-hour drive north of Litchfield, in sylvan Norfolk, the Bavarian Tudor-style Manor House B&B was built in 1898 by Charles Spofford, who designed London’s subway system. He enlisted the assistance of his friend Louis Tiffany, who supplied 20 stained-glass windows for the parlor while elsewhere guest rooms come in many configurations, some with soaring pitched ceilings.

Litchfield’s West Street Grill is king of the region’s vaunted dining scene. Many foodies credit this unpretentious yet charming place for sparking the region’s growth into a first-rate culinary destination. Since opening in 1991 in a popular location near the Litchfield Green, it has been the place to go when you want to linger for a couple of hours, savoring a bottle of wine from the well-chosen list. Menu highlights such as diver sea scallops with an orange-scallion glaze served with roasted pumpkin dumplings keep this place forever full.

W
HERE:
35 miles west of Hartford.
Visitor info:
Tel 800-663-1273 or 860-567-4506;
www.litchfieldhills.com.
W
HITE
M
EMORIAL:
Tel 860-567-0857;
www.whitememorialcc.org.
W
INVIAN:
Morris. Tel 860-567-9660;
www.winvian.com
.
Cost:
from $1,450 per person, including meals, beverages, and activities.
M
ANOR
H
OUSE
B&B
: Norfolk. Tel 866-542-5690 or 860-542-5690;
www.manorhousenorfolk.com
.
Cost:
from $130.
W
EST
S
TREET
G
RILL:
Litchfield. Tel 860-567-3885.
Cost:
dinner $45.
B
EST TIMES:
early July for Litchfield Open House Tour; July–Aug for chamber music in Norfolk; late July for Connecticut Agricultural Fair in Goshen; early Aug for Litchfield Jazz Festival; Oct for glorious foliage.

America’s Maritime Museum

Connecticut

Mystic is one of the Northeast’s most visited villages, primarily because of Mystic Seaport—the Museum of America and the Sea. America’s leading maritime museum, it houses the world’s largest collection of
historic boats and ships. Much of its 17-acre riverfront site encompasses a re-created coastal village complete with a schoolhouse, church, and dozens of homes, stores, and workshops that bring salty 19th-century maritime America to life. A number of fully rigged sailing ships docked here are open for visits, among them the
Charles W. Morgan
(1841), America’s last surviving wooden whaling ship (complete with “blubber room”). The Seaport’s most ambitious exhibit, “Voyages: Stories of America and the Sea,” examines our nation’s connection to its
oceans, rivers, and lakes. The area’s other major draw, the kid-popular Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration offers some 40 live exhibits of sea life, including more than 4,000 specimens and the world’s largest beluga whale exhibit.

The tall ship
Joseph Conrad
at Mystic Seaport was built in 1882.

Take to the gentle nearby hills for sweeping harbor views, and follow privacy-seeking Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart to the Inn at Mystic. The couple honeymooned here in a secluded cottage behind the main building, a regal 1904 Colonial Revival mansion. A newer annex has increased the number of rooms, but romantics should hold out for the more atmospheric original main house.

Meander just 5 miles east to visit the little-known Borough of Stonington, the state’s easternmost coastal community and one of New England’s most endearing. First settled in 1649, this former whaling and shipbuilding center looks today much as it might have a century ago, its leafy streets lined with sea captains’ homes and churches. Follow the smell of the sea down the main thoroughfare, Water Street, which ends at a small beach and an early 19th-century lighthouse. Stonington has a handful of low-key restaurants serving outstanding food, including the tiny, chef-owned Noah’s, a homey spot known for addictive sweet rolls at breakfast, homemade clam chowder at lunch, and chargrilled salmon with lemon-dill butter at dinner.

At the very least, spend one idyllic night at the posh Inn at Stonington, overlooking the lovely harbor. For such a small town, this is worldly luxury; several of the 18 rooms have private decks overlooking the water. They’re all housed in two new buildings constructed in the classic Greek Revival style.

W
HERE:
55 miles southeast of Hartford.
Visitor info:
Tel 800-863-6569 or 860-444-2206;
www.mysticcountry.com
.
M
YSTIC
S
EAPORT:
Tel 888-973-2767 or 860-572-5315;
www.mysticseaport.org.
M
YSTIC
A
QUARIUM:
Tel 860-572-5955;
www.mysticaquarium.org.
T
HE
I
NN AT
M
YSTIC:
Tel 800-237-2415 or 860-536-9604;
www.innatmystic.com.
Cost:
from $150 (off-peak), from $225 (peak).
N
OAH’S
: Stonington. Tel 860-535-3925;
www.noahsfinefood.com
.
Cost:
dinner $35.
I
NN AT
S
TONINGTON:
Tel 860-535-2000;
www.innatstonington.com
.
Cost:
from $140 (off-peak), from $180 (peak).
B
EST TIMES:
May for Lobsterfest; June for Sea Music Festival; late June for Antique and Classic Wooden Boat Rendezvous; mid-Oct for Chowder Fest; the Christmas holidays for Lantern Light Evening Tours.

A Panoply of Possibilities

Connecticut

Few small New England cities claim a more eclectic, polished, and creative culinary reputation than New Haven, home to Connecticut’s greatest concentration of noteworthy eateries. What’s more, this is a college city
(see next page), and many restaurants keep their price points geared toward indigent students and budget-minded professors.

You can appreciate the city’s self-anointed role as “Pizza Capital of the World” by visiting Little Italy, specifically Wooster Street, where a
few acclaimed pizza joints stand cheek by jowl, the most famous being Frank Pepe’s, which has been turning out incomparably delicious thin-crust pies since 1925. Purists insist on ordering Pepe’s “white” pies, sans the usual red sauce. The one topped with freshly chopped clams is a revelation; add bacon to that and watch Pepe’s regulars swoon. This is a no-frills dining room, short on character, and pizza is the only thing on the menu. Pepe’s doesn’t take reservations, and the line to get in here on weekends is a given; try to come on a weekday to avoid the legions of Pepe’s
apasionati
.

Sally’s Apizza is the city’s pizza “newcomer,” having opened in 1938 when Sal “Sally” Consiglio, a nephew of Pepe’s, started his own place down the street. It also serves expertly prepared pies, and reservations are accepted here. Save a little room for dessert at Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop, a revered source of gelato, Italian ice (of some 20 flavors you’ll find favorites like sambuca and amaretto), and 20 varieties of Sicilian cannoli.

New Haven is also home to the restaurant that takes credit for having invented the hamburger. Louis’ Lunch opened in 1895 in a tiny redbrick dining room, just steps from Yale’s campus. The burgers are individually broiled vertically and served on toast with your choice of cheese, tomato, or onion. Do not ask for ketchup. Do not ask for mustard. Neither is
ever
available, as the folks at Louis’ Lunch claim that such additives would only “corrupt” the “classic taste” of such an artful burger.

New Haven excels in countless other ethnic cuisines as well, especially Asian fare. Bentara, an alluring Malaysian restaurant set inside a sleekly furnished redbrick storefront, stands out. Try the Prince Edward Island mussels with a coconut-curry sauce, or wok-fried hot-and-spicy calamari with shrimp paste, tamarind juice, and tomato sauce. And then there’s Nuevo Latino cooking: Fans worship at the altar of Roomba, a superb restaurant that balances authentic Latin recipes with innovative flourishes. One order of the empanadas filled with duck confit, foie gras, and mushrooms with a tropical fruit chutney will win you over.

W
HERE:
40 miles south of Hartford.
Visitor info:
Tel 800-332-STAY or 203-777-8550;
www.newhavencvb.org.
F
RANK
P
EPE’S:
Tel 203-865-5762.
Cost:
large pie $20.
S
ALLY’S
A
PIZZA:
Tel 203-624-5271.
Cost:
large pie $16.
L
IBBY’S
I
TALIAN
P
ASTRY
S
HOP:
Tel 203-772-0380.
L
OUIS’
L
UNCH:
Tel 203-562-5507;
www.louislunch.com.
Cost:
burger $8.
B
ENTARA:
Tel 203-562-2511;
www.bentara.com
.
Cost:
dinner $30.
R
OOMBA:
Tel 203-562-7666.
Cost:
dinner $35.
B
EST TIMES:
late Apr for Wooster Street’s Cherry Blossom Festival; late June for St. Andrew’s Italian Feast celebration.

American Gothic

New Haven, Connecticut

The nation’s third-oldest university and the embodiment of preeminent Ivy prestige, Yale University and its host city have long been linked. Founded 20 miles east in 1702 and moved here in 1716, Yale infuses New Haven
with a vibrant and youthful buzz as well as vast cultural riches, from outstanding museums and theaters to regal gothic architecture. New Haven’s skyline is dominated by the university’s 221-foot Harkness Tower, which soars high over Memorial Quadrangle. From
its earliest years, the university graduated talented young minds that have gone on to accomplish great things, from lexicographer Noah Webster to inventor Eli Whitney to various presidents including Bill Clinton (who together with his wife, Hillary, attended the university’s law school) and both Presidents George Bush.