WHAT WE DID
This was a last minute
change of route. It was meant to
be Concord via Connecticut’s quiet corner : head out on 163 & 138 to Jewett
City then north on scenic 169, before heading to I-395 around Oxford, then via
I290 and I-495 to Concord. Problem
was that the Last Green Valley was white – Athena had dropped the temperatures
and there was snow. And snow + us
don’t make good driving companions … it looks great when you are at your
destination, but not great for a sighseeing roadtrip.
So we went a less
scenic, less slippery, less challenging for us hot climate people, way – via 24
to I-95 and got there safe and sound.
Concord looked extra pretty with a dusting of snow!!
Concord was a perfect
way to end our road trip : everything was on offer : a quaint town complete
with photographic church and memorial, beautiful architecture, a wonderful
museum, places of historical significance (in fact a sense of living history)
and of course that wonderful link to past authors in the cemetery and their
homes : Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorn & Alcott. Bliss
We stayed at the Best
Western (see “What We Would Change”).
While the room was a disappointment, the location of the hotel had
advantages. It just out of town
and was easy to access the two adjoining restaurants : Papa Razzi (great
Italian) and the Asian Gourmet (Chinese/Taiwanese food but they also have a
sushi house and a Hibachi bar)
I highly recommend a
visit to the small but engaging museum to put you in the right mindset to
appreciate the rich history of the area.
WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE
I had avoided “chain”
hotels and here in Concord and in Boston I let my guard down for the sake of
convenience. Bad decision. The Best Western looked ok from the outside
but the room was small, very small, and reached by a jail block style internal
concrete corridor. Also, having
emailed when making a booking, and specifying that stairs were not an option,
it was disappointing to be told (after booking in) that the complimentary
breakfast was upstairs. They did
offer me a piece of paper where my husband could tick a box to order if he
would like to eat in our pokey room looking at the wall. So, if we could do it all over again
(yes please!) then I would look harder for different accommodation.
As I said, the weather
made us reconsider our route, so, without that restriction, we would have
preferred going via 169
No comments:
Post a Comment