My First Trip to Connecticut

Weekend in Lyme, CT with the girls!

This summer I feel like my blog title should be “Time Spent Out of New York”  not “Time In New York” since I’ve been leaving the city quite frequently over the past few weekends. Oh well, I just endured unbearably hot, humid temperatures these past two weeks, so I’m very grateful that I was able to escape for a few weekends. This past weekend I visited Connecticut for my first time ever! My friend invited me to spend the weekend in her parent’s home in Connecticut where I was enticed with the promise of  a ” free crib, farmers market, lake, laying out, wine, grilling, biking…” Oh course I said yes. What a great way to spend a summer weekend.

Connecticut is a beautiful place, and I feel like I’ve been missing out. I stayed in Lyme*, which is about 120 miles from Manhattan (3+ hour drive depending on traffic). One of the reasons I liked where we were staying so much was because it kind of reminded me of Northern Michigan with all the trees and greenery and of summers spent at my grandparents lake house in Michigan. Rolling down the window and smelling the earthy scent of pine/musk was refreshing after hardly being able to breathe in the humid, polluted city. My friend’s parents have a charming little summer home.

The weekend consisted of swimming at a nearby lake, Lake Uncas, reading on the screened-in porch, talking over wine, cooking dinner on the grill, and simply relaxing. Since it’s been so hot lately, the lake was warm–like bath water warm. It was still nice to go for a dip and swim out far without having to look out for motorboats. The lake also seemed fairly clean. The screened-in porch was definitely a hit with us girls who didn’t want to accumulate a bunch of bug bites yet still wanted to be near the outdoors. The house also provided a good balance of a rustic feel without the uncomfortability of camping and roughing it. It felt so peaceful being kind of in the middle of nowhere yet having everything we needed and being able to enjoy the pure silence around us (minus the crickets and birds chirpping). Rushing cars and honking horns are sounds I’ve become adapted to after living in the city for a year, and I’ve realized that pure silence is something I had taken for granted in my suberban youth.

Despite the somewhat long drive, it was definitely worth the trip; I had a great weekend in Connecticut.  Unfortunately, since we weren’t there that long, we didn’t get a chance to ride bikes, go to the farmer’s market, or the goat farm, but I guess that’s just an excuse to go back again .

The screened-in porch where we read and drank wine.

Hammock in the yard. I miss those!

Well in the yard. You don't see those in the city.

Uncas Lake, CT where we went swimming.

Gorgeous Uncas Lake. Make note of all the trees surrounding the lake!

Me, Darryn and Mallory swimming in Lake Uncas

* Fun fact:  The Lyme in Lyme disease was named after the town. It was discovered in 1975 after a mysterious outbreak of what appeared to be juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in children who lived in Lyme and Old Lyme, Connecticut (Wikipedia).

Another fun fact: Way back in the day, my friend Darryn’s parents home used to be a school house.