The “World’s Most Famous Arena”, Madison Square Garden is home to NBA and NHL franchises New York Knicks and New York Rangers, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show, dozens of concerts, and 365 days of entertainment.
On a recent visit to Annapolis, Maryland, we enjoyed learning all about the history of the state, and significant American history, while touring the State House in the heart of Annapolis.
Annapolis, Maryland was the capitol of America from November of 1783 through August of 1784, the first peacetime capitol and the only state house that served as America’s capitol. It is the oldest state house still in continuous legislative use and was the site of both George Washington’s resignation as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in December of 1783 and the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War in January of 1784.
The original State House was built in 1735 and renovated in 1876-1877, with an annex built in 1905, identified by the black strip of flooring on the first floor. There were significant update in 1940 and an additional, thorough restoration project in 2014. Today, construction continues at the front entrance, in the old Treasury Building, and across the street with the Department of Legislative Services building. The first floor of the State House remains open to visitors for self guided tours, and several interactive exhibits are engaging for visitors of all ages!
Milford, Connecticut, a small city located on the edge of New Haven County along the Coastal Connecticut I95 corridor, is home to over a dozen named beaches (5 are open to the public), a state park, great shopping and restaurant hubs, and plenty of yummy bakeries. For our seventh food trail (check out #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6), we started on the south side and made our way north, stopping at seven bakeries serving up plenty of homemade pastries, desserts, salads, sandwiches, full meals, and drinks. Here are our top picks:
This week, we’re sharing a loop we’ve made throughout parts of Stamford, Connecticut that features 7 great spots for tacos. Full disclosure: There are some additional spots for tacos we did not try: Tomatillo Taco Joint opens at 3pm on weekends and Ole Mole was a bit far off our loop. (close to the Merritt Parkway). Stamford has dozens restaurants and we hope to return soon to explore more locations. Every person we met at each of the following spots was warm, inviting, and enthusiastic about their passion for making good tacos. Truth be told, we loved them all! Note: Call ahead to check current pandemic restrictions regarding indoor dining versus takeout/delivery options. While we ordered take out at each location, many of these locations are offering safe options for indoor dining.
This week’s food trail is compact- we’re staying super local in one city: Norwalk, Connecticut. Norwalk offers plenty of family friendly places: Stepping Stones Museum for Children and Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk are two museums for which we had a family member for YEARS when our children were younger. We visited either spot at least once a week. Norwalk boasts several beaches and parks, boat cruises, and tons of shopping areas, including the SoNo Collection, an upscale mall that just opened in 2019. There are also dozens of restaurants in both the main city and the area known as “SoNo” (South Norwalk) which is extremely walkable. We’ve been going to SoNo for years to meet up with friends from the City (aka NYC) and friends who live in Westchester County.
This week’ we’re sharing some of our favorite restaurants throughout Norwalk, all of which make delicious crepes.
We’re back with our 4th food trail throughout parts of Connecticut. In the past month, we have created a cupcake trail from Norwalk to Fairfield, a chocolate shop loop from Westport to Bethel and back to Fairfield, and a cookie trail from Branford to Old Saybrook. This time, we’re checking out some of the top rated hot dog spots from Fairfield to Milford. As always, there are so many great spots and we had to set the limit at ten, so don’t take this as a comprehensive list! Many of these spots are casual restaurants, with very tight parking lots, limited indoor dining, and no public restrooms. While they stay open all year, they mainly have outdoor picnic tables for dining. We’ve noted the spots that have indoor seating and restroom facilities. But we guarantee what they lack in size, they MORE than make up for in friendly staff and really good food!