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CTMQ > Everything Else > Superlatives

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Firsts, Onlies, Oldests, Largests, Longests, Mosts, Smallests, & Bests

The Kensington Soldiers’ Monument

September 21, 2021 by Steve 3 Comments

The Berlin Tall The Oldest US Civil War Monument, Berlin Here we are again, at another "oldest in the US" that isn't truly totally verifiable. Although in the case of the Kensington Soldiers' Monument in Berlin, the locals did convince the federal whomevers at the National Register of Historic Places that the claim … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, New Post, Religion, Remembrances, & Outdoor Art, Superlatives Tagged With: Berlin, Dubious Claims, Firsts Onlies and Oldests, Hartford County, Monuments and Plaques

NHL: USS Nautilus

August 30, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

CT National Historic Landmark USS Nautilus Groton Naming ships Nautilus goes back to Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. I loved that story as a kid and loved reading it with my son again a few years ago. Even so, when I hear Nautilus, I now think of Connecticut's own special naval submarine, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, National "Stuff", New Post, Superlatives Tagged With: Firsts Onlies and Oldests, Groton, National Historic Landmarks, New London County, Ships & Boats & Submarines

The Blue Oar

August 12, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Eat Here... Oar Else The Blue Oar, Haddam July 2021 Lists and listicles are as much of an epidemic as the COVID pandemic. These lazy lists are endemic across online publications these days. I mostly ignore all of them - especially any about "Best Connecticut bloggers" or whatever. CTMQ has never even been … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Best, Unique, & Historic Restaurants & Foods, Food & Drink, New Post, Superlatives Tagged With: "See Before you die" list, Haddam, Hoang, Middlesex County, unique restaurants and/or food

It Adventure Ropes Course

May 25, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Bop It It at Jordan's Furniture, New Haven June 2019 The first thing you need to know here is that you're not allowed to have your camera (phone) with you on the course. However, I do see in the FAQ that chest-mounted GoPros are permissible. I do not have a chest-mounted GoPro. The second thing to know is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, New Post, Sports, Thrills, Tours, & Events, Superlatives Tagged With: Calvin, Largests Longests Mosts Smallests and Tallests, New Haven, New Haven County, Other Companies and Businesses

The Barker Character Comic and Cartoon Museum & Art Gallery

April 23, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

This Place Gets Me Quite Animated Cheshire (Google Maps location) September 2014 & January 2017 Most readers know that I rarely visit the same museum twice. That's not a statement on the quality of the museums, but rather a simple function of logistics and my oh-so precious time. I've been to The Barker … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Museums, New Post, Superlatives Tagged With: Calvin, Cheshire, Damian, Hoang, Largests Longests Mosts Smallests and Tallests, New Haven County

Cheney Silk Vaults

March 15, 2021 by Steve 1 Comment

The Chene Gang The Cheney Silk Vaults Manchester I've written fairly extensively about various buildings within Manchester's Cheney Brothers Historic District and I thought I was done with it. Then Calvin and I rode the full Cheney Rail Trail which took us right into the heart of the historic mills and out to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, Houses, Communities, Libraries, & Businesses, National "Stuff", New Post, Superlatives Tagged With: cheney Brothers historic district, Firsts Onlies and Oldests, Hartford County, Manchester, manchester historical society

Book Review: American Cookery

March 14, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

American Cookery, Amelia Simmons (1796) I can be moderately proud that I've written about many, many hundreds of things for this site that previously had no internet presence. Every so often, though, I'm tasked to write about something that has been described, poked, prodded, and probed dozens of times over many … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Movies, People, & Stories, Everything Else, New Post, Superlatives Tagged With: Connecticut Books, Connecticut Travel Guides & Cookbooks, Firsts Onlies and Oldests

O’Reilly’s Irish Gifts (Closed)

March 9, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

O-Oh-No-O’Reilly’s! O’Reilly’s Irish Gifts, Farmington January 2018 O'Reilly's closed in September 2019 after 22 years in business. Aye, lasses and laddies! It's time for another visit to one of my favorite types of things I visit for this website! Surely some of you are wondering, “why is Steve devoting such … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, Houses, Communities, Libraries, & Businesses, New Post, Superlatives Tagged With: Calvin, Closed/Gone/Former, Dubious Claims, Farmington, Hartford County, Largests Longests Mosts Smallests and Tallests, Other Companies and Businesses

NCLT: Firefly Sanctuary

March 4, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Marvin, Massarella, & Friends Firefly Sanctuary New Canaan Land Trust, New Canaan November 2020 First, let's take a moment to recognize the fact that New Canaan has an active land trust and that they are involved with preserving forests and fields in a town where land is a tad bit expensive. Shout out to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Land Trust Hikes, New Post, Superlatives Tagged With: Dubious Claims, Fairfield County, Firsts Onlies and Oldests, New Canaan, new canaan land trust

The Boat Building

February 14, 2021 by Steve 1 Comment

We're Not Gonna Need a Bigger Boat The World's First Two-Sided Building, Hartford Yes! Another page about another insurance company in Hartford. This isn't a surprise, is it? After all, the capital city laid claim to being the "Insurance Capital of the World" for a century. (While people still say it, I believe … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, New Post, Superlatives Tagged With: Cool Architecture, Dubious Claims, Firsts Onlies and Oldests, Hartford, Hartford County, Modern Architecture

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