The Lunch Boxed Up and Left The Lunch Box Steamed Cheeseburgers, Meriden After many successful years in business, The Lunch Box closed in 2019. I never made it to the Lunch Box, but putting this page together allows me to drop a Mark Bittman article about the Lunch Box from the early 1980's. Crazy, right? … [Read more...]
K. LaMay’s Steamed Cheeseburgers
Oh, K. LaMay K LaMay's Steamed Cheeseburgers, Meriden August 2023 I started "completing" the Roadfood "Eat Before You Die" list in 2009 or so. I actually plowed through the 60 or so places that was still open and then Michael and Jane Stern released another version of their fun book with a slew of new-to-the-list … [Read more...]
Thompson Chocolate
Foiled Again? Thompson Chocolate, Meriden December 2022 I had an absolutely full old school CTMQ day of "stuff" to do. I had taken off Fridays in December, so after I dropped my son off at his school in Windsor, I sped towards Meriden. I time out my days like this to the minute, so the plan was to arrive at … [Read more...]
Andrews Homestead Museum
A Silver Metal Meriden (Google Maps location) September 2018 Meriden. What do you think of when someone mentions Meriden? The Police Academy? The formerly bustling silver industry? Both? Well, then do I have a museum for you! The Moses Andrews House is a historic house museum in Meriden. Built about … [Read more...]
Lamentation Mountain State Park
Lamentation Mountain State Park Berlin & Meriden I've seen this small, unremarkable state park also referred to as a "state park scenic reserve." Because Connecticut doesn't like to make anything easy. Lamentation Mountain itself includes a long ridge with nice views... but that ridge and summit is actually west of … [Read more...]
Connecticut State Police Museum and Educational Center
An Arresting Museum Meriden (Google Maps location) February 28, 2015 I am good friends with several cops. Only one is a state policeman, and he's in Maryland. And actually, although I went to his (first) wedding and lived with him for a spell, we haven't spoken in well over a decade. Shout out to Tags. … [Read more...]
Jacknife (1989)
Jacked Up Jacknife, 1989 When I began putting together my list of Connecticut movies, I hadn't heard of the large majority of them. This didn't strike me as surprising, as I've never been a big movie watcher. And as far as knowing off the top of my head which movies were, like, Connecticut movies... well, I'm not … [Read more...]
CTMQ’s Guide to Meriden
Everything Meriden I’ve been exploring and writing about Connecticut since 2006. After a decade, I began compiling CTMQ guides for each town in the state. I plan on “completing” Meriden CTMQ-style... as well as the other 168 towns, cities, and boroughs in Connecticut. That is the ultimate goal of CTMQ. If … [Read more...]
Meriden’s Town Trails
Meriden's Town Trails Meriden is the Silver City because there were a lot of silver manufacturers there back in the day. The silver legacy can be found all around town. But it wasn't just silver that put Meriden on the map; it was all sorts of manufacturing and metalworking. Like, Bradley & Hubbard … [Read more...]
The Quiet (2005)
Shhhhh The Quiet, 2005 You’ve likely never seen The Quiet, nor have you likely even heard of it. It did have a national theater release and it wasn’t universally panned, but The Quiet was just a quiet little movie. It’s also very disturbing on a few different levels and most importantly for us, the whole thing … [Read more...]