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CTMQ > Middlesex County

NHL: Portland Brownstone Quarries

August 21, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

CT National Historic Landmark Portland Brownstone Quarries Portland Many of us Connecticut residents who hit the museum circuit have heard apocryphal stories about Portland brownstone being pretty much the most important building material of the 19th century. Or something like that. While that's not remotely true, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, National "Stuff", New Post Tagged With: Cool Geology, Middlesex County, National Historic Landmarks, Portland

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

Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park

June 16, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Mr. Brownstone Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park, Portland July 2019 This place is also called Brownstone Adventure Park which is a much better name. I'll say it: Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park is probably the most fun place in Connecticut on a hot and sunny summer day. As long as you know how to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, New Post, Sports, Thrills, Tours, & Events Tagged With: amusement parks, Calvin, Middlesex County, Portland, Portland brownstone

Amato’s Toy and Hobby

May 6, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

You Say Amato, I say Amayto Amato's Toy and Hobby, Middletown November 2014 Amato's Toy and Hobby of New Britain closed at the end of February in 2022. I blame the terrible movie that was filmed there. Yes, there is an Amato's Toy and Hobby on Main Street in New Britain that has also been there forever. Yes, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, Houses, Communities, Libraries, & Businesses, New Post Tagged With: Calvin, Damian, Hoang, Middlesex County, Middletown, Model Trains, Other Companies and Businesses, Trains and Trolleys

RWA: Lake Hammonasset

April 27, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Mad Killing It, Yo Lake Hammonasset, Madison & Killingworth January 2021 All Regional Water Authority (RWA) properties require a purchased permit to access. As with many of these Regional Water Authority properties, there's a white-blazed forest road that circumnavigates a reservoir. Which is perhaps the most … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audubon, Nature Conservancy, RWA, &US Army Corps of Engineers Trails, Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, New Post Tagged With: Cool Geology, killingworth, Madison, Middlesex County, New Haven County, privately owned trail, RWA Trails

Ninevah Falls

April 21, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Biblical! Ninevah Falls, Killingworth & Madison January 2021 I just learned that Ninevah was the largest city in the world at one time. From about 660-612 BC. I remember it from my childhood Bible studies, but for those of you without that impossibly fun background, Ninevah was located where modern day Mosul in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biology & Geology, Everything Else, New Post Tagged With: Another Freaking Jumping Indian, killingworth, Madison, Middlesex County, New Haven County, Waterfalls

Hillside Sweet Shoppe

April 14, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

A Hillside I'd Die On... Hillside Sweet Shoppe, East Haddam June 2016 ... And what is the "Hillside I'd die on?" That it's okay for me to write about candy shops that used to be on the Connecticut Chocolate Trail just because they used to be on the Connecticut Chocolate Trail even though I didn't really get much … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food & Drink, Ice Cream, Cheese, & Chocolate Trails, New Post Tagged With: CT Chocolate Trail, Damian, East Haddam, Middlesex County

Chocolate Geeks

April 1, 2021 by Steve 1 Comment

Shot! Shot! Shot! Chocolate Geeks (Formerly Truffle Shots), Essex Feburary 2020 Here we are. Back in Essex. Connecticut's "cutest town." Our "quaintest village." And, of course, "Quintessential Connecticut." Poor Essex, always having to live up to these expectations year after year. And somehow it does … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food & Drink, Ice Cream, Cheese, & Chocolate Trails, New Post Tagged With: Calvin, CT Chocolate Trail, Essex, Middlesex County

PCU (1994)

February 27, 2021 by Steve 1 Comment

So True PCU, 1994 I love this movie. Now, that's not to say this is a good movie. It's a totally stupid movie. But I love it anyway. Why? Because I sort of lived through everything in PCU. Let me explain. I went to UConn from 1991-1995. My high school girlfriend went to Wesleyan at the same time. We lasted as a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Movies, People, & Stories, Everything Else, New Post Tagged With: Colleges & Universities, connecticut movies, Middlesex County, Middletown, movies, Wesleyan

Route 9 in Middletown

February 23, 2021 by Steve Leave a Comment

Bumper to Bumper... Because There's a Red Light! Route 9 Through Middletown Since writing this, I've come to lean of a 2011 Hartford Courant article all about the stop sign merge. I'm happy to have learned that the stop sign IS actually worse than the lights. More at the bottom. I'm going to do my best to focus … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, New Post, Towers, Bridges, Forts, Tunnels, Roads, Canals, Dams, Fishways, Airports, & Ferries Tagged With: Middlesex County, Middletown, Roads and Tunnels

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