6/21/22 The east coast of New England is gorgeous and if I could afford it, I’d live here. The small towns, though touristy, were quaint and had everything I would want, from basics to various shops and more. And how could one not like the ocean! Driving up the coast was beautiful and it’s hard to resist stopping. The weather was warm and sunny for the most part, with a bit of rain and cold, which I don’t mind.

Connecticut is just an hour drive from New York City. It was amazing how quickly you could drive from one state to another. I really didn’t have a plan for my stays and took a chance with Harvest Hosts and found Bishops Farm and Orchard in Guilford. The manager had a cancellation and told me to park anywhere. There was an apple orchard and grocery store, and the bathrooms were outside, which was super convenient. They also had an ice cream shop, and I tried the cannoli ice cream that was yummy!

The next day I drove to Mystic, where the famous Mystic Pizza parlor, the location for the movie of the same name with Julia Roberts. Mystic is on the water in a bay and features unique shops and restaurants. I had lunch at The Mariners and ate my first (and only) lobster roll, chunks of lobster drenched in butter in a brioche roll. For $30 it was crazy expensive, but was really good!
The Mystic bridge is an engineering marvel built in the 1930’s and was the strangest bridge I’ve seen. There were enormous concrete blocks that are used as balances to lift the bridge up and down. At one point the bridge went up and everyone was taking pictures. What a sight!
I spent the night at Mohegan Sun Casino in the parking lot. The shuttle was closed, but Security told me that I could just find a parking place at the casino, but the lots were crowded, and I drove back to the RV lot for the night.

On day two, I visited the Olde Mystick Village that is off I-95. This is a 1800’s style center with 60 shops and no two buildings are alike. It was built in 1972 by a brother and sister to replicate a center in Pennsylvania. It was less crowded than Mystic and close to the highway.

That evening I drove to Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard, and was shocked at the size of this place! When I parked and called to register, the Transportation Manager came over and offered to take me to the casino and back in his vehicle. He explained that this casino is the third largest in the world and was a combination of four casinos and a Tanger Outlet Mall. I spent most of the time walking around, and spent $20 on a video poker machine. I also had dinner at the Hard Rock Café. The three free nights made up for the gas money I’m spending.