More New England

Does New York outside of New York City count as New England?  Well, for purposes of my blog post it will.

So... after Nantucket, I spent a couple of nights visiting my godparents Grace and Jerry in Duxbury, Massachusetts.  It's about 10 miles north of Plymouth and is one of the oldest towns in the country.  Much to my delight, it is home to one of the oldest cemeteries in the country, too.  The oldest maintained cemetery at that, meaning no one ever let it fall to ruin before fixing it back up.

Its most famous member (is that the right word?  body?  /scratches head) is Miles Standish.  I'm embarrassed to admit that while I knew the name, I didn't know who that was, so for the equally ignorant, he was the military leader of the Plymouth Colony.  He wasn't very nice to the indians, apparently.  :(  Then again, who was back then?

Much of my time in Duxbury was spent just hanging out with Grace and Jerry.  Eating at local places, strolling around their beautiful garden, etc.  My first time in their house was about 30 years ago when my family drove there for a visit.  I really liked that it was very much as I remembered it.  They have updated furniture and stuff, but it smelled the same and had the same warm and suburban feel.  Very cozy.

After leaving Duxbury, I drove to Connecticut, which is the only U.S. state I've been to on this trip that I hadn't spent any time in before (unless you count a 3 hour visit to a technology center for a work project, which I don't).  So I was determined to spend some substantive time in the state.

Turns out, Connecticut isn't one of those states that is chock-full of things to do (for example, this top-10 list of things to do includes 3 places to eat and 2 casinos).  I did make a few stops and formed some impressions, though.

First, Connecticut is a really pretty state.  There are probably crappy parts, but every place I drove through had beautiful homes and lots of trees.  I stopped in Mystic (of Mystic Pizza movie fame) and it was very nice.  And yes, I stopped for a piece of pizza and it was good.  And the restaurant wasn't overrun with people as I feared it might be.

Downtown Mystic

 A pretty (and pretty typical) house in Mystic.

Second, Connecticut has at least a few things (besides casinos) worth stopping to see.  I visited the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.  I'd hoped to take a tour, like I did of the U.S. Naval Academy a few years earlier, but it's a small place and doesn't offer tours every day.  The guard desk does have pamphlets for self-guided walking tours, so I did that instead.  School hadn't started yet, so the campus was pretty empty, but I did see some of the newest students jogging across campus while being yelled at by older students.  It looked like of like sorority rush.

Inside the old astronomy observatory, which is now abandoned and spooky (and unlocked).

I also stopped at this really interesting home, the Gillette Castle, which was the private home of American Actor William Gillette (late 19th/early 20th century era).  He designed it himself, and it's heavy on wood and stone.  Lots of built-in storage and some secret passageways so he could avoid unwanted guests.  I've probably written this before, but the United States is short on ancient ruins, so I tend to gravitate towards unusual or famous architecture instead.  I like to imagine living in unusual places, and this castle would have been really cool.

The Gillette Castle

Inside the Castle.

One of many cool light fixtures.

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My final stop in New England -- well, New York -- was a night in Poughkeepsie.  I didn't have as long there as I'd have liked because I had places to be!  But it looked like it could be a nice town to live in.  Not too big, lots of old and interesting homes, greenery, etc.  The reality of it could be totally different, of course, since I really didn't get out much.  I did get to a town just north of Poughkeepsie, though, to Hyde Park, to see FDR's home and presidential library.

FDR's home.

FDR grew up there (apparently under the thumb of a very domineering mother) and lived his adult life there as well (still with his mother, even after getting married).  The house itself is still as it was when FDR lived there, and the presidential library and museum have been built on the grounds.  To be honest, I wasn't really longing to go see the place, but I figured I probably wouldn't be in Hyde Park again, and I'd feel lame passing up an opportunity to see it just because I wanted to be lazy.

On the grounds of FDR's home.

A little bit that is true with a lot of things on this North American trip of mine.  Unlike, say... the Pyramids or an African safari or Angkor Wat, there are not that many things in the U.S. and Canada that I really want to see.  It's been more like, if I am nearby, I will stop and see things.  And most things turn out to be either interesting or educational or both, and I'm certainly not sorry I stopped and saw them.  But it's definitely a different feel to my sightseeing than when I was abroad.

Coming soon:  My review of Philadelphia, where I spent five nights.  Would I want to live there?  Find out in the next installment!