The Black Horse Tavern, in Old Saybrook, Conn., built about 1712 by John Burrows. It is just west of the site of the historic Fort Saybrook, the major fortification of the 17th-Century Saybrook Colony. The building served as a tavern and inn until 1924. It's now a private house.
From Robert Whitcomb's "Digital Diary,'' in GoLocal24.com:
Jeff Larder wrote a charming piece in the Jan. 19 Hartford Courant headlined “Why I Came Back to Connecticut.’’ It could apply to any place with problems, which means any place. Mr. Larder, who lives in Old Saybrook, on Long Island Sound, had previously lived in Boston and Cape Cod. He moved back to the Nutmeg State in 2015.
There he has found plenty of things to complain about, including a “dysfunctional statehouse” (how many are highly functional?), “an exodus of jobs’’ and the “state full of suburbs flailing in a post-suburban world.’’ Further, the state’s “casinos are gross.’’ Yep, they are intrinsically gross.
Of course, some or even all of his complaints could be heard in many other states.
But economics isn’t everything. There are many reasons to live someplace.
He writes:
“....Connecticut more generally is at the happy middle of a diversity of experiences that comprise life at its best. In the span of a month, I had the best barbecue pork I've ever eaten in Hartford and the tastiest faux-chicken sandwich I've ever eaten at a vegetarian place in New Haven. Rolling farms, open space and hiking trails are minutes from downtown music venues and indie bookstores and record shops. The beaches aren't Malibu-caliber, obviously, but they're calm enough to teach your toddler to love the water….
“If Connecticut occasionally feels like an afterthought between two cities, remember that Manhattan is priced for wide-eyed optimists and pulseless corporate assassins, and the cranes in Boston seem hell-bent on building luxury apartments and the world's largest food court. Major metropolises are having trouble keeping around artists and creatives — the same people who make cities exciting places to live and can least afford the rent — and they've long been beyond the reach of middle-class families. Meanwhile, Connecticut's colleges, small and underutilized cities, and proximity to those same high-priced locales amount to an abundance of potential energy.’’
Sounds applicable to the cute little state to its east.
To read his essay, please hit this link:
