Essex Connecticut is the idyllic New England town, located on the banks of the Connecticut River. It is home to charming Federal, Victorian, and Cape Cod homes, the Griswold Inn (the longest continuously operating inn in the U.S), and the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat. Settled in 1648, and incorporated in 1852, its thriving township consists of three villages, Centerbrook, Essex, and Ivoryton. [info compiled from Town of Essex CT at www.essexct.gov].
Early bird that I am, I decided to fuel up at the historic Griswold Inn before heading down to Essex Town Park for the meetup. I had a quick lunch of a bowl of Clam Chowder and a Pumpkin Pie Martini and listened to some Dixieland Jazz by Freight Train Five, who play most Sundays from 11:00am to 3pm for the Gris' Sunday Brunch enjoyment.
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| The Historic Griswold Inn |
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| Pumpkin Pie Martini and New England Clam Chowder Griswold Inn |
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| Freight Train Five Dixie Land Jazz at the Griswold Inn |
After lunch, I headed down to the Essex Town Park where I met up with our group for the first ever Let's Meet CT Meet Up!
Host Janievy Hilary (@neivy) hadn't arrived yet, but we were quickly welcomed by photographer Jesse Romano (follow him at @indue for AMAZING photography) who was kind enough to talk camera tips with us. (Jesse you'll be happy to know that today I traded in my humongous purse for a smaller one!)
Yup, that's me on the left with the suitcase sized purse below!!
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| The First "Let's Meet CT" Group - Photo by Janeivy Hilary Photo Source Instagram @Neivy |
It was great to meet some new friends, see some old friends, and finally meet some great photographers that I already follow, as well as find a few new ones! See the link at the end of this post for some amazing photographs from some talented artists.
And I absolutely love this picture that Wendy from CT Lifestyles took of me playing with the fallen leaves.
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| Photo Source Instagram @CTLifestyles |
Here are some of the pictures I took from our self-directed Essex Walking Tour for #LetsMeetCT
Because our meet up was the day after Halloween so many residents had their fun decor up!
The group moved in a few different directions without any set itinerary, and after strolling through downtown Essex, Gina from WanderLaughs Travel and I headed back to the Griswold Inn for some cocktails where we were later joined by Greg and Wendy from CTLifestyles for a quick bite to eat by the Gris' roaring fireplace.
For more really great pictures of our day
follow the fun on Instagram at #LetsMeetCT
and get out there and take some pictures of the state YOU live in!
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Are you from CT? Where would you recommend we hold a meet up?
Not from CT? Where would you recommend people visit in your state?
I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!
OK, round three - I had trouble posting my comment, so I hope this isn't repetitive. First - LOVE that photo of you - put that on your About Me page, its great. 2nd, Want to join the next Meet Up. 3rd, I saw try visiting CT Breweries - they are so many around now - Broad Brook Brew in East Windsor and two new ones in Enfield and S. Windsor. Also, would be wonderful to visit gardens (Elizabeth Park) or nurseries in various regions of CT. I'll answer the plant related questions! Cathy T
ReplyDeleteOh Cathy, I love the idea of Elizabeth Park! I've never been there but I've seen some beautiful pictures!
DeleteIt looks like a lovely time. I would love to go but Essex is a little out of my way. I'm in the New Haven/Stratford area so something around there would be easier for me to get to. It's hard to get time with two small kids.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a Yale tour, or even downtown Milford. The waterfall and the town green are so picturesque!
DeleteLooks like such a fun time! I'm still bitter that I couldn't go :-) so I hope we have another one in CT soon!
ReplyDeleteWe missed you! I would have loved to have seen all those historic front doors through your lens! Yes, we definitely have to have another one. How I wish CT winters were a little more temperate and we could plan something after the holidays.
DeleteOh please, oh PLEASE let's meet up in Northwest Connecticut! We have so much to offer!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Spring 2015 at the Elephants Trunk! Wouldn't that be fun! We could have our own Flea Market Flip CT Blogger Style!
DeleteI think downtown Branford would be a great place for a meetup! South Norwalk and downtown Fairfield also have some cool stuff.
ReplyDeleteWell, of course downtown Branford - it's the mecca of the universe! (chuckle-chuckle) - But seriously, I have more connections here, as do you, and I'm sure we could get some sponsors for food and pic of the day prizes! Between the Blackstone Library, the churches on the green, and the Academy, I'm sure there's plenty to photograph and fun to be had!
DeleteThe meetup was marketed well, I just couldn't make it, visiting grandma in Maine (more than you needed to know, but the New England drive was the perfect break I needed). I'm in Portland CT, but I'm willing to travel. Downtown Middletown might not be a bad option. Was the meetup informal and just about getting to know new folks? Sounds like more "meetups" to come!
ReplyDeleteDowntown Middletown has some beautiful architecture and would make a fine place for a meetup. The meetup was more of a "everybody do their own thing" - and there really wasn't an agenda except to meet at the park. Although the CT State Dept of Tourism was somehow involved, there didn't seem to be any planning. We're hoping to do some of these on our own more regularly throughout the year. I was awed by some of the photographers that were there. Their work was incredible!
DeleteGreat photos! I wish I could have made it to the first meet-up -- hopefully the next one! All the suggestions above sound fun- I particularly like Elizabeth Park (perhaps during more prime flower bloom time) and downtown Middletown. Another suggestion would be downtown Mystic!
ReplyDeleteMystic! Another great area to explore!
DeleteIt is so beautiful on that end of the state. Sorry I missed it but ended up going a day early to check out the sites!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a quaint little town! It was a great pick for our first time out!
DeleteLove the photos! Sounds/Looks like a lot of fun. How about stopping in Westport?
ReplyDelete