Stay-Cation, Connecticut

When school is out in April and us working parents must shuffle like mad to arrange some quality time with our kiddos, among the usual daily grind of deadlines and meetings, a real 'vacation' is just not in the cards. But this first spring break in our new town affords a great chance to explore and visit many of the places on our to-do list.

to eat: 

Sayulita is not to be missed. We used to live in Manhattan, a stone's throw from some iconic Mexican cuisine (Rosa Mexicana, Dos Caminos, Gonzales y Gonzales), so we have become spoiled. But this place lives up to its big city competitors, and the margaritas are too good to have just one.

to visit (with kids): 

The Connecticut Science Center is the perfect place to bring everyone (even baby Wells) for the afternoon. In downtown Hartford, this glass structure with see-through elevator is even good for sight seeing with view of the Connecticut River. They even have a rooftop garden with dinosaurs.

Not seasonal for spring break, but the numerous apple orchards in our town are amazing. When we lived on Long Island apple picking involved a 2 hour car ride out east, with traffic, lines, hoards of people, and no where to park. In Connecticut by contrast, there are so many orchards to choose from its rare to wait more than 5 minutes for a tractor ride and the views are spectacular. My favorites are probably Belltown and Rose's Berry farm.

to visit (without kids):

Old Saybrook has not only history but also a beautiful marina and hotel, Saybrook Point, where my mother docks her boat for several months of the summer. In April, the hotel is quiet and perfect for a quick overnight getaway. Since when my mother is here on the boat she doesn't have a car, she will be using Turo for a short term car rental. They are reasonably priced, and have tons of cars to choose from.