Trips We've Taken: July 2008 Archives

Yesterday was a busy day for me. Today, I'm just taking it easy, and maybe taking in a movie or something at the mall. I'm on my own for a bit. Kent left yesterday morning very early for Vancouver, B.C. and won't be home until Thursday very late. He called last night to let me know he got in ok, as we always do.

So what to do with myself on a beautiful Saturday when I'm by myself? I decided to plan a photo trip, since it was nice and sunny out, to Kent Falls State Park, in Kent, Connecticut (map). It's a fair haul from my home to Kent, CT, but I was making the whole day of it. So I loaded up the gear, and headed off.

I have no idea how to get to Kent, CT. In fact, I can't find my way out of a paper bag without directions. Luckily, my car knows everything - how to get there, plots several possible courses, and how long it will take to get to our destination. Of course, I went the more direct way, which it said was to avoid freeways. That took me up through the north-end of Hartford. And as I was driving through this neighborhood, watching the junkies shooting themselves up with their morning fix of heroin, I realized just how different life can be if you make the wrong choices. I suppose, just maybe, if I had made different choices, I could have been one of them?

But along the way, since I was kind of going by it anyway, I decided to stop by Elizabeth Park. After a short distance, I leave this area, and ascend into the north Hartford area of Prospect Avenue, filled with huge mansions where the upper crust of the "other half" live. It is here that Elizabeth Park resides. And here are are few of the photos I took from Elizabeth Park.

View the entire set here.

View the entire set here.

After spending an hour or so there, I proceeded to Kent Falls State Park, about an hour away from Elizabeth Park. It was a very scenic drive - country side with farms of various sorts along the way. Very rural Connecticut, and a part of Connecticut that I don't often get to, the north western part of the state.

I spent about three hours at Kent Falls State Park. Here are a few photos from that stay.

View entire set here.

View entire set here.

After my stay at Kent Falls State Park, I decided to go to Toshi Japanese Restaurant in Avon, Connecticut. It was on my way home, and it has quite a reputation for being a top notch sushi restaurant. I programmed my car to find it, and I left for Toshi.

I come into the restaurant, and I'm seated. They put a menu on the table, and came back no more than one minute later to ask me if I'm ready to order. I said, "Well, no. I just sat down." The waiter told me, "Well, we are closing the sushi bar in five minutes so you really do have to get your order in now." I should have walked out, but after hiking all over Kent Falls State Park all afternoon, I was really hungry. So, as he stood there watching over me, I picked out a few things that sounded good to me. He put the order in.

The food came, and the beverages came later (not good!). The sushi looked like it had been put together by an amateur. I could have done better. I didn't complain. I had lunch. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon. I thought that they were closing the sushi bar to prepare for dinner. They were after all clearing off the paper napkins that they gave to me, and placing blue cloth napkins on the tables.

I paid my bill, and wanted to go wash my hands. The restaurant was still open for business, yet, they weren't serving. On my way to the restroom to wash my hands, the entire staff were gathered around a large table playing poker. It's good to know that my lunch was hurried and that absolutely no thought was put behind my first (and only!) visit to Toshi, because they had something more important to attend too... a poker game.

Toshi, truly a second class restaurant that's honestly not worth the trouble to go to. I was very disappointed. I grade them a "D-".

Other than that, it was really a spectacular day. I got home around 4:30, and by 9:00, I could hardly keep my eyes open. I went to bed and had good dreams about the day.