Sights & Scenes: CT & RI

Well, it's been a while since we've done one of these, huh? I feel like we've been moving at light-speed through southern New England (can you believe the first post in Connecticut was just in March 2024? It feels like it should be many more years ago) and now it's time to take a break. The rest of this week, I'm going to show you some of the sights and scenes I encountered while out visiting all the many supermarkets I've spent the last two years posting -- plus, of course, while I was living in Massachusetts. I'm really excited to take you all on a tour of the area, starting today with Connecticut and Rhode Island. Click on any image to enlarge it. If this isn't of interest, come back next Tuesday to see the next 10th year special feature!

Connecticut

Western Connecticut

Washington, CT - Remember the historic Washington Food Market? Here's a look at the quaint downtown of Washington, situated in beautiful Litchfield County.

Plainville, CT - A look at the wonderful retro (which is to say, original) Main Street Diner in downtown Plainville. Unfortunately, although the diner is a wonderful example of roadside Americana, I didn't think the food was great. But Plainville is also home to Gnazzo's Food Center.

Hartford & Eastern Connecticut

Manchester, CT - I'm from New Jersey, so I'm legally obligated to say that our pizza is the best in the nation. But I'll be darned if Joey Garlic's in Manchester doesn't make it hard for me to stick with that conviction. This is the spectacular Hot Honey Pepperoni Bronx, with fresh mozz, pepperoni, hot peppers, honey, and basil. It's one of the best pizzas I've ever had, that's for sure. Check out the ShopRite and Key Food in town, too.

Stonington, CT - A view of the coastline and Lamberts Cove in Stonington from the train as I was traveling from Boston to Newark. This is in southeastern Connecticut near the Rhode Island border. I haven't photographed any supermarkets here, but check out NSA and ShopRite nearby in New London.

Thompson & North Grosvenordale, CT - On a gorgeous fall day in 2020, I undertook an enormous project, being sick of staying inside all the time due to the coronavirus. Having taken the bus from Worcester, MA, where I was living, to Webster, MA, I walked down to Putnam, CT -- an insane walk that ended up being over 27 miles in total. But hey, I got out of the house. Thompson, Grosvenordale, and Putnam are all old mill towns, much like many of the MA towns, and the hulking brick buildings line the roads and bodies of water in those towns.

In this area, I visited the Putnam Supermarket and Price Chopper in Putnam. To get into Putnam, you have to cross the West Thompson Dam (along with a few other bodies of water), which on the early fall day when I was there was absolutely breathtaking.

Rhode Island

Providence

Providence, RI - On Federal Hill, the Italian neighborhood of Providence, you'll find lots of fantastic food. My favorite spot was Anthony's, an old-school Italian joint with some particularly good fresh-made pasta. Some examples: tortellini with spinach in a cream sauce, and pappardelle bolognese.

In the downtown area, you can walk along the Seekonk River, which flows right through the city. Downtown Providence has a lot of restaurants and numerous neighborhoods with distinct personalities.

You can see all my Providence coverage here, and all of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts here.

That's all for now, but come back tomorrow to see some more pictures from the Worcester area!