Summer in Connecticut is underrated. Sure, I got Lyme disease one time, but I’m almost positive I actually caught that over the border in Massachusetts. And it may have just been a spider bite. So…doesn’t count.
The beach in Old Lyme, CT. This is not where I got Lyme disease.
Connecticut summers have a lot of perks that California summers don’t. (I’m from the Bay Area.) For one, everything in Connecticut turns green. Literally everything. Like God dumped a bucket of green paint from the sky and walked away. Obviously, this happens in other states, but I’ve never seen it occur quite to the degree it does in Connecticut. Check out this picture for proof:
Green! Green! Green!
Another perk: seafood. I didn’t eat much seafood growing up. Actually, I don’t think I’d ever had any seafood other than fish (and maybe a couple of shrimp) before coming to New England. The first time I was handed a slice of clam pizza from Sally’s Apizza, I was extremely skeptical. But it turns out that clams are the briny, salty snack of my dreams.
This picture was taken by Jeenah Moon for The New York Times. It shows the clam pizza at Zuppardi’s, another famous New Haven pizza shop.
Ok, I won’t claim that California doesn’t have ice cream. We do, and it’s good. But the sheer volume of ice cream places in and around New Haven is bonkers. When you come to Yale, try experimentally saying, “I think Ashley’s is better than Arethusa,” and see what happens to you. Or try the opposite. People have absolutely unshakeable opinions on this.
Map of ice cream places in and around New Haven. Source: Google Maps.
There’s the ocean! There are lakes! There are fried pickle chips at Three Sheets and peanut butter pie at The Place! The fact that 2021 is my first summer in Connecticut is shocking! I could have been here the whole time!
Luckily, summer doesn’t end right when school starts. The beautiful weather and the seasonal treats hang on for a little bit while classes are in session. Just another thing to look forward to!
Pool in Woodbridge, CT.
