I always make a promise to myself to keep writing on this blog and yet here I am, more than a year later writing about my travels yet again. But overall, I am feeling so blessed to even be writing about my travels after the crazy year we've just had. 

I have also been lucky to say that my trip to Connecticut in early June was not my first travel in a year. I have been lucky and fortunate to travel back to Seattle for an extended period of time and quarantine in the Pacific Northwest, travel to our neighboring states, and go back and forth to Charlottesville quite frequently. But, if there is anything I have missed during this quarantine, it's traveling to new places and talking to new people. 

So, in early July, I took the train all the way to New York City to meet up with a sorority sister and go with her to her hometown in Connecticut for a couple of days! Being back in New York City was truly exciting and definitely different; I was experiencing a post-covid world and you could definitely tell the remnants of a quieter city. Chelsea Market was super quiet with several empty stores and the high line had a few vendors but not many.

We sped walk around the High Line, something I have never been to before this trip! Such a fun perspective of the city with the greenery that I am always looking for in urban settings. 

Us hustling for no particular reason on the high line. East Coasters walk fast and I stand by that.

We grabbed lunch in the market and went shopping downtown. Everyone has their favorite place in the city I feel, and unfortunately, mine is the M&M store. It's ironic, but also not at all. It seemed so much bigger and magical when I was younger. I do not even like M&Ms all too much, but it felt necessary and Claire had never been. 

Deep in the heart of Times Square, we had to go inside the magical world of M&M world. 

We took the train back to Connecticut. Another state crossed off my list. I've been to many coastal cities in my life but this one was everything I expected: an east coast coastal city. Mind, I've also been quite obsessed with Gilmore Girls since the beginning of quarantine last year so I was sure hoping to see a troubadour on the corner of a quirky little diner and to be honest, I did find one. 

We grabbed a quick breakfast and headed to New Haven. We walked around Yale and I attempted to live my best Rory Gilmore life. We even stopped into the Museum of British art.

Lots of great women artists in this museum

I got to try some New Haven pizza which lived up to the hype. I was recommended Peppy's pizza by a dear friend who and I quote said "The only reason I think you could go to Connecticut is to try the pizza. Peppy's". Apparently, it's New Haven Pizza is a thing and now that I've tried it, I can certainly attest. The Foxon Park sodas were not too shabby. Now, did it beat a 99 cent Diet Coke from Cohn's on the Corner? That's debatable. 

Claire and I ended the night by having a double feature of Luke Benward films: Dumpin' and Cloud 9. I also made the decision on this trip to begin collecting the Starbucks Been There Mugs.

The next day, we had a great breakfast and I hopped on the train! The longest train ride I've ever been on but the same length as a plane to Seattle. 

I really missed getting to see new things and places and love that I now have so many friends in these different cities to show me around. I could not be more grateful to get to sit on a train for six hours and see how people live in cities so different than mine. Here's to more travel after this crazy year we've had.