A Reminder That There’s No Place Like Home

“When I planned this trip to Connecticut, I expected to be awash in a sea of blue blazers, pink polo shirts and cream-colored sweaters knotted around the tanned necks of lacrosse players,” wrote Rosemary McClure in a recent story published in the Los Angeles Times.

Ah, yes, and don’t forget the blonde women driving Volvos and the picturesque antiques shops!

The story did a nice job of describing the stereotype and of debunking it, but it’s still weird to read a travel piece about the place where you live. This is an experience that we in Connecticut are generally spared because not much is written about the state. I suspect it’s just too difficult to spell. (My recommendation: think “connect” and just add “icut”.)

 Of course, the LA Times story focused on very nice inns and hotels — with prices up to $1,250 a night — in scenic areas. These places are outside the daily experience of us natives.

But the story also described many things that the writer found to appreciate in our pretty little state — the natural beauty, the wildlife, the scenic coast. These things are not outside our experience and yet we often fail to notice them. Reading a story about how a visitor views our hometown or state can be a reminder to value our daily surroundings, which those of us who love to travel may be particularly prone to take for granted.

So today I’ll go out for a walk along the Farmington River and enjoy what, I am reminded, is a state “rich in rolling landscapes, peaceful towns and quaint fishing villages.” So it is.