Pisces

DH and I spent a couple of days in Mysic earlier this month. We stayed at the Comfort Inn and were quite pleased. The hotel was near the highway off ramp but it was not noisy in the room, it had a very nice continental breakfast, and the room was quite large. I appreciated the fridge and microwave in the room, too. I booked thru the hotel's website and when I found a cheaper rate on Expedia, the hotel honored its Internet guarantee and gave me the room for 10% off Expedia's quote. All in all, an excellent deal. We had some nice meals at local restaurants, but the high point was probably Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream. Oh my. It certainly wasn't cheap- the store had posted photocopies of articles talking about the increase in dairy prices this year- but the ice cream was top notch. We visited the beaches in Rhode Island, which was just a hop down the highway. Interesting sidenote: CT highway exit numbers are not tied to mileage traveled. We thought Exit 92 would be two miles form Exit 94- guess what, it was eight miles. Anyway, the Watch Hill/Westerly area of RI was neat and I could see going back and basing my vacation there. We skipped the aquarium (we've been to Baltimore's and Monterey's) but I dragged poor DH to the Seaport. He's not a history buff like me but he enjoyed the tall ships. By mid-morning the place was overrun by school tours and we made our escape. Luckily the seaport allows re-entry, so I returned on my own around 3 pm. The school children had left and I got to explore the little stores and exhibits that had been previously crowded. We had phenomenal weather (sunny, high 70s, no humidity) which made the whole experience just that much more pleasurable.

klw25

<<CT highway exit numbers are not tied to mileage traveled. We thought Exit 92 would be two miles form Exit 94- guess what, it was eight miles.>>

I'm very curious as to where you're from. I've never heard of exit numbers being tied to mileage. But I live in the northeast and most of the highway driving I've done has been in the northeast. When I drive from my town to the town where I grew up, it's 16 exits but 38 miles. I've never noticed mileage correlating to exit numbers when I traveled, but I don't always drive on highways while on vacation. Definitely didn't notice this in Florida or northern CA, where I have done highway travel.

One Mystic question for you: Would you consider any of the restaurants to be really great? My DH and I were considering spending a couple of nights in Mystic later this summer (I've only driven through) but are leaning toward Portland, ME, in large part because we love so many restaurants in that area. But the spa at the Marriott in Mystic looks quite wonderful. So we're weighing total relaxation versus great food--so far, food is winning out!

rb_travelerxATyahoo

klw25: The Garden State Parkway uses milepost markers as exit numbers.

The interstates in VA do too. I wish all states would do the same.

klw25

Rb travelerx--The Garden State Parkway in New York? I just went to ask my DH, who travels to NY almost weekly and often drives the Parkway. He looked at me like I was nuts, said "No" and proceeded to tell me how the exits had all these screwy numbers that didn't correspond to the other side. Then he realized that maybe that's why he never really understood why the exits were numbered the way they are! Too funny! I guess it all depends on what you're used to...even though that system does make sense, especially for those unfamiliar with an area. Thanks for letting me know!

klw25

Sorry, I meant "Garden State Parkway in New Jersey?"

rkkwan

Most states outside of the NE use the mileage system for exit numbers. It's easy to know that if you're going from Exit 877 in Orange, TX to Exit 22 in El Paso, TX, you have to drive 855 miles on I-10.

In the north east, exits are close to each other. If they use the mileage system in CT, then you'll probably have exits 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, etc... in Stamford alone. Very confusing.

PA just switched from sequential to mileage not long ago, while CA's just starting to put any type of mileage system. I believe OH also just recently switched their Turnpike to mileage to match their regular interstates.

Pisces

1) Restaurants in Mystic. We were not looking for anything upscale, so we ate at a pretty good order-at-the-window shack next to Kitchen Little, and also had a decent lunch in Mystic itself at Seamen's Inne Restaurant and Pub. The best meal we had was at Senor Flores, a mexican restaurant in Westerly, RI. Some of the fancier restaurants may be more destination worthy, but as I mentioned, we only ate at places where shorts and sandals were fine!

2) DH and I have done most of our driving in the Southeast and midwest, where the interstates usually tie mileage to exits. (Previously we lived in Los Angeles where the exits don't even bother with numbers, which makes it super hard to estimate how close you are to your exit.)

yeadonite

Great report.
I know it is really cheesy but I liked Mystic Pizza, I actually did not like the movie.

J_Correa

A friend and I went to Mystic a couple years ago - we ate at Mystic Pizza and it was quite good.