Half of Connecticut is really just an NYC suburb. The other half is full of country-as-shit towns (yes rural CT has plenty of hicks) and lots of mini-Detroits. There are a few high profile colleges that make the state seem a lot more refined than it actually is. I'm sure lots of Connecticans will be furious about this post. Actually "Connectican" is not a word. There's no way to make the word Connecticut into an "an" or "ite" phrase without sounding absurd. So what are people from Connecticut called? Nutmeggers. Yes. Nutmeggers. I'm Pennsylvanian, they're Nutmeggers. Sad.
Enough of this vague general bashing though.... let's get specific!
FOXWOODS
You have not seen an Indian Casino until you've seen this place. Apparently it's the biggest American casino outside of Vegas or Atlantic City. As of five years ago, it had three or four hotel towers and about thirty restaurants. I'm sure there's more now. It's a trip getting there. You exit 95 (aka I-95... or if you're from LA, you'd probably call it The 95) and go about 10 miles on a dark one lane road into the middle of the woods.... Funny story behind the casino too. The guy who started it isn't even REALLY Native American. He found out that his family had some ancient ancestors who were part of an extinct tribe, The Pequots. So he single-handily resurrected the tribe and started the casino. The best part of it is that Foxwoods has this museum dedicated to the history of the tribe, most of which is probably fabricated. Here's to fucking the system.... Hmmm, I did a bit of research and apparently this story I just told isn't exactly true. The tribe had more than one member, but not by much. In the 70s, their reservation sat on less than an acre. Seems like the guy who started Foxwood had no formal connection to the tribe, only some very distant ancestry. He found a handful of other real Pequots, and told them to run the tables. Meanwhile, he became the world's richest 1/128th Indigenous man. Something like that. Who knows the real story. Just do your own research.
HARTFORD
People are shocked to hear that Connecticut has some of this country's most rugged ghettos. I didn't believe it either. Until one night I decided to get really high, leave school and cruise the streets of Hartford. My lord. I drove around until I saw all the usual signs of a "ghetto." Pawn shops, check cashing, liquor stores, projects. The place was nearly empty. Most of the street lights were busted. It was like earthquake weather. 99% static. An old lady pushed her shopping cart slowly down the street. A few others wandered about, seemingly unsure of time or space. Completely destitute. I still find it hard to believe that Hartford had a professional sports team: The Hartford Whalers. I used to like them, mostly because they had one of the greatest logos in all of sports. Look at how the Whale's body makes the W and then underneath the spouting water you find the hidden H. They don't make logos like this anymore.
NEW HAVEN
Ah, Yale. My dad's Alma mater. Now my sister's Alma mater. Beautiful school, I won't lie. Like Hartford, New Haven is rather rough. It's a bit more Cosmopolitan, mainly because Yale has more clout than Trinity College. I will say this though, New Haven may have the best pizza in the country. Well until I found this place in Brooklyn. But it's close. They call it Apizza. It's really just regular pizza with super thin crust. This one place Pepe's is insane.
There's always a wait of about two hours. You can get the food to go though. I would call on my way back to school, usually around exit 46. No matter how many times I went, I always forgot how to get to the place. But New Haven's small. I'd find it eventually. Then I'd sit in the car and eat the whole pizza. Not alone of course. I'm a piggy, but not that much of a piggy. Wow. I need to go back. That's some serious food.
THE ICE STORM
Probably the best "Connecticut" film ever made. Come to think of it, maybe the only Connecticut movie ever made. Nah that can't be true. I'm sure there's plenty of films set in Connecticut, or at least filmed there. It's a natural location for middle-class ennui. That said, The THE ICE STORM rules. Somehow Ang Lee makes Suburban Connecticut look like rural China. This didn't hit me until I saw CROUCHING TIGER, but the similarity in aesthetic is fascinating. They just released a Criterion Collection of the film. I need to pick that up. It's based on a Rick Moody novel, which is also great, a lot better in some ways. Isn't the book always? But the film puts a different spin on it. I don't mind when a film decides to tell an alternate version of the same story, as long as there's some logic behind the decisions. In fact, it often makes a better film. The best adaptations are re-envisionings for a different medium. Okay, that's another topic.
MERRITT PARKWAY
After you see THE ICE STORM, you should do this drive. The Merritt is an alternate way to get from SW Connecticut to New York. Unlike some of Connecticut, it's actually quite gorgeous. It's a shaded road that cuts through the same forest you see in THE ICE STORM. There are are dozens of unique restored bridges. Now if there's an accident, it can make the drive VRRRRRRY slow. When a tanker truck blew a gaping hole in 95, this road became the main North to South corridor. Usually it's a fast route, and even if it's a bit slower, the scenery makes it worthwhile, especially in the Spring and Fall.
See Nutmeggers, I can give it up for your state when you deserve it. Stop you're bitching!
No comments:
Post a Comment