Life in CT - Part 1

by Anand Lal Shimpi on 11/17/2004 5:57 PM EST
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  • NewHavenDude - Friday, November 19, 2004 - link

    Hey Anand! Congratultions on your move to CT! I actually live in New Haven, its not that bad. :) There are some really nice parts and some not-so-nice parts... but there is so much good food! Have you had pizza from Sally's yet?
  • radiocore - Friday, November 19, 2004 - link

    welcome to CT. I live in north Haven...well, actually deployed right now, but my folks are still there. Never really noticed the shopping cart thing til you mentioned it. i thought it was like that everywhere. =p

    Well, if you ever get the craving for chinese food...check out Dynasty in North haven, its right across from the movie theater there ;)
  • Captante - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    Pleasure to have you as a neighbor!... I live right down the shore in West Haven so that pretty much counts.
    As for the shopping cart issue, you are quite correct & I hate to say it but I think its just sheer lazyness that keeps folks from putting them back..I've just gotten used to it, so to hear you comment about it is interesting... nothing like a fresh perspective.
    Anyway, welcome to the area & if you ever need a tip about where to get somthing, I've lived here most of my life, so don't hesitate to ask.
  • msva124 - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    Never mind, it is further from New Haven than I thought.
  • msva124 - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    Why don't you give Westport a try? It is expensive (not that that is a problem for you) but nicer than Branford.
  • John - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    Welcome to Connecticut. :-)
    You're page is the best on the web. I mean it.

    Here's a list of some helpful CT info for you.

    #1 Leaving Shopping carts for other people to crash into is a right protected by the CT Constitution.

    #2 Blue Laws Suck.

    #3 If you go to Hartford, there's like a 4 block area of bars near Union Station. Other than that, don't go to Hartford.

    #4 Our State Cops are Ill tempered bastards.

    #5 We have reformulated gasoline here... It pollutes the drinking water while simultaneously decreasing gas mileage and horse power!

    #6 Don’t yell, “Yankees Suck!” in a bar south of I84.

    #7 Don’t yell, “Red Soxs Suck!” in a bar North of I84.

    #8 Don’t race on the Berlin Turnpike.

    #9 Visit Fairfield County! See how the rich people live.

    #10 At lease you’re not living in Delaware.
  • jake - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    I atually am near there too, right next to Ryan in Meriden, in fact I work in Wallingford. In any event, a new Best Buy just opened in the Meriden mall with a Circuit City opening in an adjacent building. Like everyone else from around here says, if you need to know where something is just ask. :)

    There's a few big centers in the state, I know more of the central northern stuff cause I've never lived anywhere near the hell that is I-95.

    One is Westfarms in Farmington (where I think the only Apple store in the state is). Another is Buckland Hills, up in Manchester. Those are pretty far away from you though. If you scoot up route 15 you can also find the notorius Berlin Turnpike. Where moronic teenagers race their cars on Friday nights, even though cops abound.

    Like I said I'm not sure about stuff that's closer to you (though those are all within a half hour to an hour drive) but I'm sure you'll get used to it around here. Good luck getting used to the area you're living in. :)
  • Rich - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    CT is a great place to raise a family and pay taxes. You should take the train to NYC and explore. Drive up to Boston. You are close to so much.

  • Mikecel79 - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    "Branford/Guilford is a clear departure from the tenamants in East Haven though!"

    What's wrong with people from East Haven? I'm originally from there but now live in Hamden.

    I know what you mean about the shopping carts though. I used to work at the Stop and Shop in East Haven many moons ago and it would drive me crazy to see all these carts all over the place.
  • Aquila76 - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    I totally know what you mean. I live in MA and the shopping cart issues are WORSE. People will just walk their stuff home from the store with the cart. And then either toss the cart in the street or in one of the many canals.
    Where I live, we have a Walmart, a couple grocery stores, Kohl's, Honey Dew, McD's, BK, Wendy's, about a hundred Dunkin Donuts, and a lone Starbucks all within a 1/4 mile of each other. Not good for the techie, but great if you're hungry!
  • Scott - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link


    I live next door to you in Guilford... small town USA is the theme in this area! I moved there last December after stints in Boston, Montreal and Nashua NH. Branford/Guilford is a clear departure from the tenamants in East Haven though! I'm sure you will love raising a family ... that is why I moved my family there!

    North Haven is the shopping mecca... you will learn the back roads that will make life easier!

    To the guy that asked about being able to drive an hour in CT and still be in the state... 1 hour 30 minutes end to end and 1 hour 10 minutes top to bottom... so yeah, just barely!! ;-)
  • hopejr - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    I used to live in a country town, but I live in the city because of university. I much rather the country though with the clean air, etc.
    I've never heard of putting deposits on shopping carts, only on airport carts. Sometimes here in Western Australia, you see shopping carts around in the parking lot, but there's probably only about 10 at most in a large one. It would be hilarious seeing all those carts around the place!
  • Webdoctors - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    omg, thats tooo funny, LOL.

    people love to leave their shopping carts all over the parking lot. Wherever you go, as long as there are shopping carts in the area, they will appear in the parking lot in parking spaces, in the middle of the isle of cars, toppled over, grouped together with 4 or 5 other carts, etc...

    Just picturing it in my mind makes it even funnier LOL
  • crtfanboy - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    man, sounds creepy
    I live in chicago, and I take comfort in knowing that my next-door-neighbor could die without me knowing, that I can be horribly rude to anyone on the street without having to worry about seeing them again, and knowing I can take my business somewhere else... in 5 minutes

    also, I didn't know you could drive for more than an hour and still be in CT... but I guess if you're going 25 you might

    (still waiting on those eggs, like the surly hen I'd end up if this was some new-age fable)
  • Ryan - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    This article was a strange read for me, considering I live 5 minutes away from Branford, in Wallingford. (at least until I move to UCONN in January. Throw me an email if you need to know where something is, especially a best buy, as i work at one as a technician (sigh). Anyway, good to know other people who know what a computer is live in CT.
  • Pete - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    Nice slice of life overview. Apropos ProviaFan, what do you do for food up there? Home cooking? Backyard grilling? Restaurants? Is there a McD/BK up there, and are the ingredients fresher than in a big city?
  • ProviaFan - Thursday, November 18, 2004 - link

    Your town sounds about like the one I live in in rural Indiana, right down to the grocery store, gas station(s) and Walmart. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, we have a Sears also, and a few fast food "restaurants." It's not entirely bad living in a small town, IMHO, but I'll certainly be going to college in a bigger town, and (most likely) working and living in a bigger town after that.

    And yes, wherever shopping carts don't require deposits, they get left rolling around. My parents have backed into them before when some idiot left their empty cart sitting behind the vehicle after my parents had gotten inside. No damage caused to car or cart, but it did freak my mom out for a moment. ;)

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