Starbucks...

I haven't really done much traveling since school started again... so I'll profess my love about Starbucks - which I went to yesterday and the day before because I was draggin' and needed a buzz.



Seven reasons why I love Starbucks in oh so many ways...

1) They cater to the Soy Drinking customer!
2) They have Tazo Chai Tea Lattes that are the bomb.
3) You can't beat Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
4) The decor is sweet.
5) The ambiance reminds me of being in the city when I'm not.
6) They're great places to gather with friends.
7) They hang artwork from local artists.

Yes, they may have sold out and are on every corner in every town and community... but they have good coffee... and I like it better than Dunkin Donuts.

Video Game Scene: Kickin' it Old Skool

I wasn't in Connecticut this weekend, so there's no report on that. However, for those of you stuck in your house on a severely muggy and humid day, during these last few days of summer, check this out:

nintendo8.com

When you get there and select a video game, make sure you click your mouse inside the game window before you use the controls. I had to learn the hard way.

It totally brings me back to the summer of 1990, the summer before 5th grade, when I was sitting outside, selling my extra Ninja Turtle trading cards in front of my house so I could earn enough money to rent Nintendo video games from "Video Galaxy", which today is no longer in business. I had them fully categorized, in binders, and in numerical order - all for customer convenience.

For the record, as a beginning entrepreneur, over the course of one weekend, I spent anywhere between 3-5 hours a day outside my house and sold one card for a quarter. I was so stoked!

Most kids sell Lemonade. I sold Ninja Turtle trading cards! Go figure!

Rewarding my efforts, despite my lack of profit, my Dad later took my brother and I to go rent video games. We were so stoked! I think I got Tecmo Baseball, and my brother got Roger Clemens MVP Baseball... those were the days. I think we were on a baseball kick...

Relive the days and check out that site - it's super cool. You'll never be productive ever again!

By the way, after that, I never resumed my career as Ninja Turtle Trading Card Saleswoman...

...although I worked for two months at Topps Company in NYC 12 years later! haha.

Food, Book & Coffee Scene: Mario's Pizza & Barnes & Noble w/Built in Starbucks

Mario's Pizza - 1650 Watertown Ave., Waterbury, CT
Barnes & Noble/Starbucks - Brass Mill Commons, 235 Union Street, Waterbury, CT

Looking for a good slice of pizza with lots of choices? Check out Mario's Pizza in Waterbury, on the West end. There's two different sections - a take out area and a dine-in area. If you like to see the kitchen in action and smell all the aromas, this is the place to go because the kitchen is right behind the bar...

While the seating arrangement is kind of tight, and though the ambiance is on the noisy side, it's homey and cozy, especially if you're Italian. If you are, you'll dig the food because it's like Grandma's cooking and you're most likely used to a noisy environment anyway. ;) [Ed. Note: The author of this article is Italian and can say that.] Even if you're not Italian it's all good because you'll enjoy yourself as well. :)

My friends and I got the South Beach pizza with the whole wheat crust and added a bunch of toppings on it - onions, peppers, meatballs, sausage and I'm sure some other stuff. They don't skimp on the toppings, and it was very tasty tonight.

It's a great place for families, gatherings of friends or a romantic dinner with your sig. other. ;)

Want to hang out afterwards? There's a Barnes & Noble/Starbucks not too much farther down the highway, right next to the Brass Mill Center mall, and they're open until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. You just can't beat Starbucks, good books to browse, and a few good friends to engage in conversation with!

Art Scene: Saul Bass

I was looking up different artists, and I came across Saul Bass again. He's is a widely reknown graphic designer (one of my personal favorites), and the hidden man behind a lot of logos and artwork we take for granted in the advertising industry, as well as the intro sequences to movies, many famous ones made by Hitchcock or Scorsese. Google his name. You'll have a lot of fun. :)

I was on YouTube and found this clip of an old movie of his that was titled "Why Man Creates" from 1968. I want to watch the whole film, but it costs a whopping $125! So I'll just have to share this 5 minute clip with you. I enjoyed it. Hope you do too!

Art & Food Scene: Hill-Stead Museum and Panera Bread

Hill-Stead Museum
35 Mountain Road, Farmington, CT
Panera Bread
920 Wolcott Street, Waterbury CT - and other places throughout the United States

I'm back. I was out for a while because I had some computer trouble but I'm on my way to resolving them. This is a combination post because it encompasses the last two Thursdays. Last Thursday 8/2, I went to the Hill-Stead Museum, and then to Panera Bread. This Thursday 8/9 I also went to Panera Bread. Both Thursdays, two different friends took me out to lunch for my Birthday. Follow all that? Ok good! :)

I also forgot my camera so there will be no pictures with this post. :( You can check out stuff on their websites though.

Anyways I'll start with the Hill-Stead museum. It's a unique museum of sorts because it is actually an old mansion belonging to Theodate Pope Riddle, a promient, wealthy and independent woman who was one of the first female architects in America. She designed the Avon Old Farms School, her Hill-Stead home, which she built for her parents, and Westover School. She was also a survivor of the Lusitania, and an avid traveller, so she had her experiences. She and her parents also bought a bunch of paintings from famous artists, such as Monet, Manet, Cassat, Degas, Homer, and numerous others. As you tour the house, you see the paintings along the walls in exquisite frames. The house is as she left it in 1946. They have done renovatons since, but it's with the original furnishings. You can also go and walk amongst her gardens. In the distance they have cutout sheep. Very random, but interesting. :) The property is beautiful. It was a fun tour because it was like having a history lesson and art lesson built into one. :)

As for the food part of this entry - let's just say I love Panera bread, and was super excited when it came to Waterbury. It's the most excited I've been about something new moving into Waterbury, probably since the Brass-Mills Center about 10 years ago. It was in Long Island, were I went to college a few years back, and slowly Panera has made it's way up here last fall. It really is a great place to eat and hang out. The ambiance is cozy. They have coffee, tea, breads, pastries, and good food! In fact I had the same meal both times I went. They have this Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad that is very full of grilled chicken, strawberries, blueberries, romaine lettuce, pineapples, mandarin oranges, pecans and poppyseed dressing. I hate getting salads where you have to sift through the lettuce to find the good stuff. This salad has all the good stuff and then some! I definitely recommend it. For all you techies and business people out there - they have free WiFi. Take that Starbucks and your charging-per-session-nonsense! In fact I just read an article about how Business people on the road are using Panera as their mobile office! I'm not too sure how I like that though. When I'm going out with my friends, I don't want to hear the guy next to me yacking about his deals when I'm trying to enjoy a good meal and conversation. Hum.

Anyways, go to both. Highly recommended. Make a day out of it. They're both a lot of fun!

Shopping Scene: Tax Free Week Coming Soon!

August 19-25 - Tax Free Week on Clothing & Footwear Items! Yay!
More Details Here

Personal Scene: Another Year!

I turned 27 today. :)
Cheers to another year of Connecticut Adventures!

With that, a few questions to my readers: How are you liking this blog so far? What would you like to see me write more about?
Feedback please!