Town of Berlin, CT was incorporated in 1785 and has a population of approximately 20,000. It is…read morelocated in the center of Connecticut and it also has a train station; the train station serves the New Haven and Springfield line. It's a mix of residential and industrial. There is the Metacomet ridge to the west side. There is hiking at the Ragged Mountain Memorial Preserve. The term Yankee Peddler came from this town; peddlers would travel throughout and sell their tinware. Schools are good and there are many small businesses such as cafes and restaurants. My family and I enjoyed exploring the town.

The architectural details of this wonderful institution are unconditionally impressive…read more Thank goodness Hartford preserved this building that has been used as a city hall for many, many decades.

Unfortunately, I am disappointed with City Hall for not making it known that a silent, recorded…read moremeeting would be going on the day of my wedding. As someone completely new to this whole process, I was under the impression that I would have access to all parts of the second level for photos but that key piece of information was not relayed to me or my partner during the long process of planning. There were multiple but minor errors as well that gave me the sense that communication was not a strong suit within the event planning department. Upon confirmation for my wedding date, the wrong time frame was made for the reservation. It was quickly resolved so I thank them for that but then the number of attendees on the City Hall Rental form was also wrong. I was constantly double checking their work and what I needed was for all my information for my wedding to be handled with care and looked over with more detail. However, because the wedding was small we were able to find spots to photograph everyone without disrupting the guests and still enjoying the special moment. Also big shout out to the sweet security guard Jeff for being so helpful and welcoming on our wedding day!

Yesterday, I saw a marker in nearby Vernon boasting that their fabric was used for the inauguration…read moresuits of two presidents. Just four miles away from Vernon, I found a marker here boasting that blankets made at this mill were used by US soldiers in two wars. The plaque was dedicated by the town of Manchester as part of its sesquicentennial anniversary in 1973. The plaque can be found on the front wall of the building, just to the right of the main entrance at 642 Hilliard Street. It notes the historical significance of a woolen mill built on this site around 1780, possibly making it the oldest woolen mill in the nation. Blankets made here were used by soldiers during two 19th century wars. The huge mill building is just a shadow of what it once was. Today it has a few tenants operating several businesses. The Hilliard Mills are listed in the Unites States list of historic places. The plaque's full inscription reads: 1823 - 1973 One of the early woolen mills in the country was established here by Aaron Buckland in 1794. In 1832 he sold it to Samuel Pitkin who made Elisha Hilliard a partner in 1832. Later in 1871, Hilliard became sole owner. Blankets were made here for soldiers of the War of 1812 and the Civil War

This is the newest 9/11 Memorial I have looked at. It was just dedicated on 9/11/18…read more Planning started back in 2010 when a request was made for three pieces of steel from the destroyed World Trade Center. The memorial has a circular patio with benches just off to the side of the fire station. A path from the circle leads to two upright steel beams rising from the ground to suggest the Twin Towers. They are rising from a pavement base in the shape of a pentagon. I saw a third beam and read that it was damaged when the WTC collapsed on it. The setting for the memorial contains trees, landscaped plant beds, and custom lighting. Sitting under a tree, a nearby plaque reads: "NEVER FORGET" This tree is a living memorial to those that lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on our country of September 11, 2001 May we never forget and be inspired by the bravery and courage of the 343 New York City firefighters Who gave their lives in service to others

City of Bristol is located 20 miles southwest of Hartford and has a population of approximately…read more61,000. It incorporated as a town in 1785 then as a city in 1911. Lake Compounce opened in 1846; which makes it the oldest operating theme park in the US, is located there. The American Clock and Watch museum is also popular landmark. In history, the city is known for clock making. It was nicknamed "Mum City" because it used to be a mass producer of chrysanthemums. It was also known as "Bell City" because of doorbell production. I was exploring the area and it seemed like a decent area. I really enjoyed going to their town libraries. I gave it 3 stars when compared to neighboring towns and cities as well as overall statistics with crime, education, etc. This is more of a dense suburban area; there are also large employers such as ESPN and Bristol Hospital to name a couple, which provides plenty of jobs for residents.

This monument, known as the Honor Roll, is dedicated to the World War One Veterans from East Lyme,…read moreCT. The East Lyme Honor Roll shares Liberty Green with another memorial dedicated to vets of WW II, Korea, and Vietnam. The World War Honor Roll's inscription reads: "Erected in honor of those who answered their country's call to serve for God and humanity in the, World War 1917 - 1918, by the citizens of the Town of East Lyme, Conn." It bears the names of 114 local vets including three that were killed in action. It's a simple gray granite monument. Over the words "Honor Roll" is an engraving of an American Eagle with two American flags and a shield with stars and stripes. The eagle is flanked by draped banners. The monument is in very good condition at a prominent high traffic corner in Niantic where Main Street (Route 156) and Pennsylvania Avenue (Route 161) intersect.

Things I learned from the Deep River Historical Marker:…read more They had a bustling manufacturing and shipping industry here way back in the 1600's. Things like wood barrels, lumber, pianos, shipbuilding, and the ivory trade represented Deep River's early industries. This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located right in front of the Deep River Historical Society. The marker was dedicated in 1980 and is in pretty good condition. I did notice some fading on the blue background on the front side of the marker. 170th marker visited. All CT Towns accounted for.

What a powerful mix of beauty, creativity, respect, and awe. What a wonderful way to honor…read morefirefighters. This has to be seen to be believed. It really is a memorial garden, a winding path with sets of stairs takes you on a journey of monuments, plaques, artifacts, and sculpted gardens and decorative bricks to create an overpowering effect. The Memorial Garden was dedicated on September 11, 2002 to honor "ALL WHO ANSWERED THE FINAL ALARM". The garden is at the side of Manchester Fire Station No. 5, 331 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester, CT, the garden is a mix of memorials and plantings adjacent to the American flag. The garden currently contains nine different memorials. The first New York memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2002 and is comprised of two retired twin alarm boxes depicting the North and South World Trade Center Towers, engraved in glass, are the names, ranks, and stations of all 343 New York Firefighters lost in the attacks of September 11, 2001. There is a planting of bushes that depict the numerals 9-11 and a grouping of bricks to form the numerals 3 4 3. There are also memorials to firefighters that died in the line of duty all over the country. Remember these catastrophes? A deadly 1999 warehouse fire in Worcester, MA that claimed six lives. A 2007 fire and collapse that took nine firefighters in Charleston, SC. The 2013 Arizona wildfire that consumed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew. They are all remembered here. There is a beam from the WTC. There are many individual memorials to CT firefighters who dies in the line of duty across the state. There are stones and flowers and plantings and trees. There is an eternal flowing fire hydrant. There's a memorial bench. There's a large memorial stone etched with aerial ladders. There is a bronze bell mounted in stone. Seriously, you could spend a full contemplative hour here, walking the garden, looking at all the exhibits, and reading all of the plaques and monuments.