The Mystic Denisons

First, an apology for the drought in blog posts – between final exams and a recent switch in work roles, August seemed to pass by in a stressful blur. But I am on to a new semester (after a week-long reprieve from school), and happily settling into my new department, so the time has come to resume blogging (and social activities), sleep more, and drink less caffeine. At least until midterms.

We spent Labor Day weekend exploring the city with my parents and trekking out to Mystic, Connecticut. The town had been billed as a sort of seaport-version of Williamsburg, VA, and since my husband and I are William & Mary alumni, I was interested to explore Williamsburg’s NE ‘sister.’

Well, Mystic was and it wasn’t. It was a historic area, with cute local shops (complete with great ice cream at Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream) and a beautiful river area. It was not, however, a true historical seaport town. Mystic was a shipbuilding and whaling town, but the ‘historic’ seaport structures there today were actually moved to the site rather than being actual historical representations. Oh, well. Perhaps it’s our Virginia-bias, but Mystic just didn’t seem quite as cool.

We also visited the Submarine Force Museum, home of the Nautilus, the first US nuclear-powered submarine. The (free!) museum included a tour of the Nautilus, as well as myriad submarine history and artifacts. Another cool moment was visiting the Denison Homestead. Part of my husband's ancestral family tree, the Densinons were some of the original settlers of Mystic. As the Dension website explains:

"In 1654, Capt. George Denison, one of the first settlers of Mystic, CT was granted 200 acres  by Governor John Winthrop Jr. for service to the early militia. Most of his original acreage has been preserved, thanks to the stewardship of  The Denison Society/Denison Homestead, and has been enjoyed by the community and Denison descendents since 1946. For almost 90 years, its open space and many trails have been open to the public."

Pretty cool being related to a family who sailed to America in the 1630s!

We partook of a nice dinner at Mystic’s Latitude 41 restaurant that evening - save for a bottle of Connecticut wine, which turned out to be fairly awful  – hit the local outlets on the way out of town, and returned to NYC.

Other weekend enjoyments included seeing good friends for dinner at the Peking Duck House, marathoning through my recently acquired Once Upon a Time (TV show) addiction, and catching up with family.

A final highlight: sweet circles of fried dough. Yes, dear readers, that chewy/savory moment of breakfast deliciousness: the doughnut.

We originally set out for the Donut Plant on Monday morning, one of our favorite NYC purveyors of gourmet doughnuts. With flavors like peanut butter banana, lavendar, and cashew with orange blossom, the Donut Plant holds a savory place in our hearts.

Alas, this Labor Day deliciousness was not to be: the store was closed for the holiday. However, being married to a bit of a Doughnut Savant, I knew my husband would have a back-up plan, and we seamlessly moved on to his back-up plan: the Donut Pub. 

While Donut Plant is delicious, it is also pricey, and a bit touristy. Donut Pub, however, is as if a local 1960 mom & pop diner managed to cryogenically freeze itself in time.  Inexpensive, tasty (if not quite as Donut Plant-fancy), and brimming with locals, Donut Pub was a great start to our morning, which we polished off with a walk along the High Line, detouring through Chelsea Market food shops and Eataly on the way home.

An excellent weekend of family bonding, ice cream/doughnut savoring, and resting up before the start of a new semester!