Welcome to my Home: Beautiful Westport, Connecticut!

One of the biggest appeals of coming to Boston College is its proximity to downtown Boston.  We all love going into the city and exploring the sights, like Newbury Street, Boston Common, and Faneuil Hall.  But guess what?  We collegiettes™ come from literally all over the world!  We grew up in one home our whole life or moved to dozens of new places.  We were raised in small towns and huge cities!  Just because we are in Boston doesn’t mean we can’t see the rest of the world.  This is a series to introduce us to the many unique and interesting places that we come from, better known as home.

I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect time to basically write a love letter about my hometown.  After spending a week at home for Thanksgiving, I was reminded of all the small things I miss while being away at school– hometown comfort food, the beach, and Main Street, just to name a few.  You probably have never heard of Westport, Connecticut, but I can give you a few reference points that might help.  Westport is the next town over from Fairfield University, as well as Sacred Heart, and it’s just an hour train ride from New York City.  So while Westport may not be your next travel destination, it’s a beautiful New England stop on any road trip from Boston to New York City.

Food
Being a huge foodie, it’s more difficult than you would imagine choosing just a few restaurants to highlight. Of course I have to start with the restaurant that my family goes to every Friday night to celebrate the end of the workweek– Villa del Sol.  Good Mexican food is a rare find in the Northeast, but I have never had one bad bite at Villa and the guacamole burrito is muy bueno!

And while Mike’s Pastry’s keeps me sugared-up and happy during the school year, there is just something special about that chocolate croissant from Isabelle et Vincent.  Every time I walk in to this patisserie, I feel as if I have been transported to Paris. Isabelle and Vincent know how to bake everything from baguettes to a simple croissant and who wouldn’t want to be greeted by scents of buttery goodness, coffee, and sweet chocolate wafting through the air?

I can’t write about food in Westport without mentioning The Sherwood Diner.  This was the high school late-night hangout since it’s the only food establishment opened past 10 pm.  Even after returning from college, this is where everyone seems to end up at midnight on the weekends.  Nothing is more comforting then ordering a simple Teddy Bear and a Black and White milkshake.  For those of you unfamiliar with this Diner lingo, a Teddy Bear is a grilled cheese and fries and a Black and White is a Chocolate AND Vanilla milkshake– sounds pretty delish, right?

Beach
Having a beach just ten minutes from my house is extremely convenient, especially during summer months.  While it may not be on a real ocean (it’s the Long Island Sound, so swimming in the polluted, dirty water isn’t the greatest), it still works as a prime tanning and socializing location.  Barbecues occur almost every night and the Fourth of July fireworks show is one of Westport’s biggest events.  During the winter, the beach becomes the ideal spot to walk your puppies, go for a run, or just admire the serenity of a pseudo-ocean.

Downtown
For anyone who has been to Disneyworld or Disneyland (and I hope most of you collegiettes^TM have!), the downtown of Westport is surprisingly similar to that of Main Street USA minus the horse-drawn carriages, street performers, and strolling Disney characters.  And believe it or not, Westport’s downtown area is also known as Main Street.  With an interesting mix of stores– chain stores, boutiques, and an old-fashioned pharmacy– as well as quaint, cozy eateries, you can easily spend an entire day strolling Main Street, shopping, munching on some delicious food, and admiring the scenery. Speaking of scenery, did I mention the fact that a beautiful river runs right through Downtown?  My suggestion?  Grab a cupcake from Crumbs or a coffee from Starbucks and park yourself on a bench overlooking the river.  You WON’T be disappointed. 

If you want a fun day-trip to a quaint, New England town, then Westport is the town for you.  Not only is Westport beautiful, filled with good eats, great shopping, and an awesome beach, but it’s also a perfect spot for celebrity sightings.  Michael Bolton, Christopher Lloyd, Melissa Joan Hart, and Harvey Weinstein are just some of the Westport locals (we used to have Martha Stewart, but sadly she moved…).   If you want to get in the Christmas spirit, head to The Church of the Assumption to hear José Feliciano sing his smash Christmas hit Feliz Navidad every year during the Christmas Mass.  Westport may be small, suburban town, but it has great character and is home to great people.

Photo Sources:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UmWXJ4zdCaE/TPZeDu41X4I/AAAAAAAAAss/5drqT4c5PW…
http://www.lauriecrouse.com/Newsite/comm_westport.htm
http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Westport-beaches-open-for-swim…
http://ctselecthomes.com/towns/82

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