[Danny K]

Originally Posted by WestRiverTraveler

Glastonbury vs Kent This feels like an impossible choice, but I think it has to be Glastonbury. As much as I like Kent as spot to visit, Glastonbury is one of the few towns not on the coast the I would live in.

I feel like Glastonbury is a slightly underrated town here at the tournaments! Many people associate Glastonbury with a lot of good proximity, and great schools, but there are also some amazing nature spots like Cotton Hollow, Blacklegde Falls, and the Eastbury Pond. East Glastonbury also has some of the best agriculture I've seen in the whole state. The town is full of charm that I believe many people are not aware of.

The point I am trying to make here is that I think Glastonbury has just as much charm and nature as Kent does if not more. That being said, I am not super familiar with Kent.

On the forums here, many people talk about Glastonbury and West Hartford as nice upscale suburbs of Hartford, but to be honest, those towns are really NOTHING alike, and not really similar in any way. They're both good in different ways, but Glastonbury has way more nature and charm compared to West Hartford, and many of the other Greater Hartford suburbs.

[JayCT]

Here’s my picks and my reasoning.

Old Lyme vs Groton - Only because of Mystic, Noank and Groton Long Point.

Westport vs Middletown - Middletown’s downtown is great. Many great restaurants and stores including RJ Julia Bookstore and the iconic Amato’s Toy and Hobby. Hard to beat that.

West Hartford vs Newtown - West Hartford Center is fabulous. Great restaurants and stores. Westfarms is arguably the best mall in the state, if not New England. Great schools and wonderful walkable neighborhoods. It’s really hard to beat.

Essex vs New London - Essex is nice but New London is up and coming. Could it be New London’s year?

Ridgefield vs Norwalk - Hard choice but Ridgefield is one our state’s best suburbs.

Branford vs Clinton - Branford has a great town center and the stunning Trimble Islands. Hard to beat that.

Glastonbury vs Kent - My home. As Danny noted it’s a great town with a lot to offer.

East Lyme vs New Canaan - It’s “The Next Station to Heaven”. How can anyone pick anyplace else?

[Danny K]

Here We Go:


Old Lyme vs Groton - It's really close, but my main issue with Old Lyme is that it's fairly remote with not much there. Most of it is rural with a few nice and slightly upscale housing ares along the coast and some decent beaches; but in general a lack of amenities and restaurants. Groton just has more, and I do love the areas of Bluff Point, Long Point, Noank, and parts of Mystic. Even the rundown areas around Downtown are a bit exaggerated in my opinion. It's not the best but those areas are not horrible either; at least there's a bunch of amenities and it's convenient.

Westport vs Middletown - This was the toughest and I had to really think about it. However, I do really love Downtown Middletown. It has a lot of restaurants, amenities, and a unique feeling in general. Kind of like a small city in some ways with some charm. The views overlooking the CT river are also nice. Westport is also a great town with some great beaches, but traffic has gotten overly crowded over the past years, and the downtown is decent but is just kind of ordinary to me.

West Hartford vs Newtown - Newtown is nice, but I do appreciate the convenience and amenities that West Hartford has to offer; especially the restaurants around Downtown.

Essex vs New London - Also a tough one. I am so happy to see New London make it this far, and the town has a lot of potential. However, Essex is probably my favorite town in the state that is not on the coast. It is so unique, and the center feels very special like a really unique small town. It's very pretty. Then you've also got the Steam Train, Riverboat, and nice restaurants. Sorry New London, but I am afraid the fairytale ends here.

Ridgefield vs Norwalk - The city has a lot of character, plus there's Rowayton. Ridgefield is really nice too, but Norwalk wins for me mainly due to it being coastal.

Branford vs Clinton - ALL THE WAY!!!! While the town is more middle-class, there's so many restaurants, the downtown is nice, and I LOVE Stony Creek and the Thimble Islands.

Glastonbury vs Kent- Like I mentioned before, Glastonbury has so much nature that I suspect goes unnoticed by a lot of people on this forum. The nature is pretty comparable to what you find in towns like Kent and Washington. Cotton Hollow and Blackledge Falls are both really nice. Plus the Center has amenities and is convenient. This town has so much charm, especially around the East side of the town.

East Lyme vs New Canaan - 100%!!! Honestly, I am not a fan of New Canaan due to a lot of ritzy snobs. But East Lyme is one of my favorite towns. Rocky Neck State Park, Niantic, The Aquatic Center, and Nehantic State Forest up north!

[WestRiverTraveler]

Originally Posted by Danny K

I feel like Glastonbury is a slightly underrated town here at the tournaments!

The point I am trying to make here is that I think Glastonbury has just as much charm and nature as Kent does if not more. That being said, I am not super familiar with Kent.

Nature in Kent is a bit more rugged, IMO. You have a stretch of the Housatonic that runs from Cornwall to Kent that has canoe-able Class 1/2 rapids. Cornwall Bridge to Bull's Bridge is a classic paddle. Bull's Bridge is cool old covered bridge. People come from all around to paddle that stretch. It's how I became familiar with the town, back in high school.

You also have the most challenging section CT portion of the Appalachian Trail outside of Bear Mountain in Salisbury. If you haven't spend any time there and you hike, drive out and do the ledges.

[StevieB160]

Old Lyme vs Groton

Westport vs Middletown

West Hartford vs Newtown

Essex vs New London

Ridgefield vs Norwalk

Branford vs Clinton

Glastonbury vs Kent

East Lyme vs New Canaan

[Danny K]

Originally Posted by JayCT

West Hartford vs Newtown - West Hartford Center is fabulous. Great restaurants and stores. Westfarms is arguably the best mall in the state, if not New England. Great schools and wonderful walkable neighborhoods. It’s really hard to beat.

Jay, do you think Westfarms is better than the CT Post Mall in Milford? I’ve been to both, and I thought CT post mall had the slight edge, but has been a while.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Danny K

Jay, do you think Westfarms is better than the CT Post Mall in Milford? I’ve been to both, and I thought CT post mall had the slight edge, but has been a while.

Westfarms is definitely better. But I thought it was Farmington, not WH. The only malls that compete with it in CT are Danbury and SoNo.

[Danny K]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Westfarms is definitely better. But I thought it was Farmington, not WH. The only malls that compete with it in CT are Danbury and SoNo.

It's honestly half in Farmington and half in West Hartford. Westfarms is right on the line.

[BHW2436]

Old Lyme

Middletown

Newtown

Essex

Norwalk

Clinton

Kent

East Lyme

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Danny K

Jay, do you think Westfarms is better than the CT Post Mall in Milford? I’ve been to both, and I thought CT post mall had the slight edge, but has been a while.

You did? It depends on your definition of “better”.

Westfarms is one of he top producing malls in the country. It’s more upscale and has better anchors with 2 Macy’s, JC Penney’s and Nordstrom. And they just added a huge Jordan’s Furniture. Plus I like the layout of Westfarms better because it’s more logical and uniformly designed with one main mall and anchors at each end and off small branches off of it.

Connecticut Post has a long and complex history of changes and additions and it shows. It was originally an open air mall that was enclosed and added on to several times. It has a Macy’s, Target and Boscov’s as anchors so it’s definitely less upscale.