Hartford, East and West

Hartford gets a bad rap for being a dangerous town, but it offers so much by way of history, architecture, and culture. Kyle and I have had several wonderful excursions, including one last month where we explored several interesting sights downtown.

The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch was
dedicated in 1886 as a Civil War Memorial
(the ashes of the designer George Keller
and his wife are buried inside the arch) 

The Wadsworth Atheneum was the first building to be
constructed as a public art museum in the United States

The Ancient Burial Grounds contains a fantastic
collection of puritan gravestones

Our favorite building on our personal tour was the State Capitol Building

As part of our tour through the city, we listened to a podcast about Hartford's modern architecture. I'm a usually drawn to classical architecture so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed learning about these modern buildings.

The Bushnell Tower was designed in the late 60's by Ming Pei,
designer of the Louvre Museum in Paris

Reflection of the First Church of Christ in the modern Gold Building

Stegosaurus by Alexander Calder

The Boat Building was the world's first two-sided building, constructed in 1961

The Hartford Stage Company Building was designed by Robert Venturi

West Hartford is the posh part of the city. We saw this firsthand as we strolled along quaint Farmington Avenue and down Blue Back Square.

Blue Back Square

Noah Webster (the father of the modern dictionary) lived near here,
so he is honored by a library, a statue, and a stairwell.

While there are several fat wallet restaurants in the area, Kyle and I were happy
to find a delicious skinny wallet alternative at the Gyro House. :)

Dessert in Middletown, CT

My friend Alison Caldwell-Andrews and her son Malachi recently invited Kyle and me on a dessert tour of Middletown, CT. What a fun idea! We stopped in at several restaurants to sample their finest sweet cuisine.

First stop: Anoho Asian Bistro for Boba Tea!

Next, The New England Emporium Eatery and Market
for some decadent chocolates.

Then, the NoRA (North of Rapallo Avenue) Cupcake Company
for, well, cupcakes.

I had to snap this pic in honor of my niece, Nora.
She's as sweet as anything here!

We went for the Cookies and Cream Cupcake. Very rich!

Final stop, Amici Italian Grill for Chocolate Ravioli...

...and Pumpkin Creme Brulee.
I'm plum sugared out!

The City of Brotherly Love: Philadelphia, PA

Kyle and I decided that we wanted to spend the first several years of our marriage living where neither of us had lived before, the kind of adventure that would bond us together as a new couple. During the same time, Kyle parents were making preparations to serve an eighteen month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This process includes submitting an application and then receiving a "mission call" with an assignment to labor anywhere in the world. Kyle and I joked that they would get called to Connecticut, simply because they had given us some loving guff about our decision to leave. Well, Elder and Sister Wilson were called to serve in the Philadelphia, PA mission...and are currently living three hours away! We laughed about how it all turned out and have simply loved having them so close.

Kyle and I drove to PA to visit them about ten days after their arrival. We stayed in their cute missionary apartment and then we drove with them to Philadelphia the next day. They had been invited to join with other senior missionaries (what we call the retired couples who serve missions for the church) for a tour of the new Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple construction site and invited us to come along. The four of us took advantage of our time in the city to also visit many of the incredible historical sites found in Philadelphia.

Liberty Bell Center
You can't go to Philly and not see the Liberty Bell!

Christ Church Burial Ground and Benjamin Franklin's Grave
There is a small charge to enter, so we gawked from the street.

I love Franklin's epitaph.

Elder and Sister Wilson in front of the United States Mint (obviously ;)).

Independence Hall Tour

Every time I visit this room inside Independence Hall, I sense its sacredness.
The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed here.

Kyle with his parents at Christ Church.
Fifteen signers of the Declaration of Independence attended here. 

Kyle posing at the end of Elfreth's Alley (he'll be so glad that I posted this picture ;)).
This is the oldest residential street in the country, built in 1702.

Sonny's Famous Steaks did not let us down! 

Although I'm not much of beef girl, I did love the experience of a
Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich...in Philly!

Philadelphia City Hall
We went crazy over the beautiful architecture of this place!

Love Park
I've never been here before, and I didn't realize
how small the Love statue is.

We couldn't park to get out to see the statue, so this is my attempt
to prove we were at Love Park. ;)

Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple Construction Site

We met in a construction-trailer-turned-Visitors-Center for an hour of stories about
how the temple construction is progressing and already blessing lives.
It was so fun to meet the other senior missionaries from around the country.