I was invited topreview the Lighthouse Cruise aboard the Sea Jet this past Thursday. Beginning on June 27th, it will run every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday, until September 9th. It will run on Saturdays only from September 12th to October 10th. The cruise is about 2 hours, leaving the Cross Sound Ferry’s New London terminal at 12:30pm and returning at approximately 2:30pm. Tickets are $28 for adults and $14 for children ages 2-11 (children 2 and under are free). There is limited parking at the terminal for $10 a day, otherwise, there is garage parking nearby. Check out their website for more information.

The Sea Jet is a high speed catamaran. What’s a catamaran? It’s a multi-hulled ship, consisting of two parallel hulls of equal size (shown above is one of the hulls). High speed ferries are often catamarans.

The tour takes you to see 8 lighthouses and historical sites along the Thames River and on Long Island Sound and Gardiners Bay. You couldn’t have asked for a better day, the sun was shining and the water was smooth! While the ride was smooth, some passengers felt they needed Dramamine – make sure to stop ahead of time and pick some up as they do not sell it at the terminal or on the boat.

The cruise was narrated by local expert Ted Webb (above). Ted had a wealth of knowledge of the area and the historical sites – it was a real pleasure listening to him. The tour is great for people who love lighthouses and even for people who don’t know much about them (read: me). It was just so nice to spend the day learning something new and being outside on the water on a beautiful day. The boat has two air conditioned levels, there are seats in the middle (shown above), with tables around the perimeter. The top deck is open for better viewing.

The boat has food aboard for purchase. Items include sandwiches (Caprice (shown above), Ham and Swiss, Turkey wrap, Roast Beef and a Chicken Salad wrap), pastries (those black and white cookies looked delicious), pretzels, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.

The first lighthouse on the trip was the New London Lighthouse: The oldest lighthouse in Connecticut, the original New London Harbor Light helped guide colonial privateers who sought shelter up the Thames River during the American Revolution.

It’s not every day that you see a submarine being escorted into the harbor: General Dynamics’ Electric Boat Division, where the first nuclear powered submarine was built, is located in New London Harbor.

New London Ledge Lighthouse: A French Second Empire structure architectually unique for a lighthouse, the Ledge Light is unusual for another reason – it’s reportedly haunted by the ghost of an early keeper!

North Dumpling Lighthouse: During Prohibition, the keeper of the North Dumpling Lighthouse was accused of signaling to liquor smugglers. Today, its owned by the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter.

Race Rock Lighthouse: Many ships had been lost on Race Rock Reef before Congress decided to erect Race ROck Lighthouse. Built on a ledge where fast currents and conflicting seas are the norm, the foundations alone took seven years to build.

Orient Point Lighthouse: Also known as the Coffee Pot Lighthouse, the cast-iron clad and brick lined Orient Point Lighthouse was marked for demolition by the Coast Guard in 1970, but was saved by public outcry.

On the tour we also saw the Avery Point Lighthouse, the Little Gull Island Lighthouse and the Plum Island Lighthouse (not pictured), you will just have to take the cruise and see them for yourself. In addition you will see Fort Trumbull and Fort Griswold, both compromised during the Revolutionary War by turncoat Benedict Arnold. You will also pass ruins of a former military fort used for Navy torpedo target practice in WWII, and Plum Island, longtime home of the Dept. of Homeland Security’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center laboratory. And you’ll get a great view of New London’s historic waterfront.

For more information on the Lighthouse Cruise and the Cross Sound Ferry, visit their website: https://www.longislandferry.com/

Disclaimer: I was invited with a guest to preview the Lighthouse tour by the Cross Sound Ferry Company. The tour and food were complimentary. All opinions are my own.

The post Cross Sound Ferry Lighthouse Cruise appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.

Just a short walk away from Louis Lunch is Ashley’s Ice Cream. I would have taken a picture of the actual ice cream, but in my rush to gobble it down I completely forgot.

This place was packed with local Yalies, we couldn’t even find a seat. They had some great flavor choices: Coffee Oreo and Banana Oreo to name a few. The ice cream was good, creamy and smooth. I would rate it as average. It wasn’t nearly as creamy as brands like Ben and Jerry’s or Haagen Dazs. Here’s what made the ice cream really good-the waffle cone. One of the best waffle cones I’ve ever had. Perfectly golden and a great consistency-you know how some waffle cones can be rubbery, this one had a great crunch to it.

Ashley’s Ice Cream

280 York Street, New Haven, CT

http://www.ashleysicecream.net/

The post Ashley’s Ice Cream (New Haven) appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.

I saw Louis on Food Networks 101 Chowdown Countdown. They said that the burger was invented here in 1900. They flame broil the burgers in the original vertical cast iron gas stoves. The Metropolitan Cafe also cooks burgers vertically-this allows all the fat to drip down away from the burgers.

Louis is this tiny little, no nonsense kind of place. They have either hamburgers or cheeseburgers, and the only toppings you can get are cheese (cheese whiz), tomato or onion. And don’t even think about asking for ketchup. The burgers come on two pieces of toasted white bread and it’s wrapped in wax paper. All burgers are cooked medium rare unless you ask nicely for more well done. The burgers are placed 7 or 8 at a time into a contraption that looks like a fish grill basket and placed into the oven to cook.

Expect a wait. There was a line outside of about 10 people when we rolled up at 2pm. I thought that there would be no line since it wasn’t peak lunch time, but there was. And that was the first of the lines. Once you get inside you wait in another line to order. Once you’ve ordered, you have to hover in the corner and wait for your food. From start to finish we waited about an hour. Thankfully  it was a nice day outside because we were worried that we weren’t going to be able to find a seat inside. (We ended up eating on the bench outside) There are 5 stools at the counter, a large square table that has benches for family style picnic eating, and then some singles seats reminiscent of those chairs in elementary school with the desks attached. This isn’t a place to sit and mingle, not unless you people giving you death stares. As we were waiting for our food all I could think was, “this is what sardines must feel like”. If you watch the chronicle clip below, it looks a lot more spacious than it really is, tv magic I suppose.

For you Bostonians, I would equate this place to a lesser version of Bartley’s Burger Cottage. Bartley’s always has a line as well, but here is where they are superior: Bartley’s takes your order while you are waiting in line so that when you get inside, your burger is ready and you can sit down and eat. Louis would gain so much if they just followed suit.

Some of the reviews that I read before we went talked about how poor the service was. I equate the service to what you would get a Durgin Park. And keep it in context, if I had to work in a place that size, 12 hours a day, behind a counter that two grown men can stand, arms stretched out, touching fingers, with tourists constantly snapping pictures in my face, I might not be a happy camper either. People also complained about the wait. Well if you saw this place on the Food Networks, don’t you think that hundreds or thousands of other people also saw that very same program and want to try it out? And finally, people were saying that either it was the best burger they’ve ever had or the worst. Here’s the thing, if your idea of a great burger is gourmet meat, toasted brioche buttered roll, produce from the local farmers market, yes, of course you aren’t going to think that this is a great burger. It has almost no seasoning and it’s served on toasted wonder bread. Put your review into context people.

The burger was good. It wasn’t the best burger I’ve ever had, but it was good. Having it on white bread was a new experience for me. I felt like the bread didn’t really hold the burger very well which made it a little messy to eat…so I wasn’t too big of a fan. The burger itself was juicy and moist. The meat was tasty but it was gone in six or so bites. They don’t have fries there, but you can order chips by the bag. They have these great sodas there made by Foxon Park as well as the regular suspects. When we got there, they were running out of sodas, desserts, almost everything!

So it was good to try it out, and say that I’ve been there. Will I go out of my way again to go there, probably not…but like I said before, it was fun to try it once. One more thing, make sure you bring your cash because they don’t accept credit cards!

Louis Lunch

263 Crown St New Haven, CT 06511

(203) 562-5507

www.louislunch.com

The post Louis Lunch (New Haven) appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.