The following morning, we had enough time for breakfast in the hotel, and then we walked over the St. Alban’s train station to catch the Vermonter to New Haven, CT. This time, Ryan and I joined my parents in business class. The seats in business class are definitely more comfortable than coach, with the ability to recline and wider seats. We still had access to the snack bar (with the same menu), and in business class we are able to receive complimentary nonalcoholic beverages.
We arrived at New Haven Union Station around 4 pm, then took a taxi to Branford where our Airbnb was. I will say, the Airbnb description was a bit misleading. It made it sound like the house was located in a very walkable area, but it really wasn’t. We tried to walk to a seafood restaurant for dinner, but the road was clearly not designed for walking. The sidewalks ended about halfway there and were going to force us to walk on a windy street with no walkable area off the road. We abandoned that plan and found the only place close to our Airbnb. It was a bar, but had a couple of food trucks outside. We all decided to get tacos from the taco truck. They were good tacos, but we weren’t fans of the location. While there were families there, it definitely seemed more like a place for college students to hang out. With not much else to do in the area, we spent the rest of the evening relaxing in our Airbnb.
The next morning we had the challenge of trying to find breakfast. Again, we struggled to find anything within walking distance. Ryan and I decided to get a Lyft to a local Aldi and just get something there, while my parents walked on, eventually finding an ok coffee shop. We were all happy we were only in Connecticut for one night.
Around noon, we boarded the Northeast Regional train to Boston. We would spend one night in Boston now, and then one more night after our stay in Maine.
When we arrived in Boston, it was raining. We got a Lyft to our Airbnb, but it dropped us off in the wrong place. Fortunately it was just about a quarter of a mile away, so we walked the rest of the way. My parents decided to stay in, order some takeout, and do laundry. Ryan and I considered ordering takeout as well, but we also wanted to have seafood and couldn’t find a place that delivered seafood to the neighborhood we were staying in. So we ordered another Lyft. Our Lyft driver happened to be an executive chef for a catering company. He heard where we were going, and talked us out of it. He said the restaurant we chose was a chain, and the food wasn’t very fresh. He recommended instead Atlantic Fish Company. So we updated our drop-off point and took him up on his advise.
When we got there, we realized this place was a little fancier than we expected, and they were also pretty crowded. However, despite not having reservations, they said they could slip us in as long as we were out by 7:15. This meant we got pretty quick service as well. Our waiter was excellent and also gave us advice for other places to eat while in Boston. We both had a bowl of clam chowder, then I had the Crab-Crusted Haddock and Ryan had Chilean Sea Bass. Both were very good.
We headed back to the Airbnb (still in the rain) to do some laundry and relax for the rest of the evening. In the morning, the sky was clear, so Ryan and I walked to a Colombian bakery called Cafe El Dorado in the Chelsea neighborhood (where our Airbnb was located) for some breakfast, then down by the waterfront. Then it was time to head to the train station for the next leg of our adventure!
In the next post, I will share about our adventures in Portland, ME.
Tracy Travels & Teaches 
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