travelling to Connecticut September 2007

We are travelling to the USA during September/October this year and plan to visit in Fairfield, CT for about 3 days. My problem is finding accomodation. Fairfield itself has very little to offer - from what my friend has said over the years and looking at the map I thought maybe Bridgeport as it is reasonably close and a larger town, but the reviews for two hotels on here are just awful. Does anyone have any suggestions please? Hartford looks quite a distance away for daily commute.

Wherever we stay we will be using public transport to get to Fairfield as the friend I am visiting does not drive and it is not convenient to stay there. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

travelling to Connecticut September 2007

Hi Lily, I live in Fairfield County and would be only too happy to help you in any way that I can. My first advice is not to stay in any City in CT. I know, I do not feel safe at night, in any of the 7 cities of CT. Stay in one of the towns. Westport is a beautiful town with all the ammenities. I suggest the Westport Inn. It is located on RT 1 (main Road). A bus stops right in front of the motel. If you do decide to stay at that motel, about 1 mile south (on the same road) there is a nice little trottoria (small family owned Italian restaurant), Angelina%26#39;s, you can get a delicious Italian meal or just a pizza, if you like. It is in the Barnes and Noble shopping center. Your friend may be familiar with the restaurant.

Since your friend lives in Fairfield, you may want to stay at the Fairfield Inn. It is on the same RT 1 about 4 miles North of Westport Inn. The motel is probably a bit cheaper than Westport, but in my opinion not as well maintained.

If you have any further question, please let me know. In any case, I really hope that you enjoy my part of the world, since you are coming such a long way to get here.

One last point, Westport has a train station, with trains to New York City, it would be a shame to come this far and not see NY.

travelling to Connecticut September 2007

Thanks for your reply Richard - and Westport looks ideal. Yes we are spending a week in NYC and then onto CT and also NH. We are travelling by train in that area so we can see just a little bit more of the area.

I am a %26#39;mature%26#39; person and have wanted to see the Statue of Liberty since I was about 9 years of age, so this trip is the fulfilment of a dream I%26#39;ve had for 40 years.

The friend I%26#39;m visiting in CT is a %26#39;pen pal%26#39; of the letter writing kind (before the internet existed) I%26#39;ve had since I was about the same age so it will be an interesting and exciting trip.

Hope you do not mind another suggestion. I think the best way to see the Statute is on a Circle Line Cruise. It is a 3 hour narrated tour that takes you around Manhattan. When they get to the Statue, they circle it 4 times (twice clockwise, twice counterclockwise), so everyone can get a picture, without the boat tipping over. When I took the circle line, they played patriotic music, as the boat circled. If you decide to go to the statue itself, you may be disappointed, you are no longer allowed to climb into the statue. You will just be able to stand on Liberty Island and take pictures. I know I would prefer the Circle Line. The 3 hour cruise will, also, give you the oppotunity to learn about the city (as I said it is narrated).

Thanks Richard, yes my son was in NYC two years ago and did the circle line tour you mention and took lots of pics for me. Climbining inside the statue is not a major for me. We are in the USA for five weeks and doing lots of typical tourist things and people tell me New England is an incredibly beautiful area, so I am looking forward to seeing a few things there to. Unfortunately we won%26#39;t have time to see everything we would like - that would take years!

Thanks for your replies.

Hi Lily,

Unfortunately neither the Westport Inn or Fairfield Inn are great, merely adequate, and neither fits the description of an inn. Unless money is no object, I%26#39;d save some money and stay at the Fairfield Inn. There are also more choices of restaurants within a very short walk of the FI such as the Ash Creek Saloon, Luigi%26#39;s Italian restaurant, and decent Indian and Chinese restaurants as well as a selecton of fast food. Ask for a room away from the road as the FI is close to the road. For transportation, there is a local cab company which I%26#39;d suggest to visit your friend.

If you decide on the Westport Inn I will give you restaurant suggestions nearby. Let me know what kind of food you like.

Too bad you won%26#39;t have access to a car as there are some very scenic/quaint areas nearby such as downtown Westport, Compo Beach in Westport and the Village of Southport, Southport Harbor and the Greenfield Hill area in Fairfield. If you drive, there is a car rental company very close to the FI. The area is easy to drive around.

Feel free to ask for more information.

Thanks so much for your reply and recommendations for accomodation and dining.

Do you know what the Best Western Black Rock Inn that is actually in Fairfield is like? There is one review on TA which is reasonable. We may rent a car - thought I better see what the traffic is like first as we %26#39;down under%26#39; here drive on the left and side of the road which could take adjusting to!

Thanks for your suggestions to on areas to see as well.

This is a motel property that was recently rebuilt inside and out. The location is not as good as the FI which is about 1.5 km closer to the center of Fairfield, nor the Westport Inn. This BRI is on the border of Fairfield and Bridgeport and I feel a bit more isolated especially at night. The BRI has a major 6 lane intrerstate highway behind it so there is likely noise from the traffic even at night. There are three restaurants within walking distance but they are a bit more difficult to walk to than those near the FI as you have to cross three busy roads (as opposed to one for the FI) and there aren%26#39;t sidewalks due to a major intersection (round-about).

Others may disagree but although the rooms maybe newer, unless you had a car, I would not suggest this location.

How will you spend your days Lily ? If you plan to stay in the hotel and relax at times then the WI would be best as there is an atrium area that has comfortable chairs to relax in and a pool, but it is a few miles farther from the center of Fairfield.

Thank you for that and the Fairfield Inn will be the one we select. Our days I expect to spend with my friend and her family who will probably show us around a little. However as I will be meeting my penpal for the first time I also appreciate we will need some free time as well, which is why hiring a car seems a logical thing to do for a few days the more I think about it. You suggesions of restaurants are appreciated.

We are also going to NH to visit friends who have already organised our schedule well in advance to help us cover as many things of interest as possible within our time frame there

Thank you for your interest.