Day Tripping with My Best Friend to Mystic, Connecticut

Wow, what a day. I woke up bright and early, yet well-rested this morning at 5 a.m. because I guess that’s how my body reacts to going to bed at 9 p.m. ?! I spent those morning hours watching some YouTube videos and eating breakfast with my family before they headed off to school and work. I then did a quick HIIT workout, drove to get some gas to fill up my car, and texted with my best friend to make a plan for the day.

Maddie and I had decided the night before to celebrate National Best Friends Day with a fun day trip into Mystic. Being only about an hour away from our town, it was the perfect small road trip. I picked her up at 11 a.m. and we set out on the highway. I provided the music and she served as my navigator.

We arrived in Mystic after a short, scenic, and traffic-free drive at a little past noon. The trip passed quickly with us chatting and singing along to current favorite songs. We found a parking lot, parked the car, and immediately decided to get lunch because both of us can be known to get a little grumpy if we don’t get enough food. My mom had recommend that we try a highly-rated seafood restaurant on the water called S & P Oyster Co. It ended up being a 5 minute walk from where we parked in the heart of historic Mystic, so we decided to give it a go.

We were seated after a quick wait outside in the breezy open air along the shoreline. The day was beautiful and a perfect temperature of high 60s. We both ordered waters and lemonades. Maddie chose the seafood paella for an entrée and I picked the fish tacos; neither of us were disappointed. My cod was well-cooked and the tacos were flavorful and filling, topped with various veggies, peppers, and guacamole. The seafood paella contained a medley of Bomba yellow rice, monkfish, shrimp, mussels, and Spanish chorizo.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was lovely as well. I loved the flower-lined patio area and seashell path leading up to the entrance. The interior was also beautiful and well-maintained. You can learn more about them and their menu at http://sp-oyster.com/   .

After lunch, since the art museum we had wanted to see was closed for the day and the aquarium tickets were a steep $40, we opted to window shop and relax instead. We wandered all around the quaint seaside town into galleries, clothing stores, and various souvenir shops. Some favorites of ours included the local bookstore: Bank Square Books with plenty of unique titles and authors we had never encountered before and a cute boutique right across the way for women’s clothing that reminded us a bit style-wise of the brand Francesca’s.

We concluded our wandering by stopping for a treat at Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream. The inside of the shop was whimsical, colorful, and spacious. They had an overwhelming number of flavors, toppings, and dessert options and even offered outdoor seating overlooking the water. I selected two scoops of a delicious coffee coconut ice cream (my dream flavor) and Maddie got one scoop of chocolate truffle ice cream and one of sweet cream. We inhaled our treats while we soaked in the scenic view of the drawbridge, blue sky, and clear water.

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By then, it was around 3:20 p.m. so we decided to head out before we hit too much traffic. The drive back didn’t end up being much longer than the morning commute. The route was even more scenic, since my GPS took us through winding forest back roads for some time. We blasted John Mayer and Logic albums on the speakers as we drove.

By the time I arrived home, I felt exhausted, yet content with the days events thus far. I took an hour just to relax and then headed out to pick up Daniela for a picnic at Elizabeth Park. I packed us some humus and carrots and celery, pita chips, mixed nuts, salad, pasta, blueberries, watermelon, cheese sticks, and drinks. We sat in the park for hours, eating and talking about how weird and scary getting closer to adulthood is. We finished our day in the center of my town, eating Ben and Jerry’s (my second ice cream of the day, oops haha).

When I came home, I watched Love, Simon with my sister. If you haven’t seen it yet, I would highly recommend. It’s amazing if you are into slightly cheesy, heartfelt romance flicks. Typical of me, I ended up crying at the end of the film because I get way too emotional when it comes to movies.

I couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying and exciting day. It’s memories like these that make me feel grateful from the present and giddy for what’s to come.