• “I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don’t have to respect anybody.” ― George Burns

I spent a couple of weeks in NY to celebrate my sister’s and my 60^th  birthday.

We took a road trip stopping in small towns in Connecticut (Niantic, Mystic and Groton)  and Rhode Island (Westerly, Misquamicut and Watch Hill).

We also stopped at a couple of casinos (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun)

I have been to those places many times before, and go back from time to time.  It had been 3 years since we had been there.  Unfortunately, I only took a couple of pictures. Fortunately, the focus was in the moment and the people we were with.

Besides the amazing scenery, even if a bit cold to walk around by the water, we also enjoyed visiting a couple of friends, gambling, shopping and great food and drinks.  I have several extra pounds as proof of the great time we had.

Below are some of the food establishments we have visited (NY included).  I am only including the ones we would go back to.  There were many forgettable ones.

Martines Bake Shoppe – NY. Never disappoints. We love the biscuits, baguet and chocolate pound cake.

Fay Da Bakery – CT. I adore their coconut buns.  They are similar to the ones I have in Brazil.

Sonora Restaurant – NY. So many delicious things. The best Lomo Saltado I ever had.  I also keep dreaming about the Brazilian Cosmo drink. And let’s not forget the branzino and lobster risotto. I cannot wait to go back.

O Mandarin – NY. Delicious Chinese food. The crispy duck and the bubble pancakes were heavenly. Will order those again.

Colony Grill – NY. They only serve pizza.  So thin and so flavorful. A must!

Town House Kitchen – NY.  Great chicken wings.  Everything was delicious.

Guy Fiery Foxwoods – CT.  My sister adores the Bacon Mac-N-cheese burger.

Wahlburgers – CT. We had never been there before and were surprised by how good it was.  The slider flight (Bacon burger, Crispy chicken and meatball) and the fish sandwich were our favorites.

Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen – CT. The best part of the evening was the service and the sticky toffee pudding cake.

Louie & Johnnie’s Ristorante Primavera – NY. Great service and great Italian food.

Posto 22 – NY. Great Italian food

The Mirage – NY. A local surprise with great drinks and desserts.

The Ocean House – RI.  A must stop for the scenery. Rumored to be Taylor Swift’s wedding location, since her house is next door. (we ended up not staying for food)

And bagels, bagels, bagels including Sammys, Ess-a-Bagel and Zucker’s – all NY.

“I grabbed a pile of dust, and holding it up, foolishly asked for as many birthdays as the grains of dust, I forgot to ask that they be years of youth. ” ― Ovid, Metamorphosest