Mystic Is A Great Place To Sit And Watch

My wife and I recently spent a couple of days in Mystic at the Steamboat Inn which is pictured above between the boat and the taller brick building. The rooms at the inn have been nicely updated with modern conveniences but still maintain the character of the original design. We stayed in the Mystic Room on the top floor which has the best overall view of the river but some of the other rooms have their own unique advantages. The inn also offers some nice touches like a full complimentary breakfast as well as sherry and homemade cookies in the evening.

Mystic is best known known for tourist attractions such as Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium. Since our stay was short, we decided to stay close to the Inn and not do any driving. In the past, there have been times that I would try to schedule as many activities as possible during a vacation. This strategy can be a mistake be a mistake because you end up feeling like you need a vacation at the end of your vacation. We spent a lot of time just sitting on the dock in front of the Inn taking in the scenery along the Mystic River.

The Bascule Bridge was built back in 1920 but 90 years later tourists still stop and take pictures when the bridge is raised. We watched the bridge and we watched the tourists watch the bridge.

We watched as the 100 year old Steamboat Sabino came our way with smiling passengers enjoying an old-fashioned boat ride.

The passengers on this ship are headed out for a sailing adventure on the Argia, a replica of a 19th century schooner.

We watched as gulls took turns flying up on the roof to determine the authenticity of a mechanical owl.

We checked in with the local fishermen who were trying their luck at catching porgies. From what I saw, they pulled up a few nice ones.

I only saw a handful of bird species during our stay. Double-crested Cormorants, Snowy Egrets, and terns would fly by. We were entertained by the antics of Mute Swans and Mallards as they maneuvered there way around the water looking for food while avoiding the boats. I witnessed an unfortunate accident as a warbler flew into a brick building and landed in the river. It was a tannish bird with a striped head that I believe was probably an Ovenbird. I was told by other birders that ovenbirds are common victims of this sort of accident during migration.

When we needed a change of pace we took a walk along Main Street visiting the mom and pop specialty stores and of course, we had to stop at the ice cream shop which was just across the street on the other side of the bridge.

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Simple pleasures like sitting on a bench watching boats, taking a walk to see the shops along main street and talking to passersby may not seem all that exciting to some compared to the technologically advanced forms of entertainment that are available these days. From where I sat, I'd say those simple pleasures are underrated.