Connecticut Post notices the joys of the Stratford Shoreline

Anyone who has been following Mod-Blog for a while is aware of how much I enjoy riding my bike along the Stratford Shoreline. My usual path begins at Marnicks Restaurant, goes out to Short Beach and then over to Long Beach. Each area has its own charms (and pricing to park, for out-of-towners like me) and it is a great ride of about 10 miles with constantly-changing scenery and personalities.

Now, the Connecticut Post has noticed this gem which is much closer than the "vacation beaches" up in Massachusetts or down in New Jersey. In hard economic times like these, you don't need to out of state to enjoy sand, sun, and the ocean. What other gems have Mod-Bloggers found closer to home than the typical vacation destinations?


To be fair, I shold disclose a running argument with Shadowmom over whether the Long Island Sound is indeed "The Ocean." I leave it to our readers to affirm *I* am right that it is.

Sunset over Long Island Sound

CRChair and I had another sunset ride along the beach in Stratford last night in weather which could only be described as "perfect". Here is one shot from the ride to give you a taste for the beauty of the shoreline skyline. May its peaceful vibe help wash away some of the stress of the work week.

Big Brother at the Beach?

About a decade ago, we went over to Ocean City, NJ instead of our usual staple of Wildwood, because it was a bit closer to home. The ambiance is different, and the crowds are a little more transitory (i.e. you don't get families there for the whole week, for the most part). And there was a charge to get off of the boardwalk and onto their beaches. The place was nice enough, but we quickly decided we'd rather drive the extra hour for Wildwood. Since then, the place has gone downhill quickly, losing both vacationers and businesses to its crumbling infrastructure.

Well, now they are planning to do an overhaul that will make Ocean City the "model for the 21st century beach resort". They are planning ubiquitous WiFi (i.e. the ability to get onto the wireless web from anywhere in the city) and to use RFID chips in wristbands to monitor the tourists in town. This comes with the good - a mother will be able to monitor where her children are via the RFID chips - and the bad - it will be far easier to enforce the beach policy and harrass those who attempt to violate it, even innocently.

It is an interesting idea. But the way it is being proposed, I could easily see it being abused very quickly.