December 1st 2013: Sightseeing in the Fog

Today, despite the gloomy weather, I decided to head out to do some sightseeing. Not having any specific plans, I decided to head out west this time, visiting Paxton

Kettle Brook Reservoir #4,

Reservoir Drive near Pleasant Street

Illig's Pond, 19 West Street

and a few places in Spencer,

O'Gara Park, 95 Valley Street

including the Sugden Reservoir Dam, which I visited in the dark the last time I was here.

Muzzy Lake,

Maple Street and Adams Street

Vietnam Memorial Park,

80 South Spencer Road

I also visited the Luther Hill Park, located at the end of Park Street, which has a pretty decent beach and a disc golf course. Unfortunately, it is only open to Spencer residents.

before deciding to hike a little at the Spencer State Forest. The paths I took to view the water bodies here is shown below in pink.

I tried to find the water body to the right at first, but ended up getting lost and heading back to my starting point. I gave up at this point, and decided to view a little more of Howe Pond. Here are some pictures I took while I was here.

From here, I headed into the town of Charlton to visit some water bodies.

Railroad Pond,

New Spencer Road and Old Spencer Road

Wee Laddie Pond, 65 Gould Road

Little Nugget Lake, 69 Nugget Drive

Hultered Pond, 57 Northside Road

Finally, I decided it was time for some brunch at Fedele's Coffee Shop and Restaurant, a small town breakfast place at 13 Central Street in the town of Southbridge.

After looking at the menu, I decided to get a cup of Hot Chocolate,

the Steak and Eggs,

and a side of Corned Beef Hash and Kielbasa.

The food was actually really good, especially the meats, and I surprised myself by finishing everything I got. I surprised the restaurant owners as well.

After lunch, I visited a few places in Southbridge,

The Arc

Carpenter Pond,

Snow Street and Martin Street

then headed into Sturbridge for a bit

Cedar Pond Recreation Area

Pistol Pond, 310 Charlton Road

Long Pond, 37 Champeaux Road

before finally calling it a day for hiking. From here, I decided to try the Cedar Street Grille in town for dinner. This place actually looks pretty upscale, and the menu was pretty interesting as well.

For food, I decided to get mostly appetizers, namely the Pork Belly (crispy fried pork belly, apple & beet puree, maple drizzle),

the Crazy Dates (stuffed dates, bacon, goat cheese)

and the Pumpkin and Sausage Mac and Cheese.

All the dishes were very well presented. Both the pork belly and dates were scrumptious, but the most amazing of all was actually the Mac and Cheese. I never knew pumpkin could go so well with it.

That was not the end of it though. For dessert, I decided to get the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Tart (Coffee Bean Creme anglais, fresh whipped cream).

Its not like the overly sweet pecan pie I am so used to loving, but the tart was still good.

Overall, this is definitely the best restaurant I have been to in Sturbridge to date, hands down. A definite must try for anyone in town, especially if you are stopping by on the way back from a car ride to NYC. I should have come here yesterday.