Daytrips for that reading week wanderlust

By Andrea Lynch

So I'm not much of a mall person myself, but let me tell you, I've lived in the world long enough to know what makes or breaks a mall. That being said, the Connecticut Post Mall just sucks--it leaves me feeling dirty and empty inside. After discovering the Trumbull Mall this year, I vowed never to step inside the soulless halls of the Post again. Just a few short, sweet exits south of New Haven on the Merritt Parkway, this mecca of consumer culture is more than you could ever hope to ask for from the barren commercial wasteland that is Southern Coastal Connecticut.

I came, I parked, I conquered. I had an Arch Deluxe, the "classy" burger, at the McDonald's in the food court. I tore through Contempo Casuals like it was my job. I harassed Gap employees, tried on evening gowns at Macy's, and watched a 65-year-old woman sing jazz standards with a three-piece band as I traveled on the escalator. I even bought accessories, for chrissake. The mall just had so much to offer.

But maybe you feel about malls the way I feel about talk shows. Maybe what I find cozy, you find stuffy; what I find kitschily-campily appealing, you find tacky, low-brow, and everything-that's-wrong-with-America-today. Fear not, gentle shopper, just go a little further down the Merritt to New Milford and you'll come upon a gargantuan open-air flea market. In the labyrinthine expanse of this converted playing field, you'll encounter not only a charming array of goods, but also a veritable cornucopia of personality.

No price is final--so even if you don't need anything, you can go just to hone your bargaining skills and maybe eat an Italian ice while you're at it. I haggled with a one-armed woman sitting in a rocking chair about the price of an ashtray for a good 15 minutes; my roommate purchased eight tiny padlocks for the price of one (it's okay that she doesn't trust me) and scored a free snazzy powder kit for her sister just by telling an improbable hard-luck story. Whether or not you find exactly what it is you're looking for at this flea market, there's no doubt that you'll encounter all kinds of crazy Connecticut characters and all kinds of fun stuff you don't really need but certainly can't resist buying anyway.

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