Connecticut
I skip the Hamptons and head to a coastal town in Connecticut instead. It's less crowded and wonderful year-round.
- For years, I spent countless hours stuck in traffic driving to the Hamptons from my home in NYC.
- I got fed up and started spending weekends in Madison, a coastal Connecticut town.
- Madison’s beautiful beaches and cute downtown offer lots to do without the crowds.
I vacationed in the Hamptons for decades but eventually got a bit tired of it.
I can’t count how much time I’ve spent sitting in traffic on the Montauk Highway, searching for parking spots at the beach, and waiting for tables at trendy restaurants.
Fortunately, “destination dupes” are all the rage right now with many turning to TikTok to find less-crowded, cheaper, and more under-the-radar alternatives to their dream vacation spots.
So, I found my own “dupe” of the Hamptons about 100 miles away in New England: Madison, Connecticut.
The town defines coastal calm, with just about everything the Hamptons has minus the crowds. It’s still upscale but less expensive — and my drive from New York City to Madison isn’t so bad.
Here’s why I love Madison so much.
The beautiful beaches get me every time
Allison Tibaldi
The local beaches attract me like a magnet. Fortunately, Madison has about a dozen.
My favorite is Hammonasset Beach State Park, with about 2 miles of Long Island Sound shoreline and trails that I can bike on. It’s felt clean and uncrowded each time I’ve visited.
Allison Tibaldi
I stay at a bed-and-breakfast that blends cozy with chic
There are several bed-and-breakfasts in Madison, plus a beachfront Hilton hotel.
I usually stay at The Homestead, an upscale B&B that hits the right balance between charming and modern. Its dozen or so rooms are individually decorated with high-end furnishings and posh perks like Japanese toilets, showerheads infused with vitamins, and record players with an eclectic selection of vinyl.
Each guest has access to complimentary bikes, towels, and beach chairs to borrow. Plus, its gardens and decks with firepits make it easy for me to spend time outdoors.
I also love its gourmet snacks and elegant breakfast buffet with things like quiche, cake, fresh fruit, and yogurt.
There’s plenty of retail therapy and artwork to be found in town
Allison Tibaldi
Madison’s downtown is low-key, laidback, and walkable, with excellent New England vibes.
I can get lost for hours at RJ Julia Booksellers, which I consider one of the best independent bookstores in the entire country.
I always stop at Savvy Tea Gourmet, which sells a variety of unique teas and has in-store tastings. When I’m not sure which tea leaves to buy, the owner steers me in the right direction.
The town also has a cluster of cute clothing boutiques. My favorite is The Dressing Room, where the staff is friendly and the sales are legit.
Allison Tibaldi
Along the way, I take in some of the local art. Madison has plenty thanks to the Sculpture Mile, a free outdoor public art installation of museum-quality sculptures scattered around town.
Madison Cinemas is perfect for rainy days
When it’s cold or rainy, you’ll find me at Madison Cinemas watching arthouse and international films.
The century-old theater has freshly-popped popcorn topped with real butter and local beer and wine.
There’s often something happening on the town green
Madison’s historic town green is its leafy centerpiece. I like to stroll the peaceful paths and listen to live music during the free concerts on Sunday evenings in the summer.
It hosts a great farmers market every Friday afternoon from May until Thanksgiving and the town often has seasonal festivals.
The culinary scene is great, too
Allison Tibaldi
Madison has a few eateries I try to stop at each time I visit.
French bistro Bar Bouchée transports me right to Europe with its ambiance and traditional Gallic fare. I can also never resist ordering the profiteroles drenched in warm chocolate sauce.
I book a table at The Wharf when I want to eat fresh seafood with a view of the water. My go-to order is the warm lobster roll served with a mountain of crisp shoestring fries.
When I crave pasta like my Nonna used to make, I head to Café Allegre. The Italian eatery serves classics like spaghetti with fresh clams and robust rigatoni with meatballs and sausage.
Madison is also lovely in the fall and winter
In the fall, the area’s numerous farms and farm stands overflow with fresh produce and pretty flowers. My favorite is Bishop’s Orchard in neighboring Guilford, where I go apple-picking each autumn.
The beaches are fun to visit throughout the year, too. The water usually stays warm well into October, so I can have a dip surrounded by fall foliage.
I even go in winter for chilly seaside strolls and snowshoeing on the maze of wooden boardwalks.
LYME — A body was recovered from the Connecticut River on Saturday, according to officials from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
At about 1 p.m., a vessel on the river reported seeing a body in the area of the Chester-Lyme Ferry, DEEP said.
The Environmental Conservation Police, along with the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit and Lyme and Cheshire fire departments, responded to the area and recovered the body, DEEP said. The body has been sent to the state chief medical examiner, DEEP said.
Bill Flood, a media relations manager for DEEP, said the body was identified as a male and appeared to have been in the water for an extended period of time.
The medical examiner will determine the manner of death and EnCon is investigating, Flood said, noting there is no believed threat to the public.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Even as a born-and-raised New Yorker, I have a relatively open mind when it comes to pizza. When I’m out on the road, I’ll eat at any pizzeria as long as I can see the oven from the counter and buy pizza by the slice. However, the idea of any place outside the Big Apple proclaiming itself “the Pizza Capital of the United States” is just sacrilege. Connecticut doubled down on its ludicrous claim last weekend by approving the rollout of a special “Pizza State” license plate. This is the worst affront to the craft since Chicagoans started shilling their crust-bowl casserole as pizza.
Connecticut Foodshare
Let’s actually take a look at this license plate. One peek, we all know the rules. “The Pizza State” plate features a similar blue-to-white gradient as on the standard Connecticut license plate. The aforementioned self-proclaimed moniker replaces the state’s official nickname, “The Constitution State,” beneath the plate number. To the right of the number is an image of a pizza slice ripped straight from Microsoft’s ClipArt library. It’s a flat image that looks nothing like what’s served in New Haven. Connecticut drivers will be able to pick up a “Pizza State” plate for $65.
This is a pizza war for good
The only undisputedly good aspect of the “Pizza State” license plate is that its introduction will help feed Connecticut’s hungry. According to CT Insider, the $28.6 billion budget bill approved by the Connecticut General Assembly last weekend, which authorized the plate, also directly appropriated funding to Connecticut Foodshare. The sitewide food bank will also receive $50 from each $65 license plate fee, as it continues to provide millions of free meals to food-insecure people.
Back to the pizza debate at the heart of the matter. Governor Ned Lamont declared Connecticut the country’s pizza capital back in 2024 as part of a marketing campaign to promote the state. That declaration could have grounds for war in a different century, but individual states apparently don’t fight wars against each other anymore. Connecticut had better go back to being a UConn Husky-obsessed suburb before New York makes Greenwich the next Toledo.
Connecticut
Suspect in preppy booze-fueled Connecticut party stabbing death asks court to drop charges: ‘Double jeopardy’
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The attorney for a Connecticut man who was recently acquitted of first-degree murder charges stemming from a booze-fueled brawl between prep school students is making another move to ensure his client’s freedom.
Last July, a jury found Raul Valle, now 19, not guilty of murder and intentional manslaughter in the May 14, 2022 stabbing death of James “Jimmy” McGrath. Valle was 16 at the time of the incident, and McGrath was 17.
The jury was deadlocked on lesser charges of reckless manslaughter in that trial, leading to a partial mistrial.
Valle attended St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, near Fairfield Prep, where McGrath was a junior and star lacrosse player. Prior to the stabbing that evening, both had been at a house party that involved underage drinking and a fight.
DEADLOCKED JURORS IN PREP SCHOOL LACROSSE PLAYER’S KILLING A ‘GREAT SIGN’ FOR DEFENSE: EXPERT
Split image of Jimmy McGrath showing him in a collared shirt and tie and in his Fairfield College Preparatory School lacrosse uniform. (The McGrath Family)
After heading to another location to continue partying, tempers flared again and about 25 people engaged in another brawl on the front lawn of the second home, whose owners were present at the time, witnesses told police. It was during that fight that the stabbing death occurred.
Valle admitted to the stabbing, but said it was committed in self-defense and in defense of a friend.
The day after Valle’s July 9, 2025, acquittal on the most serious charges, the state filed new reckless manslaughter and reckless assault charges.
Raul Valle speaks during his second day of testimony at his murder trial in state Superior Court in Milford, Conn., on July 1, 2025. (Ned Gerard/Connecticut Post)
TEXAS JURY RETURNS VERDICT IN 2022 STABBING DEATH OF HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATE: REPORT
Now, Valle’s attorney, Darnell Crosland, has filed a motion claiming that the reckless manslaughter and reckless assault charges constitute double jeopardy, which is unconstitutional, according to The Connecticut Post.
Crosland’s motion says the only explanation for the initial jury’s decision to acquit on the first-degree murder charge was that his client acted in self-defense.
“No other theory explains the acquittals,” he wrote in the motion.
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Defense attorney Kevin Smith delivers his closing arguments to the jury during Raul Valle’s murder trial in state Superior Court in Milford, Conn., on July 3, 2025. (Ned Gerard/Connecticut Post)
“The jury has spoken,” he continued. “The law is clear. The court must dismiss these charges with prejudice — immediately.”
The Connecticut Post reported that in an interview after Valle’s acquittal, the jury foreperson said self-defense was not discussed.
In their own filing, prosecutors disagreed with Crosland’s reasoning, according to the report.
ACCUSED AUSTIN METCALF KILLER WON’T FACE DEATH PENALTY OR LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE: DA
They described self-defense as a “justification defense,” not one that is central to the elements of the charges Valle still faces, and thus, cannot be used as an argument to have the current charges dismissed.
Kevin McGrath, father of slain prep school lacrosse player Jimmy McGrath, speaks to reporters outside the state Superior Court in Milford, Connecticut, following Raul Valle’s acquittal on July 9, 2025. He is accompanied by family attorney Michael Rosnick. (Fox News)
“The fact that the jury acquitted the defendant of murder, intentional manslaughter and intentional assaults, but could not reach a unanimous verdict as to the reckless charges, demonstrates only that the jury must have reached the conclusion that the defendant lacked the specific intent to either kill or to cause serious physical injury,” the filing reportedly said.
McGrath’s family was shocked by the results of the 2025 trial.
“I’m astonished at the results, but, you know, it’s due process,” a stoic Kevin McGrath said outside the state Superior Court in Milford, Connecticut, later describing his son as a “wonderful person.”
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“He’s entitled to it,” said McGrath. “And at the end of the day, the jury made their verdict. I’m not sure if, you know, they were in the same courtroom as we all were together, but that’s the verdict. And we’ll live with it.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Crosland for comment.
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