Welcome, foodies!

With all of this traveling I have been doing (and sending you on), I think it’s time for dinner, no?

What better place for a traveler to sit down for a meal than a restaurant called TRAVELER RESTAURANT- 1257 Buckley Highway, Stafford Springs, CT?

This restaurant, just across the Massachusetts/Connecticut border, is meant to be a little haven for the weary and book-loving traveler; it most certainly is, especially since it is pretty much the only building, much less restaurant, in the area.

The restaurant not only feeds its diners great food, but gives each of them 3 free books from the restaurant’s collection spread throughout the dining room.

The story, according to the restaurant’s menu, is that the previous owner needed something to do with his extensive book collection, so he brought them to the restaurant to give away. Now they receive donated books from libraries and private owners for giveaways. The restaurant has been featured in many magazines (The New Yorker, AAA Magazine, to name a couple), newspapers (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.), and television shows (ABC News with Peter Jennings, An American Moment with James Earl Jones, etc.).

One thing that makes this a nice place for travelers is those of us traveling alone can grab a book off of the shelf and read at the table, feeling less awkward about eating alone.

An added bonus: my Sante Fe chicken wrap was one of the best I’ve ever had! I tried rationalizing driving back in the morning for a chicken wrap for breakfast the next morning.

After dinner, I wandered the restaurant, hunting for books (should I mention there were several copies from the Twilight series? What does THAT say about the flash-in-the-pan bestseller?). As I explored, a regular (this place is not just for travelers) informed me that there was a library in the basement with more books (for purchase, but at a good price).

Sure enough…

In my move across the country, I turned somewhat minimalistic. I could hardly justify collecting books to haul across the country with me… but ONE would surely be fine, right? I snatched up a Dean Koontz novel on my way out (heard of him forever, never read him).

If you find yourself traveling between Connecticut and Massachusetts, I highly recommend stopping by the Traveler Restaurant and grabbing a good book or three.

Until next time, dahlings…