The document summarizes the editor's introduction to the March 2016 issue of Connecticut Magazine. It describes his unexpected discovery of the mountain town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico during a cross-country road trip. It then provides an overview of the stories and contributors featured in this issue of the magazine, including architecture in Connecticut, abandoned whaling ships in the Arctic, Connecticut's history with stadium development, and profiles of new columnists. The editor hopes readers will enjoy both expected and unexpected discoveries within the issue.

1. | MARCH 2016 CONNECTICUT 7 |
| editor’s note |
Albert Yuravich
ayuravich@connecticutmag.com
Twitter.com/AlbertYuravich
We were racing against time.
My wife and I had just left Carlsbad Caverns, and were on our way
to the White Sands National Monument. Now well into the desert
Southwest portion of our cross-country drive from the East Coast in
December 2014, we had to get there before
sundown, when cars are no longer allowed to
enter the world’s largest gypsum dunefield.
Terrain began to change as we entered
Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico’s
high plains. As we gained in elevation,
arid flatlands with little more than shrubs
gradually gave way to rolling hills, streams
and the greenery of trees. We were already
several thousand feet above sea level. But we
had no idea how much higher we’d be going.
That changed when we caught sight of a car approaching from
the opposite direction. We quickly realized it had snow on it. But
no snow covered the ground within sight, and, though it was late
December, it was well above freezing.
We drove another 15 or so miles along a twisty and narrow U.S.
Highway 82, taking us up almost 5,000 more feet. Beautiful vistas
left us stunned. Finally, we spotted snow along the side of the road.
We were now over 8,600 feet. Soon after, we saw homes,
buildings and a gas station. We realized we had entered a tiny
mountain town. Its name was Cloudcroft. Snow was everywhere.
Stumbling onto Cloudcroft — what we would later learn is a village
of less than 700 people and one of the highest-elevated municipalities
in the U.S. — was a genuine surprise. In my mind, New Mexico was
the mostly desert home of Breaking Bad’s Walter White.
Before we knew it, we were heading down, leaving the tiny slice of
snowy civilization behind us. Later that day, we reached White Sands
just in time to watch the sun descend into the unending dunes.
Many of our trip’s highlights were planned stops. The mountains
of New Mexico were not scheduled, but were a pleasant revelation.
As you turn the pages of this issue, we hope you enjoy a similar
journey, one filled with the expected and the unexpected.
As the new editor of Connecticut Magazine, having come aboard
around the beginning of the year, allow me to be your tour guide.
Want to see some amazing architecture? You don't need to even
leave the state. Starting on page 31, we bring you the wonders worth
checking out, including tallest buildings, laudable landmarks,
astounding abodes, Yale’s mix of history and future, and hidden
gems. On page 49, Erik Ofgang takes you back in time to 1871,
when dozens of whaling ships — including three with Connecticut
ties — were abandoned in the Arctic north, seemingly never to
be seen again. Also featured: the state’s troubled history with
stadium development (page 9) and a roundup of Connecticut’s lush
arboretums by Kate Hartman (page 43).
As for what’s new, don’t miss the debut of a new consumer
protection column — The CONNsumer (page 28), by Kevin Hunt,
formerly of the Hartford Courant. MaryEllen Fillo, who was most
recently the Java columnist for the Courant, has two stories in this
issue — a Q&A with Iranian author Azar Nafisi (page 12) and a look
at Hartford Stage’s Romeo & Juliet. Read more about them below.
And we know you expect thorough dining coverage, so we’re
giving you a brand-new helping in The Connecticut Table (page 58),
with One Drink and a calendar of beer and wine event best bets.
We hope you enjoy what you’ve come to know and love about
Connecticut Magazine. And we hope you like the new voices, stories
and artwork we offer in this issue, and many more to come. And we
want to hear from you! Want to see us do something new, or bring
back something we haven’t done in a while? Let us know.
Also, I’d like to thank writers Erik Ofgang and Kate Hartman,
Senior Designer Alyson Bowman, as well as my predecessor, Ray
Bendici, all of whom have been tremendous resources.
With any luck, we’ll deliver a few pleasant surprises for you in
this issue, and many more to come.
| contributors |
WRITER
MaryEllen Fillo
WRITER
Matt Alesevich
Kevin Hunt is the former consumer
columnist (“The Bottom Line”) for
the Hartford Courant. He now writes
for TechHive.com. Vinyl records and
music played through vacuum tubes
are among the retro tech he still
enjoys. He lives on the Connecticut
shoreline, where, on a clear day,
he can see Long Island.
WRITER
Kevin Hunt
“The CONNsumer” (28)“A CONNECTICUT CAT LADY” (13)“AZAR NAFISI” (12), “ROMEO & JULIET” (25)
MaryEllen Fillo is an award-winning
journalist who lives in Plainville. With
over 45 years at the Hartford Courant,
she has covered business, politics
and education, as well as travel, food,
home and entertainment. A foodie at
heart who loves to cook, she is also
an amateur gardener who works with
several nonprofit organizations.
Matt Alesevich is a travel journalist
covering human interest stories
around Southeast Asia. Over the past
few months, he’s reported for a variety
of international news organizations
including VICE, Global Post and Al
Jazeera Plus. He is a 2002 graduate
of Bunnell High School in Stratford,
where his parents still reside.
Pleasant surprises