The road trip is the most American of all forms of travel. For a nation of car lovers, the open road is a symbol of freedom. Of course, in its classic form the road trip is transcontinental in scope. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of times I have looked out of a rain-streaked window in the Northeast and dreamed of palm trees and cloudless skies. No boundaries or customs posts stood in my way; all that was required was a decision to set out along an uninterrupted ribbon of asphalt. Given the current pandemic, however, road trips have acquired a wholly new significance. Many would-be travelers who find the thought of airplanes unappealing are assuaging their wanderlust with journeys by car. So, finding my own travel horizons still restricted, I decided to embark on a tour through Connecticut, southwestern Massachusetts and New York State.