If you’ve heard of this small Connecticut town, you’ve probably seen the forgettable 1988 film Mystic Pizza. Long before my trip here on the Crazy East Coast Road Trip, I had a connection to this place.
This story is my one claim to fame, so pardon me if you’ve heard it before. Almost 22 years ago, a girl from Smyrna, Ga. named Julia Roberts had just made her big screen debut in Mystic Pizza and was going to see the movie with her mom at the Cobb Galleria, one of the only big movie theaters around Atlanta at the time.
I, on the other hand, had just made my debut into the world. My mom and her friend Beth took her son Matt and I to “see” our first movie, Mystic Pizza. When my mom went to change me, Roberts was also in the bathroom and remarked, “What a cute baby!” And the rest is history.
Mystic has a lot of cute shops, including Whyevernot, where I scored a $5 Korean cedar prayer bracelet. Down the street, you can grab a “slice of heaven” at the infamous Mystic Pizza. Although it’s been around since 1972, the movie put it on the map, so they graciously sell the movie, play it on the flat screen television in the dining area and display framed pictures from the shooting of the movie all over the wall.
It makes me wonder what this place looked like before the movie. If you’re looking for great pizza, you’re better off elsewhere. It’s more akin to Chuck E. Cheese than Napoli, but I’ve definitely had much worse.
When you’re done eating, step across the street to Bank Square Books or to Mystic’s Army-Navy Store.
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