Ask a Native: Jesse Metcalfe: Connecticut

ON STATE PRIDE
I’m proud to be from Connecticut, and I’m proud to be a New Englander. We don’t have our heads in the clouds; we’re generally hard-working people with good values.

ON LOCAL DRAMA
Eugene O’Neill Theater in Waterford is a very prestigious company. I’ve often thought about going on a trip back and exploring an acting class there.

ON A GREAT PLACE TO CHILL
I went to the Williams School on the campus of Connecticut College, and I used to spend a lot of time at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford. It’s on the water, and has an old stone mansion and formal gardens. You can also go there and listen to jazz and classical music concerts in the summer.

ON LOCAL GRUB
We used to go out to eat a lot as a family. In Mystic, a place we’d always frequent was the Steak Loft. I would order teriyaki steak and teriyaki chicken. And Fred’s Shanty is a really cool place where you’d stop on a summer day. They have amazing milkshakes, really great fried-fish sandwiches, and fried clams. If you come to New London, that’s a can’t-miss.