Category: Wanderers (Page 1 of 5)
On May 9 we will wander to Forest Hills Queens to visit the neighborhood and the former Tennis Stadium which was the home of the US Open from 1915to the mid 1970s We will see the site of Helen Keller’s home, as well as the home of Branch Rickey of the Dodgers. Forest Hills is also the former home of Trygve Lie, the first Secretary General of the United Nations. Teddy Roosevelt visited Forest Hills and Robert Kennedy campaigned there. A most interesting piece of New York City
David Mace, Joe Spain
Your hosts: Joe Spain and David Mace
Your host: David Mace
The Wanderers first Spring Wandering is upon us. This Thursday March 30 we head to Torrington in the Naugatuck Valley. This area was one of the industrial hubs that helped to create Connecticut’s initial prosperity and is now a modern scenic venue.
Travel to Torrington will be by carpool from the DCA (274 Middlesex Road, Darien) leaving at 8:30 am. Please arrive at the DCA some minutes before. The ride is approximately 75 minutes up Rte. 8 off the Merritt Parkway. All are welcome.
The Walkway AcrWalk Across the Hudson is billed as “The Longest Elevated Pedestrian Bridge in the World” as it spans the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie NY and Highland NY. It provides magnificent panoramic views of the Hudson, and at 212 feet above the river, this 1.28 mile linear park boasts scenic views north to The Catskills and south to the Hudson Highlands. The Walkway structure dates from 1889 when it was built as a railroad bridge eventually carrying as many as 3000 train cars a day. A fire on May 8, 1974 halted train traffic forever but after 35 years the bridge was reopened as the Walkway on October 3, 2009 as a part of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail Network. For more information on the Walkway see:
Walkway Across the Hudson | World’s Longest Elevated Pedestrian Bridge
TRIP PLAN
We will gather at the DCA for an 8:30 AM departure for Poughkeepsie by car pool. The drive takes about 1.5 hours to the parking lot at 61 Parker Avenue at the east end of the Walkway. The plan is to walk across the bridge to the Highland, NY side and then to proceed along the west bank of the river to the Mid-Hudson Bridge where we will cross back to the Poughkeepsie side of the river. Same river views plus a look back at the Walkway from down river. We will walk back through some of the Poughkeepsie waterfront and historic areas to where we started and have lunch at Lola’s, a very good sandwich shop right under the Walkway. This walk is about 4 miles. For those who want a shorter walk, an option is to return from Highland back over the Walkway, a total walk of 2.5 miles. There are restrooms at either end of the Walkway. We should be back at the DCA by 3:00 PM.
As always, spouses and guests are invited. There will be a sign up sheet at the DMA meetings on October 5 and 12.
Dave McCollum
Bob Plunkett
David Mace
Joe Spain
On Thursday, September 22nd, the Happy Wanderers’ first excursion of the fall season will be to the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn. We will take the Metro-North train that leaves the Darien station at 8:34 am, and the Noroton Heights station at 8:38 am. Upon arrival at Grand Central Terminal, we shall gather at the Information Booth on the Main Floor Level and proceed by subway downtown to the Wall Street station via the Lexington Avenue Line. From there we’ll walk to the other end of Wall Street to board the ferry for Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Our day will be spent walking through this historic waterside district of the City, including a stop for lunch. This area of Brooklyn was once the hub of the commercial shipping industry that shaped the life of the community for generations. Today it is gentrified with many fine dining opportunities and views of the river and New York Harbor. Upon completion of our tour, we will return by ferry and subway to Grand Central, and home on Metro North.
Please bring your MetroCard for the Subway, and, if you don’t have a card, you can buy one from the same machines that sell train tickets on the platforms at the Darien and Noroton stations.
Any questions? — please call David Mace or Joe Spain
On Thursday May 26, the Happy Wanderers will travel on Metro-North to the upper west side of Manhattan. We will visit Grant’s Tomb where Mamundi Subhas (who spoke to the DMA two months ago) will be our guide. We will also visit the site of the 1776 Revolutionary War battle of Harlem Heights. Nearby is The Riverside Church built by the Rockefellers and also the Columbia University campus. Time permitting, we will walk down to The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. We will then take the bus across 125th Street and return to Darien on Metro-North. During our wandering we will eat lunch at the appropriate time. Since this outing will likely be popular among DMA members, we will ask anyone interested to reserve a space with Joe Spain or David Mace. If we have openings closer to our time of departure, we will open participation to spouses and friends.