Category: Wanderers (Page 1 of 6)

Wander to the US Naval Submarine Base. Sep 24, 2026

August 20, 2026 /

Happy Wanderers

  • Thursday, September 24th, at 9:15 a.m. at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN ITS ENTIRETY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THIS WANDERING TO THE U.S. NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE

On Thursday, September 24th, the Wanderers will drive to the U.S. Naval Submarine Base New London (SUBASE) in Groton, CT, known as the “Home of the Submarine Force,” and enjoy a visit to the Submarine Force Museum and Historic Ship Nautilus, a Windshield Bus Tour including a brief wandering on the Upper Base and lunch on the SUBASE.  As a retired Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve, DMA member Paul Hendrickson was able to open the door to this exciting opportunity.

This visit to the SUBASE will begin at 9:15 a.m. with a self-guided tour and wandering through the Museum and onto the Nautilus.  At 10:15 a.m., a Public Affairs representative of the SUBASE will welcome us in the Museum Theater and provide an overview of the U.S. Navy, the Submarine Force and the SUBASE.  Following this presentation, a highlight of this wandering will be a bus tour of the Upper Base that will offer views of the Submarine School, galley, barracks, medical facilities, other key support structures and the Lower Base.  A Public Affairs representative of the SUBASE will be with us on this bus tour and wandering and will provide historical insights.  The tour will conclude with a brief wandering on the Upper Base followed at noon by a pizza buffet lunch at REUNIONS PUB on the SUBASE.  Lunch is expected to include assorted pizza, salad, cookies and soft drinks/water and social engagement with SUBSCOL Sailors.  Following lunch at 1:00 p.m. a bus will transport Wanderers to the parking lot adjacent to the Museum where Wanderers will have parked their cars upon arriving at the SUBASE and will drive home.   

Sign-ups for this tour and wandering will begin in person at the DMA meeting on Wednesday, September 2.  If interested in participating in this tour and wandering, please sign up in person at the September 2 meeting and provide when you sign-up the information and payment required below.  Sign-ups by email for this tour and wandering will not be accepted until after 1:00 p.m. on September 2, at which time an email signing up for this tour and wandering with the information required below should be sent to Harry Bergen at bercom100@gmail.com.  

The size of our group has been limited by the SUBASE to 36 participants so, if interested, please sign up in person at the meeting on September 2.  Sign-ups will be accepted on a first-come basis.  Due to the anticipated popularity of this tour and wandering and the group size limitation, we unfortunately are unable to include the spouses of DMA members.  A waiting list will be established if this tour and wandering is over-subscribed.  

All visitors to the SUBASE must be U.S citizens with a real ID or U.S. passport and must be ambulatory.  When signing up for this tour and wandering, you will be required to provide your full name, social security number, date of birth, place of birth, real driver’s license number including state of issuance or U.S. passport number as such information is required to be submitted to the SUBASE on Thursday, September 3.

The cost to each Wanderer to participate in this tour and wandering including lunch is $40 and is non-refundable.  Please pay such amount in cash when signing up.  The deadline for receipt of payment is Wednesday, September 17.  

For those who want to car-pool, we will rendezvous at the DCA parking lot at 7:15 a.m. and then organize into groups for the drive to the SUBASE.  Those interested in car- pooling from Darien should plan to park their cars in the rear of the parking lot at the DCA.  We will depart from the DCA parking lot by 7:30 a.m. and arrive at the SUBASE at 9:15 a.m. as the self-guided tour and wandering will start at 9:15 a.m. in the Museum.   We will park our cars just outside the entrance to the SUBASE in the parking lot that is adjacent to the Museum.  We will gather inside the entrance to the Museum to begin our tour and wandering.    

Contact:  Chet Cobb, Harry Bergen, or Paul Hendrickson

Wander Central Park, Thursday, June 25, 2026

June 18, 2026 /

Thursday, June 25, at 8:36 a.m. at Darien Metro-North Station or 8:39 a.m. at Noroton Heights Metro-North Station

On Thursday, June 25, the Wanderers will travel to the northern end of Central Park in Manhattan. We will take the Metro North train to Grand Central that leaves the Darien train station at 8:36 a.m. and the Noroton Heights station at 8:39 a.m. As usual, we will gather at the Information Booth on the main floor of Grand Central and proceed together by subway to the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

We will wander into the northern end of Central Park and enjoy the beauty of the Conservatory Garden, Central Park’s formal garden and one of the most significant public gardens in New York City. Our Wandering will take us past the scenic Harlem Meer; the scenic overlook and canons at Fort Clinton; the acclaimed Davis Center, which opened last year; and through the North Woods, the largest woodland in Central Park, which contains unusual physical features, including the Ravine, the Loch and the Pool.

The Wanderers plan to have lunch at Sylvia’s Restaurant, 328 Malcolm X Blvd (between 126th Street and Lenox Avenue). After lunch, we will complete our Wandering by strolling to the Metro-North Railroad Station at 125th Street and returning home via Metro-North.

Contact:  Chet Cobb  or Harry Bergen

Wander Manresa Island, April 23, 2026

March 28, 2026 /

Thursday, April 23rd, at 10:30 a.m. at Manresa Island in Norwalk

On Thursday, April 23rd, the Wanderers will drive to Manresa Island in Norwalk and enjoy a guided tour of the interior of the former Norwalk Harbor Station power plant and a wandering on the property outside the power plant and along the waterfront.

This 125- acre property is in the process of being revitalized and transformed into what will be one of the Northeast’s most creative public parks — called Manresa Wilds — which is thanks to the generosity of Austin and Allison McChord.  The first phase of the project, including walking trails and other amenities, is expected to open next year.  This tour will include inspecting the main building’s enormous interior spaces which will be redesigned into exciting interior spaces, one of which is as large as Grand Central Station.  Details regarding the scope of the project were presented by Austin McChord at the DMA meeting on March 25rd.

The tour of the interior of the power plant will include viewing much of the plant’s huge original machinery and equipment on different levels of the plant and walking on metal stair-ways some of which are steep.  Wanderers will have the option of remaining on a lower level in the plant during part of the tour.   While half of the Wanderers will tour the interior of the power plant for 45 minutes, the other half of the Wanderers will wander, including riding on ATV’s (golf carts), for 45 minutes on the property outside the power plant and along the waterfront.  Then, the Wanderers that toured the interior of the power plant will wander on the property outside the power plant for 45 minutes and the Wanderers that wandered on the property outside the power plant will tour the interior of the power plant for 45 minutes.  Based upon the 10:30 am start time for the tour and wandering, these activities will end at approximately 12:00 noon at which time the Wanderers will drive to have lunch at the Silver Star Diner at 210 Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk at approximately 12:30 p.m.

Anyone interested in participating in this tour and wandering should sign-up in advance at a DMA meeting in April.  The size of our group has been limited by Manresa to 48 participants so, if interested, please sign up as soon as possible.   Due to the anticipated popularity of this tour and wandering and the group size limitation, we unfortunately are not able to include the spouses of DMA members in this tour and wandering.  Wanderers will be required by Manresa to sign a waiver of liability form prior to visiting the property.   The waiver of liability form can be reviewed and needs to be signed electronically prior to this tour and wandering at the following email address: (https://app.hellosign.com/home/reusableLink?guid=2sMQ8vcR&in_person=1)

We will rendezvous at the DCA parking lot at 9:45 a.m. and then drive to the property as a caravan group. Those interested in car- pooling from Darien should plan to park their cars in the rear of the parking lot at the DCA.  We will depart from the DCA parking lot by 10:00 a.m.  and arrive at the power plant on Manresa Island by 10:25 a.m. as the tour and wandering will start promptly at 10:30 a.m.

If you don’t elect to rendezvous with the group at the DCA parking lot, you can use the Google Map address of “Manresa Island, Norwalk, CT” or set your WAZE, Google Maps or other GPS to “1 Longshore Avenue, Norwalk, CT” to get there.  If you don’t use WAZE,  Google Maps or other GPS, the easiest way to drive to Manresa Island is to take State Route 136 beginning on Tokeneke Road in  Darien and staying on Route 136 through Rowayton and South Norwalk until making a right turn onto Woodward Avenue (which becomes Longshore Avenue) and then making a right turn onto Manresa Island Avenue (don’t turn right into the “Village Creek” private association).  The entrance to Norwalk’s Manresa Island is located on the right side of Longshore Avenue where Longshore Avenue intersects Manresa Island Avenue.  After making a right turn onto Manresa Island Avenue, there is a security gate at the entrance to Manresa Island where car occupants must check in before driving down Manresa Island Avenue and parking in a parking lot adjacent to the power plant.

Contact:  Chet Cobb, Harry Bergen, Doug Bora or Robin Hogen.

Wander Roosevelt Island, March 26, 2026

March 20, 2026 /

Thursday, March 26th, at 8:36 a.m. at Darien Metro-North Station or 8:39 a.m. at Noroton Heights Metro-North Station

Next Thursday the Wanderers will travel to Roosevelt Island in Manhattan. We will take the Metro North train to Grand Central that leaves the Darien train station at 8:36 a.m. and the Noroton Heights train at 8:39 a.m. As usual, we will gather at the Information Booth on the main floor of Grand Central and proceed together by Subway and Tramway to Roosevelt Island.

After enjoying the overhead views of the East River and Roosevelt Island from the Tramway, we will wander three or so miles around Roosevelt Island and enjoy its unique views of New York City.    Our Wandering will take us to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park at the southern end of the island, past three modern Cornell Tech Center buildings – the Bloomberg Center, the Tata Innovation Center and the House – that have attracted students, professors and technology research to the island, and past historic structures including the Smallpox Hospital ruins, the Strecker Memorial Laboratory, the Blackwell House, and if time permits, the Octagon Tower and the Lighthouse.

The Wanderers plan to have lunch at Granny Annie’s Bar & Kitchen at 425 Main Street on Roosevelt Island.  After lunch, we will complete our Wandering and enjoy a few more vistas from Roosevelt Island before returning to Grand Central and home via the Subway and Metro-North.

Contact:  Chet Cobb  or Harry Bergen

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