Category: Wanderers (Page 2 of 5)

Happy Wanderers are planning a trek to Flushing, Queens on Thursday, May 5; the group will depart by carpool from the DCA parking lot at 9 am. Among its other distinctions, Flushing is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of New York City, with large Chinese, Korean and Indian populations. The early Quakers settled here and built the second oldest public high school in the country. Wanderers will have lunch at a local dim sum restaurant before returning to Darien. If you have questions, contact Joe Spain, David Mace or Sunil Saksena.

On Thursday morning, March 31, the Happy Wanderers will travel up the coast to New Haven. The group will assemble in the parking area to the rear of the DCA building at 8:15 am for an 8:30 am departure. Members, wives and guests will carpool to Pepe’s Pizza parking lot at 157 Wooster Street in New Haven whence we will be begin our walk, exploring the sites on the New Haven Green, the Yale campus and other architectural features of the historic Elm City. Following the walk of about 3 miles, the group will return to Pepe’s for lunch and then head back to Darien for a 4 pm arrival, well in advance of the DMA musical event of the evening. You are welcome to join us in this first spring wandering! Please contact David Mace  or Joe Spain if you have questions.

On Thursday morning, March 31, the Happy Wanderers will travel to up the coast to New Haven. The group will assemble in the DCA parking lot at 8:15 am for an 8:30 am departure. Members, wives and guests will carpool to Pepe’s Pizza parking lot at 157 Wooster Street in New Haven whence we will be begin our walk, exploring the sites on the New Haven Green, the Yale campus and other architectural features of the historic Elm City. Following the walk of about 3 miles, the group will return to Pepe’s for lunch and then head back to Darien for a 4 pm arrival, well in advance of the DMA musical event of the evening. You are welcome to join us in this first spring wandering!

Please contact David Mace or Joe Spain if you have questions.

North Central Park/City College and North Harlem Wandering

Date: Thursday, Oct 21, 2021

Metro North from Darien to Harlem/125th St—8.53 am

From Noroton Heights–8.57am

Note: get off at Harlem/125th St–do not go to Grand Central. We will congregate on the Harlem platform and head to the Lexington Ave subway station as a group to take the train to 103rd St.

This Wandering consists of two parts: first, a leisurely stroll through the northern section of Central Park–a lesser known section of the Park but no less beautiful.Then, a visit to City College and various points of interest in Northern Harlem. There will be two short subway rides in pretty empty subway cars because of the off peak hour.

We enter Central Park at 102nd St and visit the Conservatory Garden and its dancing fountain sculptures. Then on to the site of Fort Clinton, which played a role not only in the Revolutionary War but also in the War of 1812. We also visit the Andrew Haswell Green Memorial Bench since he is the star of the DMA Book Club’s November selection. The next part of the Central Park walk is more rugged as we explore the Ravine in the Northern Woods. We see all three waterfalls of the Park, two great arches and observe nature. In total we spend about 90 minutes in the Park.

A short subway ride will take us to 135 th St and the  highlight of the second part of this Wandering, namely  City College in Harlem. Its campus, though small, is surprisingly attractive because of its Gothic architecture.We have lunch there, around 12.30 at a well ventilated restaurant. Following lunch we stroll by , various historic sites in North Harlem, including Alexander Hamilton’s home, the magnificent townhouses of Striver’s Row and the Abyssinian Baptist Church. We may also get to peek at the famous WPA murals by black artists which are displayed at Harlem Hospital.Finally, we view the Astor Row homes.

By the end of this Wandering we will have walked about 5 ½ miles, over sometimes tricky terrain. So wear sturdy shoes. And remember to bring your masks and Vaccination certificate.

We expect to head home around 3.30pm from the Harlem/125th station.

On Thursday, December 2, DMA member Greg Glashan will lead the Happy Wanderers on their final outing of the fall semester for an informative and eye-opening trek in Manhattan: South from Grand Central to the neighborhood of Washington Square. They plan to depart on the Metro-North commuter train leaving for Manhattan at 8:10 am (Darien station) and 8:13 am (Noroton Heights station). Participants should plan to bring a face mask and a copy of their vaccine card. Upon arrival at Grand Central Terminal, the group will gather at the Information Booth at the center of the Upper Level main entrance hall, and then head south.

We will walk through Madison Square Park, Union Square and Washington Square. Some highlights will be more than a dozen historic statues, monuments and memorials. Some short stops at several churches to take in their outstanding stained glass and design, a stop for lunch in the lower Fifth Avenue district, and then past some more historic sights and back to Grand Central and home.

Our plan is to end our walking at Union Square, at 14th Street near Park Ave, where there is a public market area of booths and boutiques, many with Christmas seasonal motifs. Our walkers will then have the option of browsing in the seasonal market, taking the nearby Lexington Ave. subway to Grand Central or walking back to Grand Central. Those planning to take the Subway should have their Metro Cards.

For further information on this outing, check with David Mace or Joe Spain.

On Thursday, Oct 7, DMA member Mark Shakley will lead the Happy Wanderers on an entertaining and informative trek to the world of Brooklyn Heights. They plan to depart on the Metro-North commuter train leaving for Manhattan at 8:10 am (Darien station) and 8:13 am (Noroton Heights station). Participants should plan to bring a face mask and a copy of their vaccine card. Upon arrival at Grand Central Terminal, the group will gather at the Information Booth at the center of the main entrance hall and then head to Brooklyn Heights via subway. For further information on this outing, check with David Mace or Joe Spain.

Joe Spain and David Mace will lead the Happy Wanderers in their final outing of the spring/summer season on Wednesday, June 23, the first trip to Manhattan on Metro North since the fall of 2019! The group will be leaving the Darien station on the 8:33 AM express to Grand Central (8:37 AM out of Noroton Heights); masks are required on Metro North. You should buy your tickets for the train at the machines on the Darien  or Noroton train platforms. A Metro Card will be needed for the Tram to Roosevelt Island. If you don’t have a Card, you can buy your train ticket from the machines with one Metro Card ride included.  The group will congregate at the information booth on the main floor upon arrival in Grand Central. The walking destination is the 59th St. Tram to  Roosevelt Island, and then to the Four Freedoms Roosevelt Park at the south end of the Island. From there, the group will take the East River ferry to 34th Street, and have lunch. We then will walk back to Grand Central, with a short stop at the Morgan Library, and an afternoon train back to Darien. Please get in touch with Joe (203-554-4201) or David (203-505-9693) if you would like to join this excursion.

David Mace and Joe Spain

The next wandering of the DMA will be on Tuesday, May 25 to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay is a wildlife refuge managed by the National Parks Service as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.  It is located in Queens just a little over an hour’s drive from Darien.  Our group will leave from the DCA parking lot at 8:30 am.  We will car pool to the site and then enjoy the beautiful scenery and birdlife.  Bring your binoculars and your camera.   Afterward we will have lunch.  If you are planning to join us please let Joe Spain or David Mace know in advance.  We look forward to this spectacular day.

Groton Connecticut is an old New England town settled in the 1640s between the Thames and the Mystic Rivers.  Early on it became a shipbuilding town.  During WW1  Groton became a submarine base and in 1954 the first nuclear powered submarine, the Nautilus, was launched from Groton. In the waning days of the American Revolution the turncoat Benedict Arnold overwhelmed a cadre of militia on the heights of Groton overlooking the Thames. Arnold sacked the town as well as setting New London on fire across the river.  This is the only major battle fought during the Revolution in Connecticut.  We will meet in the parking lot of the DCA at 8:30 am.  Those who wish to car pool may do so.  Others may wish to drive alone.  It is a 1 hour and 45 minute drive to Groton.  We will pick a place for lunch either in Groton or in another town on our return.  Please join us for an exciting day in a lovely part of Connecticut.  Let Joe Spain or David Mace know of your interest in joining us.

Joe Spain, David Mace

Some great pictures: Wandering in Groton

Tues March 23 to Derby. Ct. It is a 40 minute drive. We meet at the Derby library, 313 Elizabeth St, at 10 am.  The photo is the Naugatuck and Housatonic rivers coming together.

Contact David Mace or Joe Spain

BB3GGJ Minutemen leaving for the Battle of Concord Massachusetts 1775

Our Westport–Ridgefield Wandering will take place on this coming Tuesday, October 27. Our walking focus will be the Danbury Raid, a military incursion of the British that took place in April 1777, during the Revolutionary War.

We will drive to Westport and meet there at 9:30 AM on the 27th at the main Compo Beach Parking Lot.  The shortest and most direct route is to go on I-95N toward New Haven and get off at Exit 17. There go straight at the end of the exit ramp and through the railroad station neighborhood, over the old girder bridge, and then to South Compo Road and onto Compo Beach Road. When I made a trial run the other day, it took about 14 minutes after I entered at Exit 11.

The street address of the entrance to Compo Beach Park is 80 Compo Beach Road. There turn south into the park, past the gate house, which is closed for the season, and continue to the south end of the parking lot, adjacent to two large decorative black metal canons on the south end of the beach. There we will meet our guide, Edward Hynes, and will park and assemble for the beginning of our Wandering. There are public restrooms in the park.

After about an hour and a half walk in Westport, we will end up back at the beach parking lot, from which we will drive north to Ridgefield, following, at least in part, the general route that the invaders followed on their way toward Danbury. The second part of our tour will be centered in Ridgefield and will focus on the actions taken by the Connecticut based militias to attack, harass and deter the British forces as they marched north to their objective: the Continentals’ supply depots in Danbury. After walking through some of the parks and locations of the Battle of Ridgefield, we will have access to some picnic tables there to eat the sandwiches you need to bring.  There are no restaurants nearby.  You may also choose to return to Darien if you prefer.  Below is a list of our wanderers.  If you want to pair with somebody to drive please make your own arrangements.

Finally, please bring a mask, which is required in the parks.  I am assuming we can take off the mask when we do our walking.

If you have questions, you can reach me on my cell phone at 203-554-4201.  Below is the list of wanderers.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday. Happy Wandering!

Your hosts: David Mace & Joe Spain

Mark Shakley and I  just returned from a visit to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge  This is a spectacular venue in Queens (900 acres) looking toward the Rockaways and back to the Verrazano Bridge.  We walked the 1.7 mile loop around West Pond. Along the way we met a number of birders with cameras and telescopes.  We saw a multitude of bird species including several Osprey platforms built by the National Parks Service. Jamaica Bay is part of the Gateway Recreation Area under the National Parks.   We will have a Wandering to Jamaica Bay on Thursday November 5. It is a one hour drive from Darien.  We will take sandwiches and eat on picnic tables at the Visitors Center. Mark your calendar for November 5. If you are interested please email David Mace.
https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/new-york-national-parks/gateway-national-recreation-area-park-at-a-glance/gateway-national-recreation-area-hiking-trails/gateway-national-recreation-area-hiking-at-jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge/gateway-national-recreation-area-west-pond-trail-at-jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge/