Wish for Fish Knowledge

There's a new exhibit at The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk called "Go Fish! Long Island Sound & Beyond."

It features a 30,000 gallon tank with local fish like striped bass, cod, tautogs, Atlantic salmon, wolffish and spiny dogfish sharks. Coming soon - a seven foot Atlantic halibut.

Check out interactive displays and learn about the connections between everyday life and the creatures in our local water (beyond just serving them with lemon and butter).

(photo from dionhinchcliffe, flickr.com)

In Search of Local Color

I was excited to hear about the new gallery on Bedford, and was hopeful that it was a sign of things to come. Little did I know, there was another art space nearby just under my nose.

The University of Connecticut's Stamford Campus maintains an art gallery at One University Place, Washington Boulevard. Open Mon-Th 8:30am to 7pm and Fri 8:30am to 5pm, the gallery features art from students, faculty and staff as well as regional talent.

Currently, the gallery hosts "CT Portrait Society Show: Faces of Winter." It is a collection of over 70 paintings and sculptures, and you can learn more about it here. The exhibit will be on display until March 4th. You can see a description of future exhibits here.

(photo from (: Petra :), flickr.com)

Give your Child the Gift of a Bird Brain

No plans for your child's winter break? Sign them up for Winter Vacation Camp at Audubon Greenwich. Scheduled for February 16th to the 19th, it features hikes, crafts and games in the cold but very fresh air. The details are as follows:

AGES: Kindergarten - 5th Grade

DATES & THEMES:
* Tuesday, Feb. 16 - Predators
* Wednesday, Feb. 17 - Tracks & Traces
* Thursday, Feb. 18 - Animals on Vacation
* Friday, Feb. 19 - Wonders of Winter

HOURS: 9:30 am to 2:30 pm

COST: $50/day for members; $60/day for non-members

For registration forms and more details, visit http://greenwich.audubon.org/Programs_NatureCamps.html or call the Camp Director, Lindsey DeVito at 203.869.5272 x235.

There are separate programs for different age groups. Be sure to bring lunch and a snack. Chicken nuggets and turkey sandwiches might not be very considerate.

Lonely Hearts Pub

The other day, my buddy JR (the evil genius behind Streets of Stamford) forwarded me an email with the subject line "Reality Dating." I responded saying "saw the subject line and deleted - guess I should give more of a crap..." (To which he aptly replied "Eh...giving a crap is overrated.").

Apparently the subject matter is not just idle internet grossness, but an actual attempt to respond to the scourge of sucky Valentine's Days.

On February 10th at 7pm, you can go to Bradford's Tavern and take advantage of the latest in matchmaking technology for free! It works like this:
- Come in the door.
- Have your information entered into a computer.
- You will be matched up with someone suitable (or hopefully suitable) for you in the room.
- You will have a little 5 minute date with your (arguably) perfect pair.
- You choose whether you want to pursue it.

If you meet someone fabulous - great! If not - well, you got your money's worth.

(photo from biskuit, flickr.com)

YMCAnswers

A big "thank you" to Mark Ketley, Chief Executive Officer of the Stamford YMCA who very graciously answered each of my questions about his organization. Below you will see our exchange:

Q: What will membership cost?
A: The rate sheet has not been finalized as of yet, but for a single adult membership, it will be in the range of 40 per month.

Q: What facilities will you offer (machines, pool, exercise rooms, sauna, etc)?
A: We will have our 6 lane pool, full size gymnasium, indoor running track, free weight room, life fitness strength equipment, cardio center, and aerobics studio.

Q: How big will the workout space be?
A: Our entire facility is 50,000 square feet.

Q: Some local gyms save money by not offering towels - will you all do the same?
A: Most likely, we will not offer towels.

Q: What classes will you offer?
A: We are planning on April classes in both the aerobic studio, gym, and pool. We have not set that schedule as of yet.

Q: Will there be a daycare service?
A: We plan on having child watch in the future, when space permits, but it is not planned with the initial opening.

Q: What will your hours be?
A: Hours are being determined, with typical YMCA opening at 530, and closing around 9- 930 pm. Plus hours on Saturday and Sunday as well. We will post the hours shortly on our web site.

Historical Horrors for Sale in Stamford

Since my primary source of cutting edge Stamford, Connecticut news is an Israeli newspaper, I was totally in the know about the Haaretz Daily's report on a disturbing piece of Holocaust history for sale by local Stamford auctioneer, Alexander Autographs.

Although Dr. Josef Mengele's diary was put up for auction on January 20/21st, perhaps unsurprisingly, it has not yet sold. Mengele was a Nazi officer best known for his brutal and criminally crazy medical experiments at Auschwitz. Proving that you can't make this stuff up, the diary is written in a children's book called "Illustrated Zoology." He wrote it after fleeing to Argentina following the war.

The auction house description of the diary makes it clear that Mengele was still festering with insanity in his later years. They note that [w]hat particularly strikes us [is] how easily Mengele is able to jump from an urgent plea that civilization undertake the "extermination" of genetically "inferior" "morons", to a child-like description of his first sighting of a monkey in the wild.

I believe I can safely say, yikes.

Tuesdays Don't Need No Stinking Diet

Keep your Tuesdays Fat and happy by checking out Barcelona's Fat Tuesday Carnival Celebration. They're the experts on fun, and they say: Traditionally considered the last evening of decadence before Lent, Carnivale is celebrated famously in many cities across the globe, including Madrid, Venice, Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans. This party will include wines selected by wine director Gretchen Thomas, passed pintxos by our new Executive Chef Christian Petroni and musical entertainment. Come prepared to dance and party!

Bring your feathers and your beads, and join them at 7pm, on Feb 16th. Shockingly, it's a Tuesday. The drool-inducing menu is on the website here. It will set you back $57/person (which includes tip and tax).

For Reservations email gretchen@barcelonawinebar.com or call (203)983-6400.

"That name again is Mr. Plow"

Mr. Plow might be furloughed for now, but the Stamford Nature Center is giving him cause for hope by welcoming DLTC Landscape Contractors who will create the winter wonderland that the Center calls Let It Snow Weekends.

Every weekend in February - absent crazy weather problems - the Center will feature snow covered hills for snow angels (and snow devils) to enjoy. Come sled, tube or whack each other with snowballs. Warm your fingers and your gullet with free hot chocolate between 10 am and 3 pm in the Overbrook building. All you pay for is general admission.

(photo from D'Arcy Norman, flickr.com)