Day One

We decided to take a close, quiet day to shake out the cobwebs of the driving trip from Antigonish, Nova Scotia to New York. It worked well, as we got in an excellent visit to a local aquarium and became accustomed to the area in which we were staying.

• Southern Conneticut
  • Fairfield - After some deserved rest and relaxation we began our first day exploring the local area in southern Conneticut. On a much needed morning walk (although the 15 hours went quickly my legs were in dire need of a stretch) on Sunday I explored sleepy Fairfield, CT. I passed quaint shops on the "main drag" and window shopped the ground level business district. Stopping for a coffee, I exchanged pleasantries with several morning fitness seekers from the area. With it's Long Island Sound beaches of sand and affluent oceanside properties the community was outfitted with all amenities. Our car doors remained unlocked for the week. However, Fairfield is on the fringe of New York suburbia. With quick access by rail and car it is in many ways the best of all possible circumstance.
  • Norwalk Maritime Aquarium - In the afternoon we traveled to Norwalk, CT to visit the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium. The Aquarium, located on the waterfront was a 15 min jaunt from Fairfield and after a short wait in line we made our way into the exhibits. It came highly recommended by Steve and he drove us to the site. Our visit opened with a film (Ocean Wonderland) in an I-Max theatre which was informative and entertaining... although our daughter feel asleep. All hands were awake, however, for the Sponge Bob ride with 4-D glasses and all!!! When that was over we entered the exhibits with "ray petting", "seal feeding" and the shark tank being our highlights. Fun for all ages and can be as quick or methodical as your schedule allows.

Evening Planning: The idea for the following day was to travel in a group of 8 to the southern part on Manhattan Island to visit attractions on that area. As our hosts were going to facilitate our trip in we thought it important to get to that part of the city, intending to commute on further trips that week by train.