My mission seemed impossible: Find a novel Christmas gift that would delight and absorb my 6-year-old grandnephew…
Magic Bond

Seven years ago, magician Nelson Nicholson guided me through his Orange estate. The puzzle box of a home, the result of 13 separate additions, was filled with artifacts from the golden age of magic—between 1890ish and 1920ish, before film captured …
Stroll Call

I’m not sure if it’s a hike or a simple walk in the woods we’re undertaking on a recent weekend at Housatonic Overlook and Tucker’s Ridge in Orange. The trail is relatively easy, and since the pinnacle lies just beyond …
Shopping List

Feeling the pressure to pull a great Halloween costume together? We scouted some local shops to help lighten the load.
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At Fashionista Vintage and Variety, “It’s always been our biggest time of year—our Christmas,” co-owner Todd …
Band Back Together

As the sound of strings and woodwinds fade on a recent Monday evening inside Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven, music director Matthew Scinto leans over his stand and says, “We need that same sort of warmth. It can’t …
Sticky Situation

New Year’s resolutions can be tough to muster in the midst of a pandemic, when planning for the future itself seems fraught. But professional organizer Lauren Hass sees this time as an opportunity. …
Formative Experience

What do you picture when you think of tai chi? Shirley Chock thinks she knows: a group of senior citizens practicing slow movements in a park. But that’s just “a tiny sliver of what it’s about,” Chock says. …
Mouth to Mouth

“We have a favorite saying here: ‘You’re not famous until your head is on a PEZ dispenser,’” says Shawn Peterson, manager of the PEZ Visitor Center in Orange. …