UP to SPEED
Oprah treated her audience to a trip Down
Under in December, and now Australia’s Circa
( circa.org.au) is treating U.S. audiences to a dif-
ferent kind of “trip” to kick off the new year—
” 46 Circus Acts in 45 Minutes,” with stops in
Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, among other
places throughout the Northeast. “It’s exactly
what the title says—a whole heap of circus acts
racing against the clock,” says artistic director
Yaron Lifschitz. “Soleil is Avatar—good to look
at, completely huge and technically impressive.
We are maybe a bit more Juno ... more human,
fresher, more personal.” But if circus isn’t your
thing, see Memphis (pictured) on Broadway or
David Mamet’s Great White Way hit, Race, in
Philly. Sink your teeth into food fests in Boston
and Newark, Del. Smell the roses at the Rhode
Island Spring Flower Show or experience a
festival of ice in Vermont or Plungefest (as in
human polar bears) in Annapolis, Md. Whatever
your taste, Amtrak has your ticket to the top
winter events across the Northeast. Remember
to check for special offers and rail fare discounts
below to save some cash. — Compiled by miChael hammett
Aussie
acrobats,
rocking in
Memphis
and a
festival
of ice
CONNECTICUT
All Yale: Nothing warms
the soul on a cold winter’s
night like the sweet sounds
of music. The Yale School
of Music offers a wide range
of performances, including
Peter Frankl’s 75th birthday
recital (music of Beethoven
& Bach), Emanuel Ax plays
Schubert, the Tokyo String
Quartet, Das Lied von der
Erde and Concertante
(20th century chamber
music). 800-332-STAY;
visitnewhaven.com.
DELAWARE
The other Newark: Take
advantage of specialty
menus and reduced prices
when Restaurant Week
returns to downtown
Newark, Del. More than
15 restaurants in this lively
college town, and home of
the University of Delaware,
offer fabulous prix-fixe
meals, entertainment, retail
specials and free parking.
Top off your meal at nearby
Delaware Park, featuring
2,500 slot machines on two
spacious levels and live
table games. Jan. 17–23.
VisitWilmingtonDE.com.
Wilmington’s star
shooter: For more than
50 years, photographer
Fred Comegys has captured
international celebrities
and local kids for the pages
of Wilmington’s News
Journal. Comegys’ photo-
graphs also have appeared
in Life, Time and Sports
Illustrated, among other
publications. In 1985, he was
named National Newspaper
Photographer of the Year
by The National Press Pho-
tographers Association, and
was one of five finalists for
a Pulitzer Prize. Delaware
Art Museum. Feb. 12–May 1.
delart.org.
Inventive kids:
Imagination and ingenuity collide
at Hagley’s “
Create-An-Invention workshop.”
Young Einsteins can build
their own inventions using
familiar household items,
such as cereal boxes, paper
towel rolls and oatmeal
