It's January and a lot is going on here in Southern New England and New York City. First of all, New York City is not part of Southern New England, in case you're not from here.
1. There's a lot going on with the New York City Subways. First and foremost, the fare for a single ride is now $3 up from $2.90. No rider will be charged more than $35 per week up from $34 per week. There are proportionate hikes in reduced fares as well. There are changes in some of the buses as well, such as express buses will go from $7 to $7.25. Keep an eye out as other changes go on with particularly the subways.
Other changes to the subways. The city is working to make all stations accessible. They are also working towards having guard rail sections in every station. This work will go on throughout the year. I've also noticed that there are some lines having significant work done and some elevators that are being replaced or repaired. Just be prepared. The city is working to make the subway system better for you, not worse.
Part three is that you should look ahead to when you can no longer even use a metro card. The OMNY cards will go up from $1 to $2 for a new card. If you use a personal credit or debit card; make sure you always use the same one so that it can figure out when to stop charging you for the week.
https://www.mta.info/fares-tolls/2025-changes
https://gothamist.com/news/it-now-costs-3-to-ride-the-subway-and-some-new-yorkers-are-already-angry
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-york-city/mta-subway-lirr-fare-hikes/6438701/
https://secretnyc.co/nyc-subway-2026-upgrades/
2. Times Square got a new ball. The idea of dropping a ball in Times Square goes back to 1907, when the city celebrated electricity. Ironically, no one thought to save the original ball for posterity's sake. Now, all the former balls are saved. We've been watching the previous ball since 1999, when we got the new one then for the turn of the century.
The new ball is the largest ever, at 12.5 feet in diameter and weighing just over 12,000 pounds. It's covered in 5,280 circular Waterford Crystals and it's equipped with LED colored lights. New era, new ball.
This ball will have a little bit of a different life as it will be dropped a second time this year to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/31/style/times-square-new-ball-scli-intl
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/new-2026-nye-ball-times-square/story?id=128703344
https://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye-history-times-square-ball
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss37SH3YBSg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu7yiXyXfFE
3. Bryant Park's Winter Village. Did you think this was just for Christmas? Part of it was. The shopping was part of the Winter Village's Holiday Market. However, the rest of the village is there until March.
For the rest of the winter you'll be able to eat and drink in the Lodge, go ice skating or participate in the bumper cars on ice. You will be able to rent and hold an event in the Bank of America building and the igloo's will be available as well. Just because the holidays are over, doesn't mean that there's nothing left to do at Bryant Park this winter!
https://bryantpark.org/activities/bank-of-america-winter-village-at-bryant-park
https://www.nyctourism.com/shopping/winter-village-at-bryant-park/
https://www.nyc.gov/main/events/?permalinkName=winter-village-in-bryant-park&id=309706&sequence=6&
https://bryantpark.org/activities/the-lodge
https://bryantpark.org/calendar/event/bank-of-america-winter-village-ice-skating-rink-at-bryant-park
4. Farm League Hockey! Do you find Madison Square Garden and other venues terribly overpriced for hockey? I do. I once paid a lot of money to sit in nose bleed seats with a bar hanging in my face, leaving me to watch it on the TV screen on the wall over my head. Heck with that.
Connecticut has two great hockey teams to go and watch. We're home to the Bridgeport Islanders and the Hartford Wolf Pack. I've gone to many games in these venues and I can tell you they put on a great show. The players are talented, the entertainment is fabulous and the price is right for some great seats. They play several times a week and it's a lot of fun in the winter months.
https://www.hartfordwolfpack.com/
https://www.bridgeportislanders.com/
https://easternhockeyleague.org/view/#/schedule
https://easternhockeyleague.org/teams/ehl/
https://www.hartfordwolfpack.com/games
5. We've got Casinos! Sometimes in the winter, you just don't want to spend your time outdoors, and that's when I've been known to take to the casinos. There are a lot of Goupons and other deals in the winter time for a stay at Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun and it's a great way to get away before you lose your mind in the darkness of the Northeast in winter.
These are some of the largest and the oldest Native American casinos in the country and they have so much to do and so much that doesn't have to do with gambling. They have shows, shopping, go carts, zip lines, world class restaurants and more. Almost all of it is inside, so it's perfect for anyone 21 and over who feels the need to get away in the winter.
https://ctvisit.com/casinos-gaming
https://www.500nations.com/Connecticut_Casinos.asp
So, when it's cold and frustrating outside, don't hibernate. Just make sure you find something to do that's inside out of the mess. Here in Southern New England, we know how messy and dark winter can get and that's why we work very hard to find ways to get out and enjoy ourselves. These are a few ideas along with a little bit of information that might help you get around.
For more ideas, visit my YouTube channel, Adventures for Anyone with Terri Dixon.
https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresforanyone2025
Enjoy!
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