A pair of New England thrill rides found their way onto Complex's wide-ranging list of the 50 best roller coasters in the world.

Coming in at No. 44 was the "Boulder Dash" at Lake Compounce, in Bristol, Conn., a wooden coaster that was designed based on its natural surroundings. Agawam's Six Flags New England's "Bizarro" came in at impressive No. 12 with a 221-foot drop that takes riders down on a 70-degree angle.

Complex's No. 1 roller coaster was the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., a ride which is the world's tallest coaster at 456, has the longest drop (418 feet) and goes from 0 to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds.

You can check out each of the coasters below from an armchair perspective.

Boulder Dash

Bizarro

Kingda Ka

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

New Haven hosts the eighth installment of its popular biannual New Haven Restaurant Week, April 15-20, in which participating restaurants offer prix fixe, three-course lunch and dinner menus comprised of appetizer, entree and dessert. Cost for lunch is $18 per person, and $32 for dinner, which does not include beverage, tax or gratuity. Due to the event's popularity, reservations are urged.In all, 34 restaurants are taking part in the event, including 116 Crown, Barcelona Restaurant & Wine Bar, Cafe Goodfellas, Central Steakhouse, Soul de Cuba Cafe, The Cask Republic and Zinc. For a complete list and more information, visit www.infonewhaven.com/restaurantweek, and follow it on Twitter, using hashtag: #NHRW

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Connecticut's second-largest city has a pretty big culinary and theater scene, and this month is offering "Make a Night of It in New Haven," with deals combining both.

At the Long Wharf Theatre, from March 7-13, $70 per person gets you tickets to "Bell, Book & Candle," and a three-course prix fixe at Thali, L'Orcio or Sage American Grill & Oyster Bar. For show tickets and dinner reservations, call the box office at 203-787-4282. For show info, visit http://www.longwharf.org/

Buy a ticket to "South Pacific" at the Shubert Theater from March 8-12 (ticket prices from $15-$78), and for another $32 per person, you get a prix-fixe dinner at Pacifico, Zinc or Oaxaca Kitchen. Diners must show their "South Pacific" ticket stubs for the deal, which is only valid for the same night of the show you attend, and dinner reservations must be made prior to the show. The Shubert box office can be reached at 203-562-5666 or http://www.shubert.com/.

A prix-fixe dinner at Union League Cafe or Ibiza, is available for $32 per person with ticket purchase ($20) to Yale Repertory Theatre's "The Winter Tale," March 19-21. As in the Shubert offer, diners must show their Yale Rep ticket stubs and the deal is only valid for the same night you attend the show. Also part of the deal: A coupon to park for $5 at the York and Chapel Street garage. Call Yale Rep at 203-432-1234 or visit http://www.yalerep.org

All dinner deals are for appetizer, entree and dessert. Beverages, taxes and tip are not included. For more info on New Haven by night, visit www.infonewhaven.com/makeanightofitNH

Megabus.com, which offers fares from $1, said that it would give away 200,000 seats for travel Jan. 4 to March 1, 2012 starting today.

The free seats will be subject to availability for travel anywhere megabus.com goes in the United States and to Toronto. Travelers will need to use the promo code GOFREE to book their seats online.

From Boston's South Station, Megabus, which offers travelers free WiFi and power outlets, travels to New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Phildelphia, Hartford, New Haven, Portland, Me., Burlington, Vt., and Secaucus, N.J. The company, a unit of Coach USA, serves more than 70 cities in North America.

Even before the Ben Stiller fantasy comedies about after-hours life in museums, a number of institutions hosted nights for children to tuck in next to a T-rex. And the programs, which run from just after the museum closes until just before it opens the next day, tend to be remarkably similar. Typically, children must be accompanied with an adult. Many programs only allow groups to sign up for overnights, but some just schedule dates and invite individual child-parent pairs to roll out a bag. There is a fee for the night, which covers specially-planned activities and at least one meal -- usually a continental breakfast but some places also serve dinner. Here is a list of some places locally and around the nation that offer sleepover programs:

NEW ENGLAND

Museum of Science in Boston.

The Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester

The Children's Museum in West Hartford, Conn.

The Children's Museum of New Hampshire in Dover

Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor

Battleship Cove in Fall River

New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Conn.

AROUND THE US

American Museum of Natural History in New York City

Field Museum in Chicago

Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago

Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington

The Spy Museum in Washington

National Aquarium in Baltimore

Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh

Natural History Museum in Los Angeles

San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park

SeaWorld in San Diego

Seaworld in Orlando, Fla.

Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Fla,

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

The popular bi-annual New Haven Restaurant week runs Nov. 6-11, and new this go-round is an opportunity for patrons to help out the Connecticut Food Bank. During the week, 35 of the city's eateries will take part in the event offering prix fixe lunch menus starting at $16.38 - for the year the city was founded - and $29 for dinners, which includes appetizer, entree and dessert. At each restaurant diners can add $1 to their tab, which will benefit the food bank. New Haven Restaurant Week is sponsored by Citizens Bank, which along with Market New Haven, is making a $5,000 donation to kick-start the fund-raising campaign, dubbed "Thanksgiving for All." Between-meal events during the week include cultural activities, and merchants in the Audubon, Broadway and Chapel districts of New Haven will be collecting donations from shoppers for the food bank as well. For information, including a list of participating restaurants, visit www.infonewhaven.com/restaurantweek

JetBlue Airways will begin daily nonstop flights between Hartford-Springfield's Bradley International Airport and West Palm Beach International Airport on Jan 12. West Palm will be the fourth destination the carrier has added from Hartford since beginning service there last November. To promote to the new route, JetBlue will sell one-way fares for as low as $79 through Thursday Oct. 6 for travel between Jan. 12 and March 31.
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By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

By David Lyon, Globe Correspondent

The Great American Road Trip has been a part of our national psyche at least since the days when Huck Finn decided to ''light out for the territory'' to stay one step ahead of Aunt Sally's efforts to ''sivilize'' him. Samuel Clemens, Huck's creator, knew a thing or two about hitting the road.

The stewards of Clemens' memory, the Mark Twain House & Museum, have wed the road trip with Aunt Sally's civilizing influence in a delightful Literary Pilgrimage through the Northeast. It takes about six days and touches bases with Washington Irving, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Wallace Stevens, Noah Webster, Edith Wharton, Herman Melville, William Cullen Bryant, Emily Dickinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Among others.

See details at the Twain House's blog. For more literary destinations, check the Writers Houses web site.

Photo courtesy of Mark Twain House & Museum.

By Christopher Klein, Globe Correspondent

Since Philip Johnson’s Glass House first opened to the public in 2007, the demand to step inside one of the landmarks of modern architecture has been overwhelming. Tickets for the 2011 tour season, which runs from May through November, go on sale at 9 a.m. on Feb. 15, and if the past is any indication, they will sell out quickly. The good news for those who want to visit Johnson’s New Canaan, Conn., property — which includes fourteen architectural structures and a world-class art collection — is that the Glass House is introducing three new two-hour tour options for 2011.

The Architecture tour will offer guests the opportunity to learn how the Glass House campus serves as a fifty-year diary of architectural history by exploring the architects, theories and history; buildings, materials and technologies; and preservation challenges of modern architecture.

The Art tour will illuminate how Johnson and his partner, David Whitney, played significant roles in cultivating and commissioning the work of world-renowned creative talent that defined an era. Visitors will examine works featured in the Glass House collection including those by Frank Stella and Andy Warhol.

The Landscape tour will feature a walk through the grounds and a discussion centered on the history, design, flora and fauna of Johnson’s forty-seven-acre landscape.

In addition to the newly added tours, which cost $45 per person, visitors may also choose from the following options: 90-minute guided Site tour ($30 per person); Two-hour guided Extended tour ($45 per person); Glass House Modern Friends Tour ($100 per person); Twilight Tour ($150 per person, October only); Private Tour ($250 per person); Glass House Private Tour + Four Seasons Dinner Package ($450 per person); and Group Tours (beginning at $30 per person).

Tickets may be purchased online at www.philipjohnsonglasshouse.org or by phone at 866-811-4111.

Photo of Glass House by Eirik Johnson

If the bright lights of Broadway in New York City are a little too far to go to enjoy great theater, consider New Haven. The city's long-standing theaters are offering some pretty cool shows this fall. The Yale Repertory Theatre is hosting two world premieres, the Long Wharf Theater has an East Coast premiere and there's a launch of a national tour at the Shubert Theater.

Yale Rep, which has produced more than 100 premieres in its tenure, is holding a world premiere Nov. 26-Dec. 19 with "Bossa Nova,'' a work by playwright Kirsten Greenidge that chronicles Dee Paridis's struggle between familial expectations and those of a lover. Yale Rep is finishing up its first world premiere with "We Have Always Lived in the Castle,'' which runs through Oct. 9.

In addition, Yale Rep is staging "A Delicate Balance'' by Edward Albee, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, who makes his debut at Yale Rep with the show, running Oct. 22-Nov. 13.

Check it all out at www.yalerep.com.

The national tour of the Tony Award-winning revival of "Hair'' starts its eight-month, 21-city run with four shows at New Haven's Shubert Theater Oct. 22-24, before leaving for the Kennedy Center in Washington. The Shubert is a not-for-profit performing arts center and has been a staple of the New Haven arts scene since 1914. For info, visit www.shubert.com.

Long Wharf Theatre, an intimate, local playhouse, brings the East Coast premiere of "The Train Driver'' to the stage Oct. 24-Nov. 21, continuing a long association with playwright Athol Fugard. The play explores the guilt and complicated emotions of post-apartheid South Africa and features Broadway performers Harry Groener and Anthony Chisholm. See www.longwharf.org.

Anyone wishing to combine an overnight stay with theater may look into the Yale Repertory Package, which starts at $239 a night and includes overnight accommodations, tickets to an opening-night performance, admittance to the opening-night party with cast and crew at The Study at Yale's Heirloom restaurant, and breakfast at Heirloom the next morning. Details at www.studyhotels.com.

 Posted by Paul E. Kandarian, Globe correspondent

Painter beside the Housatonic River in Great Barrington. Photo by Patricia Harris for the Boston Globe.

If you're looking ahead for a reason to get outdoors and enjoy the fall weather, the Upper Housatonic Valley Natural Heritage Area has more than 40 to offer. Designated by Congress in 2006, the Heritage Area organizes an annual series of Heritage Hikes to highlight the historical, cultural, and natural resources along the 60-mile stretch of the Housatonic River from Kent, Conn., to Lanesboro, Mass. This year's walks (along with a couple of train rides and canoe trips) are scheduled for the weekends of September 18-19 and October 2-3. Walks range from 1/4 to 3.5 miles. They explore the history of former mill towns, follow the paths of old stone walls, or retrace Native American hiking trails. You can also visit a historic apple orchard, watch for migrating birds in a wildlife sanctuary, or visit some of the area's noted estates and gardens. Most events are free, but some require advance registration.

Check www.heritage-hikes.org or call 413-394-9773 for information and a schedule.

Connecticut Public Radio and Television is producing its 1st Annual Craft Beer and Chili Challenge at Mohegan Sun, this Sunday, Aug. 22, from 1-4 p.m.

Visitors will be able to sample a selection of craft beers and chilis ranging from hearty, meaty, and spicy, to many-beaned, vegetarian, and everything in between. Over 40 breweries and 15-plus Connecticut restaurants have signed up to kick off the event. Participants include Saranac, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada, and the Willimantic Brewing Company, Eli Cannon's of Middletown, The Society Room of Hartford, and The Brew Pub at Mohegan Sun.

All-inclusive tickets are $45 for general admission and $30 for designated drivers. There is also a VIP early entrance general admission ticket for $75 and a VIP early entrance designated driver ticket for $60. Tickets are available for purchase by calling 877.77.CLICK (25425) or visit cpbn.org, keyword: Beer and Chili.

Globe Staff

Fourth of July travel in New England is likely to outpace travel levels nationwide as more than 1.7 million New Englanders are projected to take some kind of trip over the three-day weekend, AAA Southern New England said.

Both regional and national estimates are up this year because of the improving economy, AAA Southern New England said.

AAA said it is projecting the number of Americans traveling this Fourth of July holiday weekend will increase 17.1 percent from 2009, with approximately 34.9 million travelers taking a trip at least 50 miles away from home.

"The landscape of the US economy is in a much different place than it was one year ago,” Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Southern New England senior vice president of public and government affairs, said in a statement. “It’s encouraging to see such growth this summer as Americans take to the road to visit family, friends, and great vacation destinations.”

AAA noted that the Fourth of July is typically the busiest travel holiday for roadside assistance calls.

"As temperatures rise, vehicles are put to the test," the press release.

AAA said its projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight, an economic research and consulting firm headquartered in Lexington.
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Just in case it slipped by you: New federal rules that took effect in April require American carriers to let passengers exit planes stuck on airport tarmacs after three hours, and they must provide drinking water and snacks such as pretzels after two hours or face fines of as much as $27,500 a passenger for violations. There are exceptions but they mostly involve passenger safety and security concerns.

The rule was pushed by consumers, angry about being abused by airlines who wanted to minimize hassle for themselves in the event of a delay, If we needed a reminder about why we needed the rule in the first place we've just been provided one by the experiences of passengers on a diverted Virgin Atlantic flight stuck on the tarmac at Bradley International outside Hartford.

This from AP:

Bad weather grounded the flight from London to Newark, N.J., at Connecticut's Bradley International Airport on Tuesday night. Passengers told CNN they landed at about 8:20 p.m. and were kept on the plane until about 1 a.m. Wednesday without food or water.
"It was like four hours on the ground without any air conditioning. It was crazy. Just crazy," passenger Beth Willan told CNN. "There were babies on the plane. And we are in dark and hot. You try to be patient but people were yelling and screaming."
The airline's London office said the 300 passengers on Flight VS001 were being bused to Newark on Wednesday morning.
"Virgin Atlantic would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience cause," the airline said in a statement.

In this case Virgin escapes without penalty. Why? Because it isn't an American carrier.

Got any stranded on the tarmac stories to share?

Photo of grounded Virgin Atlantic plane by Jim Michaud of Journal Inquirer via AP

Thirty-six of them, to be exact. As a kind of birthday celebration to mark its own centenary, Historic New England is opening all of its properties free to the public on June 5. Hours run 1-5 p.m., with tours on the hour (last tours at 4 p.m.). The houses really do run the gamut (to borrow Tom Wolfe phrase) from our house to Bauhaus. The oldest is Portsmouth's Jackson House (1664), the newest the Gropius House (1938) in Lincoln, home of the former Bauhaus director Walter Gropius. The first house acquired by Historic New England (then the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities) was Swett-Ilsley House in Newbury (above), normally only on the first Saturdays of the month.

The nifty thing about Historic New England is that the organization does not merely preserve houses--it interprets them. While real estate brokers running an open house want you to imagine yourself living there, Historic New England conjures up the lives of the houses' past owners, building an understanding of how we have inhabited New England over the last four centuries. For example, the building of Cogwell's Grant in Essex (below) dates from 1728, but the house is shown filled with the amazing folk art collections of 20th century owners Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little. Additional special programs will take place at Beauport (1907) in Gloucester, where a staff member will discuss preservation projects at that site, and at the Codman Estate (c. 1740) in Lincoln, Mass., where a staff member will discuss work on the extensive gardens and landscape.

Posted by David Lyon
Photos courtesy of Historic New England

   JetBlue says that it will launch service to Greater Hartford starting Nov. 17.  The discount carrier plans to offer twice daily nonstops from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., outside Hartford, to both Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and Orlando International Airport. To mark the start of the service, the airline is offering introductory sale fares as low as $69 each way through April 30 for travel between Nov. 30 and Dec. 15.

What to do, what to do with those dang kids of yours next for school vacation. No worries friends -- New England's got a slew of week-long, interesting experiences for the whole crew! Check 'em out.

It's no coincidence that the Farmer Rick Band is partnering with the Manchester Gem and Mineral Club for the 2010 Rocks Rock Tour.  The Farmer Rick Band knows how to rock, playing kid-friendly rock 'n roll, and it's not a surprise that they happen to love rocks too. Demonstrations by the Gem and Mineral Club follows the show teaching audience members all about those interesting rocks! [Was that a tongue twister?!] The tour takes place at the Lutz Children's Museum in Manchester, Conn., on April 18 from 1-4 p.m.  Cost is free with museum admission of $5.

No you don't have to break the bank and head to tranquil waters of the Caribbean to pet a shark next week. You just have to plug the directions to the Mystic Aquarium into your GPS and muster up the nerve to place your hand in the same tank as the ocean's most feared predator. Yup, time for Shark Week from April 14-20 in Mystic, Conn.  

Occasionally I watch "So You Think You Can Dance," and am always flabbergasted by those dancers who can shake and swivel their hips at lightning speeds to Latin music. We're all a little obsessed by what we cannot do ourselves, and for me, dance is only trumped by singing. (So yes, "Idol" in on my list too.) While I will never be singled out for my dance repertoire, I will be damned if I give up trying. Were I not still breaking in a new ACL, I would probably find a distant niece or 4th cousin attending the University of Connecticut, and make plans to visit on Saturday, April 10. And oh yes, what a coincidence that the Jorgensen Center's Latin Dance Fest 2010 is that same night.

It's time again for the Biennial Tags & Treasures Sale March 26-28 at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum in Old Wethersfield, Conn. This giant sale features hundreds of household items, including both antique and vintage pieces. Antique afficionados and bargain hunters alike will find items to match their tastes and budgets. Shoppers will find glass, silver, china, linens, books, and furniture. The event begins on Friday evening with a wine and hors d'oeuvres party from 5-7 p.m. in the Webb Barn. Tickets are $25 for this festive evening out. The sale on Saturday and Sunday costs $4, with a bag sale to begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday when shoppers can fill a shopping bag provided by the museum with sale items for only $3 per bag!  Now that's a bargain! Questions?  Contact Charles Lyle at 860-529-0612.

This is the season for mud in New England.  Just when you think it's just not that pretty to travel and explore, the New England Inns and Resorts Association offers deals throughout March you can't refuse.

Locals hate when a place like this gets on the map.

Despite being lost in the far reaches of the 15th arrondissement, there should be a sparkler marking Jadis’ spot on the map instead of a thumbtack. On the night we’re there, it’s 50 percent out of towners, easy.

They’re no dummies. There’s a great, clean, modern menu with a prix-fixe dinner at a fantastic 32 euros and a quality that makes me want to savor each dish.

Everything goes the way it should: a cauliflower mousseline and smoked herring "mimosa'' entree is a layer of creamy cauliflower under a layer of shiny black gel (This is where the herring is and I’d love to know how they transform a fish from the Atlantic into something black as ink and terribly tasty) under florets, bits of egg yolk, black fish eggs, and chervil. The dish plays with color, contrast, texture, and even definitions.

Later, there’s a house version of a blanquette de veau, this one forsaking cream,  and allowing the diner to spoon their own melting-soft hunks of veal from a silver serving pot onto a dish of winter vegetables. I try a pheasant "chartreuse'' -- imagine a dreamy puck of hot, chunky pâté, wrapped in a pinwheel of root vegetables. It’s pungent within, beautiful without.

Dessert includes a pistachio riz au lait with a grapefruit and honey "salad.'' I think the idea is to combine the two, but they’re beautiful on their own.

There are tasting menus for more money, but I’d rather come back and spend more time with each dish than try smaller portions in one sitting.

There are two seatings with a grey area between them at turnover time when service gets a little harried, but it always remains friendly. Reserve ahead -- that sparkler’s burning bright.

Jadis
208, r. de la Croix-Nivert
75015 PARIS
011 01 45 57 73 20


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 Globe travel correspondent Joe Ray, winner of the 2009 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year award, writes his own blog, Eating The Motherland and contributes to the English language version of Simon Says, the French food and lifestyle blog run by French food critic Francois Simon.

Photo of Meritxell Falgueras at Jadis by Joe Ray for The Boston Globe

   Super Bowl fever isn’t exactly contagious in New England right now, with the Patriots having bowed out of the playoffs weeks ago. But now that you don’t have to plan that big Super Bowl spread or sit in front of the television to catch the fourteen-hour pre-game show, you might have some free time on your hands this weekend.
 
     This seems like an excellent time to remind you that if you’re a Bank of America cardholder, you can spend your free time at some free attractions across New England. This weekend (and for the first full weekend of each month of 2010 through September), any cardholder who shows his or her Bank of America ATM, credit, or debit card at select museums will get free general admission.

    It’s part of Bank of America’s Museums on Us promotion, which its been running for the past couple of years.

These are the 13 participating locations in New England:

1. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (Hartford, CT)
2. Mashantucket Pequot Museum (Mashantucket, CT) (note: closed on Sunday)
3. Stepping Stones Museum for Children (Norwalk, CT)
4. Farnsworth Art Museum (Rockland, ME)
5. Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA)
6. Harvard Museum of Natural History (Cambridge, MA)
7. Danforth Museum of Art (Framingham, MA)
8. DeCordova Sculpture Park + Museum (Lincoln, MA)
9. EcoTarium (Worcester, MA)
10. Currier Museum of Art (Manchester, NH)
11. Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art (Providence, RI)
12. Providence Children’s Museum (Providence, RI)
13. Museum of Work and Culture (Woonsocket, RI)

Even if you're still planning to watch the big game on Sunday, whether to root for or against a team or to check out the commercials, you can still make it out to one of these local museums and be home in time for kickoff. Click here for more details on the Museums on Us campaign.

Posted by Christopher Klein, author of The Die-Hard Sports Fan's Guide to Boston."


Photo by Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff