Darien locals rave about the facility at JoyRide Indoor Cycling Studio on Old Kings Highway, which gives fitness buffs a great place to burn calories. The Darien location debuted in 2013 after the studio proved a success in its first location in Westport.

A wide variety of classes are offered here, from the standard JoyRide, 50 minutes of high intensity cycling, to the even more difficult Tabata style training, which mixes intervals in with the ride to really get your heart rate elevated. The studio also hosts mat Pilates classes to tone and strengthen your core, a fitting complement to the cycling workout. Throw in 51/49 training, dance classes, and more, and you’ve got an exercise for just about everybody.

Class prices are very fair and the teaching staff comes highly recommended.

JoyRide Indoor Cycling Studio
25 Old Kings Highway N.
Darien, CT 06820
(203) 349-5454
www.joyridestudio.com
www.yelp.com/biz/joyride-indoor-cycling-studio-darien

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Robert Bejil

There’s a certain feeling you get at a really good Italian restaurant, like you’re part of a family. It’s that feeling that makes Patrizia’s in Stamford such a popular eatery. When you step through the doors of this place, you’ll immediately feel welcomed whether it's your first time or your twentieth time.

Patrizia’s is an outpost of a legendary Italian joint on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, and the menu is virtually identical. Start off with the savory baked crabs with seasoned breadcrumbs, or the eight-spice chicken wings with gorgonzola. Some entrees that win raves include the skirt steak with broccoli rabe in a balsamic reduction and the eggplant Parmigiana. When it comes to pasta, you can’t go wrong with the fettuccine carbonara with applewood smoked bacon or the spaghetti a la Frank Sinatra, made with clams, shrimp, and olives. Or you can just go “family-style" and let the chef send out dishes he thinks your party will like the best.

Patrizia's
249 Main Street
Stamford, CT 06901
(203) 348-8000
www.stamfordpatrizias.com
www.yelp.com/biz/patrizias-stamford-2

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Kanko*

Plastic is an important part of your life whether you realize it or not. The world today consumes 600 billion pounds of plastic per year, and this number is anticipated to grow. Since we use plastic so much, we should at least know a little bit more about it! Here are some must-read facts about plastic.

1) The most common form of plastic is polyethylene. This plastic is typically found in grocery bags and water bottles. In fact, it's estimated that more than 100 billion plastic grocery bags are used annually. The average person uses 290 bags per year, and these plastic bags are typically put into use for only 15 minutes.

2) Plastic is forever. Plastic does not decompose naturally, which is why recycling plastic is so important. Recycled plastics are given new life as bottles, fleece jackets, and fiber fillings, among other uses.

3) Plastics represent 13 percent of total solid waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that in 2012, the U.S. produced 32 million tons of plastic waste. Of that 32 million tons, only nine percent was sent to be recycled.

20 Things You Didn't Know About… Plastic [Discover]
Plastics [EPA]
Plastic Facts [Kids Go Green]

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Quinn Dombrowski