Get Up to Date on All the New Features on Patch: Feb. 4

Each weekday morning, Patch delivers what you simply need to know and can’t miss. Whether it’s a school board meeting later that evening, the lowdown on the weather or a must-read on Patch, we’ll lay it out for you every morning. Getting out the door’s challenging enough, we can’t help you find your keys (check your purse) but we can tell you what you need to know to rock the day.

1.     We always put the weather up at top in these Five Things for purely selfish purposes. We don’t like surprises here at Patch, perhaps that’s why we work here. We need to know if we’re wearing flats or galoshes tomorrow and if the roads might be too icy to send a high school kid to drive to swimming the next night. We then like to bestow our newfound knowledge on all our friends, you being one of them. It was with great excitement then that we checked in with the National Weather Service to find that they have no hazardous weather conditions forecast for the next 24 hours. The outlook for Friday calls for sunshine and a balmy 36 degrees, welcoming all manner of footwear. Snow moves back in Friday night into Saturday, switching to all-rain as the day progresses. Something on your feet to help navigate all those puddles from rain and melting snow might be wise, but it sure beats the ice skates we were forced to wear over the last few days.

2.     We’ve been introducing a bunch of new features lately and Thursday brought View Finder: an opportunity for Patch to tell a local story with pictures. This week’s pick was Saturday’s Photographer Pat Zackman did a great job of bringing that little slice of our community to life as you will see through the slideshow.

3.     Another great new Patch offering is a restaurant pick each Thursday. For all of the great places to eat out we have in the area, some weekends it’s hard to come up with a suggestion when our friend or spouse asks, “Where do you want to go?” Patch helps makes coming up with an answer a no-brainer. This week, we visit , the consummate Mexican staple in the area. Add a little Dos Equis, and you’ve got yourself a great night out.

4.     But wait, there’s more! We also shared our new with some top picks of things going on in the area each weekend. Our first installment offers up comedienne Kathleen Madigan at the Count Basie, the CBA Art Show and an opportunity to Follow the Drinking Ghourd at the Monmouth County Library in Manalapan as options this weekend.

5.     Still looking for something to do? Okay, come closer, we have a secret to tell you. We here at Patch have a weakness for show tunes. We’ve even listened to them on our iPod during extreme dental work to take the edge off whatever the nitrous oxide hasn’t softened. So, we were excited to learn that two big Broadway stars were performing at the Axelrod Arts Center in Deal on Saturday night. , “a hot-hearted, cool-headed musical conversation between lovers that spotlight the swingin’est composers of the Great American Songbook.” With songs like “All the Way” and “A Fine Romance,” we think it’s a nice way to kick off that Valentine season. Don’t tell anyone we said so.