New Blog: Talk About Norwalk!

I am so happy to introduce you to a new blog about... NORWALK! Talk About Norwalk is written by a former coworker of mine who grew up in Norwalk and currently lives there with her family. Suzanna's posts so far are the perfect balance of interesting (busting on a restaurant!) and informative (recommendation for where to take stir-crazy kids). Please check it out and pass the link on to any one you know you lives in Norwalk. I am confident that Talk About Norwalk is going to be THE blog about Norwalk.

You can also follow Suzanna on twitter at @talknorwalk. And follow me as @stamfordtalk! Click here to read more.

Duo Reincarnated as Kokoro on Greenwich Ave!

I was SO excited to see, on a Kokoro postcard that my coworker brought back from her sushi run, the phrase "WE HAVE MOVED TO GREENWICH- FORMERLY DUO & PLATEAU (STAMFORD)".

My coworker said it was the best sushi she's ever had in Greenwich. Kokoro is somewhere on the bottom half of the Ave.

I assume they moved because more people are spending money on sushi on the Avenue?

A quick glance at the website shows a resto that looks a lot like Duo and a menu that's a mix of both Plateau and Duo. Happily, the amazing Spicy Tuna Pizza appetizer is still served!

Duo was one of my favorite restaurants and I'm happy to see its owners- and amazing food- are still around. Click here to read more.

I Don't Want to Hate Norwalk

... but they are making it so hard.

A parking ticket that I got on Saturday November 20 for $25, that I forgot to pay until today- just a month later- is up to $100. ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS! HOW IS THAT LEGAL???

Me to husband: "I'm never going to Norwalk again."
Husband: "Remember that when we find our cheaper place there."

We had gone to the Norwalk Aquarium, then had dinner. I guess I didn't read the street signs carefully enough and didn't realize I had to pay the meters. What an amateur move. I am kicking myself for that.

I'm trying to shake this off and take it as another reminder to keep better organized, but it's hard to give up that money without feeling bitter.

Other reasons I hate Norwalk:

The year I lived there, the commute home from Stamford/Greenwich was a nightmare. I'd sometimes leave at 3:15 and it would still take 45 minutes. I only managed to stay sane by listening to podcast after podcast. That was a long year. We got out of Norwalk as soon as possible.

Actually, the commute is the only other reason I hate Norwalk, besides the extortion-like parking ticket policies, but those are two pretty big reasons.

Norwalk, you have so much potential, but you make me so angry sometimes. Click here to read more.

Baby-Friendly Rye, and Friendly People

I don't think I'm THAT appealing-looking that I deserved all the friendly attention I got in Rye, NY last week. Therefore, I declare Rye a friendly place. It's friendly to babies and to people who have babies. Let me explain.

Baby-friendly criteria:
1. Easy park and walk.
2. Restos with room for strolles.
3. Restos who don't act like you are crazy for wanting to bring your baby out to dinner.
4. Dessert place within walking distance of a dinner place.
Baby Q and I met up with a friend who was in town from Philly for business. We had a wonderful dinner at Rye Bar and Grill. There was plenty of room for the stroller, and no one looked perturbed when I had to stand up halfway through the meal to rock Q to sleep in his ERGObaby carrier. (Success!) The chopped Cobb salad was super easy to eat while wearing a baby, and darn if that pinot grigio wasn't nice and cold.
After dinner, friendly locals pointed us to Longford's ice cream. The place was pretty small, so my friend went in to get us cones while I sat down with Baby Q outside.

Here comes the friendly to adults part.

"Did you get to eat your dinner?"
"Did you get to eat your dinner?"
I realized the woman beside me was actually talking to me. A stranger- was talking- to me. In- a friendly- way. (Huh? I didn't think that happened up here.)
Me: "Oh, sorry! Yes!"
Woman: "We saw you at dinner!"
Me: "Oh, that's right, duh! Yeah, he finally fell asleep. After I dropped some arugula in his mouth by accident."
The woman, her friend and I had a chuckle, then they left with their band of older children.

"Do you love that stroller?" Now, a lady on the other side of the store's door is calling over to me.
Me: "Enh, it's OK." I realize she has the same stroller. "Oh- why do you love it?"
We then discuss the stroller, I ask how old her baby girl (turns out to be a boy) is, I compliment her excellent post-baby figure, she comes over to tell me how cute Q is, then she remarks how convenient breastfeeding is (I had gotten out my nursing cover), and after she walks away, I wish I lived in Rye so I could befriend her, because she seems really awesome.

Rye was the first town I lived in when I moved up here. I had a nice year, and near the end of the year, met my fabulous friends Wendy and Christopher, who now run a media empire in Fargo ND. A good friend from my birth class lives in Rye. I kind of want to live in Rye, although I bet housing prices are significantly higher than Stamford! But my, that is a walking-friendly, baby-friendly, friendly town.

I can't believe OTHER people were friendly to me. I have stopped being friendly to strangers, because this area has beaten that out of me. Maybe I need to consider changing my ways and become friendly to strangers again. I'll think about it. Click here to read more.

Greenwich: Golf 'n Gay Marriage

Thank you to Chris of Lunch Break Chronicles for pointing out this article about Greenwich that reinforces every stereotype of Greenwich that you can think of.
Evidently the Brunswick (all boys private school) golf team was going to be late for their match on Fisher's Island, NY because of a deadly accident on 95. So, of course, one of the kids' dads produced a charter plane in a jiff. Now, I have to tell you; I teach in Greenwich, and the kids I teach are lovely. That's why these little news items about Greenwich don't bug me; I know they are bizarre exceptions. Most people in Greenwich are normal Joes; they just happen to have really well-paying jobs that allow them to afford homes there. And the kids are just regular kids... who go on way nicer vacations than most people. I pretty much unabashedly love Greenwich.
I threw in the "Gay Marriage" part of the post title because of the alliteration, and the oddity that Greenwich is becoming known not just for wealth, but for being a same sex wedding destination. With CT legalizing gay marriage, Greenwich is the closest place to NYC, and no doubt has some great places for receptions!
Read more if you want to hear more about the golf outing. There are some funny lines. No adults would be quoted for the article; I wonder if they realized how high-falutin' this article was going to make them seem.

From the Advocate:
"We were going to have to bag it. It would have been a bummer. I just called my dad. He has a friend who has a couple of puddle-jumper planes," said Conor Kenny, 18, the team's senior captain.
Messages seeking comment from Jim Stephens, the assistant coach who went on the flight, were left at his home and office. Efforts to reach Anthony Fischetti, the team's head coach, were unsuccessful. Tim Ostrye, the school's athletic director, declined to comment about the flight.
Kenny said he didn't know how much the flight cost his dad, who is a bond salesman, but said that it wasn't that much because his dad knows the charter company owner.
"(My dad) assured Mr. Stephens it was not outrageously expensive," Kenny said. "He just kind of saved the day."
Kenny's father, Michael, could not be reached for comment Friday. His wife said he was playing golf.

Hee hee! You just have to giggle at that last line. Click here to read more.

Ode to Darien and Its Amenities

Someone recently suggested, in a conversation about home prices, that what I should really do is try to buy a little house in Darien, because the schools are really good.
Well, no doody. I should also really ask for a tripling/quadrupling of my salary so I have a smidgen of a chance of affording the cheapest house in Darien. Median income there is one of the highest in the nation- Darien and New Canaan were one and two in a recent report- at around $230,000.
I don't think I could ever afford Darien, but I'm oddly fond of it. I lived there for two years when I first moved up here, and I still go there a lot.

Top 10 Reasons I Love Darien
1. My doctor, dentist, and podiatrist, all of whom I really like, are in Darien.
2. Elements Yoga studio by the Noroton Heights train station.
3. Barrett Bookstore- great independent book store- also by the NH train station.
4. Lanphier- my favorite hair salon. They'll fix the highlight disaster caused by the salon in Stamford, two weeks before your wedding.
5. Post Corner Pizza- I love their pizza and chicken souvlaki.
6. Coromandel- best Indian from Greenwich to Norwalk. Oh sure, they just turned Dakshin into Coromandel, but parking's easier in Darien.
7. Noroton Heights train station off exit 10- good place to meet up with people if you need to carpool, especially to Cove Beach.
8. If you happen to be the work-at-home type who needs to get out of the house, the Darien Library-Darien Starbucks combo is a good alternative to Greenwich Library. Parking at Stamford Library/Starbucks is always a pain- unless you are one of those young whippersnappers who live in a downtown condo or apartment.
9. Trader Joe's is a fun little specialty grocery store right on the Norwalk border. They've got good meals in boxes. You know, rather than mac and cheese, they'll have some fancy Indian dish that's easy to make.
10. That's all I can think of. Anyone else want to add anything? Click here to read more.

Darien Whole Foods To-Be: Good Enough for Me

I am thrilled that there's going to be a Whole Foods in Darien. It is going to cause the worst traffic hell you've ever seen in your life, but I'll just go there at odd hours, you know, when I want to pretend I am an organized enough person to live an ascetic, clean, organic life. Yes, I go shopping at Whole Foods when I need to feel like I am a better person.

The new store will be beside the BMW dealer off exit 11, on the old HoJo's lot they're currently clearing. Yeah- that tiny access road! I know, I'm sure they'll fix access, but an incredibly popular store right on Rt 1 by 95... oh, it's gonna be bad. It couldn't be worse than Greenwich though, could it?

You may recall they proposed a Whole Foods right by the Stamford Lord and Taylor. I think this Darien spot is a much better location. We Stamfordites can reap the rewards but not deal with the extra traffic.

I do suppose we're missing out on some yuppie prestige... sigh.
Click here to read more.

Stamford Area Brunches: Diner Alternatives

A lot of people love diners, but when I think of where to go for brunch, diners fall short in comparison to nicer places that are not much more expensive.

I'm on an anti-diner kick. We had friends in town a couple of weeks ago, so we went out for brunch at Parkway Diner on High Ridge. The pancakes I got seemed like they had been fried in loads of oil. Rather than fluffy and cakey, they were heavy and thin, and their edges were visibly oil-soaked. I ate them, of course, because they were pancakes, and I was hungry. The diner was packed, so I assume it's a popular place. Was this just a one-time fluke of pancake horror?
Other local diners:
--Springdale Diner: only been once.
--Curley's Diner: I'm scared of it. Is that crazy?
--Bull's Head Diner: enh.
--Lakeside Diner: a little better; tiny, but the food is good. See Chowhound reviews. Also, pics from a local blogger.
--City Limits Diner: a lot of people love it, but I just think it's OK. It's a diner. Like all diners, it specializes in large amounts of average food. That's nice sometimes, but not when you have better options.

I can recommend a few non-diners for brunch in the FC:

--Margot Cafe and Wine Bar. We haven't been there in a couple of months because my husband's disappointment when they are out of the quiche of the day is a pretty sad sight. Margot has a nice little brunch menu at what I think are excellent prices for the quality of food.

--My husband loves Tavern on Main in Westport. (We lived in Norwalk for one terrible year, so ate in Norwalk and Westport a lot.) The food is just damn good and the atmosphere is cozy. They've got fireplaces!!! It's great for the cooler times of the year.

--River House Tavern in Westport. We went there last Sunday, and despite there being 3 bees near my table, ducks with Elvis haircuts (I'm so not joking) swimming outside, and the waiter messing up my husband's French toast order, the brunch was very good. My spinach-cheese omelet was 12 bucks; compare that to 8 or 9 bucks at a diner, and the nicer, quieter atmosphere might be worth it to you. (Minus the bees.) I’ll blog more about RT later, because the crowd was so stereotypically upscale FC that I almost could not focus on my food. Let’s just say, I saw an ascot. Plus, I've got to give you a look at those ducks. I took pictures.

--Thataway Cafe on Greenwich Ave is a nice place to go for Sunday brunch. The food is quite good, and you can shop afterwards.

--I know the Greenwich Hyatt has a $55 brunch, but I can’t justify paying that. That is whack. I think Bloody Marys are included, though. It did get voted best brunch in the FC, but is it worth 55 bucks? Actually, maybe it is, if you drink enough Bloody Marys.

--I hear on Chowhound that Saltwater Grille has a $25 brunch buffet. The menu looks OK, but it doesn’t start until 11:30. Note to self: try SWG sometime, even though I have had mixed experiences there.

I rarely go out for brunch. We just eat cereal and frozen waffles, but when we have friends in town, we go out. When I want to treat myself to a decadent breakfast, I drive over to Liz Sue bagels and get a bagel with a double side of veggie cream cheese. That’s what I did this morning. Now I'm craving pancakes after this blog post, but I'll just pop some Eggos in the toaster and drench them in syrup. Click here to read more.

Lost UNC Ring with a Bridgeport Connection

I corresponded with a friend from high school who wanted me to put some info on Stamford Talk. Short version: She found a UNC ring, pictured here, in her backyard in Charlottesville, Va. She tracked down the name of the owner- George Richard Fiztgerald- but he was killed in Vietnam in 1966. She found his bio on the UNC website. She'd like to return the ring to his family, whose last known address was in Bridgeport. She hopes this blog can help get the word out.

In my friend's words: I have cold called people all over the US. While I was living in Charlottesville I was digging in my garden and found a college ring. I tried then to find info about the person to return it but it was a cold trail. Years later when I moved and found the ring again, I tired again to contact the alumni association to find information on the ring's owner. This time I did get some info. There was only one man who graduated in the year on the ring with the initials in the ring. He is on their website.

He was born in Bridgeport to Mr and Mrs James Fitzgerald and had two brothers and two sisters. He was killed in action in 1966 in Vietnam. I have tried the internet, the school he taught at before being deployed, marine websites, cold calling and have not been able to find his family. I know the notification of death was sent to Bridgeport, but they could only confirm the info I had already found at the archives because of privacy acts. I left the ring at my parents' house in Va. the last time I moved, but it is something I think about often. I feel like it is a part of his family and their history. I would really hope that someone in his family might like to have the ring.

Please pass this link on if you think you might know anyone with a connection! Click here to read more.

Norwalk Oyster Fest Sept 5: Oak Ridge Boys!!!! And, Treatise on Country Music

Oak Ridge Boys!!! OMG I am inordinately excited! Oak Ridge Boys, Sister Sledge, and Los Lonely Boys will be playing at Oyster Fest in Norwalk. I saw the Oak Ridge Boys play at the Boy Scout Jamboree in Va when I was like, 10. It was so much fun. I like country music. In fact, I'm going to go spend some of my iTunes gift certificate on the song "Bye Bye" by Jo Dee Messina.

The Oyster Fest starts Friday Sept 5. See Norwalk Seaport's website for more info. Prepare to park far away and walk to the Fest, and for goodness' sake, wear closed-toe shoes. After a weekend of oysters and beer, you don't want your feet to touch that ground.

Here's Jo Dee:


Funny- the video looks old. The song doesn't sound dated, though, which shows what an amaaaaaazing song it is. If you don't like country, and you're not from the South, I don't wanna hear it, because you just don't have the life experience to understand it. I'm not saying you can only understand country if you are from the South. I'm just saying, part of country's appeal comes from driving along a two-lane road with nothing to look at and nothing really to do. To someone from the NY Metro area, that might sound terrible, but driving along like that is a great feeling. I know people who aren't from rural areas can appreciate country, but they've got to have the right, chilled-out mindset. Click here to read more.

They Did It With a Wiffle Ball Bat. Soooooo?

All kinds of doody is hitting the fan in Greenwich, and what are we doing here in Stamford? Participating in ground-breaking studies on what makes good policemen? Having block parties to raise money for our firehouse? Throwing big concerts? Sheesh. That wholesome, productive stuff is not going to get the New York Times to come and join the gossip fray.

In a way, I feel bad that we’re not grabbing the spotlight because some teens cleared a town lot valued at 1.25 million dollars and built a Wiffle ball field that’s pissing off the neighbors. In a way, I feel left out because I don’t give a hootchie-koo about drunken non-residents riding the Island Beach ferry that my taxes pay for. I want to be angry about something like the Greenwich residents I'm reading about.

I miss blogging about drama, like Napa and Co. and school board inanity. All I can write about recently are sensible topics like farmers markets and nights out with friends. Hoooo-hum, Stamford! Where’s the next big drama? (Noooooo nothing more with the school board thanks! Nothing with the fire departments- I cannot follow that complicated story. OH! And I can't link you to it, because the Advocate refuses to show articles over 2 weeks old, and it's not coming up on a search on the Times site, and I need to go to bed, so I am not going to keep searching. Rrrrrr.)

I’m mostly kidding about wanting an over the top story in Stamford. When I feel myself craving some drama, I think to myself, that takes energy. It takes energy to form opinions, and I don’t feel like getting all riled up over an issue that’s not crucial. I’m glad I don’t have to weigh in on Wiffle ball and ferry rides. Those are Greenwich’s issues right now. I don't want my city to be involved in dysfunctional situations... even if those situations do make for good blogging.

Maybe our next big story is our part in the state of CT lawsuit against the FAA over the proposed dramatic increase in air traffic due to changed airplane routes into NYC. I only know what I’ve read in the paper, but it sounds like it’s going to affect a lot of us. Greenwich, Stamford and Norwalk also filed a lawsuit together. Maybe- maybe this will be just the thing that bring our 3 oh-so different towns together... nah, doubt it. Click here to read more.

Apple Store on Greenwich Ave: Are We OK w/ It?

The Stamford-based commuter blog Station Stops has the scoop on rumors of a new Apple store on Greenwich Ave. An Apple store on the Ave makes sense, I suppose. While traffic volume would be much lower than the Stamford Mall, it would be made up of big spenders. I like the idea of not going to the mall if I want to ogle high-tech stuff, but I don't like the idea of business traffic being taken away from the city with which I am obsessed. I want Greenwich people to have to come to Stamford.

OK, you got me. This post is just an excuse to say that I GOT AN IPHONE YESTERDAY!

It's a used one that my husband's coworker was selling, so my darling husband bought it for me, sneakily set it up, and put the phone in my hand, ready to use, when he got home from work. I'm still in shock... both from the glorious gadget that is now my best friend, and from how sweet my husband is.

I have been wanting an iPhone ever since I started getting busier with Stamford Talk a few months ago. Warmer weather = more Stamford action. I want to check email every hour or so to see if I have new comments or to correspond with someone who has an interesting scoop. It was getting annoying to have to ask my husband if I could use his iPhone while we were out at Capriccio or driving to dinner in Greenwich.

("You know, if you'd stop eating out so much, you could afford a house in Stamford," Always Home and Uncool said to me yesterday. Please keep on me about that, AHUC.)

The husband and I had been in discussions about whether or not to get the new iPhone coming out July 11 for me- rather, for him, and I'd get his old one. However, the new iPhone won't be hackable, meaning we'd be stuck with ATandT. We really needed a used one so I could keep my convenient, affordable T-mobile plan.

Fate, via my husband, brought this used iPhone into my life less than 24 hours ago.

(Oh, FREAK yeah, I see a neighbor setting up a tag sale! What in this house can I bring over to them? That reminds me, I think Union Baptist over on Newfield Ave is having a tag sale today, too. I work with the assistant preacher's wife and she is totally cool.) Click here to read more.

News of the Weird in Greenwich: Principal Suspended Over Minor Cupcake Dispute

Cupcakes are always a hot topic for adults. I, for one, go crazy for cupcakes because I have them so rarely. I can't help but think the parent who set in motion a Greenwich principal's suspension was similarly crazed by the cupcakes that he insisted on delivering directly to his daughter's classroom.

Evidently, school rules say parents should not deliver things directly to a kid's classroom in the middle of the day. The parent leaves the item and the kid comes to pick it up. That's what the principal told the Dad who was bringing the treats for his daughter's 9th birthday.

I really can't tell from the article, but it looks like the problems arose when the dad left the school and then, later in the day, saw a new document on the school website titled "Birthday Celebrations" that was added right after he left the school. I guess the dad feels singled out now, but can I just say...

This is so going to be a case of one person ruining the cupcake fun for everyone! You know that from now on, birthday goodies will be banned from schools.

OK, but back to the subject of the principal. Why is he being suspended? I have no clue. I just posted under the Advocate's useless comments system: "There MUST be more to the story than adding a cupcake rule to a website... or else why would the principal be suspended?" (It's useless because I can't follow the discussion via comments to my email- I have to go BACK to the webpage. Fine for one article, but what if I'm trying to follow comments on several stories from the week? Do I have to keep the pages open in my browser? Clutter! Advocate, you are making me work too hard, and no real discussions get going on your site.)

There must be some gossip here... were heated comments exchanged? To me, this looks like a weaselly way to get rid of a principal, because what district/school suspends a person for something so minor? They must have already had it in for this person, because this situation is ridiculous.

The cupcake drama is so much more interesting than the latest Stamford Public Schools drama, which involves coming up with a brand new redistricting plan. I think there might be some more drama there- the Stamford Times seems to imply that the board basically gave up and handed it over to the superintendent to think of a plan. Whatever. I cannot spend any more brain cells on that topic. Maybe I'll wait until a follow up article comes out and then write about the fact that after almost a year, the Stamford School Board has alienated 1/4 of the district's elementary school parents by threatening to close their kids' schools.

Admit it Stamford... are we a little jealous that the biggest thing Greenwich Schools have to worry about is cupcakes?

Related Advocate Article: "Principal's Suspension Puzzles Parents." This is the initial article about cupcakes in which, oddly, a school official is quoted as saying the principal was suspended because of "serious allegations." Everyone I spoke to about that yesterday assumed it was something horrible like stealing, using the school property for personal purposes, or an affair with a teacher! But no... it was... cupcakes? Click here to read more.

Best Caipirinhas of Mi Vida at Avenida in Greenwich

Stamford, I cheated on you with Greenwich Avenue tonight, and it was fantastic!

I’ve been craving a good margarita, and gosh knows there’s no place for that in Stamford. The husband rejected my Boxcar Cantina suggestion but agreed to go to Avenida, a place on the Avenue I've not yet been to. Not only were the margararitas good,-- “No flavors,” they informed me-- we ran into old, fabulous, riotous friends, who, turns out, were ordering caipirinhas even better than the ones I had in Brazil. Oh- and there was insanely good live music starting at 930.

Yeah. Stamford, I adore you, but where are your Latin restos? Oh? They’re in Port Chester? Well, can you bring them to Stamford?

OK I am seriously off to bed because I have again been told I’m very unpleasant when I don’t get enough sleep.

Oh. BTW. Avenida is where trendy Bleu (that's "Bluh" to you non-French speakers) used to be, and they still have those freaky see-through bathrooms that go opaque when you close the door. Live on the edge! I did, and no one appeared to have seen me doing my business.

Now, Greenwich, I love you, but I have to say, sometimes you are so Greenwich! For God's sake. Tonight I was sitting near a woman in white jeans, a royal blue tie-around tank, patent leather royal blue stilettos, and a matching royal blue patent leather purse! And huge Chanel sunglasses! There were so many blonds with blue eyes in Tori Burch flats and tunics with brown roots showing... more than usual. More than usual, Avenida. I've worked in Greenwich for ten years, and even this was overwhelming to me. And the men. Y'all are just gorgeous, but you're so Greenwich. It's stunning. It's astonishing. It's out of this world.

Sometimes you're too much, Greenwich, but you've got good margaritas.

Good night. Buenas noches. Buena sera. A domani. Hasta manana.

Here's the NYTimes review of Avenida. Click here to read more.

Life in SoFa: Cheap Labor, Traffic, BMWs

There’s an interesting article in the Fairfield Weekly called "White Wash: An artist-housecleaner sounds off on the Fairfield County wealth gap." The gossip Jodi Strmiska dishes on her clients is ordinary, but I liked hearing a personal story about commuting down here to do service-related jobs.

A few things about Stamford jump out at me. First of all, notice how our beloved Stamford is left off her map: In coastal Fairfield County, the line between rich and poor is drawn along a south-north axis. The highest concentration of wealth exists in southern towns like Greenwich, Darien and New Canaan, whereas the highest concentration of poverty and near-poverty exists in northern cities and towns like Bridgeport, Stratford and Shelton.
Stamford, you're an anomaly, and I like that about you. I want you to improve some of your problems while retaining your "I'm different" attitude. Let's work together to be a place in SoFa (oooooooooooh I just made that up!!!!!!!!!) that retains a diverse population. As many readers commented in last week's post "What's the Biggest Issue Facing Stamford?", ordinary people have trouble affording homes in Stamford. Even families making well over $100,000 a year find it hard to buy a home comfortably and are forced to move to Norwalk. Hence another post I have planned, "Can Stamford Talk afford to stay in Stamford?"

I find the rich-poor divisions Strmiska portrays depressing, but I know they're true. It's the nature of the FC: The service economy, which employs the majority of working poor in Fairfield County, insures the perpetuation of the suburban gated-community and the urban ghetto. They have to commute to Greenwich or New Canaan to their jobs as nannies, housekeepers, landscapers or contractors, and come home to underfunded Bridgeport or Stratford, towns that often mean one thing— a bedroom— to the day-laborers who are the backbone of the service sector in Fairfield County.

Yup. We can bitch about day laborers and traffic on 95, but those are natural results of the way this area works. C.R.E.A.M.! ("Cash Rules Everything Around Me," Wu-Tang Clan song) I hate to say it, but sometimes it feels like cash rules a whole heck of a lot down here. I think one of the area's biggest challenges is how to live here and not get
a) too focused on material goods
or
b) too down that you can't afford the beautiful things other people have.

I never thought I was a material person, but now that my Civic and I are getting older, I find myself craving a BMW 6 series. I can't afford that car, but I want that car, because I see some beautiful ones in my gym's parking lot at 6am. That car has started to look normal- and, in my fantasies, attainable- to me. That car is not normal, and this area is not normal. We have some very, very, very rich people around here, and we have a lot of poor people. I'm in the middle and I feel pretty damn lucky about that.

If it's hard for adults to keep perspective, it must horrible for kids. If I were a poor kid in Stamford, I'm not sure how I'd deal with seeing other kids driving nice cars, using their iPhones and talking about fancy vacations. If you have money, this area is awesome; there are so many ways to spend it. If you don't... well, you're stuck on 95, living in an ugly apartment, and unable to enjoy a lot of the activities around here. Thank goodness Stamford has some beautiful parks, the free summer concerts, and... uh, that's pretty much all the free stuff around here, right?

Can you imagine living in this area with no money?


Related Stamford Talk posts:

March 3, 2008-- Illegal Immigrants: Not Job-Stealers, but Subject to Raids and Arrests in Danbury

February 24, 2008-- Stamford Day Laborers= Criminals?

February 22, 2008-- Day Laborer = Illegal Immigrant? Click here to read more.

Stamford: Immune to Roosters

Sadly, the joyful crowing of a rooster doesn’t translate well to the suburbs.

Today on local radio I heard that some Westport residents are at their wits’ ends because their neighbor refuses to curb his rooster. The report said that Stamford and New Canaan already have restrictions on barnyard animals. That struck me as funny but also sad. What kind of world is it where roosters can't do what they're born to do?

The news report gave no specifics about what those barnyard animal restrictions are. I’m pretty curious, but googling “barnyard animal ordinances stamford ct” produced no info. I’m content to use my imagination.

Coincidentally, I was talking about roosters at 4:45 am last Sunday morning. We were packing for our flight home from Mississippi. My husband, who has never lived outside of a major metro area in his entire life, went out to the car. He came back in, quietly arranged some clothing in a suitcase, and said, matter-of-factly, "I'll have you know, I just heard a rooster crowing... and there was more than one!" His amazement amazed me. Dude, it’s a rooster!

A rooster on vacation is annoying but tolerable. A rooster on the weekend at 7am is more annoying, but it’s a good reminder to get up and get busy. A rooster on a dark winter morning at 6am, however, is a recipe for a mysterious rooster “accident.” A rooster cock-a-doodling while you have friends over for a summer BBQ? That’s embarrassing! You don’t buy in Westport so you can feel like you’re in Kentucky coal country!

I couldn’t find info on the radio station website, but I found an article on Westport Now. Here are some lines, along with my own rooster-savvy commentary:

Residents, who were reluctant to speak on the record about their rooster-owning neighbor, said the rooster has been a problem off and on for at least four years. Did you catch that ridiculous alliteration? This is a sassy writer.

They said they confronted the rooster owner who has repeatedly rebuffed them, and got no relief after complaining to the Planning and Zoning Department... Can you even imagine what those confrontations are like? How do you rebuff people who are complaining about your rooster? What's your comeback?

...The rooster owner moved out several years ago prior to demolishing his house in October 2004 and had a new house built in its place, according to one neighbor. When the man moved back in last fall, he brought the rooster and some chicks that have since grown into hens. Hahaha, not only did the man return with his rambunctious rooster, he brought its children!!!

That would be brilliant if this were a TV show, but this is real life, so this man sounds rude, misanthropic, and out of touch with reality.

Roosters are flamboyantly bonkers, but that's their job. This weekend I saw a single, very large rooster standing regally on a porch. He might have been the type to screech at the sight of a human at 5 am... a human almost out of sight, but not out of rooster-range. You've got to love the Neighborhood Watch. Ain't nobody getting into the neighborhood without that rooster noticing.

People are the problem, not roosters. Click here to read more.

Headless Chickens in the Greenwich Time

Well. I thought the Stamford Advocate had the market cornered on the strange headlines, but today's Greenwich Time caught my eye with "Headless chickens found behind bank."

The words "headless chickens" certainly must be a rare phrase to find in a newspaper, much less a Greenwich paper. I feel bad for the chickens (although I shouldn't, because I eat them three times a week) but it pleases me a bit to see the area and the newspapers spiced up with some out of the ordinary events. I'm tired of school boards and car accidents.

I chastised the Advocate in January for their horrible headline about a murder, but I can't fault the Time on their choice of headlines. There really was no other way they could have said it. I appreciate that they didn't try to be cute about it; they just gave the news. There were some headless chickens found behind a bank today, and we're not going to try to make it funny, and we're not going to make it into a big drama. Just the news, people.

Update: March 22- Chicken Investigation Continuing


Related posts:

--Bad Advocate headline in "Stamford's First Murder of 2008" Click here to read more.

Connnecticut Film Festival in Norwalk

The CT Film Festival continues into May; this weekend, movies are in Norwalk.

See the CFF homepage for movies and times. I learned about the Stamford dates too late, although I did read about it in the Fairfield Weekly. A reader emailed to tip me off to this weekend's movies, so thank you!

I love film festivals. The most amazing one I ever went to was the Documentary Film Festival in Greenwich in the Fall of 2004. I haven't been able to find it since, though. Click here to read more.

Bookstore Guide for Stamford Readers

Residents of the FC are notoriously over-educated, and that’s why we like bookstores. Borders and Barnes and Noble are trusty behemoths, but don’t forget the Friends of the Ferguson Library Used Bookstore. I went there today and got 5 books for 6 bucks. The bookstore is attached to a Starbucks with free wi-fi, which might be why the Ferguson is the second-busiest library in the state of Connecticut.

For independent bookstores, the best in the area is Barrett Bookstore in Darien, conveniently located off exit 10. Diane’s Books and Just Books in Greenwich come in 2nd and 3rd because they’re small and don’t have all the great cards that Barrett does. Barrett has cushy leather couches to read on, or you can plunk on the floor in the biography section for an hour and no one will bother you. I appreciate that.

I found this disturbing scene at Borders a couple of weeks ago: a TV on in the magazine section! It was horrible! How is one supposed to thumb trough trashy magazines with Oprah babbling in one’s ear? To me, that TV is a direct assault on magazine shoppers. Borders, I’m going to get you.

A funny post by my blogger friend Sarah got me thinking about bookstores. Read her mini-drama “’I’m Looking for a Book’: Scenes from Retail Hell.” She really is a very clever writer with a knack for capturing human quirks. She has probably had way too much education for her own good, but isn’t that why we’re all here in the FC? Click here to read more.

Cozy Places to Eat Healthy in Stamford Area

In the winter, it's very important to get out of the house. When you do drag yourself out, it's important to find a cozy place to relax.

I was reminded of this yesterday as I was sitting in Meli-Melo in Greenwich eating carrot-ginger soup. It was gray out, and I was alone, but I was happy. MM's interior is a Provencale yellow, it was warm in by the kitchen, and the soup was-- well, let's just say, it's almost too painful to eat the soup, because eating it means I have to stop eating it, and it hurts to finish a bowl of soup that good and want more.

Capriccio in Stamford, pictured above, also matches the cozy bill: colorful, comfortable, delicious, light, affordable food-- and foreign language in the air.

In Capriccio on Saturday I heard the owner chatting in Italian to an impossibly beautiful couple with three kids. In Meli-Melo in Greenwich, I eavesdropped on a French woman musing for 5 minutes over which soups to get. After discussions with the owner, she eventually got 4 bowls of chicken noodle and 4 of zucchini/squash curry to go. She is returning this afternoon for 8 bowls of the asparagus soup, which they were making in a big pot on the stove right in the middle of the store. You so know I'll be stopping by to get that soup today so I can see what the big deal is.

I should have gotten a second bowl for lunch, but eating alone is a little awkward, and I didn’t want to look like a pig. Later on in the day, I realized I was being silly. If I want soup, I’m getting soup, so I returned and picked up two soups for dinner. The Mexican beef soup wasn’t bad, but the zucchini and squash curry was… like the carrot-ginger soup, way too good. It was real curry.

I'm adding "try all of Meli-Melo's twenty soups" to my list, a list which also includes "eat at every single Stamford restaurant."

Oh- one advantage Capriccio has over Meli-Melo? Capriccio has a FULL BAR. I just noticed that last weekend. I thought they only had beer and wine. I do wish Capriccio had better soups, at least in the winter. The two soups I’ve tried there have been mediocre, so really, go to MM for soup. Meli-Melo is on Greenwich Avenue and is open every day from 10-10. MM also has buckwheat crepes, in both salad/sandwich and dessert format. I recommend a dessert crepe with pumpkin ice cream, nutella, and whipped cream. However, Capriccio's lemon Torta della Nonna still wins out. Click here to read more.