The most exclusive neighborhood in Stamford

While checking out satellite images of Stamford in Yahoo! Maps the other day, I found this:

I traced the roads leading to this mysterious island and took a drive through the neighborhood. Making my way past the bodegas and crowded multi-fams in the Cove, I found a sign warning me that Wallack’s Point was a Private Neighborhood and that if I were to proceed, I would be shot. OK, I made that last part up. Maybe. Wallack’s Point was in the news recently because it’s where William F. Buckley lived and died. I’m not sure which house was his and I’m not creepy enough to try to find out. I should mention that I didn’t take any pictures because I wasn’t sure how crazy-secretive the people of the Point were. Plus I’m always afraid Martin Kove will jump out and attack me. Back to the ‘hood in question…all I have to say is: WOW. It makes North Stamford and Shippan look like (perish the thought!) middle-class neighborhoods. Most of the homes have beachfront property and lots of sunny exposure. I saw one house on Willowbrook Avenue listed for $1.75 million. The crown jewel of Wallack’s Point, however, is a little place called Caritas Island, which is what I saw on the satellite map. Here’s a nicer picture:

It was actually on Forbes’ list of the most expensive private islands in 2006 – $25 million+. The entrance to the bridge to Caritas Island is gated, complete with an intercom to announce your presence and be judged worthy or unworthy of passage.

If you want to take a drive through the Point and feel insignificant, drive down Cove Road, turn south on Soundview Avenue and take that past Cummings Park. From there, check out Willowbrook Avenue, Wallacks Lane and Wallacks Drive. Just don’t tell them I sent you.

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R.I.P. Stamford Whole Foods/The South (End) shall rise again!

In the latest news from the “Why doesn’t anything ever get built in Stamford?” File, NRDC has withdrawn its application to expand Lord & Taylor and build a Whole Foods. The Advocate article (no longer available) doesn’t give their reasons for doing so (they declined to comment), but it might have been due to the “uproar” over the increase in traffic that a Whole Foods would cause.

Listen people, we live in a dense city where no one carpools and no one takes public transportation. Traffic is not going to get better unless A) people start to carpooltake public transportation or (gasp!) walk, B) they impose rules limiting who can drive on which day (i.e.: odd/even license plates), or C) the zombie holocaust finally happens and everyone dies. Until then, it’s going to take time to travel between certain points in the city. Deal with it!! The traffic whiners won’t be happy until they make Hope, Bedford, Summer, High Ridge, Long Ridge, Tresser, Broad, Washington, and Main into 8-lane highways.

In other news…the Antares South End revitalization project, Harbor Point, seems to finally be getting underway. I spotted this activity down on Canal Street:

I think it’s the warehouse where Stamford Paintball used to be, or maybe the rock-climbing place. This massive project is a great example of how cities can reuse and revitalize post-industrial areas that were providing no tax revenue and, in many cases, polluting the environment.

(Click the image below to read comments from my original post. You can post new comments at the very bottom of this post.)