Friday, March 27, 2009

Baby blogger born!

I must add my voice to BlogStamford's celebration of our friend at StamfordTalk becoming a baby bloggy mama! Her son will have to fill us in on all the gossip at the daycare centers and pre-schools in town (I hear he's already on Twitter!).

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Key Food on Prospect Street?

I saw this sign in the window of the former Family Dollar on Prospect Street:


Perhaps we'll finally have a green grocer downtown again.

PS: Here's a followup photo from my trip to L.A., taken in the middle of the day on I-405.


Traffic might be bad here during rush hour, but out there it's bad at ANY hour. Sheesh!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Good riddance, cherry trees!

The city finally chopped down those stupid cherry trees in Mill River Park. Personally, I couldn't wait for them to come down. I've hated those trees ever since a clown jumped out of one and kidnapped my dog. OK, I'm making all of this up, but I'm hopeful that the constant whiners on the Advocate's Topix page will finally shut up about it. Here's the link to the article.

You have your regulars like "Wally," who thinks everything is a dirty political game to destroy Stamford's small-town character. It sounds like he fell asleep in 1943 and just woke up, but hasn't looked outside his window (yet somehow has internet access). Stamford hasn't been a small town in years.

Most of the other morons are just screaming about how awful it is that the city cut down the trees and how much they'll miss them. If they love these trees so much, why weren't they clamoring for the city to maintain this park earlier? It's been in a state of utter disrepair for at least a decade, but only now at the eleventh hour do they make their displeasure heard. This plan has been in the works for several years now, and while the trees pretty much had to go, it wasn't a secret operation by any means.

There are a few positive posts such as "Did it occur to anyone that maybe the new park will be way more awesome than the row of trees?" and "This is what really gets me. Stamford, with all its flaws and greedy unbridled growth, FINALLY proposes something that is NICE to the residential community, instead of slyly pandering to the business community, and all these people come out of the woodwork with negativity to try to shoot this down."

Well, so long, stupid cherry trees. Your long reign of terror is finally over. Long live DANNEL MALLOY MEMORIAL PARK!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Monday, March 16, 2009

I'm back in the City that Works!

The L.A. weather sure is nice...but it's such a pain to have to drive everywhere. As I mention under BlogStamford's post about our outdoor spaces, it's nice to be able to walk to so many great places in our fair city.

Just for the fun of it, here's a quick comparison of Stamford and El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula.

Food
You can get tacos all over L.A. Seriously, there's a taco place every twenty feet. I've heard tell of delicious sushi, Thai food, and even an Armenian section (what exactly is Armenian food?). I also drove past a Wolfgang Puck restaurant on Rodeo Drive.

Stamford has Napa, Capriccio and Kit's.

Advantage: Push.

Professional sports teams
L.A. proper has the Lakers, Kings and Dodgers. If you count Anaheim, add the Ducks and Angels.

Working in Stamford's favor, L.A. also has the Clippers.

Advantage: L.A. (if only for Jack Nicholson at Laker games).

Crime
L.A. isn't as bad as you hear, but it's no FC.

Stamford: WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!

Advantage: Stamford.

Weather
Average annual sunshine, Los Angeles: lots.

Average annual snowfall, Stamford: a buttload (not an official figure).

Advantage: Duh, L.A.

Phoniness
L.A.: The people can be fake, and the city itself puts on an air of importance that's kind of odd, considering its seedier elements.

Stamford: We keep it real. We let Greenwich and Darien do the fakery.

Advantage: Stamford.

Overall
L.A. is a big, cold, overwhelming, isolating place with few ties to its history and few places of true character. The stereotype that you have to drive everywhere is TRUE. It's basically a sunny freeway. But man, is it sunny.

Stamford is, by comparison, a small, tight community with a rich history and an ever-changing and interesting character. It's been reborn several times over, and while it doesn't have the faux glamor of L.A., in Stamford's present incarnation, it's a livable, enjoyable place to be.

Advantage: Tough call, but Stamford, mainly because I like it here!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Kickin' it on the West Coast

I'll pretty much be incommunicado for a week while I'm on vacation in L.A., but all my other bloggy friends will keep you up to date on all the latest news on Mayor Malloy's son, more illegal apes, and Mill River Park improvements.

The other item of note is that the Stamford High boys basketball team hosts Newtown in the state basketball tournament Monday night at 7:00. I won't be there, but go out and support the Black Knights!

In case you're wondering, it's only in the 60s out here, but the beach sure is beautiful.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Stamford b-ball - county finals!!

The Stamford High School boys basketball team is in the Fairfield County final! They take on Trinity Catholic on Thursday night at Fairfield Warde High School. If anybody wants to go, I'd be down for a road trip to cheer on the Black Knights!

If we're lucky, we'll get to see their star player put on a show. Here's a video of one of his best games:

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Jer-ry! Jer-ry! Jer-ry!

The good news: there's potentially going to be more TV work in Stamford! The bad news: you'll have to work for Jerry Springer and Maury Povich. Thanks to the TV & film tax credit and our proximity to NYC, NBC Universal Studios may relocate The Jerry Springer Show to the Rich Forum. Here's the Advocate article.

The new hotness.