The latest on Highgrove

The comment I receive most often is "Be funnier!"

The commend I receive second-most often is "What's the latest on Highgrove?" In case you just moved here or haven't noticed the hulking empty building, Highgrove is the overpriced luxury McHighrise at the corner of Forest and Grove Streets downtown.

The Advocate has an article about the current status of the oft-delayed opening of the building (already four years behind schedule). Basically, the developer is having all sorts of financial and legal problems, so he gives a bunch of vague answers as to when it'll actually open.

Here's my best-case scenario: everybody who bought into this building back in the boom years of the early 2000s gets their money back; the building goes into receivership; and the units go on sale for far below their original asking prices, bringing them into reach for the non-millionaires among us! Yay! That'll all happen right after I get a unicorn and a flying car.

Merry Christmas, Stamford

Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Mabon, another holiday or none of the above, enjoy the blessings of the season with your friends and loved ones.


As for me, I'm off from work all of next week, so between sitting around in my PJ's and fixing stuff around the house, I might not be on the ol' blog too much until next year. Oh wait, that's next week! I'd better get cracking on all that sitting around!

Concert and a cause

Tomorrow night at 8 p.m., the 17th annual Rob Mathes Christmas Concert will be held at the Palace Theatre — this is the first time the concert has been performed in Stamford (it has been at the Performing Arts Center in Purchase for the past 16 years). In addition to the concert, a very special photo exhibit will be on display in the lobby of the Palace during the concert and will be the beneficiary of the Rob Mathes Christmas Concert.

Through the Eyes of Children: The Rwanda Project was founded by a Greenwich resident, David Jiranek (1958-2003), ten years ago. David was the original person to go to Rwanda and teach orphaned children there photography to help them deal with the grief of the genocide. David’s approach was different though – he didn’t want to see the sadness of the country, but rather the hope for the future — through the children’s eyes. Many of the children were orphaned by the 1994 genocide in their country. Provided with cameras and a chance to express themselves through photography, the children’s work is visually stunning and informative, providing the viewer with a window into their lives. Initially, the pictures were developed locally, displayed on the orphanage walls and put into photo albums by the children. During the past 10 years, the photographic work created by these 19 children has been exhibited around the world and has received a number of awards.

Through the Eyes of Children: The Rwanda Project has been a very successful program, with a traveling exhibit of the children’s photographs being shown at the United Nations (for the 10th anniversary remembrance of the Rwandan genocide), at the Hart Senate Building in Washington, DC, at NYU, at the Holocaust Museums in Houston & Naples, Fla., in Alaska, Canada, Belgium, England, France, and many, many more places, including the New York and LA premiere of the movie Hotel Rwanda.

This will be the third time the Rwanda Project has been showcased at Rob’s Christmas Concert. However, instead of just showcasing the children’s photographs (which will be exhibited at The Palace), the concert is a benefit to raise funds to help send the 19 “photo kids” from the Imbabazi Orphanage in Rwanda to University.

The concert begins at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7:30 pm.

You can't spell Stamford without "smart"!

You also need "fod," whatever that is. Anyway, it turns out we're the #6 smartest city in the country! Well, not just us, since most of these lists lump us into the "Stamford-Norwalk-Bridgeport" region. Here's the article from Portfolio and the slideshow of the top 25 most educated cities.

Now if only some people could figure out how to make a left turn without jamming up the entire intersection...

Atlantic Street post office for sale - what the?

I was driving back to work from Layla's Falafel yesterday when I noticed something new at the Atlantic Street post office.


Do you see it? Hold on, I'll pull a CSI and "enhance."


Yup, our historic 1916 post office is for sale. The listing on the Cushman & Wakefield website (scroll to #10) doesn't list a price, but it describes the post office thusly:

"The potential for this unique site is significant. There are virtually no available sites that offer such a prime location in such a recognizable, iconic building in Stamford’s Central Business District. This exceptional property’s possibilities will be limited only by the purchaser’s vision."

(It's worth noting that the equally beautiful 1917 Greenwich Avenue post office is for sale as well. I'm sure it'll make a very nice insanely expensive boutique store.)

There was a story a few months ago about how the USPS wanted to combine and consolidate the Atlantic Street and Ridgeway locations, but I thought the Atlantic Street building was going to become part of Tresser Square (PDF), a mixed-use development that's currently on hold due to the economy. I guess Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe didn't feel like waiting around, especially considering how many local projects have evaporated in recent years (City Place, The Luxe, Greyrock Place, etc.).

I was going to make a "going postal" joke, but I didn't want to just mail it in.

Cheese and pickles at Fairway!

I think I might be pregnant because I'm always craving delicious food like cheese and pickles. Thankfully, Fairway is there for me.

This Wednesday from 10-11 a.m., Fairway's famous cheesemongers, Steve Jenkins and Avanelle Rivera, will be at the Stamford store for a presentation and tasting of cheeses! You'll get to "find out how it's all possible to bring you the most superb selection of over 600 artisinal cheeses of the world." Some people might say that 10 a.m. is too early for cheese; I say it's never too early (or too late) for cheese.

And then, once you've recovered from your cheese-induced nap, head back to Fairway on Friday from 12-3 for an in-store tasting celebrating the Stamford debut of Horman's New York Deli Pickles! The new brand from the famous Horman family features four mouth-watering varieties of jarred pickles: Kosher Dill, Mustard Kosher Dill, Spicy Kosher Dill, and Horseradish Kosher Dill. You'll get to sip on brine shooters, learn how to create a decadent relish tray and even contribute your own pickle recipes to the first-ever online collaborative pickle cookbook!

Oddly enough, they keep rejecting my idea for pickle-flavored coffee.

Cash drop!

Brian Cashman, the general manager of the 27-time World Series champion New York Yankees, is ready to jump off of a building. No, it's not because of the tough negotiations with Yankee captain and future Hall-of-Famer Derek Jeter, it's because he'll be rappelling down Landmark Square with Santa Claus!

I didn't believe it at first, but it's true: Cashman, a Darien resident who works for the most celebrated franchise in the history of sports, will join Santa's elves and take the plunge off of Stamford's second-tallest building this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Heck, it even made the New York Times.

Come to think of it, does Cashman really want to put himself in such a vulnerable position right now? But Jeter, an eleven-time All-Star, probably wouldn't do anything crazy like shaking Cashman's rope and yelling "What's that Brian? Twenty-three million a year??"

Or would he...???