‘Twas the day before Thanksgiving — and the start of what everyone calls “the holiday season” — but downtown Westport looked decidedly unfestive.
This morning, work crews chopped down every tree on the west side of Main Street — right to ground level.
Word on the street (ho ho) is that light poles will replace the trees, which were planted only a few years ago. We’ll have to see if this is a step forward — aesthetically and Westportically speaking — or not.
Paul Bunyan arrived while several stores remain shuttered — more than 3 weeks after Sandy surged up Main Street, onto floors loaded with merchandise and into basements housing electrical equipment.
The locked doors and we-don’t-want-you-to-see-in windows added to the dismal atmosphere, on what is usually one of the most bustling days downtown.
At the same time — slowing what little traffic there was, while adding a decidedly un-holiday glow — work continued on the new “bump-out” opposite Westport Pizzeria.
Meanwhile, directly across Main Street, the little patch of life on the corner of Elm Street shows the after-effects of a recent accident. An enormous truck failed to make the tricky turn.
But hey. We’ve still got that magnificent tree next to Vineyard Vines.
For now, anyway.