Monthly Archives: November 2018

Pic Of The Day #592

Posted on November 30, 2018 | 8 comments

Old Mill Beach, in the off-season (Photo/Patricia McMahon)

8 Comments

Posted in Beach, Pic of the Day

Tagged Old Mill Beach

Our Long Parker Harding Nightmare Has Ended

Posted on November 30, 2018 | 11 comments

(Photo/Chip Stephens)

11 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Environment

Tagged Parker Harding Plaza

And For Just A Few Bitcoins More, We’ll Throw In the Chandelier

Posted on November 30, 2018 | Comments Off

Last May, I published a real estate listing.

It wasn’t my new side gig. What made the 5 Ridgewood Road property “06880”-worthy was the price.

You could snag the 5-bedroom, 4 1/2-bath, 4200-square foot home off North Kings Highway for just 250BTC. Or 3,030ETH.

Those aren’t typos. That was the cryptocurrency price.

“Be the first to make a Blockchain Home purchase,” the New York Times said.

5 Ridgewood Lane is off North Kings Highway, between Wilton Road and Old Hill.

This week, the house finally sold.

The buyer paid $1,510,000. The listing price — once it was changed to dollars — was $1,588,000.

Alert “06880” reader David Loffredo notes that when the home was first marketed at 250 bitcoin, BTC was $8,333. That equated to a little over $2 million.

Today, David says, BTC is $3,752. So the owner would have less than $1 million of it in the bank, had he or she accepted the cryptocurrency and held onto it.

Which, he adds, “so many of them do. They remember when it was closer to $20K.”

The moral of the story?

All that glitters is not gold.

Comments Off on And For Just A Few Bitcoins More, We’ll Throw In the Chandelier

Posted in Economy, Real estate

Tagged 5 Ridgewood Lane Westport CT, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency

Friday Flashback #118

Posted on November 30, 2018 | 26 comments

If you grew up in 1950s, ’60s or early ’70s Westport, this photo means everything to you:

If you didn’t, it means nothing.

Vista is a town — or hamlet, I guess — in New York, just past New Canaan.

Vista Market was about 3 yards over the border.

It sold alcohol. So did plenty of places in Fairfield County, of course.*

But back in the day, the drinking age in Connecticut was 21. New York was 18.

You get the picture.

Generations of Westport teenagers spent untold hours racing to Vista, then roaring back.

The winding roads, the dark nights, the beer… it’s a wonder anyone lived to tell the tale.

From 1972 to ’82, Connecticut lowered its age to 18. The idea was to keep kids from making the risky trip to Vista (and Port Chester, an equally dangerous lure).

Another reason: to keep all those tax dollars here.

In 1984, Congress passed an act that effectively raised the national drinking age to 21. (It didn’t say so explicitly. But it punished any state that permitted alcohol purchases and possessions under that age, by reducing federal highway funds by 10%.)

When that happened, Westport teenagers found new, even closer places to buy beer and liquor.**

A generation of kids never knew about Vista Market. It’s been years since I’ve heard anyone mention a “Vista run.”

But somehow, the store survived.

Vista Market is still there.

* Except Wilton.

** Including several places right here in town.

26 Comments

Posted in Friday Flashback, Teenagers

Tagged Vista Market

Honoring Noel duPont At Sconset Square Stroll

Posted on November 30, 2018 | 9 comments

In 1955, Francois duPont opened a jewelry store. Twenty years later, he took it to Main Street.

In 1980, Francois’ son Noel took over the business. It was one of Westport’s go-to places for beautiful items, handsome watches, and of course that quick replacement watch strap or battery.

Noel duPont

A few years ago, Noel moved around the corner to Sconset Square. “He lit up the square with his smile, and his weekly visits to each shop to check in,” says neighbor Tracey Heinemann. He was a constant and beloved presence — always accompanied by his Yorkie-poo Ollie.

Two weeks ago, Noel duPont died suddenly at home. He was 59 years old.

The Staples High School graduate had attended Berklee College of Music. A gifted drummer, he was passionate about the music of his idol, Frank Zappa. He also loved skiing, swimming and hiking in Maine.

He leaves behind his wife of 20 years, Julia, and sons Maxwell and Lucas.

A celebration of Noel’s life is set for Saturday, January 5 (Tavern on Main, 1 to 4 p.m.).

As is sometimes the case, a business cannot survive the death of its owner. Julia is liquidating Francois duPont Jewelers. This weekend and next, all jewelry is 50% off.

It’s a bittersweet time for Noel’s fellow merchants in Sconset Square. They’re busy preparing for next Thursday’s Holiday Stroll. From 5 to 8 p.m. on December 6, the popular shopping center on Myrtle Avenue — nestled between the Post Road, Christ & Holy Trinity and Church Lane — will be filled with holiday singers. The Little Red Waffle Truck will sell food. There are prizes too.

Each store has something special. Swoon offers festive English treats, and shows off seasonal floral deocrations. Bungalow serves aperitifs, along with tarot card readings. Bespoke Designs features champagne and savory snacks. Kerry Rosenthal has festive nibbles and toddies. Roots Salon gives discounts on artwork, and a chance to win a free service.

At Le Penguin there’s happy hour prices, complimentary bar bites, and singer Antoine Blech.

Francois duPont Jewelers, in Sconset Square.

Of course, Francois duPont Jewelers will be open too — for one of its last days.

Amid all the merriment, his many friends will be thinking of the popular, ever-smiling, aptly named Noel duPont.

9 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Local business, People, Restaurants

Tagged Francois duPont Jewelers, Noel duPont, Sconset Square

Beach Bathroom Debate Takes A Detour

Posted on November 30, 2018 | 32 comments

When opponents of the new Compo Beach bathroom failed to gather enough signatures to force a town referendum, construction near the pickleball courts seemed assured.

But last night’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting took an unexpected twist.

Commissioner Chip Stephens began by noting that earlier in the day he was at South Beach. Construction has started on a walkway near the boat storage area — in the shortcut by the road that loops near the kayak launch.

Last spring the P&Z approved the walkway, on the south side of the shortcut. But the contractors are working on the north side. They were given plans showing the walkway should go on the north.

Walkway construction at South Beach. (Photo/Matt Murray)

Stephens called it a “trivial” mistake. Things like that happen, he said. And often, the P&Z says (in effect) no big deal. Let’s move on.

Stephens’ point was that the petitioners’ push to move the bathroom away from the pickleball courts is also “trivial.” He asked for a sense of the meeting saying (in effect) that if the Parks & Recreation Department decides now to move the bathroom, the P&Z will be flexible. There would be no need for months of deliberation, Stephens said.

His recommendation was not an official agenda item. No action was taken.

But one thing is certain: This post will get another 50 comments, as if it’s the most important issue facing the town.

32 Comments

Posted in Beach, Local politics, People

Tagged Compo Beach bathroom, Compo Beach South Beach, Planning & Zoning Commission

Pics Of The Day #591

Posted on November 29, 2018 | 2 comments

Tonight’s Christmas Tree lighting at Town Hall included …

Staples’ Orphenians (with Rudolph, of course) …

… little kids and grown-ups …

… a somewhat slender Santa …

… and the feature attraction. (Photos/Dan Woog)

2 Comments

Posted in Children, Downtown, Pic of the Day, Staples HS, Teenagers

Tagged Westport Town Hall Christmas tree

Electric Car Dealer May Still Move Into Dragone

Posted on November 29, 2018 | 10 comments

Yesterday, “06880” reported that Carvana — the online used car dealer — is moving into the space vacated last spring by Dragone Classic Motorworks.

Though the Planning & Zoning Commission recently passed a text amendment allowing an electric car dealership on the property — provided it remediated all the oil, chemicals and other contaminants there — Carvana would not have to do that. As a non-electric car dealer, the text amendment does not apply.

However, Carvana is only a temporary tenant.

According to a letter sent by David Ross of 176 PRW LLC — the owner of the 176 Post Road West property, diagonally across from Kings Highway Elementary School — to Mary Young, P&Z director, he and his company are “strong advocates” for electric vehicles.

In fact, he says, he’s been involved in their development since 2005. In 2013 he bought an EV, joined the Westport Electric Car Club, and began working to bring an EV facility to Westport. That’s when he first eyed the Dragone site.

“We acquired the property and the lease at 176 with the sole purpose of bringing an EVAD (electric vehicle auto dealership) to Westport,” he writes.

“We believe it would be great for Westport and help the other properties on Post Road West flourish.”

However, he adds, “there are a lot of moving parts in this process, and we are just clearing one hurdle at a time. The EVAD would not commit until we had a site. Thus we took a big risk and purchased the site. We now need zoning approval so our chances to get the EV company can increase significantly.”

Some factors, Ross says, “are beyond our control. The EV company has corporate and legislative hurdles they are working hard to clear. But without the approvals our chances drop to zero.”

The former Dragone property, and its neighbor, on Post Road West.

Ross says that Carvana would be a short-term tenant. 176 PRW is making a business decision “to cover costs, while the EV company works out their challenges.”

Ross has hired a development team to work on the long-term plan, with a “major EV company.”

So there may well be an electric car dealer on Post Road West.

And — according to the P&Z text amendment approved earlier this month — they would clean up the site, contaminated by years of use by regular ol’ gas-powered car dealers.

10 Comments

Posted in Environment, Local business, Local politics, Transportation

Tagged 176 Post Road East, 176 PRW, Carvana, David Ross, Dragone Classic Motorworks

Playhouse “Pianist” Teaches Children About Holocaust Horrors

Posted on November 29, 2018 | 4 comments

You can’t say the Westport Country Playhouse isn’t timely.

The most recent production — “Thousand Pines” — was a provocative look at gun violence, through its effect on 3 families.

Now comes “The Pianist of Willesden Lane.” It’s an encore performance, thanks to raves before.

The pianist — Grammy-nominated Mona Golabek — tells the gripping, true tale of her mother. A piano prodigy herself, whose dreams were threatened in 1938 by looming war, she flees Vienna for England on the Kindertransport.

Golabek describes it all, while interweaving music of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, even a bit of Gershwin.

The elegant, beautiful show is also crucially important. It comes at a time of rising anti-Semitism worldwide, and just weeks after the murder of 11 congregants at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.

“The Pianist of Willesden Lane” should be seen by audiences of all ages. But on Sunday, December 16, the Playhouse will be filled with young people.

The 3 p.m. production will be followed by age-appropriate group discussions led by local Holocaust survivors. The goal is to educate children about that horrible time in a sensitive way, stressing the importance of standing up to bigotry and hatred, with the power of hope.

Monique Lions Greenspan’s mother survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. She knows first hand the incredible strength, optimism and gratefulness that Holocaust survivors possess.

“Their stories provide invaluable lessons,” she says. “I feel a deep sense of obligation to make our community aware of this opportunity for our children — and adults too — to bear witness to and learn from their experiences.”

(The recommended age for this show is 10 and older. Click here for tickets and more information on the December 16 performance. Click here for tickets and more information on the December 5-22 run. The program is sponsored by Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County, Jewish Federation Association for Connecticut, Holocaust Child Survivors of CT and the Anti-Defamation League Connecticut.)

4 Comments

Posted in Arts, Children, History, People, Westport Country Playhouse

Tagged "The Pianist of Willesden Lane", Mona Golabek