Category Archives: Photo Challenge

Photo Challenge #572

Posted on December 14, 2025 | 13 comments

The Lillian Wadsworth Arboretum is one of Westport’s hidden jewels.

The 12-acre site on Woodside Lane, adjacent to Earthplace, is a tranquil spot with woods, trails, and a couple of picnic tables.

There’s a small wooden shed there too, with black shutters. Like the park, it too may be overlooked.

But Lou Mall, Andrew Colabella, Amy Schneider and Tony McDowell all knew it was the subject of last week’s Photo Challenge. (Click here to see Susan Garment’s image.)

The first 3 of those readers must be Wadsworth Arboretum fans. McDowell of course is the recently retired executive director of Earthplace. So he’s definitely walked that property.

Congrats to that quartet. As for everyone else: Check out the Lillian Wadsworth Arboretum. It’s worth a visit, any time of year.

We’re outdoors again, for the next Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see this intriguing sign, click “Comments” below.

And if you know the “beagle” in the back story, please include that too. You don’t see signs like this every day.

(Photo/Mandy Lewitton)

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Posted in Environment, Photo Challenge

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Photo Challenge #570

Posted on November 30, 2025 | 26 comments

There’s a lot to love about Trader Joe’s.

And a lot to hate about its parking lot.

The clusterf***edness of the layout — the convergence of the entrance and exit (merging with traffic from Compo Acres shopping center); the narrow lanes; the shoppers walking through — is legendary.

The back of the lot is much calmer (though the exit that way, onto Compo Road South, is no prize).

Savvy customers know to park there — away from the chaos — and walk a few extra yards. You can leave via the Wells Fargo exit, then make a U-turn through the Exxon gas station if you need to.

Meanwhile, back there, Compo Acres management have put up a couple of quasi-helpful “Additional Parking” signs. They point to “Route 1 East” and “Route 1 West” — names by which no one ever calls the Post Road. (Click here to see.) 

Alfred Herman, Sal Liccione, Clark Thiemann, Seth Schachter, Dave Eason, Peggy O’Halloran, Andrew Colabella, Jonathan McClure and Martha Witte all know where those signs are. Congratulations — and stay safe!

Interestingly, our Trader Joe’s is not the only one with a teeth-gnashing parking lot. It seems to be a chain-wide thing.

In fact, the company’s lots are so notoriously bad, Food & Wine wrote an entire story about it. Click here to read.

We head back indoors for this week’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Susan Garment)

(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

26 Comments

Posted in Local business, Photo Challenge

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Photo Challenge #569

Posted on November 23, 2025 | 15 comments

When Ralph Sheffer served as Representative Town Meeting moderator — from 1959 to ’69 — the handsome building on the Myrtle Avenue hill was Bedford Elementary School.

For the past 40 years, it’s been Town Hall. Once a month, the RTM meets in its auditorium.

Sheffer — the RTM’s 5th moderator, and at the time its longest-serving leader — now has a place of honor there.

He’s remembered with an old-fashioned iron sign, on the right side of the lobby.

That was last week’s Photo Challenge. Andrew Colabella, Sal Liccione (both RTM veterans), Tom Feeley, Patty Strauss (longtime town clerk) and Lynn Untermeyer Miller knew exactly where it is. (Click here to see.)

Ann Sheffer emailed privately. She knew too. But as the daughter of the honoree, she thought it would not be fair to chime in.

This week’s Photo Challenge is open to everyone. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.”

(Photo copyright DinkinESH Fotografix)

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Posted in Local politics, Photo Challenge

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Photo Challenge #568

Posted on November 16, 2025 | 14 comments

The lower part of Jesup Green — by the Taylor parking lot, between the grass and the Saugatuck River — has been a bit of a time warp.

Things exist there that have not been seen, or used, for decades.

Only (very) recently were signs for the Minnybus stop removed. The last diesel bus deposited riders at its central hub 40 years ago.

Nearby, 3 plastic thingamajigs sit. Once upon a time, they were filled with free newspapers — the kind advertising homes for sale, entertainment options, and the like. (Click here to see.)

Those papers are long gone. But the stands still stand, unused and ugly.

They could be called eyesores — except most people look right past them.

Not Elaine Marino, Andrew Colabella, Christy Charise, Morley Boyd, Charlotte Epstein, Cathy Malkin, Amy Schneider, Phil Kann, Sal Liccione, Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Ivy Gosseen and Linda Vita Velez, though.

They all knew the answer to last week’s Photo Challenge.

Can you answer this week’s? If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Dan Woog)

(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

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Photo Challenge #567

Posted on November 9, 2025 | 20 comments

Compo Road South is one of Westport’s most traveled streets.

Drivers slow down as they approach the stop sign at Soundview Drive, before South Compo turns into Hillspoint Road.

Coming the other direction, they still drive slowly. (Hopefully.)

Still, only 5 readers (Dan Vener, Andrew Colabella, Matt Murray, Seth Schachter and Sal Liccione)recognized last week’s Photo Challenge — John Maloney’s image of a rounded, orange-ish door, set among a lattice fence — as #324.

Click here to see. And check it out the next time you’re near the beach.

Here is this week’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see this probably-outlived-its-usefulness scene, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Dan Woog)

(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!) 

20 Comments

Posted in Photo Challenge

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Photo Challenge #566

Posted on November 2, 2025 | 6 comments

Sal Liccione was the first reader to answer last week’s Photo Challenge.

He was correct: JD Dworkow’s image showed the entrance to a small apartment building behind Jeera Thai and Finalmente restaurants, on the Post Road. The entrance is on Church Lane. (Click here to see.)

Sal should know. It’s behind his own apartment, opposite Bedford Square.

Two other readers — both of whom do not live in the area — knew the location too: Amy Schneider and Seth Schachter.

This week’s Photo Challenge shows a very different door. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/John Maloney)

6 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Photo Challenge, Real estate

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Photo Challenge #565

Posted on October 26, 2025 | 9 comments

From one end of town (Tacombi) to the other (Mexica), Westport has several Mexican restaurants.

But only one has a sombrero on its roof.

That’s Cuatro Hermanos (not “Quatro,” as most readers spelled it). (Click here to see the photo.)

Our much smaller version of the infamous South of the Border restaurant (aka “tourist trap”) on I-95 is located near our own stretch of 95: on Saugatuck Avenue, at the foot of Sunrise Road.

(I have not driven through South Carolina in a while. I don’t know if Pedro, their culturally offensive mascot, is still there. Or their borderline racist billboards.)

Alert, well-fed readers who correctly identified Pedro — er, 4 Brothers — are Andrew Colabella, Bryan Schwartz, Dan Vener, Regina Kiska, Seth Schachter, Sal Liccione, Martha Witte, Michael Szeto, Dave Eason, Seth Braunstein, Sean Liberty and Tom Olson.

¡Felicidades!

This week’s Photo Challenge is below. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/JD Dworkow)

(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!) 

 

 

 

9 Comments

Posted in Photo Challenge, Restaurants, Saugatuck

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Photo Challenge #564

Posted on October 19, 2025 | 20 comments

Last week’s Photo Challenge was quite location-specific.

Unless you live in the extreme northeast corner of Westport — near where Cross Highway dips into Sturges Highway — or unless you spend a lot of time driving to, say, the Patterson Club — you would not have know that spot, where what may be our town’s saddest and loneliest stop sign sits. (Click here to see.)

Mark Yurkiw, Lynn Untermeyer Miller and Shawn Liberty — at least 2 of whom have homes nearby — were the only 3 to respond correctly.

I’ll try to make up for that sometime soon. Maybe Saugatuck Shores …

Meanwhile, it’s interesting that neither Cross nor Sturges is an actual “highway” — at least, not in the modern sense of the word.

But the term originally meant simply a main, direct road connecting towns. Back in the day, these were major thoroughfares.

Without the need for even a flimsy stop sign.

Here’s today’s Photo Challenge. If you know where you’d see this, click “Comments” below. HINT: Though it’s near I-95, it’s not at South of the Border.

(Photo/DinkinESH Fotografix)

(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

20 Comments

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Photo Challenge #563

Posted on October 12, 2025 | 8 comments

“06880” readers skated around last week’s Photo Challenge.

John Maloney’s image showed an old-looking sign, headed “Playground Rules.” They included “Adult supervision required,” “No horseplay,” “Do not use when playground is wet,” and “No bicycles, roller skates or skateboards permitted.” (Click here to see.)

Because the sign looked timeworn, answers included the playgrounds behind Town Hall, and at Luciano Park.

Nope! Surprisingly, it hangs at the most popular playground in Westport: Compo Beach. Thousands of Westport parents, grandparents, nannies, au pairs and other caregivers are very familiar with the recently renovated spot.

But no one — except the very observant Andrew Colabella — knew that the sign is right there, in plain view, on the boardwalk near the swings and other playful paraphernalia.

So I guess not many people know the Compo Beach playground rules.

“Shoes are required.” “No pets allowed.”

And one that’s not on the list, but should be: “Have fun!”

Here is today’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see this sad, lonely intersection, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Jonathan Alloy)

(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

8 Comments

Posted in Beach, Photo Challenge

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Photo Challenge #562

Posted on October 5, 2025 | 12 comments

It seems like our Photo Challenges are either very easy. Or very hard. We seldom hit the Goldilocks sweet spot

Last week’s was particularly difficult. Nancy Breakstone’s image showed a hard-to-figure-out view of an “Open” sign. Most readers figured out it was a restaurant.

Yet only the very persistent and observant Andrew Colabella knew it was taken from Emmy Squared, looking into Anthropologie. Click here to see the shot that stumped nearly everyone. 

Does this week’s Photo Challenge meet the elusive “just right” standard?

If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/John Maloney)

(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

12 Comments

Posted in Local business, Photo Challenge, Restaurants

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