New York Post

Tag Archives: New York Post

It’s In The Bag: Avi Kaner Says New York City Is Not Like The ‘Burbs

Posted on January 30, 2020 | 5 comments

On March 1, New York state’s plastic bag ban takes effect.

Westport has had one since 2008.

Avi Kaner knows both places well. He served our town as 2nd Selectman and Board of Finance chair.

But it’s in his role as owner of New York City’s 16-store Morton Williams grocery store chain that he’s quoted in today’s New York Post.

Avi Kaner in a Bronx Morton Williams store. (Photo/Danny Ghitis for the New York Times)

The new state law allows retailers to charge 5 cents per paper bag. Morton Williams won’t do it.

They’d lose money, Kaner told the paper. Paper bags cost 13 cents each. Plastic bags are just 2.5 cents apiece.

Instead, his chain will stock up on the sturdy reusable bags that they already sell for 99 cents. They’ll also offer cotton and polyester bags for 15 to 20 cents — about what they cost.

But that wasn’t Kaner’s money quote.

Here’s what he told the Post about the difference between people in the town where he lives, and the city where he works:

“A lot of people don’t carry around reusable bags when they are commuting. It’s not like the suburbs where you have the bags in your car.”

(Click here for the full New York Post story. Hat tip: Peter Gold)

Avi Kaner with a different kind of environmental issue: plastic bottles. (Photo/Buck Ennis for Crain’s New York Business)

5 Comments

Posted in Economy, Environment, Local politics, Media, People

Tagged Avi Kaner, Morton Williams, New York Post

We’re #41!

Posted on May 15, 2009 | 1 comment

blog - NY Post Today’s New York Post has a list of 100 places less than 6 hours by car from the city. There, readers can experience “some of the best that summer in New York has to offer.”

We clock in near the middle, at 41. We’re right behind New Haven and just ahead of Staunton, Virginia (for whatever that’s worth).

Westport, according to the paper, is “a commuter special.” We’ve got a “lovely setting — nature preserves, rivers and beaches — a mix of cosmopolitan sophistication, coastal charm and proximity to New York.”

Reading the Post‘s paean made me feel like we were Southampton or Stockbridge — an actual tourist destination, rather than a sleepy burb.

Believe it or not, there are “Must Do” things in Westport. What “must” visitors do?

Number 1: “Grab a picnic basket and a blanket or lawn chair and head to the banks of the Saugatuck River for one of the 50 free concerts at the Levitt Pavilion amphitheater.” I would add you “must” bring bug spray to that list.

There are other commands, such as going to the Playhouse, Dressing Room restaurant and Compo (“with a promenade perfect for strolling, playgrounds, basketball and volleyball coursts and concession stands”). Non-residents must pay “a hefty fee,” the Post notes.

So, the paper suggests: “Try going early on a Sunday, when much of the town is at church.”

Ahem. I mean, amen.

Another “Must Do” is Sherwood Island State Park, which is a good idea except for the fact that no living Westporter has ever set foot there.

Under “Stay Here,” the Post ascribes our “handful of lodging options” to the fact that we’re “more bedroom community than tourist destination.” But get this: The Westport Inn offers complimentary shuttle service to Compo, special packages with beach passes, and free bike rentals. If that doesn’t make us feel like a tourist destination, nothing will.

Finally, under “Hot Tip,” the Post offers Westfair Fish & Chips. Sure, it’s housed in “a crummy strip mall.” But “inside, they’re serving up excellent fresh seafood (boiled or fried) and great chowders.”