Community Info Category

Attention Whole Foods Shoppers: Big Party in Produce …

As we know Whole Foods is coming up on its Grand Opening next Wednesday,May 19 here in Darien,CT.          

However ,for those of you who  just can’t wait and need a preview  of the wonderful  fruits and veggies coming your way,there is a “sneak peek” party on Monday May 17 from 5PM-8PM. Ill be there! The store is on the site of the former Howard Johnsons on Ledge Road in Darien.

So what does this have to do with Darien real estate?Well nothing.Just another post about the great stuff happening in Darien.

Darien Board of Realtors Launches New Website

 

 

The Darien Board of Realtors has produced one of the nicest websites I’ve seen. It has great photos of our town and lots of very useful information about schools,churches,transportation and amenities. Check it out.   http://darienboard.com/welcometodarien/

 

 

Meet “Jack”, Our Favorite Darien Golden Retriever

From time to time I like to take a break from writing about real estate to talk about some of the things that make our town of Darien,Ct special.Our residents love it here so much they even write books about it.The latest offering is the unique and absolutely charming “Our Place,Darien.” This is a children’s book aimed at getting kids familiar with all the historical ,cultural and physical beauty of Darien,CT.

This is all done through the playful yet intelligent eyes of a Golden Retriever named,”Jack”. He is, as it happens, one smart pooch.He knows for example ,that the Siwanoy Indians were the first claim real estate (I just had to work that in) in Darien  and that the town was named after the Isthmus of Darien in Panama.

He takes us through downtown, to the park and to the beach, where he observes the  shoreline environments including all manner of flora and fauna and wildlife.

This is a must read for new residents coming to town with little ones! Absolutely delightful and a great addition to any child’s library!

Check out the website and get a copy for the kids.http://www.ourplacebooks.com

POWER TO THE PEOPLE! Darien Real Estate

For those of you who have been in a cave for the past week or so, the mother of all wind storms blew through here last weekend wrecking unbelievable damage. Hundreds of trees fell into roadways, on homes, on cars and some people.Power has been out since last Saturday, and thousands have taken refuge in shelters or local hotels.

Personally,I had a flood in my basement but was lucky  to get a room at a hotel in Norwalk,CT.Power was restored to my home yesterday and I have never been so happy to do laundry in my life! I just kept walking around turning lights on and off  like they were some new fangled invention. I hugged the Connecticut power guys when I saw them and seriously thought about adopting them. They declined the offer.

So what has this got to do with Darien,CT real estate. Well, more than you’d think.During all of this, and despite their own personal hardships,so many of my neighbors and friends came to our rescue. They turned up with water pumps,food, offers of sleeping quarters and produced generators out of thin air!

If you move to Darien, I hope you too experience the sense of community and caring that I did. In the end, its all about the people and these are among the best.

Spring Storm Gets Sprung on The Weather Man….and Us

First let me say,weather men are useless. All winter long we are routinely scared to death by television  “Storm Centers.” For days beforehand, we are warned of storms BEARING down on our area. Schools close at the mere hint of snow and people rush to supermarkets to stock up on milk and bread. Then, we get 3-5 inches of snow.Big deal.

So where were these scare tactics when we really needed them? How could a storm of this magnitude  escape the ever watchful, disaster hungry, media? If I were a meteorologist, I would hand in my resignation forthwith and hang my head in shame.

This meteorological oversight could have easily cost more than the five lives that were lost in Westport,CT.

No one I have spoken to in Darien,Ct felt they had been adequately warned of the intensity of this incident.We all went about our business unaware of the severity of the storm and placed ourselves in life threatening situations.

I do recall predicted wind gusts of 40MPH. What we got however, were SUSTAINED WINDS upward of 60MPH,elevating the storm to hurricane level.Im no meteorologist and even I know there’s a big difference.

Shame on you, Mr.Weather Man……you really blew us away with this one!

Darien, Ct. Playgrounds,”Gee Mom, All We Had Was a Bunch of Dumb Swings”

My friend Nicole Lyons at http://www.allaboutdarien.com has undertaken an ambitious project  and documented, via video, all the playgrounds in the town of Darien.Dont miss the new state of the art facility at Weed Beach Park.

If you have children and are thinking of buying a home in Darien,CT, you’d be well advised to take a look. You won’t be disappointed.Neither will the kids!

http://allaboutdarien.com/2010/03/darien-ct-playgrounds-a-video-tour/

Darien,CT’s Little League Program,One of the Best..

Here is a great article about Darien,Ct and its Little League baseball program. As one who has a son go through the program,I can attest its veracity.

Circus Yoga Anyone? Darien Childrens’ Activities

I can’t say enough about the amount and quality of kids activities in town.If you buy a home in Darien your children will never be bored.

In addition to a full program for kids at the fabulous Darien Library,organizations such as the YMCA, YWCA and Darien Parks and Recreation  and Darien Arts Center offer a full plate of activities for kids.

This years Spring catalog from Darien Parks and Rec just came out and there is something for every kid in town.Little League,Soccer,Lacrosse Hockey,Sailing Golf,Softball,Tennis,Swimming,Music lessons,Karate and even Fly Fishing for kids.

Some of the more unusual activities include….. Read the rest of this entry »

Darien Real Estate, Whole Foods Controversy,Signs of the Times

I like to read  the Darien papers each week and am regularly amused by an article or silly item in the Police Blotter  One week,  garden gnomes were stolen from a lawn and then there are the burglaries of purses stolen from the front seat of unlocked cars. (Really?)

This weeks item concerns the new Whole Foods market which is coming to Darien this May. It sits on the corner of Ledge Road and the Boston Post Road and has been the source of much controversy.It was suggested that a store of this size (really big) would ruin the small town feel of Darien.(Pftttt.You cant stay in 1950 forever)

After a couple of years of political and legal wrangling, the store was finally approved and plans to open in 90 days or so.

This weeks item in the paper concerns the size of  Whole Foods’ illuminated sign in the front of the store. Dariens’ zoning regulations do not allow for illuminated lettering larger than 10 inches tall on any building. These regulations were written in the 1970′s…..forty years ago!

Needless to say,the Whole Foods lettering will have to be substantially larger than that.  A letter to the Editor of the Darien Times suggests we enforce the regulation because we have “accommodated” the new Whole Foods  store enough.

Hmmmmm clever ….you can build it but we forgot to mention, you can’t light it.  SIGNS of the times!Puuuuuulease!

CNN Money….Top Earning Towns,Darien Ct

Below is a link to a 2010, CNN Money Report showing New Canaan,Darien and Westport as the Top Earnings towns is their Best Places to Live report.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/moneymag/0807/gallery.bplive_topearners.moneymag/2.html