We lived very near Westport. Nice shopping. Very wealthy. I would not live in such a non-diverse, wealthy place, but that's me. It is a nice place to visit.

Pp here again. I forgot to mention that compo beach has the most incredible playground ever!

Too bad you missed the yankee doodle fair

*nyway, enjoy the trip. Hope these kiddie tips are helpful. Be sure to also hiy main street in westport. My favorite clothes store in the world is there...henry lehr. Also, dovecote (jewelry, household accessories) is awesome.

This is 15.05 again. Just got back from visiting my psrents in westport. Here are my suggestions for 10/12 year olds.

*maritime center in south norwalk. Amazing breakfast/lunch place a few blocks away from the maritime center. (Great baked goods, too. Yum!) It is called Sono Bakery.
*Compo Beach in Westport.
*Stew Leonard's in Norwalk!!!!
*Crumbs bakery (cupcakes) in westport.
*levitt pavilliov in westport (outdoor concert.
*westport playhouse (paul newman opened it) may have children's shows. Definately has shows for parents. Dressing room is paus oranic restaurant next door. Excellent.

*coffee an' in westport. Voted as a top 10 usa donut store. Bill clinton's favorite. Diner food, too, but stick to the donuts. Insane!

17:01 - Thanks for the clarification, but any education is clearly lost on this audience.

OP, if you are from the South, it might be a huge difference to you. If you are willing to be open minded, and appreciate educated people and nice things, you will enjoy it. Have fun!

I"ll be there for the month of August helping DH's mother after a stroke. What can I (and our two young sons 10 and 12) do for fun?

Anonymous wrote:P.S. Not the "n" word, for sure. But "that Yankee town" does not go over with this Yankee. OP, maybe declutter your thinking and process the place without the tired and outdated North/South construct?

Connecticut is one of the New England states and there is no way in hell it could ever be considered southern.

Anonymous wrote:"Yankee" is deragatory? I found her use of it to be rather charming.

Why is Yankee derogatory. It is used to describe Americans in England. Some of you find every single word derogatory: Yankee, rebel, and others that will only start a war. It
s a free country and I can say whatever word I want, YANKEE, YANKEE, YANKEE. BLUECOATS [b]JOHNNY REB, REBELS, GRAYCOATS."

I grew up there and I would check out both Westport and neighboring towns. Westport is not for everyone. the town has a lot going for it (much prettier than DC 'burbs, homes don't all look the same, beach is nice, near NYC and schools are good) but it can be snobby in the same was DC elite suburbs can be snobby -- in some ways it is worse because in CT everything is based on the town gov't not the county gov't so it makes things more insular. But go check it out for yourself. I have a feeling that if you walk around main street you'll either love it or hate it.

I am the one who mentioned the Donuts, yum! I think the term 'yankee' is slightly derogatory, but more than that, It is simply inaccurate when describing Westport. When I think 'Yankee, I think unsophisticated, sheltered, so NOT Westport. Actually Westport is the opposite of that. Agreed that it is sad that they have torn down some beautiful olh homes, which makes me very sad. Still, there are many more charming, old homes than most towns. While Main St is Way better than shopping in the malls in Mtg Cty, I so wish it was like it used to be when I was growing up there. To the pp's who grew up there, too, do you remember The Remarkable Book Store?! As far as not being racially diverse, this is true, but there are both churches, and synagogues, because there is the need for both. Westport IS liberal, and accepting of diversity.Also, as a pp stated, private school is not so much the culture of the town as it is in Mtg Cty. Schools are good, and the hs is beautiful since they redid it a few years ago. I also love that typically most of the homes have acreage, privacy, and charming roads.

P.S. Not the "n" word, for sure. But "that Yankee town" does not go over with this Yankee. OP, maybe declutter your thinking and process the place without the tired and outdated North/South construct?

OP,
Have you been? Where are you from? Public schools or private?

I grew up near Westport. I love the area.

Anonymous wrote:PP, do you use the N word also?

Why do you think the word Yankee carries the same derogatory weight as the N word? That is ridiculous. Ever heard of the NY Yankees? Or Yankee Doodle Dandy? If it was a bad word, people wouldn't be wearing it on their baseball caps and singing it to their children.

I grew up in Westchester, NY, and have several friends from there who now live in Westport. I LOVE it. I've always found it warm and friendly - much more so than DC.

I wish I could move back up there. OP, you're very lucky!

As for the term Yankee, I don't think too many people think of southern CT as Yankee territory - unless you're talking about baseball. All of my friends from Westport commute to Manhattan for work every day. So, they're more metropolitan/New Yorky than Yankee.

Anonymous wrote:Anytime you move anywhere there will be insular people, OP. I would not use the word Yankee, as it is derogatory and makes you sound uneducated. CT is beautiful and there is much to enjoy, if you let yourself. I am jealous! GL.

Really? You get uptight about Yankee? This is a new one for me too. And I'm from there. I know some terms can move into truly derogatory territory, but I didn't realize Yankee had gotten there.

PP, do you use the N word also?