Oh, What A Dump! Stamford Dump (aka Waste Disposal Facilities) Exposed

Stamford Talk note: I have yet to go through the labyrinthine process it takes to be able to use Stamford's dump facilities, so thank you to local blogger Patty at wingdangdoo for clearing away some of the mystery for me! Thanks for the guest post, Patty!

"Mommy!" my youngest asked me frantically as I picked him up from his spring break day camp, "Did you go to the dump?"

Although the last part of this sentence wasn't spoken, it was implied: "...WITHOUT ME?"

I had tried to keep my dump aspirations quiet, wanting to make quick work of some junk that was weighing me down like a 50 lb anchor tied to my ankle. I also wanted to dispose of mass quantities of broken toys and a small army of unloved, unused stuffed animals on the sly. Not one to miss any detail, he was on to me before he pulled out of the driveway that morning.

I imagine the conversation went something like this:
"Daddy, why are we taking Mommy's car today?"
"Because she wants to keep all of the fun to herself, your mother is using my truck so she can haul stuff to the dump WITHOUT YOU. Also, the Easter Bunny isn't real."

OK, maybe that's not quite how it went. I'm sure he reassured him that Mommy loved him very much, and that I was borrowing the truck so I could take both dogs and both cats straight to the pound.

I have vague recollections of going with my father to some nebulous Stamford location called The Dump when I was a child, but I have no recollection of where it was located or what we brought there. I vividly remember that people dumped their castoff, random items in an abandoned lot we called The Swamp, just a block and a half down the hill from my childhood home. We found all kinds of things there when I was a child. Spare bikes. Animal skeletons. Old glass bottles. Restless, pissed off Native American spirits searching for their ancestral home. That sort of thing. Not long before Poltergeist came out, a few dozen unattractive contemporary homes sprouted in The Swamp.

Hmmm. Thirty plus years later, I still hesitate to drive through that creepy little subdivision when it's dark.

Anyway.

I live in the section of town that doesn't have garbage pickup. Horrors, right? We call this unexplored, services-free territory North Stamford. Load up a picnic lunch, saddle up the horse and pay us a visit some time. What's kept me from making the acquaintance of the dump prior to now was the outstanding weekly pickup service I get from the garbage gods and goddesses at Independent Refuse. Holla! I've also rented dumpsters from them during small home renovations (you should see the team of oxen pulling those suckers back into Stamford proper!) and large-scale purges. But this week, what I had in mind was a small-scale purge. A mini-catharsis. A spring cleaning! A recycle-o-rama! The kind that can only occur with my packrat husband and similarly inclined eldest child out doing other things, unable to witness the departure of that February 23, 1997 TIME Magazine and that gently-unstuffed-by-the-puppy one-eared pink rabbit.

How I Spent My Spring Vacation? I spent it at the dump.

Keeping the wisdom of the incomparable Manager Mom in mind, I set out to get myself a permit at The Scale House (Is there a better name? For anything in Stamford? I'm at a loss. It sounds like something out of Return to Thunderdome. Or maybe a lizard exhibit). For some reason, I knew exactly where to find The Scale House: Jefferson Street. Of course! Completely obvious. Right there next to those.... smoke stack... things. And behind that... giant... brick wall. I've got a flair for the foreboding. Armed with the truck's registration, my driver's licence, and a utility bill just in case (and by the way? Can someone please explain how I can get on a plane anywhere in the United States showing my driver's license as proof of identity, but to do business with the City of Stamford, I have to bring a utility bill?), I went into The Scale House. A lovely woman with a lilting Island accent gave me my free green sticker emblazoned with the universal symbol for recycling and patiently gave me the effortless directions to the dump.

And oh, what a dump it is!


With bins dedicated to cans and bottles, cardboard, mixed paper, batteries (ask if you can't find it), metal scraps and yard refuse, the Katrina Mygatt facility is a recycling haven. There's even a Goodwill donation bin across the parking lot. One of the men working at Mygatt was kind enough to help me get the old section of duct work and heavier wood scraps out of the truck. He also told me it was perfectly fine to leave nicer toys on the sidewalk in front of the bins in case anyone wanted to take them home. That was all I needed to hear. I was plotting my return to Mygatt before I even left.

I loaded the truck up again this morning, celebrating Earth Day by filling the truck with recyclables and other detritus. "Mommy?" he asked me before hesitating and adding "...never mind." As I often do, I reminded my youngest that he can tell me anything. "It's just that it might be a little... weird." As I often do, I reminded him that I'm a little weird. "When you go to the dump today, can you maybe... take some pictures?" What a happy coincidence. Turns out my friend Talk asked me to guest blog on this scintillating topic after seeing my brazen Facebook brag about visiting the dump. I told him I'd be more than happy to snap a few shots.

If you're making your way to Mygatt any time soon (and really, you should!), bring the camera along. It's quite the conversation starter.

And if you really want to make it a Stamford-centric day, join me on the tour of All Things Chimp. Right around the corner from Mygatt, you can take a peek at the chinp-safe bars on the windows at Desire Me Motors.


But that's a story for another time.

Closing Stamford DMW Would Ruin My Life

I'm not sure what it is about me, but I feel like I go to the Stamford DMV all the time. My registration or driver's license always seem to expire. Plus, my husband tries to make me do his dirty DMV work since my job ends by 3:30. I have professed in a previous blog post my love of the Stamford DMV.
I was horrified when I read yesterday that Gov. Jodi Rell wanted to close the Stamford satellite DMV office, which completes 50,000 transactions a year (compared to the larger full-service DMW in Norwalk, which completes 150,000).
Closing the Stamford DMV would be a nightmare. Rell thinks the hard-working people of Stamford have time to leave work to drive to Norwalk during the day, or fight traffic in the evening after work, to go to Norwalk to complete a series of line waits, forms, and interactions with people with stone cold faces. N-O, we don't. It's a pain enough to find time to make it to the Stamford DMV.

I read in today's Advocate that the Stamford DMV has gotten a reprieve- a mediocre reprieve, if you ask me: Rell said Thursday that instead of closing April 3 as planned, the part-time branch will remain open for limited hours until June 30.
Created in 1994 after the state closed Stamford's full-service DMV office, the branch is in the Stamford Government Center... It now is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays. Rell said the DMV will operate the office two days a week after April 3, but did not specify which days. DMV spokesman William Seymour said the agency should be able to announce more details Friday.

Sigh. I really don't think two days a week is enough, but it's better than nothing.

The initial article in the Advocate points out that there are many other DMV satellite offices that serve much smaller populations; that's another reason it's absurd to close a huge DMV. Even Mayor Malloy agrees: "It makes no sense to close the office in Stamford. The volume that it will cause in Norwalk would make everyone miserable."

By the way, last time I was at the Stamford DMV last week to hand in old plates, the lady was soooooooo rude to me. Still, I wouldn't want to make her move to the Norwalk office just because of one bad interaction; I'd rather have her dismissive attitude right here in Stamford.

Stamford Hospital Rocked My World

I went to see a doctor at Stamford Hospital about this cough on Wed., and I left in a daze because everyone I encountered there was so nice to me. It was weird. I wondered if I just looked especially appealing (I did take the time to shower and put on a cute outfit), or maybe sounded pathetic (the chest congestion made it hard to talk), or if the staff at Stamford Hospital is just nice. I have to go with the last option. I was there for four hours, and I only experienced kindness and patience.

Parking lot attendant: super nice.
Registration people: pleasant, knew right away that I was the last minute, squeezed in X-ray patient.
Registration lady: insisted on wheeling me to my chest X-ray because I said I was short of breath.
X-ray Lady: super-nice to me, walked me to elevator after the X-ray.
Pulmonologist secretaries: super-pleasant, and you know secretaries aren't always super-pleasant.
Pulmonologist: nice, got a lady to hold my hand when I was freaked out by the naso-laryngeal swab he wanted to do.
Hand-holder: super nice.
Back to registration for blood test: nice, almost awkwardly so, because I had an embarrassing coughing fit when I tried to talk.
Blood-taker: super nice.

Granted, my standards for nice aren't that high. You just have to act like you don't hate me, and maybe smile and tell me to have a nice day. But in this busy world, people don't always even bother to do that, so when it happens, it's remarkable.

My second antibiotic has kicked in quite nicely, so now I'm just trying to make sure I don't overdo it, because it feels so good to feel good after feeling bad for 5 weeks! Still coughing some, especially at night, but I don't feel like dog doody every second of the day, and that's something to feel very happy about.

Avon Getting Rid of Their Uncomfy Seats!

Augh!!! I am screaming with excitement! The Avon is getting new seats!!!!!!! YES!!!!! Every time I go to that theater, I am so uncomfortable. I go, though, because of their great films- the Avon, if you don't know, is the theatre on Bedford that shows the smaller films. They also do cool events like documentary nights and film festivals at Oscar time. This is fabulous news. I hope the new seats are like La-Z boys.

Info from the website:

The large theatre is being reconfigured to accommodate plush new rocker seats that are larger and will offer more legroom. New carpeting will be installed in the large theatre and upper and lower lobbies later this year. We are also doing some painting throughout the theatre to keep the Avon looking its best as we approach our 70th anniversary next year. The Avon will be celebrating its 70th anniversary on the night of the Academy Awards at our Red Carpet gala on February 22, 2009.

Many of our patrons have inquired if we will be offering a "Name a Seat" fundraising opportunity. Yes we will! Details regarding naming opportunities for the seats will be coming soon. Giving a gift of a seat at the Avon will be a terrific holiday gift or a special way to honor or remember a loved one.

What to Put in a Tourist Video of Stamford?

I’m blogging live from Mississippi this week, fueled by Cheezits and Sunkist!

I'm very suspicious of press releases, because it means someone wants something from me, but I got one that I'm going to share because it relates to our city and some of the good and bad things about Stamford we've been discussing here. And, most importantly, there is a prize involved.

Good Magazine emailed to suggest I tell my readers about their contest. I'll steal their very succinct words: "...Good Magazine is launching a project to encourage people to show off their hometowns and highlight what makes them stand apart from any other blip on a map. Anyone interested in serving as a tour guide for their neighborhood can submit a video to Good that showcases their favorite local spots and answers the question “What is it that would make someone want to travel to where you are?” The most illuminating tour guide will be rewarded with two roundtrip domestic plane tickets to anywhere JetBue flies."

So, what would we put in our Stamford video? Let's get a list going!

I am tempted to make one. I was also tempted to not tell you all so I could beat you out and win the tickets, but then I realized, I am probably too lazy to make the video, and it's so much easier just to have someone I know do it. With that said, I'm going to think about making a video. I'd put in Cove Beach, Capriccio, the Avon, Alive at Five, um... duh, those are all obvious...

However... not to bash Stamford... but the description says, "What would make someone want to travel to where you are?" What do we have here that would draw people in for a visit? You could certainly make a good summer weekend out of Alive at Five, lunch at Capriccio, day at the beach, dinner at Napa, but what else? We have the shore, but you can't easily rent a kayak anywhere, can you? Non-residents can get a $20 day pass to the beach, but I’ve only seen kayaks up for grabs at a Rocky Point Yacht Club in Greenwich. I fear you’d have to have some bucks to have a good time on a visit here. (Or, know someone with a boat.)

About Good Magazine. Their website looks a bit like New York Magazine, but it's not geographically focused, so it's a little scattered. I googled it and found a blurb about them from 2006: "Launching nationwide this Fall, GOOD magazine strives to elevate the level of debate among its target demographic of intelligent, ambitious, youthful people aged 21 through 35... GOOD is focused on the people, ideas, and institutions affecting change in the world. The magazine intends to examine the intersection of idealism and capitalism, and living well by doing “good”. GOOD will serve as a platform for talented contributors and writers to bring to the forefront issues and ideas that matter."

Looking at their website, I couldn't see that focus, so in your video, I wouldn't worry about trying to- well, maybe you should try to aim the video toward young do-gooders. You know, make it seem like we care about politics and/or the environment.

But um... is Stamford really the place for that population? We have got a lot of intelligent, ambitious, youthful people, but I don't see them doing much good; I see them drinking out at Tigin after making money all day. (Oh snap, did I just say that?) You can’t debate that Stamford has the capitalism covered.

About that idealism. Today in the car I said to my sis, “I wish my only job was to blog about Stamford and be a Stamford expert. If it was, I would interview people and... be an ESL volunteer.” Selfishly, I’d like to work with a Haitian person so I can practice my French and learn Kreyol. Oh man, I am so not good!

Does one have to be good to be idealistic?

Check Out a Cool Advocate Photoblog!

By sheer Stamford Talk karma, the same karma that put me in a situation to repeatedly pretend to ignore Robert DeNiro as he rolled a wheelie suitcase toward me, I discovered a fantastic photoblog by the Stamford Advocate photographers.

This beautiful shot by Chris Preovolos grabbed my attention. The sun and color of the building make it look like it could be in the Caribbean, but it's from Stamford's Great American Clean-Up Day last weekend. The photoblog is great because you get the stories behind the photos with comments from the photogs. Hell yeah. Anytime talented people want to show me their work for free, I'm all over it. No, not just for free; they are making it easy for me. I appreciate that. In this internet age, the word "easy" is key. There is so much vying for our attention, and we're all busy. The photoblog is a simple, straightforward, well-organized site.

There is also a multimedia section where you can see slide shows, some with voice overs. Kick ass, Advocate! Yes! Finally you are giving me something cool that does not disappear from the face of the world after two weeks, like your articles- oh yeah. I've got a big post planned on that bitter subject.

It looks like the blog has only been up since January. That's pretty young for a blog, so I'm not going to complain about how the Advocate should have publicized it better. Heck, maybe there is a big logo on the Stamford Advocate home page that says, "CLICK HERE FOR THE ADVOCATE PHOTOBLOG," but a) I read so fast on the internet that it's easy for me to miss things and b) the big animated "Cancer" logo from the first week of the new Advocate website really turned me off and took a toll on my patience. However, a quick browse of the site shows no sign of "link here for awesome photos of your city that provide a new perspective on the people and places you take for granted and are too rushed to notice."

Advocate, we love you, but step it up! Give us good stuff, make it easily accessible online, and don’t make your articles go away after two weeks. We all hate that and talk about you behind your back for it.

Weekend Planning: Yours, with the Fairfield Weekly

I tell ya, the Fairfield Weekly is where you need to go to plan your weekend. It's the most efficient way to find great events and the best resource for the local music scene.

I check the Weekly every Thursday. During the dark days when I first lived in Stamford, it was my lifeline to music, culture and creativity- the young kind. The FW led me to Green's, which led me to good music and all sorts of other things that are better off forgotten.

Scroll down a little bit to the "Leisure" tab on the right-hand side, and click on "7 Days: The Week That Is." The feature lists the top entertainment choice for each day of the week, which might be a lecture, concert, art show, or... any type of event you can think of that is legal. The wide variety of events means that you aren't only reading about things that cost 50 bucks, like tickets to shows at SCA.

Weddings in the FC: Not Cheap, But Doable

Getting married in the FC will cost you some bucks, but with the right connections and recommendations, you can get the best for a fair price. The key is to mooch information from recently married people. That's what I did last year, and it was a relief to know that our money was going to vendors we could trust. I'll give you the scoop and a little gossip that you can pass on to whomever needs it.

We got a good price from the Fox Hill Inn, unlike a certain place in Westport where the wedding coordinator was unable to hide her smirk when we said we hoped to have 125 guests for under $13,000 dollars. The Fox Hill Inn is near Danbury, but it’s worth the 45-minute drive. Their wedding coordinator, Nancy, ran the entire day with the patience of a total pro. I didn’t lift a finger except to cut the cake… the cake that Fox Hill provides so you have one less thing to stress over.

Our wedding photographer, Dru Nadler, kicked it out of the stadium. See her website and you’ll see why I picked her, besides the fact that she is a really cool, smart, mellow person. She took the photo above and also photographs for the Stamford Advocate. I love her. Warning: post gets very girly from here on out.

Look at this bouquet. Merrilee at Ganim’s Florist in Fairfield was flexible and friendly. She did almost everything over email, so my sister in Texas was able to help plan flowers. I visited the store only one time, but Merrilee gave me the bright-orange-and-light-blue-with-white-roses bouquet that I wanted. I must have emailed her 25 times… and she always responded quickly. (Photo by Dru.)

I got my dress from The Bridal Suite in downtown Stamford. Lynn helped me order the dress that another bridal store tried to tell me was their own custom design. No it’s not, you b@%$*s; I’m looking at it online right now. Thanks to Lynn, I avoided those liars. Lynn then deftly coordinated the fitting and ordering of 8 different bridesmaid dresses. Each of my bridesmaids chose her own style… and only 3 of them lived in the area. I think Lynn sensed I was about to freak out, and she took it from there. The Bridal Suite’s sassy tailor, Naima, will also take care of you. Don’t question her. She knows how much ribcage space you need, and she knows how keep the top of your dress where it should be. (Photo by me.)

A friend recommended the band Nite Life (Richie Vance Productions). They charged a fair price and our guests liked them. A friend used Powerstation DJs, so I can recommend that company, too.

Look at the cake, with the orange dots I'd been dreaming of! (Photo by Dru.) I love orange, and I love dots.

I never thought I could plan a wedding, but my friends and coworkers pointed me to the right vendors. The vendors worked with me to get the most for my money, and they produced a far prettier wedding than I could have pictured. I'm not going to tell you it was cheap, but I will tell you, I got excellent vendors for reasonable prices.

Bookstore Guide for Stamford Readers

Residents of the FC are notoriously over-educated, and that’s why we like bookstores. Borders and Barnes and Noble are trusty behemoths, but don’t forget the Friends of the Ferguson Library Used Bookstore. I went there today and got 5 books for 6 bucks. The bookstore is attached to a Starbucks with free wi-fi, which might be why the Ferguson is the second-busiest library in the state of Connecticut.

For independent bookstores, the best in the area is Barrett Bookstore in Darien, conveniently located off exit 10. Diane’s Books and Just Books in Greenwich come in 2nd and 3rd because they’re small and don’t have all the great cards that Barrett does. Barrett has cushy leather couches to read on, or you can plunk on the floor in the biography section for an hour and no one will bother you. I appreciate that.

I found this disturbing scene at Borders a couple of weeks ago: a TV on in the magazine section! It was horrible! How is one supposed to thumb trough trashy magazines with Oprah babbling in one’s ear? To me, that TV is a direct assault on magazine shoppers. Borders, I’m going to get you.

A funny post by my blogger friend Sarah got me thinking about bookstores. Read her mini-drama “’I’m Looking for a Book’: Scenes from Retail Hell.” She really is a very clever writer with a knack for capturing human quirks. She has probably had way too much education for her own good, but isn’t that why we’re all here in the FC?

My Favorite Stuff in Other Towns

I'm very Stamford-centric these days, but there are places in surrounding towns that occasionally lure me up I-95.
Greenwich:
Meli-Melo (carrot ginger soup)
Femme Gems
Just Books
Diane’s Books
Greenwich Library
Darien:
Post Corner Pizza
Barrett Bookstore
Trader Joe’s

Norwalk:
American Apparel
Stepping Stones Museum for Kids
Maritime Aquarium
Beadworks
Chocopologie

New Caanan:
Pennyweights

Westport:
Acqua

Fairfield:
Las Vetas Lounge

New Haven: Pepe’s Pizza, IKEA

I'll end by giving props to my Stamford favorites: Capriccio, Cove Beach, H and M, Avon, Havana Jeans, Duo, my NYSC.

Stamford Food: So, So Good

Yikes. I've spent the entire morning posting on Chowhound.com, which is a great site for posting your own restaurant reviews, reading other foodies' suggestions, and discussing local food options. If you care at all about eating out, you should be checking that site out. I apologize in advance for the "Tri-State" board, which necessitates sorting through Long Island, Westchester and even New Jersey to find the CT topics. Just search the board, though, for either Stamford or Fairfield CT. I got so many food ideas that I don't even know what to do with myself.

Here's my shortlist of places to try: Athens Pizza's Greek pizza, Sundance Cafe on Broad St. for soup, Uncle Dai for Chinese, Giovanni's Deli, Belltown Pizza, Springdale Pizza, and also Avenida and Toku Shin in (gasp!) Greenwich. I usually support Stamford restaurants, but if it's Latino or Asian food, I'll travel. I know most of the places I listed are smaller, but I've tried almost every single good restaurant in Stamford (more about that odyssey later). I'm trying Market this week, which the NY Times just gave a "VERY GOOD." I'll be calling for reservations the second it opens at what, 11:00? and pray that the rest of Stamford has yet to hear about the review.

Last night when I went to Dunn's Loft, the Summer St. parking lot was completely full, which is odd on a Tuesday night. Where IS everybody? I asked. Who is out on a TUESDAY? Now, I realize, they were probably at Market.

Later this week, I'll post my glowing review of Dunn's Loft (four words: filet mignon, pool table!) and my goal of trying every Stamford restaurant, which I get closer to as each week passes.

Until then, Stamford, eat! Eat!

I'm Going to Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness is an awesome gym, but DON'T JOIN IT, because I want to join it, and I don’t want the rest of you taking up the elliptical machines. I visited the gym with a friend last month (Stamford Talk research) and was impressed.

I love my NYSC, but after they renovated and put in squash courts and a pool… well, the gym lost its tough-guy edge. Now, it looks like the tough guys are at Planet Fitness. I’m OK with that, because I like to feel tough when I go to the gym.

Good things about Planet Fitness:
It offers tons of cardio machines and a relaxed atmosphere. There are rows of cardio machines- 4 or so rows of 15 machines, all in a block, facing the same direction. At first it looked awkward, but once I got on the elliptical, surrounded by all those people running and stepping like crazy, I didn't think twice about breaking a sweat. I was part of a TEAM.

And the 10 $ a month price tag? Unbeatable! If you get the black card for 20 $, you get unlimited guests (and, oddly, tanning). I'm going to keep my NYSC membership; I've been going there for 8 years and got grandfathered in at a good price during the renovation. To me, though, PF is worth the additional 20 bucks so I can work out with my 3 friends who belong, AND make my husband go as my guest.

Bad things about PF:
I wish there were more free weights. At 5 pm, it was pretty busy. However, it’s cool to have to work in with people. You have to actually talk to them and say, "Hey, can I work in?" rather than going to the THIRD lat pull so you can avoid talking to anyone (that's what I do at my NYSC). Anyway, the point of PF is to offer basic stuff so the price can stay low. There are no classes and no towel service, but the locker room is pretty nice, and that’s important.

If you want to pay 80 bucks a month and get yoga and Boot Camp and Latin Groove classes and beautiful new machines, go to NYSC. If you are less high-maintenance and just want straightforward weights and cardio, PF could be the perfect gym for you. No, the perfect gym for me. You stay away.