[Raider111]

Originally Posted by hipstermomdanbury

I went to the Black Rock Farmers' Market a week or so ago. It was really nice. Love the Fairfield Avenue area (where Source Coffee is). We went to five different independent shops, a juice bar, a bakery, the coffee shop, a Mexican bodega, a pizza place, the farmers' market, played in the playgrounds at the two schools right around the corner, Saint Ann's church is lovely, old, lots of folks walking from their houses to the famers' market grounds, (we bought three t-shirts that said: Black Rock Farmers' Market Buy Local...)


Then we drove over to the downtown checked out Jimmy's (a sports wear store for men), an art supply store and a mall called the arcade mall (that looked like New Orleans style architecture, it has a cheesecake shop and a meatball shop in it, very fun!).

We walked up the big flight of stairs downtown Bridgeport where the theater is...very cool...walked around this area where there are bars and restaurants and ended up eating lunch at Ralph n' Rich's where we met a big family from Long Island who had taken the ferry over and were lunching there as well.

The whole day was fun!

We stepped in briefly to the Holiday Inn downtown Bridgeport and found the staff to be uber friendly, they even offered to take us in their van and shuttle us to our restaurant only a few blocks away, but we told them we were not guests and we like walking downtowns anyways.

I definitely plan to go back to Bridgeport for some fun city eating and exploring.

Mexican bodega, pizza, Ralph and Rich's, man thats a lot of eating. The Rock is great (and very safe). Downtown has been improving over the past several years, albeit slowly. The stairs and the theatre you mention is a great spot. Might be at Ralph and Rich's on saturday, lots of fun.

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by Raider111

Bridgeport is a major CT city with 50K more population than Danbury. Not really a fair comparison, of course it's going to have less crime. Other than building a mall and adding a bunch of big box stores, where is this tremendous improvement mentioned here? The downtown other than a few odds and ends has been the same for decades.
Major developers in lower FFC have concentrated on Stamford Norwalk in the past couple of decades due to #1 closer access to you know where, saltwater coastlines, higher wealth communities in town, and mayors who welcomed it. Bridgeport starts to get a little out there and perhaps the corruption as well.

South Norwalk still need work

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by BPt111

South Norwalk still need work

Not really, but they're starting to do some things going in the westerly direction like on Day St.
West end Stamford could use a little too but no big deal, they don't all have to be 100% perfect. Minor stuff.
These places may seem dangerous to someone like you who doesn't have the long time familiarity with these areas and the region.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Raider111

Bridgeport is a major CT city with 50K more population than Danbury..

Also nearly 5x the population density.

[hipstermomdanbury]

Switching gears for just a minute.

I wanted to also add that one reason why Danbury is so cool is that it has the advantage of having the town of Bethel and Ridgefield as its neighbors.

Bethel is a super neat town, friendly, Mayberry, with a quaint, walkable, historical little downtown with the three bookstores, a great ice-cream shop and four amazing breakfast spots.


It is SO great to have Bethel as a neighbor. New restaurants pop up in Bethel that are really, really hip, like Kitchen Note, the Meeting House, and coming soon a new farm-to-table place.


The area that borders Danbury is called Grassy Plain, this is such a cool area, this is where all the new, more experimental restaurants keep opening up, so they are essentially 4 minutes away from Downtown Danbury's hot City Center neighborhood, along with an independent movie theater, a coffee shop with a Berkeley vibe, sewing shop, cool park.


Bordering towns are important. They add to the appeal of a chosen place to live.

Lots of folks make their home on the border of Danbury/Bethel then sell and move to Bethel in 10 or so years when their kids hit high school. This allows families to feel like they still have the same friends, same community.


It's great! I have also seen folks, once their kids are out of high school, move back to Danbury's South side. Again, this allows one to keep one's friends close.


So, having Bethel and Ridgefield (Ridgefield is awesome because you get a high end town in Fairfield County that still has a younger, fun vibe to it).


This is a BIG draw.


Danbury borders not one but three very cool towns. Also, it is easy to get to Litchfield from Danbury.


Litchfield County is fantastic for day trips, weekend jaunts, holiday outings, farm outings, boating, and I am finding Litchfield County's food scene to be really great (American fare, gastro pub, farm to table, Nuevo-healthy).


Danbury has amazing on and off ramps.


I never find the highways (7 and I-84) to be crowded. Never.


Well our family, we are early birds, so this may be one reason, why.


But, we can jump on 84 and be in New Milford super fast (New Milford is in Litchfield County) or Sherman or Kent, even.


We adore Bethel and we love the shop local focus in Ridgefield coupled with its GREAT parks and rec department and GREAT library and museums. Ridgefield is only 10 minutes away, Bethel is 2 minutes away!


I find Bethel residents to be super hip. I love the business owners in Ridgefield. They aim to please.


Danbury is so lucky to be in the middle of these great towns.

[hipstermomdanbury]

Border towns are a BIG part of what makes Danbury incredible. When you look at a place to live, look at the towns next store. Because they blend into your town and you end up going there for entertainment, dining and good times.

Danbury has the BEST border towns.

[Stylo]

Bethel is my favorite town in that area, almost moved there before landing on Milford

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by Raider111

Not really, but they're starting to do some things going in the westerly direction like on Day St.
West end Stamford could use a little too but no big deal, they don't all have to be 100% perfect. Minor stuff.
These places may seem dangerous to someone like you who doesn't have the long time familiarity with these areas and the region.

You been on Ely Ave Woodward Ave South Main

[hipstermomdanbury]

An Olive Tree Has Been Planted in Danbury


A Review of Zaytuna


A new Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani restaurant recently opened on Main Street in Danbury


https://www.yelp.com/biz/zaytuna-res...pQGUkhgF5eLA5w


Hipster Mom

[hipstermomdanbury]

As to border towns, having Bethel AND Ridgefield (not to mention the lake communities of New Fairfield and Brookfield and Sherman and New Milford) is so wonderful because this means Danbury is at the center of four really different and neat Fairfield County towns, rather than just next to one similar town after another.


It's fun to have the combination of Bethel & Ridgefield. Also, what is awesome is the hipster areas of Bethel are what back up to Danbury. You can walk there from Danbury.


So cool!