Greenwich
From Wikitravel
Contents
Greenwich [1] is a town of about 60,000 that is located in Fairfield County, southwestern Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States of America. It is one of the wealthiest communities in America and is blessed with lush and beautiful scenery and many large and impressive houses.
[edit] Understand
Greenwich is divided up into 5 neighborhoods; Byram, Greenwich, Cos Cob, Riverside and Old Greenwich and is generally considered part of the New York Metroplitan Area.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By Plane
If you're from way out of town, you can fly into the Westchester County Airport, JFK or LaGuardia Airport and take a lovely cab ride into the town.
[edit] By train
- Metro North [2] has commuter train service to Greenwich out of Grand Central Station in New York City; the stations in Greenwich are Greenwich, Cos Cob, Riverside, and Old Greenwich.
- Amtrak [3] provides passenger service to neighboring Stamford (station code STM).
[edit] By car
- Interstate 95 travels through Greenwich; the exits in Greenwich are numbered 2 through 5. The Exits come into these parts of town. Exit 2 - Byram Exit 3 - Greenwich, Exit 4 - Cos Cob, Exit 5 - Riverside.
- The Merritt Parkway (Connecticut Route 15) also travels through Greenwich.
- Route 1 also called the Old Post Road runs through all of Greenwich alongside I-95 and can be used to get to most destinations.
[edit] By Taxi
If you don't have a car and have too much luggage for the train, you can sometimes take a livery cab from New York to Greenwich, but be prepared to pay an arm and a leg, the ride will set you back about $75 or so depending where in New York you are coming from.
[edit] Get around
[edit] By Taxi
Greenwich Taxi offers service all around town and into the Residential areas. They must be called though ((203) 869-6000) and do not travel around looking for passengers like New York livery and yellow cabs. All taxis are black Lincoln town cars with a GT on the side.
[edit] By Car
Most of Greenwich is built up along the Old Post Road. Old Greenwich can be reached by travelling through Riverside until you see the sign that says "Old Greenwich Railroad Station," you'll want to remember this if you're going to the beach at Greenwich Point.
[edit][add listing] See
Horseneck Brook where Major General Israel Putnam escaped from the redcoats on horseback.
[edit][add listing] Do
[edit] Recreation
A day in Greenwich can be spent doing a number of liesure activities. Greenwich has two main beaches, one is Greenwich Point [4] which can be gotten to by the above directions. Greenwich residents can enter for free using beach passes, but those without beach passes have to go to the Community Center [5] behind the First Presbyterian Church to buy a beach pass. The other beach is on Great Captain Island which can be reached by taking the ferry in Greenwich Harbor which comes about every 30 minutes and does not require a pass. You can find lots of sand, fun and food, but watch out for bees. Also when swimming at Great Captain Island don't swim near the pier as jellyfish like to gather there.
[edit] Marriage
Greenwich is a beautiful town to tie the knot in. It has churches of several Protestant denominations as well as two Catholic churches and a Synagogue [6]. In recent months since same-sex marriage became legal in Connecticut, Greenwich has become a popular destination for same-sex couples from New York and elsewhere who want to marry. The town welcomes anyone who wishes to make their commitments official, and the local businesses welcome the extra business.
[edit][add listing] Buy
Shopping on Greenwich Avenue is expensive, but quite a unique experience. There are a number of upscale stores, particularly along Greenwich Ave. which will help relieve you of great amounts of money, the largest being Saks FIfth Avenue.
[edit][add listing] Eat
Greenwich offers various types of cuisines, including Italian, French, Thai, and more. Eateries in town run the gamut from fast food chains, such as McDonald's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell, and other inexpensive options - at Chicken Joe's, a take-out venue and home of the famous "High School Special" (235 East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob. Hurry though, it closes very early!), a full meal can be had for three dollars, and be sure to try their special spicing - to mid-range and upscale restaurants.
One popular dining option in town is pizza. Pizzerias of note are Planet Pizza, Glenville Pizza, Pizza Factory, and Pizza Post. For a wider selection of Italian-style cuisine, there are restaurants such as Bella Nonna and Terra Ristorante Italiano.
Asian restaurants are in abundance in Greenwich in every price range. For those seeking Chinese food, there are take-out options, such as Yangtze Riverside Restaurant. Moderately-priced Chinese restaurants include Hunan Cafe and Hunan Gourmet. Other Asian cuisines are available in Greenwich, as well. Asiana Cafe and Penang Grill in Central Greenwich offer pan-Asian cuisine and Abis which offers Japanese food in both traditional and Hibachi style. Little Thai Kitchen, in Byram, offers authentic Thai food at reasonable prices, and was reviewed favorably in The New York Times. These are but a sampling of the wide array available - perusal of a restaurant guide, such as Zagat's, will offer more information.
For those seeking a more refined dining experience, Greenwich boasts many upscale eateries. One is Restaurant Jean-Louis, home to award-winning French chef Jean-Louis Gerin, recent (as of May 8th, 2006) recipient of the "Best Chef in Northeast America" distinction from the James Beard Foundation. Other high class restaurants include the Homestead Inn which offers a wonderfull setting and Rebecca`s in Glenville where you get a mondain almost European feel with delicious food, wine and service.
[edit][add listing] Drink
Alcohol is of course available in many restaurants at all hours, however the only dedicated bar in town is called Taboo located on Railroad Ave. across from the Train Station. As Connecticut is a state with Blue laws there is a restriction on the sale of alcohol; Alcohol is not sold after 9 PM on Saturdays or on Sundays, if you want to buy some during this time, you can head right across the border to Wesscon (plain sign on an island right across for the Carvel) on Sundays until six or to an all-night gas station in Portchester.
[edit] Learn
Greenwich has an extensive public school system [7], mainly funded by town property taxes. As of October 1st, 2004, the enrollment in Greenwich public schools totaled 9,083 for the 2004-2005 academic year. This includes eleven elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school (Greenwich High School).
Eagle Hill School, one of the nation's premiere schools for children with learning disabilities, was founding in 1974 in Greenwich. It is located at 45 Glenville Road.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
- For travelers on a small budget, the Howard Johnson's on East Putnam Ave (a.k.a. Route 1, or The Post Road) between exits 4 and 5 on I-95 offers reasonably priced accommodations.
- Travelers with larger budgets might consider the upscale Delamar Greenwich Harbor hotel or the Hyatt Regency.
- Hyatt Regency Greenwich, 1800 East Putnam Avenue. Greenwich, CT 06870, [8]. edit
[edit] Contact
- The Town of Greenwich [9] has a website with quite a of information.
[edit] Newspapers
- The Greenwich Time [10] is the town's daily newspaper. The Greenwich Post and Greenwich Citizen are free papers which are mailed to all residents.
- The New York Times [11] has a Connecticut section on the weekends.
[edit] Stay safe
Greenwich is probably one of the safest towns in America with crime rates well below the state and national levels. [12] In fact you can walk around all night and feel completely assured that nothing bad is likely to happen except possibly tripping on a root.
It would be wise to walk on the side of roads even on quiet side streets as many teenagers tend to enjoy speeding down them.
[edit] Cope
When moving here you can become a member of the Old Greenwich Newcomers Club. This club offers you many activities for all ineterests like a bookclub, a recipe club, Lobster Fest and much more. This way you will meet people from all nationalities living in your area.
[edit] Get out
To the east you can find the Town and City of Stamford (its official name), whcih is right next door to Greenwich. There you can find the Stamford Town Center Mall and the attached Landmark Square Multiplex. To the west you will find the village of Portchester which is home to a sizeable movie theatre (16 auditoriums), beware Portchester at night though as it is somewhat seedy.
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