Earlier this month, I was delighted to be interviewed by Dan Woog for his 06880 podcast/vlog.
Can’t lie - I’m used to being on the other side of the interviewing table and now have a new appreciation for the subjects of my interrogations.
Among the questions he asked me was, “What is the Westport lifestyle?” A great question and, no doubt, one in which my sputtered response will underwhelm listeners everywhere.
But it’s a question that merits more thought and a more coherent response, because what is the Westport lifestyle now?
We live in an expensive, exclusive town on the beach. There is breathtaking wealth and breathtaking beauty, both people and places, at every turn. For this reason, it’s easy and convenient for outsiders - even some insiders - to define or dismiss us as aspirational.
I’d disagree with that, though we certainly live an elevated lifestyle.
But if a team of martians planted themselves on Main Street and forced me to decide, I’d say: Westport lifestyle is busy.
We’re busy making Emmy-award winning TV shows and starring in Broadway shows. We’re busy litigating high-profile cases and opening restaurants around the country.
We’re busy getting our kids out the door every morning and organizing group gifts for the bus drivers.
The number of gyms and sports alone is testament to the activity we seek and the energy we need to burn. Have you seen how many people hurl themselves into the Long Island Sound mid-winter? Or those who swim at sunrise, red buoys tethered to their midsections?
Sports keep us bustling, as do making sets for the high school and middle school musicals. We’re busy bristling plots of public grass with related signage.
Oh, and shopping, cooking! How many grocery stores are we keeping in business? I don’t know, but I bet the people who are busy at DiscoverWestportCT.com can let me know.
We’re not busy mowing our own lawns, necessarily. And when our internet is down we may marvel at the inactivity required while waiting in the calling queue for service help.
Chat GPT insists our “lifestyle is known for its quaint New England charm,” which doesn’t even make sense.
But in all fairness, it’s not an easy question and AI is hardly an expert on "life." So... yeah.
