THE JERUSALEM POST S U N D A Y, J U N E 1 3 , 2 0 1 0 TRAVEL TRENDS 7

Westport: The Beverly Hills of the East

This Connecticut town has a star-spangled community and is a magnet for creative types
By STACEY MORRIS
Special to The Jerusalem Post

W
ESTPORT, Connecticut If youve been
searching for a coastal getaway thats anti-
thetical to the tourist-trappings of so many
New England seaside towns, Westport fits
the bill perfectly.
The town of approximately 30,000 sits quietly at the
edge of Long Island Sound and is close enough to New
York City for an easy day trip or weekend getaway. It may
not be a red-hot vacation destination, but Westport is
chock full of the elements that make it ideal for those
seeking quiet doses of sea breezes, boating, plentiful
seafood and shopping.
Long known as an affluent bedroom community of
Manhattan, the first urbanites were said to have started
fanning out to Westport as early as 1640, when the city
was still known as New Amsterdam.
Westport has often been called the Beverly Hills of the
East, a star-spangled community where Broadway and
Hollywood luminaries have quietly chosen to live. Top-
ping the list are Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward,
who moved to town in 1960 and several years later,
became the driving force behind the Westport Country
Playhouse, widely known as one the countrys most
respected summer theaters. Other past and present resi-
dents of Westports manicured hills include Bette Davis,
singers Michael Bolton and Neil Sedaka, sports personali-
ty Chris Mad Dog Russo and talk show legend Phil
Donohue.
Perhaps because Westport has been a magnet for cre-
ative types, its devotion to the performing arts is evident.
Aside from the Westport Country Playhouse, the Levitt THE WESTPORT Country Playhouse, widely known as one the countrys most respected summer theaters. (Westport Chamber of Commerce)

Pavilion for the Performing Arts hosts live performances

of jazz, ballet, vocalists and classical theater throughout
the summer and the Westport Public Library offers sym-
phonies, lectures, book signings and films year-round.
I enjoy Westport for the art and music events hap-
pening all the time. And the rural atmosphere is very
charming, even though were so close to New York
City, said musician Rene Valentine, who moved from
New Jersey five years ago. My boyfriend and I are
boaters, so here we have the luxury of being at the
shore in 10 minutes, compared to driving hours in traf-
fic to get to the New Jersey shore.
Not surprisingly, summers mean restaurants and
beaches brimming with tourists; but theres no wrong
time to visit. Westports winters are fairly mild, and
spring and fall are known for perfect, middle-of-the-
road temperatures. So just zero in on a month to visit,
and enjoy.
The writer is a freelancer based in Lake George, New York.
www.staceymorris.com

GETTING THERE
Westport is approximately 50 miles north-
east of New York City via I-95 North. Visit
www.westportchamber.com or call (203) 227-
9234 for more information.
ATTRACTIONS
Compo Beach, 170 Riverside Avenue, West-
port. The 29-acre park features miles of sandy
shoreline overlooking Long Island Sound, a
boardwalk and pavilion, picnic and grilling
areas, a softball field, volleyball courts, basket-
ball courts and a new playground. Open year-
round.
Earthplace, 10 Woodside Lane, Westport
(203) 227-7253 www.earthplace.org. A
nature education center that is accredited by
the American Association of Museums features
hands-on natural history museum, live ani-
mals, native plant court and trails through the
62-acre sanctuary.
Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts, (203)
226-7600 (203) 221-2153 (concert hot line),
Jesup Road (located behind Westport Public
Library), www.levittpavilion.com. Westports
version of the Saratoga Performing Arts Cen-
ter is located on the banks of the Saugatuck
River. The amphitheater provides more than
50 nights of free entertainment (plus some
special ticketed events) from mid-June-August.
Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, 10 North
Water Street, Norwalk, Connecticut, (203)
852-9700, www.maritimeaquarium.org.
Located in neighboring Norwalk, the aquari-
um is rich in the regions maritime history, and
features dozens of sea animals from sea otters
to tiger sharks, a harbor seal pool, a stingray
touch pool and an IMAX theater.
Music for Youth, Westport, (203) 227-1611,
www.musicforyouth.net. A not-for-profit
organization dedicated to bringing classical
music to the communitys youth through a
monthly series of free concerts performed by
award-winning artists with special skills in
audience communication. The concerts, fea-
turing virtuosic pianists, violinists, string quar-
tets, etc., take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday
afternoons, September through May at the
Pequot Library in Southport.
Sherwood Island, (860) 424-3200. The 235-
acre state park is in the Greens Farms section
of Westport. It features interpretative nature
programs, hiking, beaches and picnic areas.
Weston Historical Society-Coley House and
Farm, 104 Weston Road, Weston, (203) 226-
1804, www.westonhistoricalsociety.org. Fea-
tures an1841 furnished house, barn, outbuild-
ings and farm implements. Tours are available
by appointment. Open Saturdays from 10:30
a.m.-12:30 p.m. year-round.
Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue,
Westport, (203) 222-7070, www.westportarts-
center.org. The visual and performing arts
organization offers programming that includes
contemporary art exhibits and gallery talks,
chamber music, jazz, literature and film.
Westport Astronomical Society, 182 Bayber-
ry Lane, Westport, (203) 293-8759, www.was-
ct.org. The Rolnick Observatory is free and
open to the public every Wednesday and
Thursday night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
(weather permitting). The Dome Observatory
houses a 12.5-inch f/4.8 Newtonian telescope.
On moonless nights, the society takes out the
portable 25-inch Obsession telescope, the
largest in the state available to the public.
Westport Community Theatre, Inc., 110
Myrtle Avenue, Westport Town Hall, Westport,
(203) 226-1983, www.westportcommuni-
tytheatre.com. The critically acclaimed local
theater group puts on five main stage produc-
tions and hosts the Experimental Theatre
Company, a training ground for new direc-
tors, actors and playwrights.
Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers
Court, Westport, (203) 227-4177 (888) 927-
7529, www.westportplayhouse.org. Known
for providing relevant, challenging and inno-
vative programming, the playhouse offers
eight main productions each year, as well as a
variety of additional programming. Paul New-
man, Joanne Woodward, James Earle Jones
and Jane Fonda are some of the luminaries
who have performed there.
Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place,
Westport, (203) 222-1424, www.westporthis-
tory.org. The Westport Historical Society,
founded in 1889, is an educational organiza-
tion dedicated to preserving, presenting and
celebrating the towns history. The societys
headquarters is located at the Wheeler House,
which is listed on the National Register of His-
toric Places. Also on the property is the
Bradley-Wheeler Barn, the only octagonal-
roof, cobblestone barn in Connecticut; it
houses the Museum of Westport History. The
society also hosts lectures, exhibits, events and
other programs throughout the year.
DINING
Dressing Room, 27 Powers Court, Westport.
(203) 226-1114, www.dressingroomhome-
grown.com. Serving local, organic and heir-
loom fare, the restaurant is the brainchild of
food activist Michael Nischan and the late
Paul Newman. Specialties include kettle maca-
roni and cheese with cured pork belly, sun-
burst trout and mixed grains risotto style.
LODGING
The Inn at Longshore, 260 South Compo
Road, Westport, (203) 226-3316, www.innat-
longshore.com. The Inn at National Hall, 2
Post Road West, Westport, (800) 628-4255,
www.innatnationalhall.com.

Interested in a gourmet
kosher cruise?
Come aboard...
By BRIAN BLONDY pared by winning Israeli chefs and a wide
variety of customized Jewish entertain-
ment options.

W
hile abroad on holiday, find-
ing a suitable kosher restau-
rant is not a simple task for
those with a discriminating
palate.
In recent years though, a travel industry
is emerging which combines five-star
gourmet kosher fare with travel to exotic
destinations.
With demand for catered kosher tours
at its highest, tour operator Eddies Travel
has announced five new kosher cruises
scheduled for this summer.
Produced in conjunction with Kosherica,
a leading organizer of kosher cruises since
1995, the offerings include cruises head-
ed for the Mediterranean, Alaska and the
Baltic Sea, and tours along the US-Cana-
da border.
As one of the key movers in this indus-
try, Eddies Travel CEO David Welles
believes this sector is growing quickly
because it is now becoming more afford-
able to travel completely kosher and to
visit the array of destinations previously
thought impossible due to a lack of culi-
nary options.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post,
Welles explained that the uniqueness of
kosher travel stems from its diversity in
destinations and daily food options for
everyone. Welles is ecstatic that the com-
monality of keeping kosher can bring
people from all sectors of the Jewish
world together.
Our kosher cruises provide a common
denominator of people who want to
observe Shabbat and kashrut and have a
Jewish experience, he said. On board,
we provide the framework for the experi-
ence by having kashrut-certified food pre-
Welles said that an abundance of global
travel destinations is often not considered
optional by the Jewish Anglo community
due to a lack of English being spoken
there. He admits that finding kosher food
is one of the biggest obstacles.
According to Welles, a cruise holiday
has weathered the storm of the recession,
providing great value to acquire a total
Jewish cultural experience.
The travel packages are hosted on
ultra-modern luxury liners from the top
names in the industry, such as Celebrity,
Holland American and Costa. With prices
ranging from $2,000 to $9,000 per per-
son, keeping kosher abroad, while relax-
ing at sea, can be available at all price
points.
Our main focus has been on the Jew-
ish cruise market, and providing hotels
for Pessah and Succot, said Welles.
Though now with kosher cruises, we
have created a completely new niche for
KOSHER CUISINE: The view, from the upper
observant Jews. On our cruises there is
deck of the Costa Fortunaat, of the port of
something for everyone keeping kosher, Grand Turk in the Caribbean (top); a
and thats the beauty of what a cruise buffet of freshly slice meat and salad.
can do for an observant family. Many (Dena Wimpfheimer/Yissachar Ruas)
families bring their whole family on
board, from people in their 30s with
their young families to great grandpar- to once never considered non-kosher des-
ents in their 80s bringing generations to tinations such as China, India, South
all be together. America and Australia.
With distinguished scholars in resi- While the tours may not be suitable for
dence, such as Rabbi Marvin Hier of the youngsters in their 20s looking for fun
Simon Weisenthal Center, and Jewish and partying, Eddies Travel scores by
entertainers Dudu Fisher and Avraham offering kosher-observant families the
Fried on board, staying stimulated and opportunity to experience five-star
entertained on board is easy for all. kosher cuisine and luxury accommoda-
In addition, Eddies Travel is organizing tions, while seeing some of the most
and designing separate land travel kosher interesting ports of call they never con-
packages for 16 people and up, catering sidered visiting.