I am, if nothing else, a creature of habit. Nearly every Sunday since I've lived here (three years next month) my routine has been the same. I'd first go to the corner bodega to pick up a Sunday New York Times and then down just two more storefronts to bagel place for a bagel and coffee. I then come home to read the paper, eat my breakfast and watch the Sunday morning politico shows. Today, though, I discovered that my routine could be no more.

When I first started my routine the bagel place (then known as the ever-catchy Hot Bagel) was a pretty spartan place run by a guy who'd owned it for many years. The evirons weren't fancy but, as several visitors to the haus of randomness can attest, the bagels were damn good. A little over a year ago he sold the store to a woman from the French West Indies. Soon the place was painted tropical colors, drenched in reggae tunes and offering fruit smoothies. One thing remained consistant, the damn good bagels. New new store, even more cleverly called The Oven, suffered though from simply horrible service. But the bagels...

Slow restaurants simply can't last in the newly trendy downtown Stamford. Today en route to the bodega I passed the new Italian restaurant that replaced the somewhat aging Italian restaurant on my corner. I got my Times and headed to the The Oven. I stopped in my tracks and let out a chuckle when I saw that its windows were now whitewashed and boasting a new sign:

Coming Soon! Lindy's Classic Burger and Malt Shop!

But the bagels...

Lindy's will certainly mark the end of another downtown Stamford establishment. It's being built, you see, next door to the brilliantly named Pat's Hubba Hubba, a '50s style burger joint. It's musty and slow but is open until 3 a.m. and certainly part of many routines. Thus goes progress in downtown Stamford.