The Cherry Blossom Festival at Mill River Park is a short walk from our downtown Stamford apartments

The Mill River Park Cherry Blossom Festival is nearly upon us! Starting at 11 a.m. this Saturday, May 5, residents of The Townhouse, Morgan Manor and Hoyt-Bedford, our Stamford apartments for rent, will be just a short walk away from the gorgeous park and festivities. There will be performances, workshops and fun ways to celebrate both Japanese culture and the history of Japanese Americans in Stamford.

The huge festival is in honor of 100 cherry trees which were planted in Mill River Park by Junzo Nojima in 1957 as a thank you for accepting him into the community. He personally cared for them year after year, and the Stamford Tree Foundation has continued that legacy by taking cuttings from them and planting the cuttings as a part of the Mill River Part revitalization. Unfortunately, the mild winter provided an early blossom this year, but the festival will continue to delight this Saturday!

There will be a main stage with demonstrations of Japanese music and martial arts throughout the day.  There will be workshops to learn more about Japanese graphic novels, Manga, and the history and proper applications of the graceful Japanese tea ceremony. Both workshops will be presented three times each. In the arts and crafts zone, there will be kimono dressing with a photo booth and instructional classes on a number of Japanese artistic endeavors. Try your hand at paper folding (origami), fish printing (gyotaku) and black ink painting (sumie). For refreshments between all the fun, food will be offered by Kujaku restaurant.

It looks like it’ll be fun for all! For more great events around our communities of Stamford, Hamden, New Haven, Branford and Norwalk rentals, check in on our website often.

The interior of the Shubert, just one of the great places near our Hamden rental apartments to see a great show or great concert

There’s so much to enjoy around our Hamden rental apartments that we couldn’t fit it all into one article. For new residents, there are lots of great venues for live cultural performances around the Hamden and New Haven area to entertain, educate and enjoy.

You will always find cultural enrichment at a Hamden Symphony Orchestra performance. The symphony is affiliated with Quinnipiac University, so Quinnipiac students and faculty can participate in the orchestra with students earning college credits. This is a great chance to see some rising stars of classical music, including soloists and conductors. If you’re looking for a historic, non-collegiate symphony experience, you can enjoy the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, which is the fourth oldest symphony orchestra in the entire nation.

If you are looking for dramatic performances on stage, Hamden has a wide number of theaters available, too! The Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven is known for offering fresh interpretations of the classics and provides opportunities for faculty and students to gain dramatic training and experience. Shubert Performing Arts Center, also in New Haven, is known as the “Birthplace of the Nation’s Greatest Hits.” It is said that the Shubert represents the heartbeat of the area’s cultural life. Last but not least, the Long Wharf Theatre is another vibrant arts organization that has brought many award-winning theatre pieces to Connecticut.

For more information about how to have fun and see the best sites around our Hamden, Branford, Stamford, New Haven and Norwalk apartments, check out our website. To be kept in the loop about great events to enjoy around Hamden, Like the Seramonte Facebook page.

There are many great cultural events to enjoy around our Hamden apartment rentals

There are many great places and cultural events that take place in Hamden and the surrounding area which new residents to our Seramonte Hamden rental apartments can enjoy easily.

In Hamden, you can explore the Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop offering changing exhibits and a fabulous outdoor water Learning Lab.  Hamden is also the home of Peabody Museum of Natural History, where you can explore the wonders of the natural world. There is a collection of dinosaur fossils, prehistoric mammals, birds of Connecticut and more. If you enjoy visiting museums, you may also want to visit the Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon Museum in Cheshire, CT featuring comic strip cartoons and character memorabilia.

There is no shortage of historic sites in Hamden. You can visit the Eli Whitney Barn with is country dances, folk music and summer theater. Jonathan Dickerman House is a preserved late 18^th century farming home complete with herb garden and documented folk medicines. The Jepp Brook early Millsite is an archeological preserve in the Mt. Carmel section of Hamden, and contains visible remains of an industrial mill site. The site is owned by the Town of Hamden and is listed on the State Register of Historic places.

The Town of Hamden will present its 76^th Annual Memorial Day Parade on May 28, 2012 at 10 a.m. at Hamden High School. The Parade will head along Dixwell Avenue and march to Hamden’s Memorial Town Hall. After the Parade, there will be a ceremony at the Veterans Memorial when wreaths will be placed at the Memorial. The Parade is a tribute to our veterans, and a source of pride to the citizens of Hamden. If you are a new resident, you will want to put this on your calendar as it’s a great way to see the city and meet new friends. You can also join in on the parade by contacting the Hamden Mayor’s Office.

Look forward to part two soon! For more information about our Hamden, Norwalk, Hamden, Branford, New Haven or Stamford apartments for rent, explore our website.

Hamden and New Haven rentals residents can't miss the International Festival of Arts and Ideas

The diverse city of New Haven, Connecticut is the ideal environment for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas and there’s no better place to live and enjoy the festival than our New Haven rentals! This year’s Festival is going to be loaded with performances, dialogues and a multitude of events you won’t want to miss. Festival activities begin on June 16 and run through June 30, 2012.

All of New Haven is looking forward to the festival, which mostly takes place on the historic New Haven Green. Several events will be held at the Long Wharf Theatre, the legendary Shubert Theater and in many locations in Yale University including various courtyards, auditoriums and theaters. The festival attracts a global audience with a broad-base of interests, ages and ethnicities.

There will be free concerts on the New Haven Green throughout the festival. There will also be a Dinosaur Petting Zoo on the New Haven Green which should prove to be an interesting attraction. At Morse Recital Hall, there will be Music at Dusk performances by artists such as the Ben Allison Band with poet Robert Pinsky. Many other theater and dance performances will entertain and educate festival goers, ranging from Off Broadway Theater to Shakespeare. There will also be displays at the Yale University Art Gallery as well as lectures throughout the entirety of the festival. These talks and displays will range widely in topics and are free.

All told, the festival will offer hundreds of international events from over 20 countries. You will definitely want to gather friends and family to enjoy this amazing event, and start planning today for two weeks of unbelievable entertainment. For other great activities around our New Haven, Norwalk, Hamden, Branford and Stamford apartments for rent, be sure to check our website.

Brunches around our Stamford rental apartments are much more than good pancakes!

Downtown Stamford is such a vibrant part of the city that you might get the idea we’re all go-go-go here at our Stamford rental apartments! While there certainly is a wide selection of activities to choose from, sometimes there’s nothing better than sitting down to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee and watching the world go by for a little while. Sunday brunch is a wonderful opportunity to relax, eat, catch up with friends or just read the paper. If you lived in one of our Stamford Apartment communities of Morgan Manor on Morgan Street, Hoyt-Bedford on Hoyt Street or The Townhouse Apartments on Prospect Street, you’d be perfectly situated to sample some great local cafes located just a short stroll away.

Tiernan’s on Bedford Street is an Irish Pub & Restaurant and offers a Sunday house special: the Irish Breakfast with Irish bacon, sausages, eggs, black & white pudding, baked beans, tomato, mushrooms & a choice of French fries. It’s a very filling meal and a sure way to start your Sunday.

A little further down Bedford Street is the Capriccio Café. Here you can sit outdoors, sip a Bellini and contemplate whether to start with their caprese inslate (tomato & mozzarella salad) or go straight into their famous Farfalle al Salmone (bow tie pasta with fresh and smoked salmon in a champagne chive cream sauce).

If Sunday means bagels to you, at the other end of Bedford Street, turning right onto High Ridge Road will bring you to one of Stamford’s true gems. Liz-Sue Bagels in the Bull’s Head shopping center has been around for more than 25 years and they are the place to go for a bag of fresh, still-warm, delicious bagels in any one of a dozen varieties with your choice of toppings or spreads. You can pick up some bagels & some fresh espresso to enjoy at one of the parks or take them back home, and settle in on the sofa with the papers, and think about how smart you were to choose to live in our Stamford apartments!

There are lots of great dining opportunities all around our Branford, Hamden, New Haven and Norwalk apartments, too! Explore our website to learn more about them as well as renter incentives and fun events.

While everyone loves a sale, strategic shopping around Stamford rental apartments can save you a lot of money, too!

It’s true that generally speaking, Fairfield County can present a bit of “sticker shock” at first, but it doesn’t have to be that way for residents of our Hoyt-Bedford, Morgan Manor and Townhouse Stamford rental apartments.  We have come up with a few tricks that can save you a lot of money.

Since grocery shopping can often be one of the highest bills, it’s worth your while to spend time now exploring, to save money later. Downtown Stamford has some great world-class shopping options like Fairway or the mega Stop ‘N Shop where you can find specialty cheeses, oils & coffees from all over the world. On Prospect Street just across from our Townhouse Apartments, you’ll find La Marqueta, a small grocery store that offers fresh cuts of meat and poultry as well as large selections of fresh fruit & veggies. Their prices are often 20%-50% lower than the larger chain stores and their deli counter is our pick for the freshest chicken salad in town!

To save money on clothes, you need to “divide and conquer.”  While there are plenty of mid and high-end stores in town where you can find the latest fashions or career-wear, there’s probably a lot of your clothing needs you can save money on by shopping at Target on Broad St. It’s just about four blocks away from our Hoyt-Bedford and Morgan Manor apartments and its open early and late.

Finally, since housing is the biggest monthly expense for many, it makes sense to research your options in advance. At the Stamford Apartment Company, we offer some of the lowest cost per square foot pricing in the area. We have three properties in downtown Stamford that provide a wide range of apartments, finishes, amenities and rental costs. The Hoyt-Bedford apartments feature gleaming hardwood floors, lots of closet space and a convenient location. The Morgan Manor offers peace-of-mind with controlled access to the property, private terraces for each apartment and free parking. The elegant Townhouse on Prospect St. includes updated kitchens, European washer/dryers and a downtown location.

Give us a call today at (203) 325-3848 and see how much money we can save you, and be sure to explore our website to see how much we can save you on our Stamford, Norwalk, Hamden, New Haven and Branford apartment rentals!

The Daisy is the birth flower of April, and we are looking forward to seeing lots of beautiful flowers around our Hamden Rental Apartments soon!

April is the opening of spring and it exudes freshness and virility. There are lots of ways to enjoy the season around our Hamden rental apartments, from the holidays during the month to celebrating the lesser known facts about the month. For instance, the cuckoo bird arrives this month, which is our first official signal that spring is here. April also starts on the same day of the week as July in all years.

Although its origin is uncertain, the month of April begins with the fun day of jokes known as April Fools’ Day. It’s a great time for good-humored jokes and pranks which was recorded earliest in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Later in April are two religious holidays. Passover begins on April 6 and Easter is on Sunday, April 8. There are many opportunities to celebrate these in Hamden.

The flower of the month for April is the Daisy, and the alternate birth flower is the Sweet Pea.  These large, bold flowers come in dozens of colors.  They are one of the most popular cut flowers as they always have a fresh, cheerful look, and work well in any floral arrangement.

April’s birthstone is the twinkling diamond.  It symbolizes romance, trust, loyalty, purity, innocence, faith, power and wealth all rolled up into one. The word “diamond” comes from the Greek word “adamastos,” which means invincible. The beauty of this ever-lasting stone is breathtaking. It is much sought after because of its incredible durability, attributed to the fact that it is the hardest mineral available on the face of the earth. This brilliant gemstone has captured the hearts of millions of people around the world as a symbol of an enduring relationship.

For more fun facts as well as great renter incentives and things to do around our Hamden, Norwalk, Branford, New Haven and Stamford rental apartments, be sure to explore our website, where you can also find information about our communities.

Rico's delivers a delicious pizza pie to Stamford rental apartments.

Residents of Downtown Stamford have so many options when they want to dine out, it can be hard to decide.  One choice that’s always a hit at Stamford rental apartments is pizza. You can choose deep dish at Remo’s or try one of the specialty pies at California Pizza Kitchen near the Mall. For traditional thin crust pizza delivered hot and fresh to your door, you’d have to go with Rico’s Pizza. They are relatively new to Stamford, having opened their first location just about a year ago, but they’ve made such a hit here in town that they’re getting ready to open their second location in the Newfield section of town.

Rico’s gained some local notoriety last summer after the owners of another restaurant accused Rico’s of stealing their secret recipe and threatened to sue. The case was quickly dismissed and Rico’s continued its rise in popularity with free delivery and acceptance of credit cards, which allowed it to step ahead of its competition.

Rico’s will open their new location on at 597 Newfield Avenue, not far from the Grade A supermarket, in May. They plan to completely renovate the space in the meantime. Aside from the owners’ initial plans, demand is largely what has driven Rico’s expansion. Their original location at 170 Selleck Street was primarily intended for takeout and delivery. Within three months, they added a hundred seats to the dining area to meet demand.

The menu at the new location will be identical to the original, with salad and pizza, including customer favorites like hot oil pizza and pies topped with chicken sausage. Though the Newfield Green Shopping Center generally has plenty of traffic, with the supermarket, a CVS branch and a bakery, tenants of the location expect that Rico’s will bring an increase in customers to the area, benefitting all the merchants.  Residents of our Hoyt-Bedford, Morgan Manor or Townhouse apartments can call for free delivery (203) 674-8970 or stop in to either location to get their favorite pizza hot out of the ovens.

For other great dining opportunities around our Stamford, Norwalk, Branford or Hamden rental apartments, be sure to explore our website and blog.

Stamford Apartment Company's Hoyt Bedford, one of three excellent options in Stamford

As any experienced apartment hunter can tell you, springtime is just about the busiest season to look for your new place. Although Stamford has a lot in terms of the sheer number of rental units available, to find the one that’s right for you in your budget can be daunting. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by exploring Stamford Apartment Company’s Stamford rental apartments offerings, where we can show you all three of our centrally-located apartment communities easily and find you a prime spot for your new home.

The Townhouse apartments on Prospect Street offer updated kitchens, washers/dryers in each unit and the closest location to the downtown area. The Morgan Manor Apartments on Morgan Street are a couple of blocks away but still in walking distance to downtown Stamford. Here you’ll find a peaceful retreat with two beautifully maintained buildings, mature shade trees and private terraces for each unit. The Hoyt-Bedford apartments on Hoyt Street combine the best of in-town living close to all the shops and services you require with affordable prices. These apartments are perfect for a first place, couples on a budget or those saving up for a home purchase.

Each apartment building we offer has exceptional additions added standard, like heat, hot water and cooking gas all included in the rent. Each community also has its own built in fitness center, plenty of parking, beautifully landscaped grounds, clothes care centers and more to make them the perfect space for you.

Once you’ve decided on the apartment for you, you’ll want to move fast to secure it. Still, be sure to review the lease document carefully and discuss all terms with your leasing agent to be sure you are clear on what it covers. Common points that you definitely want to make clear are roommates, pets, rent due dates & methods of payment accepted. The leasing agents at Stamford Apartment Company are all well-trained & experienced rental agents who can help you find the perfect place that meets both your needs and budget. If you’re looking for Branford, New Haven, Norwalk or Hamden rental apartments, be sure to check out our blog for additional accommodations.

Frozen bubbles and other fun projects are available for parents of Hamden rental apartments

Residents of our Hamden rental apartments who are looking for winter crafts and other activities for family fun are sure to find Nickelodeon’s Parents Connect a very resourceful place to visit. The website offers a wealth of seasonal activities that are educational, creative and will keep kids busy. The information ranges from pregnancy to parenting and products from toys and books to music and video games.

Many of the ideas are low-cost but still very entertaining, like making frozen bubbles. All you need are temperatures below zero and some bubble solution and wands. You can buy the solution or use the site’s recipe to make your own. It sounds like lots of fun, and it’s definitely something to do when temps dip below 32 degrees. One thing about frozen bubbles is that they last a lot longer than the ones the kids blow in July and are gorgeous.

Another fun activity is creating fridge or window art.  Kids can either trace, draw or cut out designs which can be colored or painted before they are stuck on the windows. Window clings are a fabulous idea for theme designs, and they are a project the kids love to do.  The finished project provides a visual treat giving the kids an opportunity to admire their accomplishments.

If you have kids you want to keep busy at home, then visit that site. You’ll be delighted at the extensive list of indoor activities that keep cabin fever under control during cold winter days. Check our blog for other great resources, incentives and fun things to do for residents in our Hamden, Stamford, Norwalk or Branford apartment rentals.