Last week Cinema City closed at its Brainard Road location and reopened as a wing inside of the Palace 17 & Odyssey Theater complex on New Park Avenue. When Bow Tie was opening in Blue Back Square, they promised to play art films and backed out of that promise, sticking to mainstream blockbusters. There has been concern that something similar will occur to Cinema City at its new site, that the art films its known for will be phased out in favor of popular moneymakers. Most of us know this part of the story.
Homefront provides another perspective about what has been lost by the decision to close the Brainard Road cinema, as well as some photos taken on the last night it was open.
There are many ways to look at economic disparities. Another way is to examine how Hartford compares to other areas of Connecticut. The following data is provided by OpenSecrets.org and is evaluated by zip code for 2008 and 2010:
06105: The West End and part of Asylum Hill has made the top political contributions (in terms of money) in the city. OpenSecrets.org ranks this area as giving six times what the average one does. Continue reading 'Who Gives Two Cents?'»
Economics, Hartford, History & Politics, Parkville, class, downtown, elections, not Hartford, political b.s., privilege, system, transportation
Tomorrow evening, a bicycle parade will be leaving from Real Art Ways at 7:30pm. Anyone with a bicycle can join in.
The route is not announced. Their website says it will be an hour-long parade around the Parkville neighborhood, but I have heard from some involved that this will swing by Billings Forge. At last night’s Creative Cocktail Party, an announcer said this parade would be ending in West Hartford Center. Totally confusing, since neither Billings Forge nor West Hartford Center are in Parkville, but okay, not surprising since the U.S. has a poor reputation when it comes to geography, and add to this the absolute reliance upon GPS for anyone to even leave their houses in the morning. What has been consistent is that it will be leaving from Real Art Ways, so if you want to watch or participate, get there on time.
A DJ will be pulled on a trailer behind a cargo bike. There was a little preview of this at Real Art Ways last evening.
Continue reading 'Real Ride Hartford'»
The final community listening session for the Planning & Zoning Commission will be Tuesday evening at Rawson School. So far, there have been sessions at the Pope Park Rec Center, United Methodist Church, and Metzner Rec Center. Each session has focused on proposed land use for nearby neighborhoods.
Continue reading 'Proposed Land Use for Hartford’s Neighborhoods'»
"north end", Asylum Hill, Barry Square, Behind the Rocks, Blue Hills, Clay Arsenal, Economics, Environment, Frog Hollow, Hartford, POCD, Parkville, South End, Urban Renewal, West End, architecture/design, blight, class, commentary, community, downtown, housing, library, neighborhoods, parks, photos, quality of life, south green, tax money in action, transportation
On Saturday, January 23rd, a performance of Handel’s Messiah (part I and the Hallelujah chorus) will take place at Our Lady of Sorrows on New Park Avenue at 6pm. This concert is a benefit for the Immaculate Conception Shelter, which operates two no-freeze shelters — one on Park Street and one on Lafayette Street.
Admission is free, but they welcome donations, including the non-monetary kind: men’s winter coats and clothing, blankets, men’s toiletries, and food.
After a few days away, I returned to find obnoxious (but fairly routine) comments littering the Topix forum that one is routed to from the online Hartford Courant.
On my trip, I was thinking about civic pride and the need for community and cooperation between neighboring towns. I am not talking about these qualities on a political level, but on a personal level. There is community here, within the city, but it’s not something that gets much press. Crime and corruption are made public. Poverty and illiteracy are treated as mascots for my city.
What does not make the news are the minutiae.
One Friday night I gathered with a half dozen women to eat local pizza in the host’s dining room. We wolfed down three pizzas and laughed. Nobody got shot or stabbed.
Last week, I ventured with a friend and two of her children to Colt Park. We were hoping to catch a women’s rugby game. Though it seemed to be canceled, we picked up some delicious goodies from Modern Pastry, watched runners cross the finish line at the Hartford Marathon in Bushnell Park, and then headed to La Paloma Sabanera for an actual lunch. At the coffee house, we ran into more friends. Again, nobody got shot or stabbed.
Continue reading 'Words vs. Pictures'»
"north end", Asylum Hill, Barry Square, Behind the Rocks, Clay Arsenal, Frog Hollow, Hartford, Parkville, Regionalism, South End, West End, community, downtown, food, fun, myth busting, not Hartford, parks, perception bias, photos, quality of life, south green, transportation
I don’t know how to not be snarky about this. It’s well-intended. It’s an area in dire need to love and care. Yet, I have my doubts about how thorough this section will be shined up, and how this effort will be maintained. After all, the small bank that had been “cleaned” a few weeks ago already contains litter; this visible spot with bright yellow flowers seems the easiest to maintain, but it’s openly neglected. It’s below a banner that declares “Hartford Cares.”
This area along Capitol Avenue has been one that has long caused me to bristle with resentment toward the mostly unhelpful 311 service, the irresponsible State of Connecticut, and various folks in the City of Hartford who are ready to pass the blame. Why should anyone want to address an area that reeks of urine and is so neglected that an abandoned sofa sat in plain view on the sidewalk for nearly two weeks before being moved, not to mention the numerous tires and other large trashed items that remain — for years — dumped behind a fence that is in remarkable disrepair? Why should anyone want to address a stretch of road that contains no street lighting, so that anyone trying to walk it at night has legitimate reason to worry? After writing about the iQuilt presentation, I find this matter even more infuriating. Bushnell Park is well-lit at night. An area of town that would be used more by residents than by visitors is dangerously dark, and seemingly not a priority to address. And I should know because I’ve often stumbled along the sidewalk here, unable to see what was underfoot, nevermind if someone was hanging out under the bridge. True, I could use Park Street instead, but I don’t think I’m being unreasonable by expecting a major thoroughfare to be usable after sunset. Continue reading 'Hope They Remove the Toilet'»
Over the last few days, a series of white poles have popped up on a hill in Pope Park. From a distance, they do not look like anything other than stakes hammered into the ground. The clotheslines actually form a labyrinth which allegedly “addresses the migratory voyages of the residents who reside in the neighborhood.” The artist, Satch Hoyt, is one of four who have public art projects sponsored by Real Art Ways.
Continue reading 'Public Art in Parkville and Frog Hollow'»
Comments (0) 
