Real Hartford

Green Activism on New Britain Avenue

The Green Vibration, formerly known as the Alchemy Juice Bar, seems to have rediscovered their mission. Last month they opened the eco-boutique in the space that’d been used as a yoga studio. The “juice bar” is now known as the Alchemy Cafe. The menu doesn’t seem to have changed any, but what’s most noticeable is the chalkboard wall covered in what looks like someone’s (or several people’s) environmentally-friendly brainstorm for Hartford. Some of the ideas listed on the board/wall: solar powered monorail, roof gardens, and reminders to boycott Wal*Mart and Home Depot. They’re also starting a cooperative, but there is an error on the information page for that– there are several farmers’ markets in Hartford, not just the Billings Forge one. Anyway, the food buyer’s club option is an appealing way to sidestep places like Whole Foods and Wild Oats, which have what I need but charge too much for it.

When HPD Gets Political

There’s a way to point out errors that’s not snippy. I don’t think individuals need to think about this as much as the government and its institutions need to. Perhaps this flippant reaction was inspired by the Courant’s coverage over the past few days of Perez and the HPD’s inaccurate claims of a total drop in crime. Their condescending tone is more akin to something one would read on a messageboard or comment feature than in an official press release. Y’all might want to get a refresher on professionalism over there.

Art Won’t Kill You

There are at least four openings or ongoing exhibits that sound remotely interesting to me.

First, for an old standby, the Wadsworth Atheneum has “Martin Luther King Jr.: Life, Times and Legacy” until April 27, 2008. This exhibit marks the 40th anniversary of King’s assassination. The Wadsworth is open Wednesday-Sunday. On Monday January 21, they will be open for MLK Day, and admission will be free that day.

Tomorrow night is the opening reception of [un+art] a collection of un+defined, un+juried, un+censored artworks in the tri-state area, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Hartford ArtSpace Gallery from 6-9. This exhibition at ArtSpace (555 Asylum) will close on January 27th. Admission is free. The money from any artwork purchased will go entirely to the artist.

I’m most excited about Paper/New England, a new-as-of-2007 art center in Hartford.  January 15th is the opening of a juried show at the Bushnell Promenade Gallery.

On January 17th, coinciding with Creative Cocktail Hour, Bradley Dean Wollman’s exhibit, The Little War,  will be opening at Real Art Ways. The CCH runs from 6-10pm.

But Perez Says the Crime Rate is Down

The article in today’s Courant about violent crime in Hartford…yeah, let’s talk about that. This is precisely the kind of article I’ve been waiting for them to get around to publishing over there. See, I swear I don’t make up stuff about crime in places like Cheshire being a rare instance. Yet, those sort of crimes get in depth media coverage and attention from lawmakers. When it happens here, we don’t usually read about the reasons for murders. There’s not usually any intervention either.

The following excerpt sheds a lot of light into why such killings might go on as if this is just a part of life here:

“I’m going to start asking our agencies” — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI — “if we are doing enough,” O’Connor said. “It [raises] the question, should [the federal government] be doing more?”

O’Connor says he will start talking to agencies. What reason can possibly be given for why he has not already been in touch with the federal government. Having the feds involved directly in Hartford is not necessarily the answer, but tapping into their research is a no-brainer.

Speaking of no-brainers, the most poignant quote got buried well into the article:

“You’re not going to arrest your way out of the social, economic and educational dilemma that is facing many urban centers,” Abdussabur said — adding that he was quoting from Police Chief Francisco Ortiz’s mantra.

Maybe prevention of violence is more complicated than suspending parole, and so it’s less attractive to talk about getting to the root causes of crime than it is to slap on one more bandage, as Gov. Rell continues to insist on doing.

Mayor Perez’s Inauguration Speech

For documentation, I’m posting his speech. I believe that any promises politicians make should be followed through on, so I”m pasting the contents of his speech here to ensure that the internets don’t mysteriously eat his words. I have put key passages into bold.

State, local elected and appointed officials and most importantly, family, friends and the
residents of Hartford— I am honored and humbled by your trust you have placed in me to
serve as your Mayor for another four years.

Continue reading Mayor Perez’s Inauguration Speech…

resolutions for hartford

Sandra Marshall of East Hampton has some resolutions she’d like to see people who live or work in Hartford practice. My comments follow her list, which was published in today’s Courant.

1. Act clean and green. Pick up your trash and even someone else’s mess if necessary, because a clean city is a welcoming place to visit and work.

2. Drive respectfully. Speeding is not user- or visitor-friendly to drivers or pedestrians.

3. Turn down the volume. Not everyone shares the same taste in music, and noise pollution distracts from the beauty of the city.

4. Congregate in places meant for gathering and conversation. The street is not the place to stop and catch up on news with friends or complete transactions. (Visitors might think something unsavory is going down.)

5. Walk and cross streets in walkways and crosswalks. No driver wants to live in fear of hitting people who pop out from between parked vehicles, especially if they lead with a baby stroller.

For me, these few little resolutions would definitely make Hartford more tourist- and user-friendly. Oh, yes, affordable parking wouldn’t hurt, either.

This is a good start. I’d like to suggest expanding this list to deal with the origins of several of these problems–our car dependent culture.

Why not resolve to make more sensible bus routes, so that the huge chunk of residents who don’t own cars can get around faster and not have to congregate so long at the bus stops? Why not invite more commuters to carpool or vanpool so the problem is reduced?

Here’s a few suggestions of my own, which I’m going to add to later today when I have more time:

-Drivers should obey traffic signals and signs, such as no-turn-on-red. Pedestrians often get frustrated waiting for cross signals only to get nearly plowed over my idiots who insist on not waiting 30 seconds for the pedestrian signals to stop. Ahem!

-Reduce the amount of trash by reducing the number of Dunkin Donuts and other fast food. At the very least, Dunkin Donuts should require patrons to bring their own reusable mugs, to eliminate the use-once-and-toss cups that are more common than cigarette butts in the city

-Businesses should create rooftop garden areas. This would give employees and others a place to “congregate” and not block the flow of traffic.

-Turn the insurance companies into parking garages and eliminate on-street parking. This frees up space for bike lanes and would get rid of much of the gridlock.

-The City Place food court should do some reconstruction so that instead of being walled in, there are lots of windows, making the area more visible from the sidewalks. Efforts should be made to open the city more to get a sense of community.

-Install toll booths on major arteries to collect from private vehicles, like Wethersfield, Farmington, Asylum, Franklin, and New Britian Avenue. This, like many of my other ideas, might not sound practical, but this can help the city get revenue from those who insist on continuing to not use public transportation. It could be like a reverse diamond-lane idea– a tax on those who don’t carpool.

-regularly set up spotchecks, especially downtown, to deter people from deciding to drive while intoxicated. I seem to read something once a month now about accidents caused by people driving the wrong way onto highways. How does this happen? My guess is the sweet cocktail of being unfamiliar with the area combined with alcohol or other substances that impair.

-mandate roads and sidewalks be adequately cleared of ice and snow in a timely manner…not just before a major concert or game is planned to happen downtown.

The End for Sprawl

Eduardo M. Penalver’s article, Beginning of the End for Sprawl? is a little more optimistic than I am about how soon people might return to sensible, urban dwelling, but he hits on the issues.

Here’s the thing– so many people will defend their way of life, even if it makes no sense. Continue reading The End for Sprawl…

First Thursday

Tonight at the Wadsworth Atheneum there’s going to be a gallery talk–”Martin Luther King, Jr.: Life, Times, and Legacy”–as part of their Art After Hours cocktail party. Live music will be performed by Vance Gilbert.

Tuesday Night

I went out to Tisane’s last night and was in awe of how deserted the city was. CF and I were trying to decide if people were just partied out, all having to go back to work after a solid week of holiday indulgence, or deterred by the somewhat icy roads. Well, lucky for us because we were able to get a prime parking spot, a choice of tables, and fairly quick (or quick for Tisane’s, anyway) service. Continue reading Tuesday Night…

Happy New Year!

Lights
More New Year’s Eve photos on my flickr page

One of the many benefits of living just south of downtown is not having to bother driving to New Year’s Eve festivities. Sarah and I enjoyed a brisk walk, going down various side streets to see what was happening. We were able to get a table at Agave to enjoy dinner and margaritas before doing some more aimless walking.

Constitution Plaza was lit up. When we were there some people were videotaping their evening.

At midnight we finished up dessert (and more tequila, because we don’t get out enough) at City Steam Brewery, where the d.j. and place came alive during the countdown. Our New England sensibility was a point of pride as we passed numerous females on the street who decided that wearing gowns and open-toed heels was appropriate for freezing weather.

On the walk home we were greeted by a number of pleasant strangers wishing us a happy new year.