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So, with all this new development going on....


MadVlad

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With all this great news this week, let's focus on what else Hartford can do to ride this momentum.

1) Space Needle: Ok, I know I sound like a retard for saying this over and over, but I really think something like this would be immensely successful in Hartford. I suggested the piece of land on the corner of Farmington Ave. and Broad St. (empty lot adjoining I-84, perfect size in my opinion). BillM had suggested a spot kinda diagonal from that, betwixt Asylum Ave. and Farmington Ave. there the HIG's underground parking garage is. This is consistant with his idea of submerging I-84 in that area and making a park/development swath from the Capitol to Farmington Ave. I drove down Flower Street the other day, and there are 2 spots there that would suffice as well, one is where the former State building that was knocked down was (corner of Flower and Capitol Ave), the other is adjacent to the backside of the Hartford Courant building. I'm thinking a rotating restaurant, a large observation deck, gift shop, maybe a Hartford History exhibit. Lynn, Mass has one planned now, so if theirs doesn't go through, Hartford will have the only Needle-type building in at least 8 hours.

2) Pro Sports: Let's get on the stick and get a team. Just in the last week, I've heard 3 people say that Hartford would be awesome, except there's no pro teams in town. I agree 1000%. Sorry, Wolf Pack just doesn't cut it. UConn is obviously big time, but I get sick of the squad's totally changing over every 3-4 years. We have the owner (Howard Baldwin) that has faith in the city, and wants a team here, but no one seems to take him seriously. The State and City need to step up and say "What can we do to assist you in bringing a franchise of anything to our city?" A new arena somewhere is a good start....

3) More downtown housing: Ride the wave, baby. Let's hit that saturation point. In my mind, the biggest mistake Hartford has had was lack of legitimate housing downtown. Well, that's changing. Let's make it easy for people to enjoy living downtown. Let's get a market and some laundry facilities there (preferably on the grgound or second floor of a brand new tower!!). Let's add all the amenities, and make them ultra-easy to use. Hassle scares away people.

4) Mass transit: The commuter line that we keep hearing about from New Haven to Hartford, to Springfield will be a big help, the little, free, yellow buses have been a hit (as far as I can tell), so let's keep rolling. I'd like to see some real, solid mass transit, light rail or maybe a Monorail around the downtown area. Seattle, despite all the fights they have about their Monorail, has a good little system (in my opinion). That monorail is clean, pretty fast, and don't stop traffic (being raised and all). About 5 years ago, Hartford had gotten some money to look into planning a monorail, whatever happened to it?

5) Business/Jobs: Hartford needs to get on the stick and market themselves better. In my opinion, this is a top 10 place to live (in the country), and no one knows it. Despite the cost of living, it's relatively easy to get around, it's easy to get to NYC and Boston, 2 of the largest markets in the country, and there's probably 60 million people within a 6 hour drive of the city. Sound like a good place to live and work to you? Sure does to me, so let everyone else in on the secret already!!

6) Zoo: We need a damn Zoo. Even if it isn't in the city proper, maybe somewhere easy to get to like South Windsor or Glastonbury. The closest is in Bridgeport, and that Zoo was kinda a dump the last time I was there. Does Providence have one? Never been to that one, but why drive an hour over crappy Rt 6 or Rt 44? A Zoo would really make a mark, in my opinion.

7) Retail: Let's get a real plan. Front Street will be a major move in this direction, but Hartford needs a plan to make an area where people can just hang and shop and have a good time. Again, Front Street may be the cure for this problem, but I'm still wary about it, for some reason.

Feel free to comment on these, add your own, and be involved. I'm excited, and I'd like to see this forward momentum continue....

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My fiancee (wife next weekend) just wanted me to add that even a small Zoo in Bushnell Park would be good. I'd have to agree. Even if it didn't have any big animals, a nice little Zoo with some monkeys, some birds, maybe a tiger or something.

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Roger Williams Park in Providence contains the nation's oldest zoo. It is also, unbeknownst to me but according to a recent poll, the number one tourist attraction in Rhode Island.( the entire park) The zoo is world-class. There is also a carousel, temple of music, Japanese Gardens( under renovations) and boathouses for people that paddle the lakes. RWP is home to many concerts ( mostly Latin themed ), the Puerto Rican and Dominican festivals, and community picnics. It is situated in the heavily Latino South Side , but attracts people from all over the State and beyond.

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We need to create more areas like Pratt Street which is home to restaurants of all kinds such as the sit down Russell and Cugino's to the fast food Blimpies and Woody's. There is a visitors info center, stores of all kinds from food stores to convience like stores to more upscale stores. Walkable and right downtown also.

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We need to create more areas like Pratt Street which is home to restaurants of all kinds such as the sit down Russell and Cugino's to the fast food Blimpies and Woody's. There is a visitors info center, stores of all kinds from food stores to convience like stores to more upscale stores. Walkable and right downtown also.

I think someone is doing a place at the old Enchanted Garden location, and on Main Street, there is a new Quizno's. Adding the Irish pub at the old Society Building and the sushi place, both opening next year, Pratt Street has a lot of eating places to try.

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I think someone is doing a place at the old Enchanted Garden location, and on Main Street, there is a new Quizno's. Adding the Irish pub at the old Society Building and the sushi place, both opening next year, Pratt Street has a lot of eating places to try.

If the new Sushi place that you mean is Koji, then it's already open. Taylor, good idea with Colt park housing the Zoo, I hadn't thought of that, but it's nice and big, and people can park over by the Colt Building and Dillon Stadium...

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We need to create more areas like Pratt Street which is home to restaurants of all kinds such as the sit down Russell and Cugino's to the fast food Blimpies and Woody's. There is a visitors info center, stores of all kinds from food stores to convience like stores to more upscale stores. Walkable and right downtown also.

GROVE STREET

Here is a pic of Grove Street looking west from the Connecticut Convention Center esplanade, adjacent to the proposed Science Center.

557grove_6-6-05a.jpg

Grove Street, between Main and Prospect Streets has been closed to the public since the late 1960's. It runs through a canyon formed by the buildings in one of Hartford's densest office clusters. Could Downtown benefit from reopening the street as a pedestrian alley sprinkled with coffee shops, cafes, newsstands and etc.?

The link below shows an image of something like I would envision for this stretch of Grove Street.

Melbourne pic

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Vlad, you really have to get off the space needle thing. It's an absurd idea. It's expensive, will require maintenance and lose money. No one is going to back such a plan.

If you're angling for an observation deck or rooftop restaurant, that may be viable on a new or existing building. But a space needle requiring construction? The odds are very, very slim.

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Bill,

The best bet for Grove Street would be for Travelers to start by moving their indooor mall to the site. That would be an easy way to jump start such a project. There would already be exisitng business/customer relationships. It would insure a lively pesdestian flow. Plus, I'm sure that Travelers controls the leases of the hair saloon and convenince store that now reside inside the complex. How could Star Bucks resisit? Travelers could probably make the move very attractive.

It's a simple idea and one that seems very easy to execute it. The question is does it make economic sense for Travelers?

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If the new Sushi place that you mean is Koji, then it's already open. Taylor, good idea with Colt park housing the Zoo, I hadn't thought of that, but it's nice and big, and people can park over by the Colt Building and Dillon Stadium...

Nope, I am not talking about Koji. The same owners of Koji is doing a full blown Japanese restaurant on the corner of Pratt and Main where Pelican was. It will have roof top dinning.

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Vlad, you really have to get off the space needle thing. It's an absurd idea. It's expensive, will require maintenance and lose money. No one is going to back such a plan.

If you're angling for an observation deck or rooftop restaurant, that may be viable on a new or existing building. But a space needle requiring construction? The odds are very, very slim.

No way man, if Lynn Mass can get one, so can Hartford. :thumbsup:

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With all this great news this week, let's focus on what else Hartford can do to ride this momentum.

1) Space Needle: Ok, I know I sound like a retard for saying this over and over, but I really think something like this would be immensely successful in Hartford. I suggested the piece of land on the corner of Farmington Ave. and Broad St. (empty lot adjoining I-84, perfect size in my opinion). BillM had suggested a spot kinda diagonal from that, betwixt Asylum Ave. and Farmington Ave. there the HIG's underground parking garage is. This is consistant with his idea of submerging I-84 in that area and making a park/development swath from the Capitol to Farmington Ave. I drove down Flower Street the other day, and there are 2 spots there that would suffice as well, one is where the former State building that was knocked down was (corner of Flower and Capitol Ave), the other is adjacent to the backside of the Hartford Courant building. I'm thinking a rotating restaurant, a large observation deck, gift shop, maybe a Hartford History exhibit. Lynn, Mass has one planned now, so if theirs doesn't go through, Hartford will have the only Needle-type building in at least 8 hours.

2) Pro Sports: Let's get on the stick and get a team. Just in the last week, I've heard 3 people say that Hartford would be awesome, except there's no pro teams in town. I agree 1000%. Sorry, Wolf Pack just doesn't cut it. UConn is obviously big time, but I get sick of the squad's totally changing over every 3-4 years. We have the owner (Howard Baldwin) that has faith in the city, and wants a team here, but no one seems to take him seriously. The State and City need to step up and say "What can we do to assist you in bringing a franchise of anything to our city?" A new arena somewhere is a good start....

3) More downtown housing: Ride the wave, baby. Let's hit that saturation point. In my mind, the biggest mistake Hartford has had was lack of legitimate housing downtown. Well, that's changing. Let's make it easy for people to enjoy living downtown. Let's get a market and some laundry facilities there (preferably on the grgound or second floor of a brand new tower!!). Let's add all the amenities, and make them ultra-easy to use. Hassle scares away people.

4) Mass transit: The commuter line that we keep hearing about from New Haven to Hartford, to Springfield will be a big help, the little, free, yellow buses have been a hit (as far as I can tell), so let's keep rolling. I'd like to see some real, solid mass transit, light rail or maybe a Monorail around the downtown area. Seattle, despite all the fights they have about their Monorail, has a good little system (in my opinion). That monorail is clean, pretty fast, and don't stop traffic (being raised and all). About 5 years ago, Hartford had gotten some money to look into planning a monorail, whatever happened to it?

5) Business/Jobs: Hartford needs to get on the stick and market themselves better. In my opinion, this is a top 10 place to live (in the country), and no one knows it. Despite the cost of living, it's relatively easy to get around, it's easy to get to NYC and Boston, 2 of the largest markets in the country, and there's probably 60 million people within a 6 hour drive of the city. Sound like a good place to live and work to you? Sure does to me, so let everyone else in on the secret already!!

6) Zoo: We need a damn Zoo. Even if it isn't in the city proper, maybe somewhere easy to get to like South Windsor or Glastonbury. The closest is in Bridgeport, and that Zoo was kinda a dump the last time I was there. Does Providence have one? Never been to that one, but why drive an hour over crappy Rt 6 or Rt 44? A Zoo would really make a mark, in my opinion.

7) Retail: Let's get a real plan. Front Street will be a major move in this direction, but Hartford needs a plan to make an area where people can just hang and shop and have a good time. Again, Front Street may be the cure for this problem, but I'm still wary about it, for some reason.

Feel free to comment on these, add your own, and be involved. I'm excited, and I'd like to see this forward momentum continue....

1. No no no no no no. A thousand times no.

2. The only shot we have is the Whale- with the NHL in such flux. Let's at least start with that. We have an owner and a building which could be improved. That could actually happen. I'm not a big WNBA fan, but it would be nice if the Connecticut team played in Hartford rather than in a Casino.

3. Yes, but let's start thinking more moderate income. Purely luxury is a wasted opportunity to include more of Hartford's residents in its revival.

4. Hell yes. Let's get the New Haven-Springfield commuter going first and then get some local light rail. Politicians seem unwilling to touch the expense though. Maybe as Hartford grows people will demand it...

5. Preach on!

6. "We need a damn zoo?" I wonder if these words have ever been spoken in all of history. For good reason.

7. Yes- this should follow the current residential boom.

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Years ago, there used to be a small petting zoo in Keney Park. From whatI hear, it was closed due to budget reasons and because people kept stealing the animals.

On a more realistic note - I'd like to see an impressive Victorian Botanical Garden built in Colt Park replicating and building on what Elizabeth Colt had built in the 1800's.

I also like Bill Mocarsky's idea. That pedestrian alley would create another link to Front Street and break up one of Hartford's downtown "superblocks" - blocks that due to over development are too big and pedestrian unfriendly. You already have the daytime traffic to support this...

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That pedestrian alley would create another link to Front Street and break up one of Hartford's downtown "superblocks" - blocks that due to over development are too big and pedestrian unfriendly. You already have the daytime traffic to support this...

Other than inhouse cafeterias and vending machines, what options are available to those that work in buildings in the vicinity of Grove Street? Asylum Street?

I see the Grove Street pedestrian alley as the "crossroads" of the Travelers complex. I also see a window of opportunity with the Marriott Hotel and Science Center under constuction at the base of Grove Street.

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