[MetsNY]

Greenwich Downtown is fine, I don't know what everyone is complaining about.

I wouldn't compare it to St. Armands in Longboat or Palm Beach because let's be honest, there is much different look in Florida than in Connecticut.

We don't have Palm Trees and lively colors because well, it's CT. New England is older and traditional downtowns are much different here than in other places.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JViello

That's really too bad. Admittedly it's been years since I've been in DT Danbury. I agree it used to be pretty nice actually. WTH is wrong with CT regarding it's cities.

Malls and strips malls can be blamed. The Danbury Fair Mall sucked out all the life of downtown Danbury. There was no reason to have shopping downtown when there was 300+ indoor shops when indoor shopping was still all the rage.

Florida and California do have malls, but I feel like they're going quickly out of style in those places, and the weather helps to have really great downtown centers and pedestrian shopping centers.

I'm surprised places like Milford and West Hartford have done well with their downtowns despite the presence of large, nearby malls and shopping centers.

One thing that may be viewed as a missed opportunity in Milford that I've noticed is the Milford Marketplace shopping center, which is primarily upscale shopping. Granted, the parking is better there, but so many of those upscale shops would've really done wonders for expanding the downtown area. Having Whole Foods is great, but if you're going to have high end clothing chains that are isolated from the mall, downtown would've been a great place for them. Oh well.

[JayCT]

In retail there has been a shift in people's shopping habits. The malls no longer rule. People are looking to return to the traditional town center type shopping and this has produced what is called a "Lifestyle" center. It usually is a strip of shops along a center street with parking in front and back. Evergreen Walk in South Windsor and The shops at Farmington Valley in Canton are two examples of this. So is Milford's Marketplace.

Sometiimes this center is mixed with other uses like offices and residential. Blue Back Square in West Hartford is an example of this. In other parts of the country where there were multiple malls, some were demolished and turned into Lifestyle Center. Unlike other parts of the country, Connecticut never really had a lot of shopping malls for its size. In fact the New Haven area is one that still has a need for an additional mall. Traditional malls though can not get financing and are no longer being built. Jay

[Stylo]

Yes, New Haven will likely never get a mall. I think that's fine, it'll help downtown-ish businesses grow in the region. Developers tried to build a mall where Ikea is now, and Westfield did everything in their power to keep Connecticut Post as the region's only mall.

Milford Marketplace is just not in a location that's very central for the town. It's nearly in Orange, so it's convenient for the region, but far detached from Milford's center. But yes, that sort of shopping center is the new trend.

[JuJu83]

1. New Haven, CT
Why: Even though the city proper has its share of issues and urban blight, the downtown area offers more than any other in Connecticut. From the Shubert Theater to Toad's Place, to the Yale Repertory Theater, to the Yale Art Museum, Peabody and Center for British Art. It's a pizza mecca, a smorgasbord of diverse, Zagat-rated restaurants, and vibrant nightlife. Gothic revival architecture intermingles with modern and Colonial style. The birthplace of the hamburger, and one of the world's finest institutions of academia. Certainly the area that Yale roughly occupies is the place in question, but New Haven is Connecticut's biggest college town. And with that always comes good things.

I live in downtown New Haven. On Howe Street... And I'm about to be Debbie Downer here. (Sorry, everyone.)

While everyone's correct to point out the positives of downtown New Haven, (museums, restaurants, architecture,) we've neglected to mention some of the problems. When an earlier poster was talking about Waterbury, it was said, "[the downtown's] nice if you don't venture too far outside it." And I'd say that's absolutely true about New Haven as well.

Just to give a personal example: I live two blocks from Yale, and someone was shot and killed right across the street from my condo (I witnessed the clean-up.) And in the past two years, my condo has been broken into twice--once by a gentleman on PCP.

I don't mind the people selling drugs on the NH green as much as I used to, but the Police somehow make situation feel even more dangerous and tense w/ their brutishness... I'm in my late 20s, have a master's, don't look at all suspicious, and have been asked more than once by police "what are you DOIN' HERE?" "Um, waiting for the bus..?" "You sellin' drugs..?"

As re: Yale in New Haven. I perceive that Yale isolates itself from New Haven--psychologically and physically--and offers relatively little to people who are not a part of the Yale community.

I don't think New Haven should be number 1. If one is planning to stick within a few blocks, sure--but there are large swaths of downtown I wouldn't go at night without an appropriate, um, mindset.


That said, in no particular order, best downtowns:

Connecticut charm:
-- West Hartford
-- Branford (!!)
-- Greenwich
-- Fairfield
-- Mystic (area)

For urban:
-- Stamford
-- Middletown (although that highway next to the river takes some charm away... This city has the potential to be wonderful quickly.)


Like Waterbury, mentioned above--as a fixer-upper:
--New London
--and for that matter, Norwich
--New Haven (the rest of downtown)

I think we should talk about Hartford here too. A lot has been done to beautify the downtown. Admittedly, you'll rarely see a soul down there past 6:30pm, but it's quite beautiful, if sorely in need of mixed-use development.

[JayCT]

Branford is a good one that has not been mentioned. Thanks JuJU. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

Also, the public housing is nowhere near Greenwich Ave. A visitor going downtown would never see it.

I'm not understanding your point. Because a visitor never sees it, it might as well not exist?

Originally Posted by JayCT

People are taken aback by those here that keep posting negative comments about everything.

Maybe you should go back and read. I regularly post about beautiful towns in Connecticut, and in this thread, posted my favorite downtowns in Connecticut. Lets not bring other threads into this one.

Just because some on this board can't come to grips with reality doesn't mean I'm going to stop posting reality. I'm a straight-shooter, and call things as they are. If they're wonderful, I'll be the first to say it. If they're not, I'm not going to hide it to please a few people. Failing to mention the bad is one of two things: fake or oblivious.

Originally Posted by JayCT

And to characterize the public housing in Greenwich as a problem is silly. It is modest apartments for what in other communities would be middle income people. Jay

There are 2,574 people in Greenwich on public assistance and 317 families on Section 8. Close to 75% of the property crimes committed in Greenwich (which has gone up since 2005) are committed by people served by the Greenwich Housing Authority. Unfortunately they are largely Hispanic. Sorry, these are not "middle income people".

If you folks want to ignore the problems and think everything is peaches and roses, go for it. You're just contributing to the problems, though.

[CTCitizen]

Southington is another nice downtown that hasn't been mentioned. Also Collinsville and Simsbury are both pretty small, but also nice. I think Torrington has potential, like Waterbury, if it can get some jobs and clean up. Downtown Torrington doesn't have much big competition nearby, like other downtowns or malls. I would also love to see something happen in downtown Meriden.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I'm not understanding your point. Because a visitor never sees it, it might as well not exist?




Maybe you should go back and read. I regularly post about beautiful towns in Connecticut, and in this thread, posted my favorite downtowns in Connecticut. Lets not bring other threads into this one.

Just because some on this board can't come to grips with reality doesn't mean I'm going to stop posting reality. I'm a straight-shooter, and call things as they are. If they're wonderful, I'll be the first to say it. If they're not, I'm not going to hide it to please a few people. Failing to mention the bad is one of two things: fake or oblivious.



There are 2,574 people in Greenwich on public assistance and 317 families on Section 8. Close to 75% of the property crimes committed in Greenwich (which has gone up since 2005) are committed by people served by the Greenwich Housing Authority. Unfortunately they are largely Hispanic. Sorry, these are not "middle income people".

If you folks want to ignore the problems and think everything is peaches and roses, go for it. You're just contributing to the problems, though.

No reps left to give.

Originally Posted by CTCitizen

I think Torrington has potential, like Waterbury, if it can get some jobs and clean up. Downtown Torrington doesn't have much big competition nearby, like other downtowns or malls. I would also love to see something happen in downtown Meriden.

Agreed on Torrington. I've never understood it as it borders Litchfield and much weathy NY weekend playground countryside. One would think, it'd be a no brainer.

Meriden? Yea they did something there a while ago. Streetscapes, etc so the gangsters and criminals have something nice to look at. The best thing Meriden can do is move the police station and courthouse and housing projects out of downtown. You get nothing but low lifes because of it. I think the city is a write off, and it's a damned shame because it's so centrally located, has a beautiful park and topography. The Silver City has tarnished.

[kidyankee764]

Also, while we're talking about downtowns with potential, Seymour's is pretty interesting. It has a diner, a few pubs, a ton of antique shops, an old theater, two italian restaurants, a Metro North station and some quirky shops. The architecture is very nice, too, if only it was kept up a bit.