[mj55]

My husband I came to Connecticut this weekend to do some house hunting in anticipation of our relocation here for a new job, and I must say we were underwhelmed, actually very disappointed. Our plan was to buy something downtown so he could walk to work and we could experience city life walking to museums, theater, etc. Except for the Cape and Boston we are unfamiliar with New England and expected Hartford to be like Providence, where we attended a wedding last year and fell in love with the city.
Hartford has amazing architecture and is a pretty city, but there is nothing to do here. We passed empty storefront after empty storefront, and so many vacant buildings and parking lots. We were stunned that the Starbuck's was closed on a Saturday afternoon, and again on Sunday. For a city with so many big companies we were also stunned there was no movie theater downtown. There are no stores, either. Yesterday it was like a ghost town.
As for housing we were told the premier place to buy was the Bushnell Tower. We were not impressed. It is a concrete fortress-like building surrounded by bus stops. We looked at Hartford 21 from the outside, but were told it is only rentals. The brownstone we looked at was fabulous, but again the city overall was a turnoff.
It seems all of downtown is surrounded by shady neighborhoods. We looked at that Congress Street that someone mentioned, but were told we would have to past several homeless shelters and a dangerous park to get downtown.
The real estate agent took us to a few suburbs, and again we weren't impressed. Glastonbury had some nice homes, but it is not very walkable and the town seemed desolate. West Hartford was somewhat nice, but it was basically shops and restaurants and far from downtown. Even the realtor admitted, the cultural attractions are in Hartford, and all the shopping in West Hartford.
We expected more. The whole place seems poorly managed. Providence seemed to have everything, and Hartford has so much potential, but has very little.
In the end, I think my husband and I will probably rent and hope our stay in Connecticut isn't very long. Connecticut is not what we thought it was.
Thank you for your help.

[Srib]

mj55 - sorry you were disappointed in your visit to Hartford. I could have certainly told you it was no Providence if I had known you were using that as a comparision. Keep in mind though that Providence was once a dump too and experienced its own renaissance and although its too early to tell if Hartford will have a similar re-birth, the signs are certainly there thats things are on the upswing. All things are relative to what you are used to. I certainly don't think that WH to Hartford is really that far or that Glastonbury is particuallarly desolate on weekends, but to each their own. Renting is probably a good idea for you. Perhaps it will afford you the possibility to explore the region at your leisure and if you decide to stay in the area you can then buy something. Good Luck!

[JayCT]

mj55 - I am sorry that you found Hartford not to your liking. You are correct that it needs more and the city itself is working to get there. Connecticut is very suburban in nature and our cities reflect this. Srib is correct that Providence was a similar to Hartford up until about 10 years ago. The State and City made significant efforts to improve the city and it paid off when it was discovered by Bostoners seeeking an affordable alternative to their booming city. It remains to be seen if Hartford can do it too. Shopping is a big problem downtown. So many stroes were lost over the years and it is hard to get them back once they left for the suburbs. I agree that it sounds like renting may be your best option. Good luck and let us know if you have any questions. Jay

[mj55]

I'm sorry if I sounded so negative, but we couldn't believe it. If the city is trying to improve, then why are all the attractions and places closed? The Old State House was closed yesterday. The Starbucks. Restaurants. CVS. The one clothing store we found. Is the city really trying? We didn't get that impression.

[JViello]

MJ: It sounds to me like you are looking for a Manhattan type of environment in a small city of 1,000,000 metro population.

Not many cities of that size in the country have museums, theater works, downtown supermarkets, other bustling retail stores, great housing, public transportation etc in a neatly packaged "safe" downtown. Some even larger don't have that.

Providence while having made strong progress doesn't have all that either. I'm sure if you looked around that city in-depth the same way you have the Hartford area you would see much similarity.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but at the same time have traveled this nation and lived/had extended business stays in many metro's (Atlanta, St Louis, Chicago, Quad Cities IL, Boston, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Richmond VA, Philly, Cincinatti, Charlotte NC, San Diego, Dallas to be exact) so I know the difference and the picture you have painted here saying the city core and some of its best burbs is all just "no good" is simply not very accurate.

Don't get me wrong, Hartford has its work cut out for it this I know. I'm just thinking your expectations for a small city might be a bit unrealistic.

No offense.

[mj55]

I compared it to Providence because we had such a great time there. There are department stores downtown, movie theaters, boat rides, boutiques, historical sites, and coffee shops. We just expected more from Hartford.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by mj55

I compared it to Providence because we had such a great time there. There are department stores downtown, movie theaters, boat rides, boutiques, historical sites, and coffee shops. We just expected more from Hartford.

Correct, you were in the one area of PVD that was refurbished and that development is a mall so of course they had stores open.

Once front street (Part of the Adriaen's Landing project) is finished in Hartford (You did see the science center, new convention center and all the torn up roads around it right?) you will have the same or more.

Same for the retail sector of Hartford 21 which is to have a supermarket and other shops.

We don't have gondola rides, but we do have river cruises. Did you walk over to the new Riverfront plaza with the bandshell and riverwalk etc

I do agree that many things need to be open longer in Hartford. The feel of the city is totally different during the work day. That will come as the people come and the projects currently under development are finished...some already are but many are not.

BUT to be fair as an example, Charlotte NC is far worse. It's ghost town after 5pm and there is no history, decent non chain restaurants, theater companies, movie theaters, neighborhoods etc

Same for JAX, Orlando, Richmond etc and many other cities their size.

Saying Glastonbury and West Hartford were "so so" "desolate" and that you "wern't impressed" like it's some substandard place to live is just absurd. I don't think PVD has a burb like W Hartford really. What East Providence? Pawtucket? Cranston? North Providence? Not even close.

I'm not saying Hartford Metro doesn't have issues, but so do other areas and it's not a crap hole like your making it out to be.

Sorry, but I'm not going to take that kind of label because it's not true. I hope once you live here, you find out the reality of this area.

[mj55]

I never said it was a "crap hole." In fact I said Glastonbury and West Hartford were nice, but the whole area seems to be missing a place that is "city like." I merely said we were disappointed there isn't more going on.

[skytrekker]

mj55

of all the posters here, none have asked where YOU are from. Providence is a very nice city- but 10 years ago Providence was about where Hartford is today.

Greater Hartford has some of the most attractive suburbs in the nation. West Hartford, Glastonbury, South Windsor, Avon, Farmington, Canton and Wethersfield are great towns with a high quality of life- and far more attractive then what the Providence suburbs have to offer.

Sorry you did not like it here- expectations sometimes can lead to disappointment.

Most people love West Hartford, Glastonbury, Avon- I feel you came in with a predisposed vision- Providence is visually more 'exciting' but look below the surface and the economics of each metro area.

Providence has a nice downtown-but Hartford has a stronger economy with a much more powerful energetic and prosperous corporate sector.
Hartford's suburbs have far superior school systems, a much higher per capita income (Among the 10 richest is the nation)- and actually lower living costs.

As for culture- Greater Hartford ranks in the top 25 metro areas in the nation for both visual and performing arts. And does not rely on either NYC or Boston for its vast array of cultural offerings.

[Srib]

MJ55 - as you can see we can be a bit defensive on these forums :-)

Anyway, Hartford isn't all that, but we seem to think it may be in the near future. I believe the main reason you found so many things closed in the city on the weekends is because there is simply not enough demand for it all yet. Harford 21 which is the largest, most recent residential draw to the city is still renting apartments so they are not even at full capacity yet. I believe once the science center opens and there are more residents within downtown you will see a lot of stores increasing their hours and hopefully with that more activities and people heading downtown. As a life long resident to this area I have seen downtown at what I hope will be its worst. The new trails along the river, events on the riverfront, riverboat cruises, convention center, science center are really working to unify the downtown core and hopefully that will lead to more going on in that area (more stores, restaurants, etc). I'm sure once you settle into the area you may find there is more going on than you might think. Good luck with your decision and let us know if you need any additional info.