[BrowneyedgirlCT]

Hello all,

I currently live in a big Canadian city and have been offered a job in Hartford. I know nothing about the city - or Connecticut for that matter.

My question is this: Where does one live if one would want a vibrant city life?

Do you need a car? Or is Hartford easy to get around in?

Whats a standard commute time? Would commuting fron New Haven be too insane?

Thanks for the help,

[skytrekker]

If you are either in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, Hartford is going to be considerably sedate. The city has some interesting night life on a small scale, some excellent restaurants, and a vibrant arts and cultural scene.

A car would be a needed necessity in Connecticut. Greater Hartford has some very desirable towns; West Hartford, Glastonbury, Avon to name a few. Perhaps West Hartford would offer a walkable town center with wonderful amenities.

Commute time in the Hartford area averages about 20-30 minutes. Freeway traffic is heavy, but not like that of the other major cities in the northeastern US.

One of Connecticut's greatest assets is its access to culture, fine restaurants, beautiful countryside, beaches and charming coastal ports. Boston and New York are close by, making the attributes these cities within 1.5-2 hours away.

[JayCT]

I have to agree with Skytrekker. Hartford is a great small city but if you want big-city excitement, you may be out of luck. downtown Hartford though is starting to take off and there is a lot to do there. West hartford Center is also nice. You don't need a car in hartford but it is highly recommended since mass transit is mainly buses and they do not necessarily go everywhere conveniently. Jay

[BrowneyedgirlCT]

Thanks for the advice Gentlemen!

Are there any carshare servics in CT?

[Iska]

Just went and toured Blue Back Square recently. To say I'm impressed would be an understatement. Hats off to the visionaries who conceived this thing. It really ups the ante for a lot of towns that compete with West Hartford. It exudes uptown New York elegence in a micromini way. Well-linked to the old Center. Good job. It looks like a place where I'll be spending a lot of leisure time after I move up this way. Whole Foods blends in beautifully. Parking is a problem. Whole foods doesn't want you leaving your car in their parking space after you're done shopping there. The multi-tiered parking at Blue Back helps.

Jay, a locale like this would look even greater in Glastonbury. If such a development could be sited in Galstonbury, I'm thinking some place near the new mini mall would be ideal. What do you think? I'd love to see a Blue Back Square in Glastonbury. I still love what Glastonbury has to offer as is.

[hfd]

There was a proposal to build something similar to Blue Back in Glastonbury, but sadly it failed. Instead another strip mall type thing (Walgreen's) is coming.

to the op: where is your new job? downtown?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Iska

Just went and toured Blue Back Square recently. To say I'm impressed would be an understatement. Hats off to the visionaries who conceived this thing. It really ups the ante for a lot of towns that compete with West Hartford. It exudes uptown New York elegence in a micromini way. Well-linked to the old Center. Good job. It looks like a place where I'll be spending a lot of leisure time after I move up this way. Whole Foods blends in beautifully. Parking is a problem. Whole foods doesn't want you leaving your car in their parking space after you're done shopping there. The multi-tiered parking at Blue Back helps.

Jay, a locale like this would look even greater in Glastonbury. If such a development could be sited in Galstonbury, I'm thinking some place near the new mini mall would be ideal. What do you think? I'd love to see a Blue Back Square in Glastonbury. I still love what Glastonbury has to offer as is.

A number of people I know in town do not think a Blue Back Sqaure type development would be good for Glastonbury. They think it is too dense with very tall buildings and do not think that people should have to pay for parking. Glastonbury does have Somerset Square and the new Eriktown project on Hebron Avenue. Maybe one day some of the 70's shopping centers along Hebron could be redeveloped.

I will also say that so far I am not impressed by the redevelopment that is occring at the Fox Run Mall. Whole Foods looks good but the rest of the center looks cheap to me. Cheap looking siding, fake shutters and asphalt shingles on a fake roof are not ,y idea of an upscale shopping center. The are also removing the once beautiful landscaping in the center and eliminating the convenient parking in front of the shops. I am waiting until the entire center is complete to fully judge the place. Jay

[shwee]

Originally Posted by BrowneyedgirlCT

Thanks for the advice Gentlemen!

Are there any carshare servics in CT?

Zipcar is on campus at Yale University in New Haven and Teikyo Post University in Waterbury but hasn't expanded to Hartford yet.