[surfsnowgirl]

I actually used to live in one of the mill apartments which is 1 block off of the main bus line that will take you straight into downtown hartford. I loved seeing the great description of manchester, it reminded me how much I liked it when I was there. Its true the northern part of town is the built up part so if you desire some big box stores and commercialism that's the place to go but the rest of manchester still has that same feel as 15 years ago. Its gonna bug me about which mill apartment I lived in; there's a ton of them. Ribbon Mill, Velvet Mill, there's a few of them all right there off of hartford road in Manchester. They have HUGE celings as they used to be mills so from the floor to the ceiling is super high so even the smallest apartment seems decent size. I lived in 2 of them while I was there and both were split level and really cool. I had a friend that lived in the one across the street and that was a 1 bedroom loft, very cool. To get there you take the 384 west from hartford and exit 2 (keeney street), go to hartford road and head up the road a bit and you'll start to see them and signs for them. If you start to see the Cheney Mansions and then hit main street you've gone too far.

[SteelCityRising]

Thank you all again! Wow! What a helpful forum!

Manchester sounds like a very viable option for me, as does West Hartford. It's not imperative that I live in the city of Hartford proper, but I will admit that I would like to be a part of a successful urban renaissance at some point. Scranton has been wallowing around in its state of economic inertia ever since the mines closed decades ago, and the city hasn't shown much progress since then. It would make me feel good to live in a neighborhood where I could walk down the street and see a run-down home being rehabbed by a newly-immigrated young family, a thriving mom-and-pop ethnic food store, and grandmothers who have lived in the same home for decades toting grandchildren who live just around the corner around in little red wagons all in the same block. I'm an urban dweller by nature, yet I'm trapped here in the land of soccer moms, SUVs, poodles, and sexy pool boys (well, perhaps the last isn't such a drawback! LOL! )

Which has more of an urban vibe to it---Manchester or West Hartford? I would like the residential neighborhoods to somewhat resemble those photos of the Scranton area that I photographed in my original post---older homes, sidewalks, trees, front porches, narrow lots, American flags, flower beds, etc.
I do NOT want to be remotely near any sort of master-planned communities, gated communities, sprawling subdivision, McFartsyPants Estates, or any other vestige of conspicuous consumption.

Manchester sounds as if it would be right up my alley. I like ethnic mom-and-pop restaurants. I like running/biking trails and paths. I would love convenience to Downtown Hartford. Crime is most likely lower in Manchester than in the city proper of Hartford. What about houses of worship? Is there a Lutheran church in Manchester? The big-box stores being nearby (but not near the center of town) would be ideal. I try to avoid those chains like the plague in favor of the independents, but I'll admit that if a must-have PC software title comes out I have to rush to Best Buy or if I'm in need of extra-strength hair gel I scope out Target. Would housing costs be more reasonable in Manchester than in West Hartford? Also, am I correct in assuming that UHart is on the NW side of the city of Hartford? Would that make the commute across town to Manchester treacherous? Also, how does ConnDOT (CTDOT?) fare during wintry weather? PennDOT is an absolute joke when it comes to plowing/salting.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by goldenband

EDIT: I wrote that post before I saw yours above. I appreciate your respect for diversity, but I would recommend that you exercise caution if you're already getting messed with. Anti-gay sentiment is generally strong in all low-income communities, but my perception is that Latino men are particularly likely to aggressively and specifically harass gay men. Perhaps I'm wrong, though.

There might be a persona that Hispanic men have to portray "on the street." However, the Polo Club in Hartford, which started as an English-speaking Drag Bar, is now a Spanish-speaking Drag Bar meaning that all of the performers are (presumably gay) Hispanic guys.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

As far as employment is concerned I'll take any job that I can get while I pay the bills, even if it means transferring to another Lowe's store (I've worked there now for several years) and obtaining full-time status in the interim as I apply for a position more commensurate with my field. All of my peers here in Scranton are making the exodus next year to NYC to work in Manhattan, but I was always the "stray sheep."

You might want to share this with them:

MyFox New York | New York City Job Losses Could Reach 165,000 (http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7644093&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.1.1 - broken link)

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Manchester sounds like a very viable option for me, as does West Hartford. It's not imperative that I live in the city of Hartford proper, but I will admit that I would like to be a part of a successful urban renaissance at some point.

There was some excitement that this might come to fruition with our last governor, Governor Rowland, who tried to get the New England Patriots to relocate to Hartford. However, a corruption scandal ended this political career.

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Scranton has been wallowing around in its state of economic inertia ever since the mines closed decades ago, and the city hasn't shown much progress since then.

This is good to know. The "other half" works for a company that has a presence in Scranton. The possibility of relocating has popped up...

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

It would make me feel good to live in a neighborhood where I could walk down the street and see a run-down home being rehabbed by a newly-immigrated young family, a thriving mom-and-pop ethnic food store, and grandmothers who have lived in the same home for decades toting grandchildren who live just around the corner around in little red wagons all in the same block.

I'm not sure that this is Hartford.

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Which has more of an urban vibe to it--Manchester or West Hartford? I would like the residential neighborhoods to somewhat resemble those photos of the Scranton area that I photographed in my original post--older homes, sidewalks, trees, front porches, narrow lots, American flags, flower beds, etc.

West Hartford.

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

I do NOT want to be remotely near any sort of master-planned communities, gated communities, sprawling subdivision, McFartsyPants Estates, or any other vestige of conspicuous consumption.

Most folks in Connecticut whole-heartedly agree with this.

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Manchester sounds as if it would be right up my alley. Is there a Lutheran church in Manchester?

I agree. As for Lutheran Churches:

Concordia Lutheran Church
40 Pitkin St
Manchester, CT 06040

Emanuel Lutheran Church
60 Church St
Manchester, CT 06040

Zion Lutheran Church
112 Cooper St
Manchester, CT 06040

I don't know to which Synod they belong.

[SteelCityRising]

Well I just received e-mail notification that I have been fortunate enough to have been provided an interview with a multi-national firm that just so happens to have an office in Downtown Hartford. This is so very exciting! Here's to putting my best foot forward!

[SteelCityRising]

I've been doing some poking around on CraigsList and stumbled across this spacious two-bedroom apartment with a very inexpensive rent of just $690/month.

The address is 142 Babcock Street.

SPACIOUS TWO BEDROOMS APT - NEAR ING / AETNA / HARTFORD INS. (http://hartford.craigslist.org/apa/878620061.html - broken link)

The ad claims that it is very near to many major employers. Didn't I also hear though that Capitol Avenue is a "sketchy" area?

[SteelCityRising]

I've included an aerial shot of the property in question, which sits on the upper-right-hand corner of Babcock & Grand.



It looks like only a 5-10-minute walk to the heart of downtown. My research on HartfordInfo shows me that this is the Frog Hollow neighborhood.

[SteelCityRising]

As a "peace offering" I just composed a very well-written e-mail to the management of Wegman's in which I highlighted how much I wish they would consider expanding eastwards into Connecticut. For those unfamiliar with Wegman's, it is a Mid-Atlantic/Upstate NY chain that is comparable to a less ritzy and less expensive Whole Foods. It is the "Cadillac" of middle-class grocers. You can find foods from just about any country in there. Wegman's employees consistently rank their employer amongst one of the best to work for, and that shows in the company's philosophy that actually prioritizes the needs of employees above those of their shoppers. Why is this a good strategy? A staff with a very high morale will be more motivated to excel in their positions, making customers happier and wish to return more often. We have Wegman's in both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, and both are very popular. I see no reason why they can't expand just up the I-84 corridor a few hours into CT, perhaps doing a "test run" first with a store in Newburgh, NY.

Let's hope that the same yap of mine that convinced several families to move to Scranton can also convince Wegman's to expand into CT! If that happens, then I expect someone to treat me to some great local dairy ice cream in the CT countryside!

[goldenband]

Frog Hollow is very sketchy, and that's why the rent is so cheap. A friend of mine had a terrific place on Columbia St. off Capitol, but that was in an isolated cul-de-sac -- at Babcock & Grand, you'll be right in the thick of things.

I don't want to discourage you too much, because I think people like yourself are exactly what Hartford needs -- LGBT folks have been responsible for turning around many troubled areas -- but I also don't want you to have a rough time of it, either. You should really see the area in person before you go much further.

EDIT: If you can get Wegman's to come to Hartford proper, you'll please a lot of people (not that one letter will do the trick, but it's a start). West Hartford currently has all the upscale/organic markets, and is fairly saturated IMHO, but Hartford desperately needs something like that. There was a much-loved food coop in the West End called Cheese and Stuff, but that was bought out and dismantled by Wild Oats.