[brasscitybluenwhite]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

I know nothing about it, except it once was more thriving and vibrant than it is today.

VERY true statement, lol. I still love her though..

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by brasscitybluenwhite

VERY true statement, lol. I still love her though..

I'll have to check it out!

[JayCT]

Stamford is a great city with so much going for it. New Haven has more cultural activities than any of the other cities in the state. Bridgeport and Waterbury have seen better times but still have a lot of great things going on. But I must say Hartford is my favorite. It is a bit more independent than the other cities in CT, meaning that is less over-shadowed by New York. Hartford needs better leadership. The current Mayor is a joke. He has ignored all the his predecessor (Mayor Mike) worked so hard to get started. I hope this will change soon. JMHO, Jay

[metaljaybird]

Thanks for your replies. I do favor Hartford, but it is for sentimental reasons. I've had the awesome pizza in New Haven, though I was expecting their Little Italy, to be just a "little" bigger.

[Connecticut Pam]

I have pretty much been a lifelong resident of CT myself. There are little pockets of entertaining things to do throughout the state. I think Hartford at times does get a bad rap...pockets of crime there just like most larger cities in CT. There are a lot of cultural type things to do in Hartford if you know where to find them. There is the Hartford Art Museum, The Bushnell, The Hartford Stage and The Excel Center where there are a lot of sporting events and concerts. I don't go to Hartford a lot but my son does and he has never had an issue there.

If you were to ride along the coast of CT, there's neat stuff to do all along the coast. I have seen and heard that the Goodspeed Opera House is fun to go to and of course there are great seafood restaurants all along route #1.

I have spent the majority of my years in Meriden....another city with a bad rap but I love it here. I live quite close to Hubbard Park and right now all 600,000 daffodils are getting ready to explode for the annual Daffodil Festival which I believe is April 25th and 26th. Now THAT is a fun time. There was just an article in our paper this morning about the Festival and it said that there will be a total of 34 bands playing at different times this year. There are ethnic foods serviced at different locations with one that is really universal...they take homemade waffles, put strawberries and vanilla ice cream on them...hmmmmm, hmmmmmmmm. Will also be rides for the kids and a craft fair...also, the day first day kicks off with a huge parade around the lake...look it up on the Internet and see how gorgeous the daffodils are.

If you get a chance to come back this way in April, I strongly suggest the daffodil festival!

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Stamford is a great city with so much going for it. New Haven has more cultural activities than any of the other cities in the state. Bridgeport and Waterbury have seen better times but still have a lot of great things going on. But I must say Hartford is my favorite. It is a bit more independent than the other cities in CT, meaning that is less over-shadowed by New York. Hartford needs better leadership. The current Mayor is a joke. He has ignored all the his predecessor (Mayor Mike) worked so hard to get started. I hope this will change soon. JMHO, Jay

What's Norwalk's identity? LOL. It seems like it's the forgotten city at times, doesn't it? I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing though.

[MikefromCT]

What, nobody wants to nominate Bridgeport?

But seriously, I really enjoy New Haven alot. Architecturally it's very nice, especially downtown and the Union Station, and the Yale Campus area. A sight to behold. It's unfortunate that some of the neighborhoods are as dangerous as they are. In my mind that's the biggest drawback for this city (even though it's not as severe as Hartford). Some hail it as the birthplace of pizza, and the first hamburger (decades before the McDonald brothers opened their first resturant in the Inland Empire.) Technically it's considered part of the NYC metro area, but I would argue that in some ways it's reminiscent of Boston as well as New York.

Jpierpont - if you want to experience a town with a village feel, there are still plenty of these available. Personally I think Mystic best fits this role but it's hardly alone. If you're in the Hartford area, treat yourself to a drive down Main St in Farmington either in the spring or fall - beautiful. Same thing with Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury - they have a nice town center filled with restaurants and shops (it's even a landmarked area.)

[brasscitybluenwhite]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

What's Norwalk's identity? LOL. It seems like it's the forgotten city at times, doesn't it? I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing though.

Well, personally I despise norwalk. The kids at UCONN that are from Norwalk spit a tough game here, talking about how tough it is to grow up there. Personally, I've only been there twice, so I can't really counter them. But I do know that I was at a party a few weeks ago and about 10 kids from Norwalk came in the door screaming "norwalk stand up". Thankfully, someone stood up and said "plzzzzzz, u guys only have 1 bad neighborhood." LMAO, of course I laughed.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Jpierpont

Where are all these charming villages?

You can't drive far without coming upon a charming village in Connecticut. Check out Litchfield, Southport, West Hartford, Guilford, Madison, Branford, Milford, Old Wethersfield, South Windsor, Windsor, Farmington, Newtown, ... I could go on and on. Even our cities have charming urban villages. Check out Black Rock in Bridgeport or Westville in New Haven. I really think we just take it for granted. Jay

[Jpierpont]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

What, nobody wants to nominate Bridgeport?

But seriously, I really enjoy New Haven alot. Architecturally it's very nice, especially downtown and the Union Station, and the Yale Campus area. A sight to behold. It's unfortunate that some of the neighborhoods are as dangerous as they are. In my mind that's the biggest drawback for this city (even though it's not as severe as Hartford). Some hail it as the birthplace of pizza, and the first hamburger (decades before the McDonald brothers opened their first resturant in the Inland Empire.) Technically it's considered part of the NYC metro area, but I would argue that in some ways it's reminiscent of Boston as well as New York.

Jpierpont - if you want to experience a town with a village feel, there are still plenty of these available. Personally I think Mystic best fits this role but it's hardly alone. If you're in the Hartford area, treat yourself to a drive down Main St in Farmington either in the spring or fall - beautiful. Same thing with Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury - they have a nice town center filled with restaurants and shops (it's even a landmarked area.)

Those are all rather suburban except for Mystic. I don't think CT has been know for the classic New England village for a whil, some parts of the region don't see us as being apart of New England.