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They are not all as ugly as you make them out to be. Especially 4 and 17. I'll give you parts of 3 and 46 for sure. They are just incredibly busy roadways due to their extremely close proximity to NYC and population density. The highway infrastructure in North Jersey is setup for many of these roads to run parallel or perpendicular to each other so like I said it isn't as hard to navigate as you're making it out to be. It gives you many alternate routes whether you want to hop off 17 onto the GSP or 80 or 3. I grew up right off 17 and believe me it hasn't all gotten worse as you said. Did you live here when there was still the infamous 4/17 intersection merge? Before the large overpass at Garden State Plaza was built about 20 years ago? That was consistently ranked as one of, if not the worst, intersection in the country. That has definitely improved flow and cut down on accidents since that was built (a long time ago now).
Also Rt 17 in Paramus has long been the retail shopping capital of the US and widely known for this for a long, long time (in fact, more retail sales than Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills). So it's just a highly traversed area because it's a shopping mecca and always has been. Are the roads annoyingly congested? Sure. But traffic tends to move pretty well overall and the road system is well built out.
Sorry but all of those Routes are as ugly as I said. Even worse. You don’t see it because you drive them regularly and it is your normal. An objective outsider would have a much different opinion. If there is an accident on a parallel highway, they almost immediately get clogged.
I know that Paramus is a shopping Mecca. It is really impressive with five major malls and hundreds of stores within several miles of each other but that does not change the fact that the roads there are a nightmare.
Yes, I lived there before the reconstruction of the Route 4/17 interchange. I remember the miles of backups there and avoided it like the plague by using local roads in that area. That said though I still have friends in the area and go there on occasion so I know that while that helped a lot, it is by no means the clear sail through it all the time.
And yes, the roads are annoyingly congested but I do NOT agree traffic moves “pretty well” unless you are using them during off hours like after 10:00 PM or Sundays when the many stores are closed. Jay
There's no doubt that the pace of driving here in NJ is too fast, almost breakneck, and can make for an unnerving drive at times.
And one note on Springfield, I know I did say it is a ghost town but I agree that it's kind of fun for a one night experience. I was there last October for work and that Casino is real nice. I went to this really cool, sports themed bar restaurant and the food was good. Also while looking non descript in this little strip mall parking lot, they did a really nice job with the HOF on the inside. A good restaurant right next door to it too. Finally Springfield had some really cool historical monuments, statues and buildings. It's not big but it packed a solid punch in terms of some nice landmarks, hills, streets and some walking spots along the river. And some very good dispensaries right in the area so yeah, I did find it to be an interesting, pretty cool place to visit for an overnight.
The pace is just too fast-it’s like we’re all in a race..on a Saturday. Lotta off and on ramps, bad scenery, weeds, narrow shoulders. They are bigger and newer than New England highways but not new by any stretch of the imagination. It’s okay though because a state is not it’s highways
Springfield is an amazing place if you want to have some city amenities and a really big stately house for really cheap. But yea it’s okay for an overnight visit. I think I know it too well- I do not like Springfield (or Worcester) much at all...I prefer Hartford over both.
Springfield is not urban enough and comes with basically as much crime and poverty as Hartford, Downtown is ghostly. A general sense of dysfunction pervades the air.
Worcester’s urban core is very blighted/ugly and rough. I ate at Mezcal there the other day in its rejuvenating downtown. Atmosphere was meh and the food and drinks were meh. Most of the city is prohibitively hilly and suburban
Hartford has more consistent density and true urbanity than both and it’s bones are better than Worcester. It’s city limits are just too small.. lack of a tax base has left it prone to divestment And blight -but that’s changing.
The pace is just too fast-it’s like we’re all in a race..on a Saturday. Lotta off and on ramps, bad scenery, weeds, narrow shoulders. They are bigger and newer than New England highways but not new by any stretch of the imagination. It’s okay though because a state is not it’s highways
Springfield is an amazing place if you want to have some city amenities and a really big stately house for really cheap. But yea it’s okay for an overnight visit. I think I know it too well- I do not like Springfield (or Worcester) much at all...I prefer Hartford over both.
Springfield is not urban enough and comes with basically as much crime and poverty as Hartford, Downtown is ghostly. A general sense of dysfunction pervades the air.
Worcester’s urban core is very blighted/ugly and rough. I ate at Mezcal there the other day in its rejuvenating downtown. Atmosphere was meh and the food and drinks were meh. Most of the city is prohibitively hilly and suburban
Hartford has more consistent density and true urbanity than both and it’s bones are better than Worcester. It’s city limits are just too small.. lack of a tax base has left it prone to divestment And blight -but that’s changing.
See I find Worcester and Hartford the opposite. I like Worcester. Hate Hartford. It's like a big office park
See I find Worcester and Hartford the opposite. I like Worcester. Hate Hartford. It's like a big office park
Uh, do you even know Hartford? Hartford is the second largest employment center in New England so of course there are a number of office buildings downtown but there is so much more there than offices. It has museums; live, movie and music theaters; colleges (UConn, St. Joseph’s and Trinity); a convention center and baseball Park; tons of restaurants; and more and more apartments that are renting as fast as they are being built.
Worcester has no where near as much. Not even close. It’s just another faded former industrial city that has seen better days. Jay
Hartford may be the 2nd largest employment center in New England but for the number of people living within its borders, it is quite a bit down the list. It even has three other cities just in CT with higher populations. That should tell you all you need to know about the city. Many people may work there but they for the most part apparently very much prefer not to live there.
Hartford may be the 2nd largest employment center in New England but for the number of people living within its borders, it is quite a bit down the list. It even has three other cities just in CT with higher populations. That should tell you all you need to know about the city. Many people may work there but they for the most part apparently very much prefer not to live there.
It's also the smallest of Connecticut's biggest cities by area. There simply isn't enough room for all the people that want to live there. There is huge demand for housing in Hartford. Downtown developers have been converting some buildings into apartments and building new. Everything gets sold quickly. Nobody can say that Hartford's recent past has been wonderful, but its future is looking amazing right now. Very good place to buy into.
See I find Worcester and Hartford the opposite. I like Worcester. Hate Hartford. It's like a big office park
Hartford is more compact, walkable, with better transit, wider array of income ranges, a bit more modern, a bit more mild climate, more diversity in and outside the city, with better urban bones. Worcester was never as prosperous as peak Hartford and it’s evident in its architecture. It’s also by its very physical nature, a disjointed city.
It's also the smallest of Connecticut's biggest cities by area. There simply isn't enough room for all the people that want to live there. There is huge demand for housing in Hartford. Downtown developers have been converting some buildings into apartments and building new. Everything gets sold quickly. Nobody can say that Hartford's recent past has been wonderful, but its future is looking amazing right now. Very good place to buy into.
Hartford is only appreciably smaller in land area than Stamford in CT. It is actually larger than Bridgeport and just a bit smaller than New Haven.
Land (only) Area of the most populated cities in CT
Bridgeport 16.0
New Haven 20.3
Stamford 37.6
Hartford 17.4
Hartford is also similar in land size to Providence-RI (18.4) but has nearly 50k less residents.
While Hartford may be adding some new housing (as is probably nearly every other city in new England), it is not appreciably adding any new residents. In fact, it is estimated to have lost population in the last decade.
Uh, do you even know Hartford? Hartford is the second largest employment center in New England so of course there are a number of office buildings downtown but there is so much more there than offices. It has museums; live, movie and music theaters; colleges (UConn, St. Joseph’s and Trinity); a convention center and baseball Park; tons of restaurants; and more and more apartments that are renting as fast as they are being built.
Worcester has no where near as much. Not even close. It’s just another faded former industrial city that has seen better days. Jay
I'm sorry just don't like Hartford. Never excited me when I went... I find Worcester much more enjoyable, more unique culture to it and theres a lot around it I like. Also way more redevelopment in Worcester at the moment. CT has a few great cities, and I'm sure Hartford is getting better... But right now I'm no fan of Hartford
Now I really do like New Haven and New London. I just find Hartford a bore. Don't like Springfield either.
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