$2 Beer night… what a joke

[gampelcrazies]

I hate Hartford games but parking/getting there by car is the best thing about it

 

[giddyup]

I love public transit. Lived in Boston proper with no car for two years and Cambridge for a year before that. Used to take it in SD but it really sucks and is ultimately inconvenient. I only take the train going to and around NY.

I just work in the north end of Hartford currently, and know of Hartford’s general reputation, and wince at the idea of taking the bus.

We don’t do public transit (at least not good). It’s the last bastion of human freedom to move about when you want, how you want and not be treated like a bunch of cattle for the greater good.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Where do these people live in CT where they can take public transportation to and from Hartford without getting in a car? They're making it sound like NYC.

They must all live together right next to the New Britian bus station and the New Haven train station.

West Hartford

 

[WrenchFan69]

And then of course you have a bunch of stops on the New Haven to Hartford train line. You can grab the train in New Haven, Wallingford, Meriden, Kensington/Berlin, Windsor, and Windsor Locks.

And in ~2027 from Enfield

 

[WrenchFan69]

Train travel is the best.

For big XL games the train needs to be run more frequently, and the return trains need to run later. If I still lived in Fairfield I would 100% train up to New Haven then Hartford, but CTRail always cuts off service too early.

Hartford Line service has already cut massively into freight availability. Can't run later without significantly hurting an already strained freight situation. Could they and should they make it work for event nights? Absolutely, but it's not as easy as flipping a switch. May also get better as the Hartford Line gets more double-tracking, of which the next phase is happening shortly.

 

[Rico444]

I usually get into Hartford by 5 PM, so parking is easy and cheap (street parking and the parking meter is usually about a dollar).

 

[upstater]

Looking at that video with the girl and the 50 cans, I can only imagine what the place would look like if it was unlimited.

 

[Ha Who]

West Hartford

Not really. To get from Bishops corner to Fastrak requires taking the 153 bus which is not regular. During the week you can take the 72 which runs to about 11 at night but stops every 10 feet because people are too lazy to walk 200 yards. On the weekend they could take the 62 but that’s the same scenario. All these options it is quicker to just drive.

 

[superjohn]

I love public transit. Lived in Boston proper with no car for two years and Cambridge for a year before that. Used to take it in SD but it really sucks and is ultimately inconvenient. I only take the train going to and around NY.

I just work in the north end of Hartford currently, and know of Hartford’s general reputation, and wince at the idea of taking the bus.

I prefer bus out here to train if I have the option which I normally do. You'll get a little more ghost buses and it can take a little longer but the bus is always clean and pleasant. The trains are a whole different story, they reek of urine and people live on them.

I can't imagine relying on public transportation in CT and I doubt many people in the state can take public transportation without a car being involved.

 

[Tyler2Rings]

Not really. To get from Bishops corner to Fastrak requires taking the 153 bus which is not regular. During the week you can take the 72 which runs to about 11 at night but stops every 10 feet because people are too lazy to walk 200 yards. On the weekend they could take the 62 but that’s the same scenario. All these options it is quicker to just drive.

I live in WeHa and am within walking distance of 2 fastrack stations

 

[WrenchFan69]

Not really. To get from Bishops corner to Fastrak requires taking the 153 bus which is not regular. During the week you can take the 72 which runs to about 11 at night but stops every 10 feet because people are too lazy to walk 200 yards. On the weekend they could take the 62 but that’s the same scenario. All these options it is quicker to just drive.

He asked where people live to take the bus to XL. I live in West Hartford and take the bus to XL regularly so that is why I answered West Hartford.

Is it faster to drive? Yes. Is it worth driving? Most of the time, for me, no.

 

[HeGotGame]

We discussed this before. You can’t do $2 craft beers. Kids will be puking everywhere and drunk drivers will abound. Craft beer is for the pros.

$2 Weller on the rocks night is for the pros.

 

[drayenob]

Took the train to the last xl game with my son, dropped off at the state st station by my wife. And since this is the 2.00 beer thread I also spent I think, 15ish for a can of sip of sunshine and 12ish for a counterweight at xl.

 

[John]

Took the train to the last xl game with my son, dropped off at the state st station by my wife. And since this is the 2.00 beer thread I also spent I think, 15ish for a can of sip of sunshine and 12ish for a counterweight at xl.

where is counterweight being sold there?

 

[CTBasketball]

I’ll be honest I get absolutely wasted at XL. So public transportation and Ubers are necessities for me.

On the other hand you can sober up at Gampel because you know you’ll be stuck in traffic for 1 hour.

 

[drayenob]

where is counterweight being sold there?

I'm in 216, its right at the entrance

 

[HCCForever]

Hartford Line service has already cut massively into freight availability. Can't run later without significantly hurting an already strained freight situation. Could they and should they make it work for event nights? Absolutely, but it's not as easy as flipping a switch. May also get better as the Hartford Line gets more double-tracking, of which the next phase is happening shortly.

They did that for north/south portion of Brightline passenger service in Florida. They added another set of tracks from Cocoa south where the freights run on the Florida East Coast Railway and now share tracks with Brightline. Took multiple years but that distance is 180 miles or so. The east/west portion of Brightline from Orlando east is all new tracks until it reaches Cocoa.

 

[karstenkibbe]

Not sure if there is a transportation thread, but there are a few of us who post in the beer thread. The more, the merrier….

Beer

They It’s definitely not Treehouse. The developer is looking to build a 16,000 sq ft facility “modeled after” Treehouse. I heard my fave brewery Tox is fitting out a former dept store space on Bank Street in New London.

the-boneyard.com

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Train travel rules.

I took my first longer-ish distance Amtrak trip in 2022 when I had to take the train from Stamford to Baltimore for an educational conference. Such a relaxing experience and it was fun being able to get around without even thinking about parking.

I'll take the same trip this summer as the Yankees will be in Baltimore the same weekend as my birthday. Never been to a game at Camden Yards, so can't wait for that and even though I was there for work, Baltimore became one of my favorite American cities.

Amtrak is great. Used to take it from Stamford to Philly all the time and loved it. Metro-North was pretty good for day to day commuting but would be late all the time which was aggravating esp when I had to be somewhere. But the trade off of not having to sit on I95 or the Merritt for an hour and a half to drive 20 miles was worth it.

 

[karstenkibbe]

Amtrak is great. Used to take it from Stamford to Philly all the time and loved it. Metro-North was pretty good for day to day commuting but would be late all the time which was aggravating esp when I had to be somewhere. But the trade off of not having to sit on I95 or the Merritt for an hour and a half to drive 20 miles was worth it.

Acela from Stamford to DC, Wilmington, Philly, PVD, Boston is a no-brainer. Beats the hassle and stress of driving or flying every single time.

 

[Ha Who]

I live in WeHa and am within walking distance of 2 fastrack stations

I could take the Troutbrook trail, which is about 20 minutes by bike from my house to the Elmwood station but obviously that’s not within walking distance. I spent many years taking the 72 just to avoid the aggravation before work, and after work my point is other than the fortunate few like you, there is a great inconvenience to taking so-called mass transit in Connecticut. My son commuted several months from home to Stamford. . The morning was OK on Amtrak, but because of his schedule he could not take Metro North and Ct Rail home. He was dependent on Amtrak, which was real unreliable. Several times I had to pick him up in New Haven because of Connecticut rail schedule

 

[Rocktheworld]

I hate Hartford games but parking/getting there by car is the best thing about it

Seriously it has never been a hassle for me at all all season.

 

[Husky25]

I usually get into Hartford by 5 PM, so parking is easy and cheap (street parking and the parking meter is usually about a dollar).

Timing is usually the key and I suspect the root of most complaints for the meltdown following the DePaul game.

I have season tickets for football, but only go to a few basketball games per year (This year, they happen to be the first two home games of 2024). As such, I treat those few games games as I do football Saturdays. As events and I am typically able to get a couple hours off at the end of a workday, if need be. Maybe some season ticket holders feel comfortable cutting it more close to tip off, but I think the flipside is to accept that some games will not go as as smooth as others.

Vs. DePaul, my son (11 y.o.) and I arrived on campus and parked in one of the many spots on the first level of the North Garage, as Gampel was opening its doors, but with not particularly wanting stadium food for dinner, went trekked to Blaze. We still got into the arena for the National Anthem. Afterward, the walk back to the garage took longer than getting out.

Same for Sunday. We got into Hartford at 10:30 and parked in our usual lot ($10), met my friends at Urban Lodge, and entered the arena as the rockets were glaring red. We went to Agave afterward, but was back home, and walked the dogs before the 4:30 playoff game.

 

[HCCForever]

Amtrak is great. Used to take it from Stamford to Philly all the time and loved it. Metro-North was pretty good for day to day commuting but would be late all the time which was aggravating esp when I had to be somewhere. But the trade off of not having to sit on I95 or the Merritt for an hour and a half to drive 20 miles was worth it.

My only issue was Amtrak on the Saturday after Thanksgiving years ago. I had roundtrip ticket from Hartford to Stamford but had to take Metro-North to New Haven from Stamford on return trip since people were sitting on the floor when train arrived in Stamford. I then boarded in New Haven to get back to Hartford.

I have since taken it with no issues.

 

[BIIIG]

Eh get over it. The alternative is…regular priced beers all night. Glad some people got their cheap ones in. But I mean what do you expect? You could still get a full priced beer no problem so wasn’t like you didn’t get booze. The place was rockin and drunk so it’s not like you didn’t get the atmosphere you wanted. Seems like the big gripe is “but i didn’t get one”. Well tough break, it was first come first serve. No good deed goes unpunished. Why would UConn run promos if when they don’t there’s no gripe whatsoever, but when they do it’s just never good enough.

 

[uconnad]

FOUR

 

[JayKoz]

Eh get over it. The alternative is…regular priced beers all night. Glad some people got their cheap ones in. But I mean what do you expect? You could still get a full priced beer no problem so wasn’t like you didn’t get booze. The place was rockin and drunk so it’s not like you didn’t get the atmosphere you wanted. Seems like the big gripe is “but i didn’t get one”. Well tough break, it was first come first serve. No good deed goes unpunished. Why would UConn run promos if when they don’t there’s no gripe whatsoever, but when they do it’s just never good enough.

Sorry, but you shouldn’t advertise $2 beer night if it sells out 45+ minutes before the game starts. That’s pretty ridiculous.

 

[LIUCHusky]

I’ll be honest I get absolutely wasted at XL. So public transportation and Ubers are necessities for me.

On the other hand you can sober up at Gampel because you know you’ll be stuck in traffic for 1 hour.

Stuck in traffic for an hour?

 

[TheRealKBuks]

Eh get over it. The alternative is…regular priced beers all night. Glad some people got their cheap ones in. But I mean what do you expect? You could still get a full priced beer no problem so wasn’t like you didn’t get booze. The place was rockin and drunk so it’s not like you didn’t get the atmosphere you wanted. Seems like the big gripe is “but i didn’t get one”. Well tough break, it was first come first serve. No good deed goes unpunished. Why would UConn run promos if when they don’t there’s no gripe whatsoever, but when they do it’s just never good enough.

The alternative is exactly what happened for a huge majority of people who attended so...

Honestly, if the reason they ran out is because the students showed up so early and drank all the beer, that's a reason I can live with. They were awesome last night.

 

[FearThePups]

I have also taken the bus to XL as well as taking it to work downtown every day. Hartford actually has a very good public transportation system. Why would you laugh at that and why is that people in this country are so negative about public transportation?

Why, haven’t you ever seen Amtrack?