OT: - Does anyone live in Downtown Hartford? | Page 8 | The Boneyard

OT: Does anyone live in Downtown Hartford?

You would think suburbanites were getting offed on a daily basis from reading the threads about Hartford. What a bunch of wusses, grown men terrified of walking around downtown Hartford.
 
Let's just dig up every criminal act ever, and apply it to what will happen to us if we walk 2 blocks in downtown. I saw lots of people get slapped around at my suburban high school and beat-downs issued in bars frequented solely by suburbanites. There was drug dealing, stealing, and vandalism going on too. Should I avoid those places as well now?
 
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husky8273 said:
Thankfully Hartford's finest's efforts have prevented any further instances since last November.
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Love a guy with a sense of humor. As for XL fan, he has a tough time with facts. He must be a lawyer :) He reads the Courant every day but goes into full attack mode when confronted with the truth
 
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Who Ha said:
Love a guy with a sense of humor. As for XL fan, he has a tough time with facts. He must be a lawyer :) He reads the Courant every day but goes into full attack mode when confronted with the truth
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If we're saying that crime occurs in downtown Hartford, as it does in every other city, that IS a fact. If we're saying that crime is SO prevalent in downtown Hartford, that a rational person should be afraid to walk 2 blocks, that is NOT a fact. I jumped into this convo when the statement was made that walking from Spectra to Front Street was a hazard to our health, which I would also say is NOT a fact.
Mind you, I have walked many blocks downtown at night. I have lived in the South End, by the corner of Adelaide and Franklin. I have walked 2 blocks there as well, day and night, where crime is more prevalent than downtown, to Mozzicato bakery, the old D & D Grocery, etc, and never had any issues. Should I go play Powerball because I am SO lucky? Or, is the crime in DOWNTOWN just being over-exaggerated? I am also not saying that certain parts of the city shouldn't be avoided for an evening stroll. There are parts of the city I would absolutely not walk 2 blocks at night, but downtown ain't it.
 
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I’m not sure why we got sidetracked on the safety issue as I walk all over Hartford. My real issue is I’m depressed by the lack of business and people downtown. Sure when we play Nova I see people. When I saw Roger Waters and the Dead, I loved the vibe. But when I walk at lunch there are depressingly few people. It’s even worse in the evenings or weekends when there is not a major event. My point is the city needs thousands more living downtown to get that city feel. I guess we both love Hartford. Perhaps, you see the glass half full and I half empty.
 
Fair points Who Ha. I agree with your post above. My wife and I went downtown on a warm weekday last week for mid-day sandwiches at Blue State Coffee, and we ate outside. The mix of people walking around was 50/50 of people who seemed to be working, and people who seemed to be looking for work. Besides places to live, and getting people to move there, we need jobs, jobs, jobs, for city residents-which is tough when many of the residents don't have the skills necessary to fill many jobs. There also needs to be a grocery store, but I always have the chicken and egg debate about both. Will a grocery store move in if people move there first, or will more people move in if there is a grocery store? Should we incentivize job-skills programs before the jobs come, to attract employers? Or, should we attract employers, and then help/incentivize residents to attain the skills? These are the great urban debates being had nowadays and must be figured out, especially in a city like Hartford, which it seems many (at least I am) are rooting for, and would love to see flourish again. Cheers dude!
 
Smh what happened to this thread. A bunch of old men worrying about how “dangerous” Hartford is as if random acts of violence happen daily. Go take this stupid argument to the pool. Bad things happen to good people, as long as the frequency is low it doesn’t matter. Way to ruin a solid thread smh.
 
XLCenterFan said:
If we're saying that crime occurs in downtown Hartford, as it does in every other city, that IS a fact. If we're saying that crime is SO prevalent in downtown Hartford, that a rational person should be afraid to walk 2 blocks, that is NOT a fact. I jumped into this convo when the statement was made that walking from Spectra to Front Street was a hazard to our health, which I would also say is NOT a fact.
Mind you, I have walked many blocks downtown at night. I have lived in the South End, by the corner of Adelaide and Franklin. I have walked 2 blocks there as well, day and night, where crime is more prevalent than downtown, to Mozzicato bakery, the old D & D Grocery, etc, and never had any issues. Should I go play Powerball because I am SO lucky? Or, is the crime in DOWNTOWN just being over-exaggerated? I am also not saying that certain parts of the city shouldn't be avoided for an evening stroll. There are parts of the city I would absolutely not walk 2 blocks at night, but downtown ain't it.
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Do you think that just because you haven’t experienced violence (yet) that it doesn’t exist?
 
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Deepster said:
Do you think that just because you haven’t experienced violence (yet) that it doesn’t exist?
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I'm saying that I've had a better chance than most to have experienced it in Hartford, since I've lived there for three years and have been frequenting the city since I've been in middle school, and I have not. I can't even tell you of a friend who has been physically accosted or assaulted. Most of the beatings I heard about or witnessed were white on white crimes in college bars. I know that violence exists there, just as it exists in every metro area with high rates of concentrated poverty. It's far more likely to exist in those places than it is in my hometown and current town of Wethersfield. I'm just arguing that the downtown area (not other parts of the city) is much safer than most suburbanites portray it.
 
polycom said:
Smh what happened to this thread. A bunch of old men worrying about how “dangerous” Hartford is as if random acts of violence happen daily. Go take this stupid argument to the pool. Bad things happen to good people, as long as the frequency is low it doesn’t matter. Way to ruin a solid thread smh.
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You talking about me?

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XLCenterFan said:
I'm saying that I've had a better chance than most to have experienced it in Hartford, since I've lived there for three years and have been frequenting the city since I've been in middle school, and I have not. I can't even tell you of a friend who has been physically accosted or assaulted. Most of the beatings I heard about or witnessed were white on white crimes in college bars. I know that violence exists there, just as it exists in every metro area with high rates of concentrated poverty. It's far more likely to exist in those places than it is in my hometown and current town of Wethersfield. I'm just arguing that the downtown area (not other parts of the city) is much safer than most suburbanites portray it.
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You're talking to a guy who is the stereotype of every scared old guy from the burbs, "urban people" are terrifying to him.
 
For what it's worth, when my buddy lived in Front Street Lofts I made this walk 100 times, often drunk and blacked out at 2am and would have been the perfect target. Most nights I barely passed a soul, let alone any soul I would have thought shady.
 
superjohn said:
You're talking to a guy who is the stereotype of every scared old guy from the burbs, "urban people" are terrifying to him.
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And you’re a guy who’s dad lied and ran from the cops for fun, right?
 
No wonder Who Ha kills everyone who doesn’t feel like driving in crappy weather to mediocre games - he walks to the XL Center.
 
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Deepster said:
And you’re a guy who’s dad lied and ran from the cops for fun, right?
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Whether it was fully conscious or not, kudos for your use of the word "And" to begin your reply. It lends value to my ongoing interpretation of the safety discussion.

After reading the back-and-forths, I'm developing a sense that downtown Hartford is no more dangerous than downtown New Haven, which, among some friends & acquaintances and by certain public perception, has a reputation that's worse than my direct experience.

While I recognize how many Connecticut towns and spaces give me virtually no need to consider even random encounters with risk of physical danger, I appreciate the span and vitality of city life as well as suburban, exurban, and four-season natural rhythms.
 
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Hans Sprungfeld said:
Whether it was fully conscious or not, kudos for your use of the word "And" to begin your reply. It lends value to my ongoing interpretation of the safety discussion.

After reading the back-and-forths, I'm developing a sense that downtown Hartford is no more dangerous than downtown New Haven, which, among some friends & acquaintances and by certain public perception, has a reputation that's worse than my direct experience.

While I recognize how many Connecticut towns and spaces give me virtually no need to consider even random encounters with risk of physical danger, I appreciate the span and vitality of city life as well as suburban, exurban, and four-season natural rhythms.
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I certainly used to walk around downtown Hartford most weekend nights, and some weeknights, back in the late 80's. Never worried about anything. Ran into some folks who could have been trouble once or twice between XL and the Civic Pub. But I was always with a couple of other guys.

I did drive home to Simsbury on the back streets to took me to Albany Avenue. Usually at 2:00 AM or nearly so. Stopped at the Shell on Albany a few times for Diet Coke to keep me awake for the drive. Never had a problem exactly, but it was probably unwise of me not to take Asylum to Scarborough.
 
whaler11 said:
No wonder Who Ha kills everyone who doesn’t feel like driving in crappy weather to mediocre games - he walks to the XL Center.
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Unfortunately or fortunately I can’t use that line any longer. I said if Hurley came to UConn I would stop
 
HuskyHawk said:
I certainly used to walk around downtown Hartford most weekend nights, and some weeknights, back in the late 80's. Never worried about anything. Ran into some folks who could have been trouble once or twice between XL and the Civic Pub. But I was always with a couple of other guys.

I did drive home to Simsbury on the back streets to took me to Albany Avenue. Usually at 2:00 AM or nearly so. Stopped at the Shell on Albany a few times for Diet Coke to keep me awake for the drive. Never had a problem exactly, but it was probably unwise of me not to take Asylum to Scarborough.
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My father's 40 year commute from Bishop's Corner to Albany Ave with a right turn on Scarborough to Asylum to Woodland Street, so that was how to get downtown. Over time, I explored all variations on West End streets (Terry St, Westerly Terrace, Woodside Circle Elizabeth St, etc.) but my non-native mother wanted me to never continue on Albany Ave. My father mostly went along but didn't really care, as he'd grown up in the North End and gone to Weaver.

Until my uncle took me around in 2016 to see every house the family had ever lived in before the post-War migration to West Hartford, I had minimal familiarity beyond Daniels Cadillac, Baltimore Drug, Mount Sinai Hospital, a pizza place called (I think, though it sounds odd) Nolan's that sold rectangular frozen pizzas they made for home heating, and a very memorable trip to see Sun Ra's Interstellar Arkestra at the West Indian Social Club one summer vacation from college.
 
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Hans Sprungfeld said:
My father's 40 year commute from Bishop's Corner to Albany Ave with a right turn on Scarborough to Asylum to Woodland Street, so that was how to get downtown. Over time, I explored all variations on West End streets (Terry St, Westerly Terrace, Woodside Circle Elizabeth St, etc.) but my non-native mother wanted me to never continue on Albany Ave. My father mostly went along but didn't really care, as he'd grown up in the North End and gone to Weaver.

Until my uncle took me around in 2016 to see every house the family had ever lived in before the post-War migration to West Hartford, I had minimal familiarity beyond Daniels Cadillac, Baltimore Drug, Mount Sinai Hospital, a pizza place called (I think, though it sounds odd) Nolan's that sold rectangular frozen pizzas they made for home heating, and a very memorable trip to see Sun Ra's Interstellar Arkestra at the West Indian Social Club one summer vacation from college.
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I worked summers at the HIG and later at the Dept. of Correction after college (on Capital I think?). Always a right on Scarborough on the way in. But I found it easier to go back out taking back streets to Albany, and it was never an issue for me. That said, I had a HS teacher who was pulled from her car at a light on Albany in the afternoon. They grabbed her purse, which was on her arm, yanking her from the car and breaking her leg. Doors need to be locked at a minimum.
 
HuskyHawk said:
Always a right on Scarborough on the way in. But I found it easier to go back out taking back streets to Albany, and it was never an issue for me.
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Albany to a right on Homestead is better
 
Simple solution to all you guys complaining about how dangerous Hartford is and "would you let your daughter walk her at night?" just stay in your own communities if your so afraid. No one is forcing you to be in the city and I'm sure the people of Hartford don't want you in this space with all that judgement. I'm guessing you are the same guys that walk around and feel threatened when asked for change or only commute into the city for work/sporting events and never actually spend any time interacting with the people.
 
polycom said:
Smh what happened to this thread. A bunch of old men worrying about how “dangerous” Hartford is as if random acts of violence happen daily. Go take this stupid argument to the pool. Bad things happen to good people, as long as the frequency is low it doesn’t matter. Way to ruin a solid thread smh.
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When you turn old I’ll be laughing at you
Dot
Dot
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From my grave you ageism agent.
 
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