How UConn really feels about the XL Center

[ffg53]

Hartford is not New Haven and probably never will be, unless UConn moves downtown lock, stock and barrel. If Yale was in Old Saybrook instead of New Haven then people would be having this conversation about that city.

That said, Hartford is getting better. Whereas there used to be tumbleweeds on Main St. or Trumbull St. after 5pm on a weekday, now you can see the occasional pedestrian among the tumbleweeds. Some restaurants (Salute, TK, Sorella's, Dish) are downright packed on weeknights. Others have mentioned affordable housing opening up and that'll help. So will all the new places along Front Street, none of which would be there if it weren't for all the new stuff on the riverfront. You don't revitalize a city overnight but I think things are moving in the right direction.

20-something years ago I was in Charlotte for a weekend convention. Charlotte on a Sunday in 1992 was as apocalyptically silent as Hartford. Charlotte changed. Hartford can, too.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Well gentlemen, consider yourselves lucky, because I have an important friend in the grocery industry. And I got him to weigh in on this very issue. 1) Rent is too high. 2) There aren't enough people. 3) Crime is too high. 2 of those 3 things would have to change to make Hartford attractive to a grocery store.

You're welcome.

 

[Hoophound]

Well gentlemen, consider yourselves lucky, because I have an important friend in the grocery industry. And I got him to weigh in on this very issue. 1) Rent is too high. 2) There aren't enough people. 3) Crime is too high. 2 of those 3 things would have to change to make Hartford attractive to a grocery store.

You're welcome.

I'm not sure rent would be anything at all. A large chain could get huge concessions to open there if they do it while it is still risky.

 

[elduderino]

Why are you arguing about grocery stores?

I become sad looking at New Haven now compared to what it was in my youth. It was THE place to shop, see a movie, just the place to be, a real magnet for the burbs. It ain't that now.
But when I look at New Haven compared to Hartford, it is just so much more active. Yale helps but real people still live in N.H. People walk the streets after 6:00. Hartford seems like a corporate skeleton. I wish it luck but they seem to barely plan.

You of course realize the irony that since you threw in your 2 cents, UConn is moving to Hartford. Which would seem unlikely had my peen not just doubled in size to 27" followed directly by my girlfriend breaking down the front door begging to impale herself on it.

Just between you and me, none of these things did or will ever happen.

A little good-natured ball breaking for you.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

I would rather watch from home than sit in either an XL box or anything above the bottom of the 200s. The good news is that I can usually score a decent single in the 100s there, and I don't mind the drive (or the fact that I can stop at Eli Cannon's en route).

There are no bad seats in Gampel imo. But yeah, as yet another Madison resident and alum, I'll agree that the games for which I'm willing head to Gampel on a weeknight are few and far between these days. We still get there at least once a season for a family trip to an afternoon men's or women's game on a weekend, and I usually make a couple more trips myself.

I love Eli's and go there frequently, but you don't think that's a bit far for a couple pregame brews?

 

[8893]

I love Eli's and go there frequently, but you don't think that's a bit far for a couple pregame brews?

If I'm coming from Madison it is on the way, i.e., en route.

 

[chukwa]

If UConn stops connecting with the non-alumni fans, it's screwed. UConn has to be the state team to continue to generate the support it needs. If Alabama understands the importance of playing football off campus even when they have on campus facility, UConn should understand the importance of Hartford.

Just look a the reaction in Bridgeport this year. Does anyone really think that playing Eastern Washington at Gampel would have been a better decision.

Alabama hasn't played football games in Birmingham for quite some time

 

[David 76]

You of course realize the irony that since you threw in your 2 cents, UConn is moving to Hartford. Which would seem unlikely had my peen not just doubled in size to 27" followed directly by my girlfriend breaking down the front door begging to impale herself on it.

Just between you and me, none of these things did or will ever happen.

A little good-natured ball breaking for you.

You mean you are back to a measly 13.5 inches?
Hartford can get better if they get better if they have the political will.

 

[David 76]

Hartford is not New Haven and probably never will be, unless UConn moves downtown lock, stock and barrel. If Yale was in Old Saybrook instead of New Haven then people would be having this conversation about that ci.

Gotta disagree. Yale would hurt the architecture of New Haven and remove a lot of young people, great attributes to the city.
But New Haven is, and always was, a blue collar town where a lot of people live and work. Hartford became a much more white collar town with a higher percentage of commuters. Visit New Haven when most of the Yalies are gone and you will still see a more vibrant place than downtown Hartford.

I wish Hartford, and all our cities, well. Tough to have lost all the shopping and entertainment to free suburban parking. But Hartford isn't just unlucky or lacking Yale, it is even more poorly run than our other cities.

 

[ffg53]

Gotta disagree. Yale would hurt the architecture of New Haven and remove a lot of young people, great attributes to the city.
But New Haven is, and always was, a blue collar town where a lot of people live and work. Hartford became a much more white collar town with a higher percentage of commuters. Visit New Haven when most of the Yalies are gone and you will still see a more vibrant place than downtown Hartford.

I wish Hartford, and all our cities, well. Tough to have lost all the shopping and entertainment to free suburban parking. But Hartford isn't just unlucky or lacking Yale, it is even more poorly run than our other cities.

I agree with your basic premise, but if there's no Yale, there's 2 missing art galleries, a missing science center, 2 missing the-atres, a hospital, and the selection of restaurants would likely be limited to the usual Italian, American and Chinese. Without Yale I think New Haven is more likely a smaller Bridgeport, minus the good Portuguese restaurants.

Certainly Hartford has been poorly run, but I think that has changed. I also wouldn't consider DiStefano's last 10 years anything beyond mediocre. And when the Yale students are gone, most of the faculty still lives there, as do many of Yale's thousands of other employees.

 

[Waquoit]

New Haven without Yale is Torrington.

 

[CallMeBruce]

New Haven without Yale is Torrington.

There's no part of Torrington where you might get stabbed.

 

[8893]

New Haven without Yale is Torrington.

Well the way we usually say it is Bridgeport instead of Torrington, but in either event it's still the functional equivalent of "If my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle."

In other words, Yale ain't going anywhere, and New Haven will always benefit from it.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

If I'm coming from Madison it is on the way, i.e., en route.

That's not what I'm saying, my point is that Elis to XL is a decent drive after you've already had a few strong brews

 

[8893]

That's not what I'm saying, my point is that Elis to XL is a decent drive after you've already had a few strong brews

Two session ales and a plate of wings over the course of an hour or two is fine, and imo far preferable to any Hartford pre-game option.

 

[SubbaBub]

That's not a big deal for downtown when you think about. Pretty much everyone has to drive to a grocery store.

True urban living means not using the car on a daily basis. Mainly because parking is limited. If the basic services are not within reasonable walking distance an urban residential setting can not thrive.

 

[Waquoit]

True urban living means not using the car on a daily basis. Mainly because parking is limited. If the basic services are not within reasonable walking distance an urban residential setting can not thrive.

No kidding. But what has that have to do with living in downtown Hartford? Don't all of the residential units come with a parking space or 2?

 

[SubbaBub]

Hartford is not the proto-typical "urban environment" and it's silly to pretend it should be. The downtown urban area is small. But in that area you have many different cultural, entertainment and culinary options. That's the draw. In bigger cities, owning a car is a huge hassle with the price of parking and overwhelming traffic. That's not an issue living in Hartford.

The reason Hartford struggles is because it is not a prototype urban center. To succeed it must become one. That means people living and working there. Without grocery and other basic services in the immediate area the hassle of living there will always outweigh the incentive.

Think of it this way, would you be more annoyed by having to drive in for an event or drive out for daily errands.

 

[SubbaBub]

No kidding. But what has that have to do with living in downtown Hartford? Don't all of the residential units come with a parking space or 2?

Most urban area rely on street or private parking. You want density of people nor car storage. Since cars are still necessary, selling Apts now would be impossible without parking.

It's a good example of how public infrastructure affects the private market. If Hartford had a decent transit system and a viable small business community, more residential units could be built instead of parking spaces.

Hartford actually has too many spaces. The expectation of close parking is ingrained in most of the population if CT. It's a tough hurdle to overcome.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I remember going down to the Coliseum in the late 1980s’ to catch Aerosmith and walking over from there to Pepe’s (did not tell my folks) and it was not that nice nor that safe. Took a drive through the city (straight down Whitney) last year (on my way to Pepe’s again) and was impressed. Downtown and the areas around Yale have improved a lot and Yale has clearly realized that its own success depends on new Haven, at least downtown, being vibrant. Having a dirt rail connection to NYC, also help and the work along old Route 34 (Alexion?) looks promising.

Hartford has potential too, provided they keep it real. Due to globalization, it will never be the insurance capital again and it is doubtful that the NHL is coming back. But, the city has a well-educated workforce, has good and quick highway access to both New York and Boston, and is a low cheaper housing wise that both cities. Getting UConn downtown will also help to make the city more attractive. Too bad it is not financially feasible to bury both I-84 and I-91 to connect the city back to the North End and Asylum Hill and the River. Improved train service would also help as the Millennial generation seems to have less interest in cards.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Most urban area rely on street or private parking. You want density of people nor car storage. Since cars are still necessary, selling Apts now would be impossible without parking.

It's a good example of how public infrastructure affects the private market. If Hartford had a decent transit system and a viable small business community, more residential units could be built instead of parking spaces.

Hartford actually has too many spaces. The expectation of close parking is ingrained in most of the population if CT. It's a tough hurdle to overcome.

One of CT’s problems is that it is too small of a state to support multiple major cities. Resources are too spread out and there is not enough density to enable a proper downtown. If one was to go back in time, CT should just have 1 major city instead of a half dozen midsize cities (Hartford, Bridgeport, new Haven Waterbury, Stamford). New Haven would have made the most sense as its centrally located, along the coast (very important for pre-train/car ears), and far enough away to not be a suburb of NYC; but, close enough to have a relatively easy connection. That would have maximized growth and focused urban resources. Figure New Haven would have at a minimum absorbed West Haven, East Haven, and at least the south end of Hamden. Combined plus growth that went to other cities would push New Haven to 300/400K or about ½ the size of Boston and a metro area (all of New Haven county, the other half of Fairfield County, and Middlesex counties) would be around the 1.5 million range. A metro that size would be much more attractive, have its own identity, and provide a viable city experience if managed correctly.

 

[Waquoit]

Most urban area rely on street or private parking. You want density of people nor car storage. Since cars are still necessary, selling Apts now would be impossible without parking.
It's a good example of how public infrastructure affects the private market. If Hartford had a decent transit system and a viable small business community, more residential units could be built instead of parking spaces.
Hartford actually has too many spaces. The expectation of close parking is ingrained in most of the population if CT. It's a tough hurdle to overcome.

Aren't you basically agreeing with me?

 

[David 76]

I remember going down to the Coliseum in the late 1980s’ to catch Aerosmith and walking over from there to Pepe’s (did not tell my folks) and it was not that nice nor that safe. Took a drive through the city (straight down Whitney) last year (on my way to Pepe’s again) and was impressed. Downtown and the areas around Yale have improved a lot and Yale has clearly realized that its own success depends on new Haven, at least downtown, being vibrant.

Conehead, part of what you noticed was real improvement part of it was a bad neighborhood compared to one of the nicest areas of the City. But they have made progress. Great restaurants, half-way decent nightlife, young people choosing to live there
Is New Haven the only one of the traditional four major cities not to have their mayor arrested recently? That just might be relevant.

 

[Gampeltiles]

XL serves alcohol.

And they keep all concession money.

 

[Gampeltiles]

And this is where the AAC is going to play its Conference Tournament next season. All those people from Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Oklahoma taking over the social nightlife in the world's most entertaining and vibrant city. And then, converging on the XL Center. A tourists' dream!

Am I the only one that thinks that this is an impending disaster? How many people from the southeast and southwest are actually going to fly to Hartford? How many people are going to a game in which UCONN is not involved? It will be a humiliation for all involved and they better rethink this ASAP.