Posts Tagged ‘Hartford’

 
Mar
10
2012

St Patrick’s Day Parade One

Saturday, March 10th, 2012

St. Patrick must have been a cool guy. He gets two parades in Connecticut and his birthday is still a week away! Why do Hartford and New Haven hold their St. Patrick’s Day parades this weekend even though the actual St. Patrick’s Day is next Saturday? I have no clue!

The Hartford parade was this morning. FoxCT had a float (aka-flatbed truck with our air staff) going which meant a quick turnaround from last night’s 11:00 PM news.

I was home at 12:20 AM, in bed by 3:30 AM, awake at 7:45 AM and back at the station by 9:15 AM. That’s when hurry up and wait began.

Let’s face it, there is no monumental undertaking like a parade without some hurry up and wait. Because we were at the back of the line-of-march our wait was the longest. We watched other units return to their vehicles and drive home before we left the staging area.

As predicted it was cold! I arrived in Hartford with the temperature in the mid-30s and a chilling breeze.

Helaine found my “union suit,” red thermal underwear that covers shoulders to calves. Bless you Helaine.

Our float didn’t leave the Capitol until about 12:20. The streets were packed. I snapped photos while my colleagues threw plastic bead necklaces to the crowd.

We do it again Sunday in front of a larger crowd in New Haven. I’m ready.

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Feb
22
2012

The Women At Subway

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

They’ve opened a new Subway a block from work here in Hartford! All the freestanding buildings must be gone because this one is shoehorned into the convenience store that’s already shoehorned into the Mobil station. Judging by the inventory there are a lot of stoners nearby.

The women behind the counter looked West Asian to me. They have an interesting accent–difficult to pin.

“Where are you from,” I asked?

Are you supposed to do that? I’m just inherently curious.

The answer was Nepal.

“Kathmandu,” I asked? That’s the extent of my Nepalese knowledge.

Turns out they’re from Dhulikhel. I hadn’t heard of it either. One of the women spelled it, then when I couldn’t quite understand her pronunciation of the individual letters, wrote it out.

That was enough for a Google search on my phone and the photo you see on the right. There are fewer than 20,000 people in Dhulikhel, but it’s got a Wikipedia entry!

They gave me a few more towns to search. I did when I got back to my desk.

I love this about America. We are from everywhere.

Imagine what cultural shock you must go through making the transition from Dhulikhel to Hartford. Could two places be more different?

“Why did you come to Hartford,” I asked?

Neither seemed to know.

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Oct
09
2011

The Saddest Train

Sunday, October 9th, 2011

The Hartford Courant/FoxCT building is adjacent to a railroad track. Every day we see freight and passenger trains lumber by on their way to-and-from Hartford’s Union Station.

The saddest of the passersby is the little train that runs between New Haven and Springfield. It consists of an engine and two passenger cars. I’ve gotten to where I recognize the car and locomotive numbers. There’s probably only one of these trainsets going up-and-back every day.

It’s thinly traveled. I’ve lived in Connecticut over a quarter century and no one’s ever told me they’ve ridden this train!

Here it is going through the Flower Street crossing in Hartford. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.

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Aug
05
2011

Cool Hartford Time Lapse Video

Friday, August 5th, 2011

There are definite advantages to working at a TV station. For instance, this afternoon I asked our FoxCT editor Tom Carl if he’d run a time lapse video on our Hartford Citycam. No problem. Here is the product of his efforts.

We ran this on the FoxCT 4:00 PM news. Though there’s no excuse for you missing it, just in case here’s another chance.

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Jun
22
2011

Nice To Be Back In New Haven

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

I had lunch with a friend today in New Haven. His treat. We went to Mory’s. I’m not sure I can totally explain the place except without him and his membership I’m on the street.

It was nice to be back in New Haven! The differences between it and Hartford are immediately visible.

Hartford is full of tall buildings. New Haven much less so.

New Haven is full of interesting places to eat and shop. Hartford much less so.

Having Yale downtown adds foot traffic you don’t get when everyone comes to the city just to take an elevator to work!

Both cities have problems with crime, though I’ve never been nervous walking through either.

Each city has its strengths and weaknesses, but it’s interesting that two cities so close together in the same state are so different.

I don’t have as much reason to be in New Haven on a regular basis anymore. I miss its vibe. I was reminded of that today.

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May
27
2011

My Dinner Was Chosen On Facebook

Friday, May 27th, 2011

I was musing on Facebook about my dinner prospects tonight. With no company I’d whittled my choices to one: Subway. Then I heard from Bob Leonard on Facebook.

The Franklin Ave. Grinder Shop, which I’m sure is still there, is a must!

Never heard of it! I seemed to be alone. Everyone else has.

Franklin is around 10 minutes from the TV station in a neighborhood often considered iffy after dark. Directly behind the grinder shop are small frame tenements with clothes hanging on the line.

I walked inside and got in line. The man behind me wondered why I was in Hartford. Not everyone knows yet.

When I go to Subway I order a footlong. That wasn’t going to be the case here. A large grinder was nearly $20. I had a half.

A woman in line recommended a mixed Italian grinder which came with lettuce, tomato and peppers. Yum! The half was about all I could handle.

Every city has places like Franklin Giant Grinders. The secret is finding out they exist.

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May
24
2011

Blue Skies Above

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

A few minutes ago I walked through the newsroom, past the print people, into the lunchroom and out onto a small patio overlooking Hartford. It’s actually a designated smoking area, but I had it to myself. Overhead, blue!

Ohmygawd!!! Blue skies. I have been waiting for this forever… or so it seems.

I may be the weatherman, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get sick of the weather. May is usually my favorite month. Not May 2011!

OK — here’s my good news. This stuff is going to last. Sunny, warm days into the weekend!

I am beside myself with excitement.

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May
05
2011

Is There Food Here?

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

At first glance there’s less to eat in Hartford than there was in New Haven. Hopefully that improves at second glance though I’m not terribly hopeful. When I asked co-workers about the availability of diners they wept softly and looked down at their shoes.

Not that I don’t love you Subway, but I’ve already spent too much time at your nearby shop.

Tonight I went to the Wood-n-Tap on Sisson and picked up a salad. Pretty good. I mistakenly didn’t tell them to hold the bleu cheese. My error.

I found the last parking space nearby. Parking’s gonna be a problem. I’ve already been warned.

When you order out for dinner it’s easy to fall into bad habits. Delivered food is often what’s worst for you. There aren’t enough stairs in this place to work that off!

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May
03
2011

Hartford At Night (photo)

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

One of the advantages of working in Hartford is the easy availability of photo ops. I pulled over at the entrance to Bushnell Park to take a few shots then up the hill to the State Capitol building.

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Apr
18
2011

In The Swing At Work

Monday, April 18th, 2011

It’s a dark and damp night in Hartford. I am exhausted! It’s not because I worked so hard, but because the anxiety level was so high. Now I can relax a little. The next newscasts should be easier.

The 4:00 O’clock news is a blur. I tried to prepare, but I didn’t want to be too prepared… too calculating. I didn’t want to be cute-by-design!

I looked back at a piece of one aircheck and… it looked like me! Mission accomplished. My parents watched online. They said I looked good, but they’re my parents. Helaine, who can be depended on to tell me when I screw up seemed happy too.

Dan is preparing the maps for the 10:00 O’clock news now. I do plan on saying “Don’t go to sleep yet” at ten and eleven.

Tomorrow starts a more normal schedule with some science reporting at 4:00 and weather at 11:00 PM.

So far so good.

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