What’s Atop Our Building

I will admit it was very cool seeing this atop our building when I came to work today.  Yes, I took a little extra time getting in from the parking lot!

I will admit it was very cool seeing this atop our building when I came to work today.  Yes, I took a little extra time getting in from the parking lot!

Reassuring News On The Snow Front

On this day in 1977 it snowed! Some parts of the Northwest Hills got as much as nine inches.

Kudos on this go to my weather partner at FoxCT Rachel Frank and the Hartford Courant which never throws anything away! On this day in 1977 it snowed! Some parts of the Northwest Hills got as much as nine inches. North of Hartford Bradley Airport got an inch and a half.

The good news is May 9 is the latest it’s ever snowed in Connecticut… well, at least as far as we know. Recorded history doesn’t go back far enough to make rash generalizations.

I was living in Philadelphia in May ’77. Had I been living here I would have been suicidal!

My Dinner With Rachel

She’s a Penn State grad. They are known for having a very strong meteorology department–one of the best

I went to dinner with Rachel Frank tonight. She is the nighttime meteorologist at Fox61. We’d traded emails, but never met… in fact we’d never even spoken until I called just a few steps from the parking garage. I was a little lost.

Since Rachel was between shows I let her choose the location. We had Mexican at Besito in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square. The restaurant is dark and stylish with a tall wall of candlelit lamps.

I am mostly a ‘downstate’ boy so most of what I know about Blue Back Square I learned while watching TV news (while sitting in the studio). It’s very impressive with a West Coast open air feel.

That wasn’t perfect for tonight’s rainy chill, but it was still cool to walk around the area (while lost, not wearing a jacket and with my umbrella safely sitting in the car — some weatherman I!).

I had Enchiladas Langosta Y Jaiba: lobster & crab escabeche baked in a roasted yellow tomato salsa, with pico de gallo and pasilla chile. Who knew lobster and crab was Mexican? I think they’ve taken liberties!

Rachel had Enchiladas Suizas: Swiss style enchiladas with shredded chicken baked in a tomatillo cream sauce with melted cheese, onions and cilantro. She also order a side of plantains which we shared.

God I wish I had her metabolism! She is thin, but not shy of food!

She’s a Penn State grad. They’ve always had a very strong meteorology department–one of the best. We talked about weather and being on TV. It’s definitely an interesting combination.

She enjoys her work. I like that.

At one point a woman made her way to our table to say hello and ask me for an autograph. Rachel and I had been talking about viewer recognition earlier and… voilà! It was a made-for-TV moment in a place I didn’t expect.