Hey Friends, We’re Taking a Break

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Julie Beman

Dear ReaderFriends,

After writing Live in Hartford since June of 2008, Emily and I have decided we need a short break.

Song-writing; wedding planning; non-blog publishing; demanding careers; general fatigue; single “parenting;” a desire to push writing out of a safe place; a somewhat disconnected relationship to Hartford…all of these things are working against Live in Hartford at the moment.

Many of them are working for us. Who would turn down opportunities for rest, professional success, music, risk-taking art, love?

I hope to be directing you soon to some new, non-Hartfordy work. (Maybe I’ll post a song!) And maybe EmGee will post some wedding pictures after the sure-to-be-fabulous event takes place.

Thank you for your support for the last few years. Our conversations have been sustaining and transformative. You’re all wonderful. (Except for that mean person. You’re not wonderful. You’re lucky I edited the spelling and grammatical errors out of your comment.)

So a bittersweet goodbye for now as we write new chapters of our lives.

All the best to all of you. I’m sure we’ll see you again.

Julie

Muppet News Flash! #BusStory seems to be super popular, and all I’m doing is sitting on a bus when I write them, so I think I’ll keep on writing them. Follow @liveinhartford on twitter and you can read about my adventures on the Farmington Avenue and Type A buses!

Posted in Hartford | 4 Comments

#BusStory

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Julie Beman

 

In the city bus system, the most mysterious and the most mundane incidents and people are observed by an elite squad of tweeters.

These are their stories.

30 Aug

Dear Fellow Bus Passenger, Please remove your forearm from my knee. Kthxbai.

31 Aug

On the Type A bus. Amazing how traffic slows at the merge of Elizabeth & Asylum. When I look I see that each car is filled with *1* person.

Lady on bus playing game. It makes bubble-pop sounds. She bobs her head when the sound is made. Or is the sound made when she bobs her head?

Just rode the Go to Work at the Mall bus.

1 Sep

In our continuing series of bus observations, I’d like to note that sitting on the aisle to block off the seat next to you is not cool.

OH: The giraffe has to get surgery now. I dropped him and a couple parts fell off.

OH: Chris, if you don’t shut up I’ll punch you in the mouth. (Adult to child.) Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Fun, Hartford, Street | Leave a comment

Mathematical Proof! Hartford is a Dump

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Julie Beman

Yesterday a friend told this story:

I was at work the other day and we were talking about how the bridges on I-84 were being inspected after the earthquake. During the discussion, one of my co-workers said, “Hartford is a dump.”

I figured I had to be missing something…something that connected I-84 and earthquakes to Hartford. I did a little research and took out my trusty calculator.

I-84 runs about 380 miles from Scranton, Pennsylvania to the Mass Pike. My very crude measurement of the length of I-84 through Hartford is 4.4 miles.


View Larger Map

The equation is startlingly elegant!

Aftershock * aging infrastructure + (157 miles of I-84 in CT – 4.4 miles in Hartford)/gobshite = Hartford is a Dump.

This changes everything we’ve ever known about Hartford. Everything.

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Way Down Hadestown

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Julie Beman

I was driving along one day when this song by by Anaïs Mitchell came on the radio:

It’s called “Wedding Song,” and is from Mitchell’s project, Hadestown, a “folk opera” based on the myth of Orpheus, one of the Greek myths that captured my imagination as a child.

Mitchell has set the story in a post-apocalyptic America where hardship rules the day and the division between the Haves in Hades and the Have-Nots everywhere else is stark and cruel.

The libretto, by Mitchell, is fabulous. The score, written by Michael Chorney, suits the story perfectly. The opera is quirky and profound as it explores the question “how far will we go in order to survive?”

Hadestown Cover from AnaisMitchell.comHadestown is coming to Hartford on November 19. It’s being presented for free by the Bushnell Performing Arts Center.

While the event is free, tickets are required. You can reserve them by calling the box office at 860-987-5900 or by going to the box office at 166 Capitol Avenue. They are not available online.

To hear some of the music from the studio recording, including “Wedding Song” performed by Anaïs Mitchell and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver),visit the Hadestown music page.

 

 

Posted in Arts, Events and Premieres, Hartford | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Why does Auntie Julie like Hartford?” asked Megan.

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Julie Beman

That’s a good question, Megan.

Maybe it’s because when she’s in Hartford, Auntie Julie gets to dance with you and Kyle in a hula hoop.

Megan, Kyle and Auntie Julie are dancing together.

Maybe it’s because when she’s in Hartford, Auntie Julie gets to watch Kyle play with a hula hoop!

Kyle is almost as big as that hula hoop!

Maybe it’s because when she’s in Hartford, Auntie Julie gets to watch you play with a hula hoop!

You go girl! Awesome job!

Maybe it’s because when she’s in Hartford, Auntie Julie gets to see you cover the plaza with hula hoops and run through them!

Pretty cool game, Megan.

Maybe because when she’s in Hartford, Auntie Julie’s knows that you’re nearby, and that makes her very, very happy!

Auntie Julie's favorite Megan ever.

I love you, Megan!

Posted in Arts, Events and Premieres, Fun, Hartford, Self-Indulgence | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

What are you afraid of?

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Julie Beman

Author’s Note: It’s come to my attention that lots of people didn’t note that the event with the group of young men I describe below didn’t take place in Hartford. I thought the location was irrelevant, as this behavior happens everywhere, but apparently I was wrong. The post isn’t about Hartford anyway. It’s about fear, and the fact that we judge others for their fears. But most of you got that. Thanks.

On Wednesday I took the afternoon off from work to participate in a discussion of ways to use empty space in downtown Hartford. A group of 10 interested people met at JoJos.

As the discussion warmed up, one of the participants gestured out toward Pratt Street and said something like “As a woman, I’d be afraid to walk on that street alone at night.” I twitched a little and locked eyes with my companion at the table. “Empty storefronts don’t make me feel safe,” the woman went on to explain.

Uhhh…um…uhh…

Fair enough?

Yes. Fair enough. It has to be. Continue reading →

Posted in Hartford, Not Hartford, Street, Thought | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Upcoming events at Cedar Hill Cemetery

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Emily Gianquinto

If you haven’t been to Cedar Hill Cemetery, you’re missing out. It’s a gorgeous place that is full of history and provides some unique opportunities for bird watching and quiet reflection. There are so many famous and unique people buried there that this year, the cemetery has already offered tours related to architects, “notables,” governors, artists/authors/actors and the Civil War. Future tours include Hartford landmarks and legacy (co-led by Mayor Segarra and happening this Saturday at 10am), more notables tours and more Civil War-related tours, in connection with Cedar Hill’s Civil War Education Series. They’ve also sponsored a bird walk and a tree walk. Cedar Hill’s Haunted History Lantern Tour in October is another great event that is now so popular you can only purchase tickets in advance. Continue reading →

Posted in Arts, Community, Events and Premieres, Fun, Hartford | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

What Would Real Hartford Wear?

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Julie Beman

I spend most Monday mornings in Holyoke, and have developed the habit of stopping at La Paloma Sabanera for a veggie panini and Orange Dry when I get back to Hartford.

Pretty much whenever I go to La Paloma I see someone I know. Today I walked in, and lo! At a table next to the window sat my charming friend Kerri. Before I had a chance to ask if I could join her, she’d pulled her laptop out of the way and made some space for me.

We talked about stuff. Some secret stuff that I’ll never tell you because you’re not my  girlfriend. Then fashion blogs. Then her bicycle dress. Finally I introduced Kerri to a character I fervently believe should Guide her Every Fashion Decision: Emma Pillsbury.

What would Real Hartford wear?

What would Real Hartford wear?

Am I right? Huh? You totally know I am.

The sandwich eaten, the Orange Dry drained, I mentioned my need for a piece of furniture with drawers in which I could place my checkbook. And thus began a Serendipitous Thrift Store Odyssey. We started at the Salvation Army and ended at Savers.

Kerri gravitated naturally to Emma Pillsbury-ish things. (And sometimes I gravitated them toward her.) Tweed skirts. A windowpane check dress. A kilt. Something yellow.

Come this fall she’ll be stylin’. Just like Emma Pillsbury. Just like always.

Posted in Community, Fun, Just Silly, Self-Indulgence | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Few Words About Media Coverage

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Emily Gianquinto

**Editor’s Note: I have revised this post to remove some comments that I made that were in the heat of the moment and unnecessarily divisive. I did not intend for this post to be an attack on one reporter — the problem is with the Courant, not any one reporter. I stand by the remainder of my post.**

I don’t think I’ve ever written a formal bio for our little blog here. If I did, it would include a few sentences about how I have always loved writing, I have a journalism degree (print journalism track) from Boston University and I planned to become the best damn political writer The New York Times had ever seen. (Hey, I was young then.) Right about the time I graduated from college, following internships for publications including our formerly illustrious Hartford Courant, though, two things were becoming clear: (1) I wanted to stay in Boston for a few years and be able to afford both an apartment and food, so a journalism salary wasn’t likely to cut it; and (2) print journalism was in serious trouble. Fast forward 10 years: I worked a few years as a science/technical editor for a small company, I went to law school while working as a part-time copyeditor at the Norwich Bulletin, I did some freelance writing for a very small little weekly paper down in southeastern CT, I became a lawyer and eventually, I ended up here at Live in Hartford. Continue reading →

Posted in General Whining, Politicking, Self-Indulgence | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

The Hartford Democratic Town Committee “Convention”: A Hot Mess

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Emily Gianquinto

Segarra supporters before the convention started

Because I have a twisted idea of what constitutes fun, I left work early on Thursday to attend the Hartford Democratic Town Committee’s nominating convention. That’s the chaotic process by which the supposed leaders of the local Democrats pick their endorsed slate. Hartford is tightly controlled by the Dems, so winning at the convention is akin to being anointed as the victor in November. To get on the ballot, force a real primary and launch an actual challenge to the convention winners, other candidates need to collect signatures in a very short timeframe. The convention selects one candidate for mayor, one for treasurer and six for Council. Three mayoral candidates were nominated, four treasurer candidates and 13 for Council. Continue reading →

Posted in Bureaucrazy, Politicking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments