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

Live-Tweeting the Hartford Democratic Town Committee Convention

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Julie Beman

 

If you love the twitters and Hartford politics, follow the live-tweeting at #hartdtc!

 

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Summer Saturday, Summer Sunday

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Julie Beman

I was admiring the fact that EmGee’s blogging mojo is back, and lamenting the fact that mine isn’t.

She responded by suggesting that I write about stuff that I’m doing in Hartford. Like that I went to Monday Night Jazz last Monday.

OK. Fine. I went to Monday Night Jazz last Monday. And I’m going tomorrow, too.

And instead of going away to Readercon this weekend, as I’d planned since March, I stayed home.

And I had fun! Continue reading →

Posted in Arts, Self-Indulgence, Street | 1 Comment

And All That Jazz

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Emily Gianquinto

2011 Festival Poster courtesy of www.hartfordjazz.com

Nothing screams summer more than jazz in the park. And once again, this summer provides us all with a wealth of opportunities to grab a blanket, a picnic, a bottle of wine, a dog, a few friends and head down to Bushnell Park, relax, and listen to some world-class talented musicians — all for the price of free.

This year’s Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz starts tomorrow at 6:30pm, continues Saturday at 4:30pm, and winds up Sunday starting at 4:30pm. The detailed schedule is available here. While you’re in the park, don’t miss the food court, the carousel and the free tours of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch (Saturday and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm).

We are lucky to have this festival in our city every year. It attracts thousands of people (last year, the festival reports that 45,000 people attended), it attracts great musicians, and it’s a fun, relaxed event. Due to budget issues, there is no second stage at the festival this year. If you attend the festival, please do your part to support this great event by contributing some cash when the volunteers walk around with buckets. You can also donate to the festival online via Paypal.

If this weekend isn’t enough free jazz for you, make sure to check out the Monday night jazz series also presented by the Hartford Jazz Society. Every Monday, starting this past Monday and going through August 8, enjoy two different acts, starting at 6pm.

Posted in Arts, Community, Fun, Hartford | 1 Comment

Why the iQuilt is less than thrilling

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Emily Gianquinto

I’m a little late to the great iQuilt plan debate. I didn’t attend the workshops that some of my fellow Hartford bloggers did. I didn’t read in detail a lot of the initial proposals by the iQuilt group. Frankly, from what I read, I figured the idea was so nebulous and had such a terrible name that it would go nowhere.

Apparently I was wrong. I should have been paying more attention. Continue reading →

Posted in Bureaucrazy, Community, Hartford, Street, Thought | 1 Comment

Hartford Weddings: New Feature

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Emily Gianquinto

Image from www.weddingclipart.com

As I mentioned briefly in a post earlier this week, I recently got engaged. My fiance (who I will call the future Mr. EmGee, to give him some semblance of privacy) lives in Plainville, not Hartford. He’s more of a country mouse than a city mouse, and would probably be happiest living on 10 acres of land with no neighbors in sight. Despite this, the future Mr. EmGee humors my obsession with all things Hartfordy, and after a few years of being dragged out to experience various restaurants, museums, concerts, etc., he has even developed a grudging an enthusiastic appreciation of the great things Hartford has to offer. Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Hartford, Self-Indulgence, Useful Stuff | 11 Comments

Hartford Mayoral Candidates League Pass

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Julie Beman

Kerri Provost over at Real Hartford asked five questions of who she perceives as the four viable mayoral candidates.

  1. What are your top three favorite things (events, places, people, etc) about Hartford?
  2. What are three specific and measurable actions you would take to boost the city?
  3. How do you plan to deal with absentee landlords who neglect their properties?
  4. How are you qualified for this job?
  5. How do you keep your finger on Hartford’s pulse, and if elected, how will you make yourself available to your constituents?

She worked to keep them positive. She steered them away from empty promises.

She lets the candidates speak for themselves, but comes to this conclusion:

If you create an environment where mudslinging is considered the norm, then it should be no shock when it occurs; that is to say, the trash talking was at an absolute minimum. Candidates are capable of being positive. They all showed themselves to be intelligent and thoughtful. We do not need to settle for dirty politics.

You don’t get this kind of opportunity without hard work and commitment to the city you call home. We’re grateful to Kerri for bringing these qualities to Real Hartford every day.

 

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The Wadsworth, William Wegman, a Weimaraner and a Wedding

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Emily Gianquinto

Last Saturday, I convinced the future Mr. EmGee (more on that in some later posts) to venture out to the wonderful Wadsworth Atheneum for Last Saturdays for Families. Once a month, admission is free between 10am and 1pm, and families can take part in hands-on activities, tours geared towards children and activities like live music, movies and dancing.

William Wegman signing books with Bobbin by his side

This month, for the second time in recent months, William Wegman visited with one of his famous Weimaraners. He signed books in Morgan Great Hall, let a lot of very excited kids (and adults) pet his incredibly patient dog Bobbin and read from one of his books in the theater. Later in the afternoon, families returned to the theater to watch Wegman’s short film “Alphabet Soup,” which featured four of his dogs forming the letters of the alphabet, “making” a soup out of items representing each letter and, of course, dressing up as queens and kings and other assorted characters. Children made dog puppets in Avery Court while live music was being played. Docents lead tours of the art galleries focusing on the animals in the artwork (one docent was assisted by a raccoon puppet on her hand). Continue reading →

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

EmGee Restaurant Review: Bin 228

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Emily Gianquinto


Bin 228
228 Pearl Street

This is a LONG overdue review of one of my favorite restaurants in Hartford.
 

 

The good: Bin 228 is an absolute treasure. It’s located across from Theaterworks, in Goodwin Square. The restaurant is small and cozy, with small tables in the main dining area that faces Pearl Street and several high tables lining the wall in the bar area. The walls are brick and feature not only wine racks but also art displays that change every month and are for sale by the artists. Displays have ranged from artsy photography to collages to watercolor paintings to mirrors in unusual shapes with enamel and mosaic decoration.

I’ve been going to Bin for at least six years, for drinks, for lunch, for dinner, for takeout when I worked in the building and had to stay late. I have never had a bad meal or a bad experience there in that time. Continue reading →

Posted in Hartford, Reviews, Useful Stuff | 3 Comments

Love Hartford, Installment 1

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Julie Beman

There are so many reasons to love Hartford. They’re what have kept me here for over 25 years. (Full disclosure: I moved away three times: to Albany NY, Rapid City SD, and Holyoke MA. But each time I’ve moved back. Here I am!)

One of the reasons to love Hartford is its Magical Weight Loss Properties. Since moving back to Hartford on June 13 after being away for 14 months, I’ve lost six pounds. This is fabulous, because I quit smoking in April of 2009 and really packed them on. I’ve been feeling awful physically and mentally because of it, and was really struggling to take the weight off without much success.

Until  now. Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Hartford, Self-Indulgence | 2 Comments