Singles Party!

Jumper took some time out of his busy schedule to pose for this flyer.

A Good Graffiti Spoiled

In the urban setting graffiti could be compared to golf in the suburbs. Both always seems to be prevalent and no one really knows why, both are costly, both mar what would otherwise be nice landscape, and both usually consists of men trying to prove, well whatever it is men try to prove when they are trying to prove stuff.

Longstanding NYC Envy

One of the biggest mistakes Hartfordites can make is to compare our fine city to New York City. It's like comparing Pedro Martinez to Kent Tekulve. Its not a rational nor useful comparison to make. Sadly, due primarily to geography, it is a comparison Hartford will continue to have to bear. You never hear anyone go "Oh St. Petersburg is ok, but its not NYC."

Another El Mercado Gem

Last week when we wrote about our travels to Philly and the awesomeness of the Reading Terminal Market, we opined that every city should be so lucky to have such an incredible market. While it has been well documented that Sad City is a huge fan of El Mercado on Park Street, we aren't going to get all Hartford cheerleader silly and claim that El Mercado is anywhere on par with the Reading Terminal Market, but it's adding more great restaurants and is really a great place to get Latino food.

While most of our dining at El Mercado has been at the Mexican restaurant with the occasional stop at the Dominican restaurant, we had noticed that El Mercado has added a Peruvian and Columbian restaurant. This weekend we tried out the fairly new Peruvian restaurant Autentico Sabor Peruano (Authentic Peruvian Flavor). It's an impressive and varied menu but one item in particular made our decision a no-brainer; ceviche.

Sad City Comic Strip: The Bus To New Britain

Halloween Time

No loitering 364 days, but tonight free candy!

Outsiders are often scared of Hartford without any extra effort by residents, but the time of year has come where dwellers attempt to scare neighborhood kids with ghoulish decorations. Halloween is really an interesting holiday in that it's not really a holiday and it's totally counter intuitive in that it is the one day of the year people make their house look scary and yet at the same time actually want strangers to ring the doorbell so they can give stuff away. Plus Halloween has become the day of the year where females dress as scandalous as possible without any inhibitions. This heavily decorated porch is on Babcock Street off of Park. We'll be on the lookout for Halloween stuff this weekend, until then you can read last years breakdown of Halloween candy.

Sad City's Guide To Cruising Hartford

If there is one thing we probably know better than just about anyone, it's cruising around Hartford. Our love of driving around and checking out the city extends to years before Sad City started and has been the source of countless posts on this blog. While we can navigate even the remotest city streets with ease, some aren't as well versed in the streets of Hartford. For those who are looking to get out and explore Hartford we present this handy guide to cruising Hartford. For best results cruise Hartford during a warm sunny day.

So Long, Rick the Ruler

As shown in a previous post there is a pretty unique mural on Cedar St. of the Los Solidos gang member Rick the Ruler, who met an unfortunate end in a shooting back in '97.

Very Rude Grafftti

We found this very, very rude graffiti at this very, very urban basketball court on Cedar St. Poor, poor Sugar Bones. Guess it wasn't her (his?) day.

Batman: Park Street's Man Of Mystery

Another shot of the mysterious Batman who patrols Park Street. Who is this man and why does he patrol Park St dressed as Batman? Sad City isn't bright enough to answer these types of vexing questions. Is he a bored millionaire from Scarborough Street? Is he a crime reporter from the Hartford Courant? A player from the Hartford Colonials looking for side work? Only time will tell if the identity of Batman will be revealed.

More Hartford Houses Of Worship

We continue our series on Hartford Houses Of Worship with this hodgepodge collection of Houses scattered pretty much all over the city except the South End, which reminds us that we haven't got out to the there enough lately.  This brilliant mural is on the side of the North End Church of Christ on Albany Ave and is a welcome colorful addition to the cityscape.

One of our real disappointments in Hartford is the lack of good graffiti. We feel like all cities, especially somewhat downtrodden cities, should have a lot of exciting, vibrant graffiti. For whatever reason Hartford seems to be lacking in that respect. Maybe we are just looking in the wrong places.  Either way this is a welcome addition.

The Hartford Food Guy Reviews: Broasterant

My neighbor who came with me to the Primevera Pub back in July has been raving for weeks (if not longer) about a "chicken lady" on Park Street in Hartford who serves up delicious pressure-cooked chickens. I'd heard of (and eaten) steamed cheeseburgers at the famous Ted's in Meriden (I'll be going again soon and will blog about it), but I'd never heard of a pressure-cooked chicken.

Today, my neighbor took me for lunch to check it out. The place is actually called "Broasterant" and it is on Park Street in Hartford, just west of the corner of Broad and Park and it was well worth the trip.

If you don't spend time there, it is easy to write off Park Street as a dirty, crime-ridden and drug-infested stretch of road, but the corner of Broad and Park is the heart of Hartford's Hispanic community and I read or heard somewhere that that intersection is the busiest in the state on Saturdays. I don't know if that is true, but I have been caught in traffic there on a Saturday and it is wicked, as there are many little shops, restaurants, and bars in that area that are pillars of the Hispanic business community. In fact, while it may not be LaSalle Road in West Hartford Center (but what is, right?), that stretch of Park Street is a viable, thriving commercial area that probably is not too much different than Front Street was 100-120 years ago; i.e. a cluster of small businesses on a very congested city street serving (mostly) the needs of a particular ethnic group that lives close by.

Feed & File

Benjamin Franklin famously said that nothing in life was certain except for death and taxes.  We all learned early in school that the necessities for survival are food, shelter, and water. Well at Caribe Restaurant on Park Street, you can get four of those five in one stop.  In a depressed economy businesses are getting more and more creative in finding different ways to generate revenue, but a tax preparation restaurant is a new one.

Batman: Dark Knight Of Park Street

Last month we were able to get a shot of Batman standing outside of a Hispanic Laundry on Park Street.  While we wondered and many hypothesized what the Dark Knight might be doing on the streets of Hartford, Batman himself vanished back into the shadowy underworld from which he came. Until now.  Just a couple days go we again spotted the caped superhero, again roaming Park Street.  This time we were able to get a close up shot of the local hero in action.

Has Batman relocated from Gotham to Hartford? Is he only protecting Park Street? Where is Robin? Where will the Dark Knight be spotted next?

Hartford Business: Sol De Borinquen Bakery

We have long meant to take a trip inside Sol De Borinquen Bakery on Park Street.   On our many journeys to El Mercado Grocer we noticed long lines in the bakery and figured it had to be worth checking out.  So when Pete Sopressata sent us a message saying he had found "the best sandwich in Hartford" at Sol De Borinquen, we decided it was time to finally make our way over there.

Spring Cleaning

We recently visited both the Park Street snow pile and Pope Park Highway #4 and found them to be in less than ideal condition. While on a pleasant city cruise over the weekend we stopped by both spots and found action had been taken on both. A good job by all, though the Club Divi Divi patrons may miss the convenience of mattresses right outside the club. Some before and after pics after the jump.

The Hartford Food Guy: Brazil Grill

Last Friday a friend took me to lunch at the Brazil Grill on Park Street (between Heath and Dorothy Streets on the north side of Park). It was not the first time I had been there (and it won’t be the last) and I had been looking forward to it all week, and not just because my friend was buying.

If you even causally follow this blog you know how much I love Portuguese food. I also love Brazilian food, but the two don't have all that much in common, notwithstanding the relationship between the two countries.

Batman Stands in Front of Hispanic Laundry

The other day, we were cruising down Park Street and we spotted Batman standing outside of the Hispanic Laundry. We're not quite sure why he was there. It's not like he was fighting crime, handing out fliers or performing any other sort of Batman-esque activity. He was just kind of standing looking a bit paunchy and middle aged. When we stopped to question him, he sprinted off into the afternoon.

Can anyone explain what was going on here?

Park Street Snow Pile

Did anyone notice the gigantic snow pile that had built up over on the corner of Park Street and Main Street? The vacant lot had been one of the city's dumping locations for the snow that had been removed over the course of the winter. The snow is finally starting to melt. We caught up with some local residents to get their viewpoint on the situation.

Hartford Pay Phone Contest: Pay Phones #17 & #18

Pay phones #17 & 18 in the Sad City Pay Phone Search are located at the corner of Broad and Park Streets, an exciting little area in our city. Both are checked out as working. The interesting thing about #'s 17 & 18 is the confusing messages around the pay phone.