West End Mattress Colony

It's been a while since we've highlighted a good mattress colony taking up residence on Hartford streets, but this impressive stack was too good to resist. Located in front of one of the many Clemens Place buildings in the West End, this colony has taken up residence near the Farmington and Sisson intersection for over a week. Utility workers have been working on some sort of project in the area during the week and it is fairly amusing to watch them and a Hartford Police officer work while the mattresses just sit nearby on the sidewalk.

About Hartford's (Ex) Mayor

In the internet age, things change rapidly and for a city like Hartford, no one expects everything on the City website to always be up to date. But it might be time for Hartford to update the "About Hartford's Mayor" page.  It has been a few months, and given the disgraceful manner in which Eddie Perez resigned office, it might be best to at least take this page down. But while it's up, let's check out some now ironic statements.

Helen Ubinas On Festival Of Lights

Following the handy Sad City Dating Guide, Hakaan was recently able to procure his third ever date. What could be a better date idea than a stroll through the magnificent Bushnell Park Festival of Lights?

 Having been out of town for a while, we were unaware of the poor reviews the park had received. After an underwhelming walk, the female companion mumbled an excuse, made a hasty retreat, and apparently has had her phone disconnected. Distraught, Hakaan is unable to write on the topic, instead we can only provide some quotes from the Hartford Courant's Helen Ubinas' excellent article.

Councilman Luis Cotto Chats With Sad City

We were very pleased when Councilman Luis Cotto was quoted in Jenna Carlesso's article on Sad City saying that he was planning on proposing an ordinance banning the sale of lactose powder in Hartford gas stations. Needless to say we were intrigued and decided to contact Councilman Cotto for an interview. Mr. Cotto was receptive and answered all of Sad City's questions without hesitation and with good humor. Check out the interview after the jump.

Winner: Whalers Story Contest

Last week to celebrate the Connecticut Whale debuting in Hartford, we asked you to send in some of your favorite Whalers stories from days past. Here is the winning entry in "Whaler Stories Week" submitted by Anonymous.

It was Opening Night 1995 and hopes were pretty high for the Whalers going into that season. During the off-season the Whalers had traded young Chris Pronger in exchange for Brendan Shanahan. Shanny was the first legit superstar the Whalers had had since trading Ron Francis away half a decade earlier.

What's Wrong With This Story?

Hilda Munoz of the Hartford Courant brings us this story describing the  Hartford Police investigating mostly garden variety street crime. We've got a 3:15 am mugging and a 1 am robbery, more or less another weekend in almost any fine city across the nation. It's the last snippet of the story that piqued our interest;


"The purse snatching occurred Saturday around 6:02 p.m. The victim told police she was walking near Beacon Street and Capitol Avenue when the suspect came up from behind.
He demanded her Dolce & Gabbana purse, which contained $1,800, and then forcefully took it from her, police said. He then fled south on Beacon Street."

A "Light" at the End of the Tunnel

Editor’s Note: Samuel Oliver Bushwick is a new contributing writer to Sad City Hartford. The writer’s initials of "SOB" are pure coincidence. In this week's installment, Bushwick takes a look at last weekend's illumination of Bushnell Park.

Finally, the streets of downtown Hartford were hustling and bustling in anticipation of the city’s annual Festival of Light celebration. With a new venue – the beautiful, under-appreciated and under-used Bushnell Park – a new mayor, a local celebrity (Hello Irene O’Conner!), and an appearance by the Big Guy, there’s no doubt THIS was the Rising Star’s chance to shine.