Hollin.Tolland

threw up in my mouth a little. The kids and I love the Rock Cats and can't wait to use our opening day tix in 4 weeks. I'm not sure I can really rally behind this name. My seven year-old can't figure out how to pronounce it yet. Oy you Solomon kids! What is this?

Creamer said he won't post it if he doesn't trust the source. I can only hope that the source is just trying to stir up some rants. You'd think the selection committee might take it as seriously as they did for the Hardware City Rock Cats moniker. Centerplan has put a webcam on the Ramada Plaza roof to watch the construction. The link I got from Dean Z @ the RC is down. Waiting to see if they just need CP to log back in. URL: https://www.workzonecam.com/projects/centerplan/hartfordballpark/workzonecam

I just get google listing things on the map related to Hartford ballpark like NB stadium and Ballpark Frankies. What am I missing?

The raised concrete mall in front of the Travelers Rotunda and Main South (tower) building has been closed for two years and the signs inside say it will re-open next year. If all they were doing was shining up the tower exterior top to bottom, then there might not have been need to close the entire mall area. I am pretty sure it was confirmed that the motivator for the work was iQuilt just as for the Phoenix boat building area greenification.

For Front Street--I'm also wondering about the tiny tiny courtyard abutting the Elks Lodge. Wouldn't it have made more sense opened up on Front Street facing UConns buildings? I haven't put the two renderings side by side, though.

New pics from Nixs and Infinity Hall. http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php/gallery/image/3385-nixs-hartford-08072014/ http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php/gallery/image/3384-infinityhall-hartford-08072014/

Here's what I meant by holes in the basement of the Sonesta visible through the 3 CP vacancy. Maybe they are windows, right now with no glass. They have painted the concrete also. FIXED PIC URL http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php/gallery/image/3386-ontheplaza-hartford-08072014/

Found on their web site that Ballpark Design Associates of KC has designed a stadium concept for Hartford before, designing a plan for a stadium a few blocks away behind the Hartford Insurance buildings. A very similarly shaped lot, a bit bigger though, at Garden/Frazier/Myrtle where a few buildings were later torn down and it eventually became "HartBeat Park". http://www.ballparkdesignassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hartford_A_20080226-page-0011.jpg Hartford Minor League Ballpark Study, Hartford, Connecticut Concept Designer for a proposed new 8,000-seat minor league ballpark. The design study was conducted in 2008 for another minor league ballpark franchise owner, who proposed a mixed- use development near the campus of the Hartford Insurance Companies campus. More details on the 4 plans from the Courant: http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-hartford-stadium-bids-0807-20140806,0,1896951.story Developers' Plans For Hartford Stadium, New Municipal Offices Revealed

Anyone seen a timeline on this project? I'd imagine it'll be a while based on the sheer size... I can't imagine anything would still open on schedule later this year or in spring, right? Also, @The Voice of Reason, are you seeing it from up high? Do you have any pics? On the 777 site on Becker and Becker it reminds us that the building was designed by renowned master of concrete 1960's wrongness Welton Becket. It seems his work was so influential in the 60's that RTKL Associates got onboard when designing the Travelers Plaza Building in 68. I'm wondering with the removal of the 'butt ugly building' in DoNo a little while back, does the Hartford National Bank garage building become the biggest eyesore downtown? Yeeesh.

I saw today that beside the Channel 3 hole in the ground, there were new rectangular holes cut out of the cinder blocks at what seems like the basement of the Sonesta "On The Plaza". Has anyone found any artist renderings? I checked on WonderWorks, Girona Ventures, Crosskey Architects, HBJ and Courant/Tribune and CRDA. Maybe I'll email Ken Gosselin and see if he's seen anything (or can get anything). Crosskey did 410 Asylum, but I have no idea if the style will be anything like that at On The Plaza. Also, anyone heard anything about movement on "Residences at River View" at 3 Constitution/200 State Street? Is it still stuck with Tarob, LLC looking for money? There isn't a page for it on CRDA if that means anything. Klewin has banners up on the fencing and they have a page, http://www.klewin.com/project/residences-at-river-view/, but Ken Gosselin had reported in March that they had $5 million in bonding lined up through CRDA and Klewin shows the price tag at $13.5 million. Doesn't sound too tough to borrow $8.5 million, right? I think "On The Plaza" was going to be about $30 million.

Chatted with a project manager at Nix's this morning. They have their inspection today and are hoping to open in 13 days. They are conducting interviews on site. That's about 2 weeks after they told CTNow.com they'd open the doors at the beginning of July. But, the fences are down and the furniture is out on the patio. The menu is posted, but still no prices. They also note that they will have bands, but nothing posted yet. http://www.nixshartford.com/ I can't remember if anyone posted this, but opening week at Infinity Hall Hartford is 8/28-8/30 with Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Outlaws, Aztec Two-Step. http://www.infinityhall.com/Events/#Calendar, The Bistro Menu isn't up yet. It looks to me like they just need carpeting. There's a second floor there that looks like office space, but I'm curious to see what it is anyway. I've never been to an Infinity Hall show, but the woodwork looks really cool at the Front Street one. If you walk down front street and go through the arched public via to the North Garage you can see inside really well but not into the main theater. If the semi-sheer curtains are open a bit, you can see into Nix's too across the hall. I agree with The Voice of Reason that Ted's seems to be quickly becoming a good Happy Hour spot. It was really packed during World Cup games even early day games. Their HH prices are decent but not super cheap. The cookies are really good. The drink specials are a little better at Front Street Bistro and they have a patio which Ted's skipped. At the South Windsor Ted's in summer, their patio is part of the attraction, whereas in winter its nice down at the end of the bar where you can watch them cook your food. Also something different from Front Street Ted's, BUT the feel of the place is the same to me, at a table or at the bar. Lastly, while Bear's BBQ isn't technically part of Front Street, I think it's close enough to be part of the neighborhood. I had lunch their last week. They have 4 different barbecue sauces you can pick ranging from wimpy to ballsy (sweet Kansas City, Texas pepper, hot Sriracha, grizzly ghost pepper). They serve Hosmer Mountain Soda from the soda fountain. The lines were literally out the door at 12:30. Hopefully that will keep up. There's a balcony with extra seating and Jamie the owner said he's considering opening the roof if things keep up. Its slightly more informal than the Cookhouse over the bridge (http://thecookhouse.com/), but the pulled pork is just as good. http://www.bearsbbq.com/menu/. The pulled pork sandwich, fries and drink were $11, I think. Aramark charges the same for two slices of cafeteria pizza and a fountain drink in the Travelers Plaza cafe.

I know; let's wall off downtown, DoNo, SoDo, riverfront and Asylum Hill. Then only allow access by sentries at toll gates off of 84, 91 and 2. If you live in Clay Arsenal, Upper Albany, Frog Hollow, etc. $5 to get in. Heck, most of that segregation was already laid out by Lady Fox Auerbach 50 years ago, no?

Did you mean Sonesta or WFSB? I saw a smaller crew in hard hats at the CP hole this week. A mixture of suits and jeans. And the Klewin banners are on the fence too. Those two make close to 200 units on CP alone, right, if the hole still gets built as apartments not commercial?

Saw a small hardhat crew at the WFSB hole today. Some suits and some jeans. And a yellow construction machine, maybe a dozer. There are also the Klewin signs o the fence. Nothing since March on the Klewin web site though. http://www.klewin.com/project/residences-at-river-view/ http://courantblogs.com/ct-real-estate/what-apartments-at-former-wfsb-site-in-hartford-could-look-like/

Fenway has a Star Market/Shaw's a block away that seems to be thriving.

Here comes Rennie again. Debbie downer. My thoughts on the promo suite for the city was that I imagined being used as honey to lure new businesses to DoNo. I'm sure UConn football and basketball tickets magically find there way into prospective businesses already. If leases get signed and empty lots get built on, then I see it as a positive. http://touch.courant.com/#section/2225/article/p2p-80553691/

Terminal B demo starts in August per Courant. http://www.courant.com/news/breaking/hc-bradley-airport-terminal-b-murphy-20140616,0,3310160.story?track=rss

I'm imagining I won't be able to afford one caviar egg at Nix's. Looks to be about the same progress there as at Infinity Hall next door. Still doing electrical and HVAC. I try to look in over at the new Bear's Smokehouse being built out in the other half of the carriage factory building on Arch Street but its hard to tell how far along they are.

I remember initially the design plan on the Eagle Rock Retail (now Blackline RE) and the stale frontstreetdistrict.com showed a later Phase 4 with a few more square feet in the current Arch Street Tavern parking lot. That seems to be the only portion not built, building or to be built. Lolks like its still there. Havent seen any ideas for that space anywhere though. Thoughts anyone? http://frontstreetdistrict.com/siteplan.html

This Kevin Rennie kills me. Why would he possibly care enough to write piece on this stadium deal? I mean Malloy is not involved and CRDA isn't funding it. I think he should stick to his hometown South Windsor business. I mean he doesn't work or live here so WTF man? My mother in law is paying 74 mills to keep her house in this city and more tax revenue has got to lower that somehow. and I would love to be able to walk from my office to a ball game. He should really focus on something he has a stake in. http://touch.courant.com/#section/2225/article/p2p-80485087/

At the press conference Wednesday they had a giant poster of the Hartford 9 (dark blues). aside from the old fashion belts they looked a lot like last years throwback game St Paul Saints jerseys the Twinkies wore. http://www.twincities.com/ci_23235386/minnesota-twins-turn-back-clock-may-30-game

FYI--from the City Council agenda for Monday night (thanks to Jenna Carlesso and I guess some others at the Courant). She emailed me back and said they don't have any details on the street realignments yet other than that they are on Main, Trumbull, Pleasant and and Windsor Streets (like in the mayor's handout artist renderings from Wendesday). She said they'd post anything they get from the PZC and other city commissions as they get them after Monday's council meeting. http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-pdf-hartford-rock-cats-resolutions-html-20140605,0,1692224.htmlstory