damus

I really can't help but wonder how serious they were about building 4 300 foot towers including the Westin 2...

Heh. I really wanna see the power block happen... too bad they've scaled back the hilton tower

They definately don't enforce that one.... I lived in an apartment with 4 other people all unrelated. The people downstairs, who happened to be a Puerto Rican fraternity, housed many more than the lease allowed.

They do regional and national ads... I'm sure that was regional..

I didn't know they were based in the Netherlands... now the Amsterdam flight makes a bit more sense

I wish I could find some statistics, I can't help but think that daily service to Europe would help attract/retain large businesses. Hasn't Raleigh been a boomtown? I wonder how the airport service helped them... With a somewhat large population, several fortune 1000 company headquarters, and an extremely wealthy populous I can't see daily nonstop service not working there, though I'm no expert on the subject. Where's that consultant? With the commuter rail (funded largely by the budget surplus created by the slot fund) in place, and hopefully a light rail system instead of rapid bus transit, I think that Hartford could start to see a real turnaround and become the semi-major city it was when I was still pretty little. We haven't lost all of our corporations, and with good transit infrastructure and the right tax codes I think we could attract a few more. Think of where Providence was 20 years ago and where it is today. If Hartford made the same progress from where it was it would be just as unrecognizable, the late '80s towers and then some. When was the last time you heard someone on TV (besides the local news achors) refer to Hartford as "the Insurance Capitol of the World". It definately had a big reputation. I didn't like the idea of having an unelected Governor, but her dedication to mass transit has made a fan out of me.

Hooray for inane laws that stifle competition and decrease productivity! I'm sure that the airlines could get around this by simply running the international flights round trip and throwing in a handful of smaller planes with flights to regional hubs that leave not too long after the international flight.

Isn't this what I suggested the other day? It would be beneficial to our business climate, having the local airport (connected by the commuter rail to the cities) connected to international destinations seems like something to strive for in an increasingly global business world. The Utopia project could also draw people from international flights at Bradley, though if this is as big as it seems I'm sure it would be better if someone built a T. F. Green sized airport somewhere in the SE CT area down the road. RL: Aren't NY and Boston flights usually more expensive? Why not make this a quick, cheap layover? Why is Green less expensive than Bradley? Could it have something to do with the international status?

yep.... I don't understand why it doesn't serve as a "gateway to Europe" for flights coming in from the west coast.

Heh ... I would've guessed RI would have topped us.

I'm pretty sure Jerry leans to the right economically, DRC leans to the right. I've professed to be a Republican voter based on Libertarian principles. I hate the Bush Admin, btw... I vote "red" for small government and gun rights... it seems the only thing I agree with liberals on are legalized drugs and leaving gay people alone. He said most, not all lean to the right. I'm positive that Tycoon is to the left.

http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.d.../605250305/1002 NORWICH -- Five or 10 years down the line, downtown Norwich could include a free shuttle system, a light-rail hub or even water taxi ports. City residents and downtown advocates met Wednesday night to brainstorm creative transportation options to make Norwich more resident- and tourist-friendly. ... But those leading revitalization efforts downtown want to see Norwich itself as an attraction. Which means adding parking -- either satellite or downtown -- and simple public transportation options. ... "Too many cities put all their eggs in one basket," Caruso said. "They think that one (form of transportation) is going to work and it never does." Norwich leaders brought up the ongoing efforts to build an Intermodal Transportation Center on Hollyhock Island, which will accommodate bus service and possibly rail or water transit in the future. They don't want to "put their eggs in one basket", but are saying nothing about completing route 2. Like it or not, we live in an auto-oriented society and in a region that will be ever more dependend on tourism people will want to come in with their cars. If there is a good transit system (fixed rail), I'm sure a good chunk of the visitors will use that, but you will never see everyone using that. Why not take route 2 through Mohegan Park, digging a shallow tunnel with a deck over it for the proposed Chelsea Gardens? I think that would be perfect. After that, you're only cutting through a small number of housing units in Greenville and the east side. In Preston, when you look at a map, there is still a ton of open space between Brickyard, Miller, and Branch Hill roads, which are the three north-south roads between Norwich and rt 164. Once Utopia is in, development will be popping up everywhere no matter what they try to do, so they might as well do it right with a mix of highway and rail.

I've had friends whose windshields were smashed in when visiting Providence. It's stupid and pisses me off, too. The car issue does suck. That's why car insurance is so expensive in Providence. When I was in school I went 4 years living in Providence with no car and you can get around in the city alright with no car between walking, trollies, and buses. For my trips to Warwick or Attleboro, I bummed rides. The thing I like about Providence is that there are signs that it's going in the direction of being a city more capable of providing fixed mass transit. I'd love to see a subway at least through downcity, but that's many years away. Serious talk of streetcars and the urbanization of outer neighborhoods on Broadway, Atwells, Jewelry District, Promenade, etc are very exciting to me. The petty crime is a problem, how does that compare to big cities like Boston and New York? Between that and taxes, Providence isn't perfect.

PLEAASSE make the business climate competitive with the "hot" markets in the country. I'd love to see that skyline fill in bit more, and Hartford deserves to regain its profile as a mid-major city. This building looks very sleek. I'm not the biggest fan of the marriot, but this fits my sense of style. With some of the world's best universities and overpriced New York and Boston nearby, Hartford needs to set itself apart as an affordable alternative (as of now it's not). Is there anyone in power who is thinking like this?

How big a city would Providence or Boston be if they were 230 square miles?

Does the proposed line run through Wethersfield near the DMV? There was one track that was at grade that ran paralel to the main commercial strip in that area. There are two concerns for me if that's the line. First, they'll need to install additional track so they can run both ways concurrently; secondly, it crosses too many roads and would be a real inconvenience and thus, any additional runs that might be suggested would be shot down. I think a successful commuter line should only cross streets occasionally, if at all. I'd think a Waterbury/New Britain line would be great and that it should extend to East Hartford's Rentschler Field and the Storrs Uconn campus with other stops here and there (i.e. Manchester)

Is that building influenced by Russian or Polish immigrants? The top looks like it could've been designed based on one of my Polish grandparents' Christmas ornaments...

How about a Dave & Busters?

This conversation reminded me of a Bill Stanley article from the Norwich Bulletin. As a state legislator, he proposed building a large airport in Ledyard that would have primarily served industrial interests. This whole Utopia deal would have benefitted from this already in place. Having said all that, if someone (Pequots are the best choice due to their sovereignty) built an airport, they could attract the likes of UPS and FedEx to the area to supplement the passenger traffic. http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.d...348/1048/NEWS01

I would not be surprised to see the Pequots try to put an airport in on their property if Utopia is as big as they say it'll be. I would welcome it. What major destinations are there without an airport close by? As for Green Airport, it's surrounded by a residential neighborhood and they're having a lot of trouble extending a runway for cross country flights. I wouldn't be worried about them getting International flights for a while.

I can't wait to see the day when Hartord becomes a major league city again. Hopefully we'll also see some rapit transit thrown in for the capital city sometime...

I guess I'd have to take your word for it with those Jr. Gottis.... I ran into a Snoop Dogg story while I was on my laptop outside a client's office just now, and decided to read it. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...4/27/usnoop.xml Was this the same incident that involved the bodyguard or was there another one?

I did not mean to say that the style of the music is bad, but I see your point. I don't think you need to have lyrics that are that bad and promote such terrible things to sell music. This is not elvis shaking his hips or Lennon saying "we're bigger than Jesus". This stuff rots the minds of impressionable young kids who listen to it and look up to these guys. It's definately wrong that parents are letting kids listen to this. It's wrong to listen to this stuff, period. If you said in public what Eminem said in "kill you", for example, you would be arrested. It's true what you say about violence being a popular source of entertainment. In movies there was always James Bond, and war movies have always popular. My favorite shows are actually 24, The Sopranos, and Prison Break and all of them are pretty violent. In "corporate" rap, we are rooting for crinimals who promote (in some cases) rape, murder, drugs... "get rich and die trying". I guess I'm a little contradictory with liking The Sopranos, but you don't see people out there trying to imitate Paulie Walnuts as they commit violent crimes. I don't listen to him so I don't know for sure, but I've been told Wyclef is one of those "conscious rappers" you were talking about. I've heard a little bit from Tupac (who I think was also a gang member) that was postive like "keep your head up". There's really nothing that comes out nowadays that I can relate to or at least listen to for a good beat. I usually stick to sports or news radio in the car...

I don't buy that. 50 cent says he'll "put a hole in a nigga for f**king with me" and Eminem raps about mosagony. The culture was significantly influenced by gang members and drug dealers. Didn't Snoop Dogg get away with killing a guy? How come you see so many rap stars in jail? This isn't the puritanical 50s anymore. I think people are now too willing to let things be. I would not ever let my kid listen to anything with lyrics like that or act like an ignorant thug. I'm young and recently graduated from college, and I quietly object to what a lot of my friends listen to. This stuff is absolutely a negative influence.

I understand that there were great problems in society, but I think that may be a part of modern-day black's downfall. A lot of them pass their pessimism (which in the past was justified) and mistrust of white down to their kids. The hip hop culture is kind of the antithesis of "white" culture, though with the younger crowd not so much. I think what Bill Cosby said about race is 100% right. The problems with black culture in America can only be pointed out by a black person. Any white person who says these things would be labeled as "racist". I think most of the people in our country's mainstream culture nowadays are welcoming of other cultures, and the more you assimilate the easier it is to break through. I'll be honest, though. If you act or dress like a "gangster" you will be judged as a "thug" or one of a few words that aren't nice to say. With affirmative action, poor black kids have more opportunities than a white kid from the same socioeconomic situation. If the country was still racist today, I don't think the whites in charge would've let the Asians rise to become the richest race per capita in the country. I feel bad about what happened in the past, but I have just as much to do with America's terrible history with race as I do with the Holocaust. Hell, my ancestors were Irish (Catholic) and Polish and they were oppressed too. Especially the Irish. It was easier for our groups to get assimilated because of the obvious: skin color; but it's not like we use it as an excuse if we don't do well now in a society that doesn't have the same problems as the one our ancestors moved into.