Let's import a little Hartford chutzpah

[redbaron]

Let's import a little Hartford chutzpah

First published: Sunday, June 10, 2007 Times Union

On a recent two-day business trip to Hartford, I was amazed at how highly the Connecticut capital thinks of itself.

Don't get me wrong: Hartford is a very nice place. But really -- Hartford would have you think it's the best thing since sliced bread.... For full article click here

Interesting article from an outside perspective. It's kinda interesting because I think most of us see the city as doing very little to promote itself.

[Bill Mocarsky]

Let's import a little Hartford chutzpah

First published: Sunday, June 10, 2007 Times Union

On a recent two-day business trip to Hartford, I was amazed at how highly the Connecticut capital thinks of itself.

Don't get me wrong: Hartford is a very nice place. But really -- Hartford would have you think it's the best thing since sliced bread.... For full article click here

Interesting article from an outside perspective. It's kinda interesting because I think most of us see the city as doing very little to promote itself.

[MadVlad]

"I write not to knock Hartford, but to get the Gen Xers of the Capital Region thinking.", sounds like a knock to me. Everything he mentioned was "as good as Hartford.... or close". Comparing Union College to some of the area colleges here (think Yale, UConn, etc...) is ludacris. Sometimes close doesn't cut it. I've been to Albany, it was nice, and I won't cut on it like this guy does us. I just don't see the comparison...

[Recchia]

Albany actually has some good things going for it, it has a growing nanotechnology base and some decent companies other than its main employer, the State of New York. It's development pattern is dismal though, most of its state offices are in a suburban highway enclosed megapark, its new nanotech buildings are next to the mall on the outskirts, its train station is in Rensellaer totally cut off from the city and Empire State Plaza is just odd. They've made it a decent gathering place lately and despite mowing down acres of neighborhoods back in the 60's to build it, it works in its own odd little way.

Albany also has good, reliable bus service and a cool waterfront park with a pedestrian walkway connecting to it over the freeway.

Better than Hartford, I have no clue. Not bad for a mid-sized northeastern city, probly.

[GHartford]

Let's import a little Hartford chutzpah

First published: Sunday, June 10, 2007 Times Union

On a recent two-day business trip to Hartford, I was amazed at how highly the Connecticut capital thinks of itself.

Don't get me wrong: Hartford is a very nice place. But really -- Hartford would have you think it's the best thing since sliced bread.... For full article click here

Interesting article from an outside perspective. It's kinda interesting because I think most of us see the city as doing very little to promote itself.

[blink55184]

Albany has much better rail service than central Connecticut.

It has the Boston connection Hartford dreams of- The Amtrak Lake Shore Limited.

Boston to Albany or vice versa is $28. That is the same price as Hartford to Boston on Greyhound.

That route runs twice daily, and actually continues all the way to Chicago.

It is also on the Adirondack and Ethan Allen Amtrak routes, which go from NYC all the way up the state.

You can take these routes down to NYC for just $48. Or you can take the short ride to Poughkeepsie and switch to Metro North there.

I also like Albany's skyline

[drc72]

Albany has much better rail service than central Connecticut.

It has the Boston connection Hartford dreams of- The Amtrak Lake Shore Limited.

Boston to Albany or vice versa is $28. That is the same price as Hartford to Boston on Greyhound.

That route runs twice daily, and actually continues all the way to Chicago.

It is also on the Adirondack and Ethan Allen Amtrak routes, which go from NYC all the way up the state.

You can take these routes down to NYC for just $48. Or you can take the short ride to Poughkeepsie and switch to Metro North there.

I also like Albany's skyline

[blink55184]

What's Albany's population?

[beerbeer]

The population is just under 100,000. It is slightly larger in square miles.

[Recchia]

Albany proper has about 21 sq. miles and 95,000 residents. It has a relatively low population density cause of the number of abandoned housing units. The city looks very dense, however, for the same reason.

Metropolitan Area: 849,000, includes Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga.

There's some pics in the New York forum.

[Whaler0718]

Albany's skyline is dominated by that hideous spaceship landing station occupied by the state government. I think Albany is a great city and one facing challenges similar to Hartford's but thankfully we don't have to deal w/ that concrete bunker in the middle of our CBD.

[blink55184]

Albany has an arena that has been revamped a few times

The Pepsi Arena, but it just got renamed the Times Union Center

It hosts the Siena Saints NCAA Basketball teams, The Albany River Rats(who play the wolfpack), the ECAC Hockey League, and The Albany Conquest(Arena Football).

It was built in 1990.

From their site, "In 2000, the Times Union Center Ranked 14th nationally in total concert attendance, higher than arenas in Philadelphia and other major markets."

That is pretty impressive.

The Times Union Center has an adaptable seating capacity between 6,000 and 17,500.

[drc72]

I'm not trying to be to bias here, but I think Hartford's skyline is still a lot more impressive than Albany's. Not to say Albany is bad, they do have a nice skyline.

[beerbeer]

They made the same mistake that that the CT DOT made. A highway cutting the city off from the river.

[GHartford]

Albany's skyline is dominated by that hideous spaceship landing station occupied by the state government. I think Albany is a great city and one facing challenges similar to Hartford's but thankfully we don't have to deal w/ that concrete bunker in the middle of our CBD.

[HartfordTycoon]

You mean like the MDC plaza??

[blackstone]

MDC Plaza is nothing compared to that. MDC Plaza is hardly noticeable, Empire Plaza is a blight on Albany's skyline IMO.

[shwoz]

They made the same mistake that that the CT DOT made. A highway cutting the city off from the river.