Weekend blues

CoffeeHouse Mural by 2005 Neighborhood Studios, Marela Zacarias Master artist

Since I'm working indoors on this beautiful sunny Saturday, I'm selecting this photo as my pic of the day. My bike parked in front of the 2005 Neighborhood Studios mural painted on the side of our
favorite neighborhood coffeehouse, La Paloma Sabanera, 405 Capitol Avenue. The colors of that mural by youth always makes me happy, and seeing my bike there makes me strive to work to get out and enjoy a bike ride. (unfortunately, trapped indoors until late nite!)

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Bike parking at Wadsworth Atheneum

Today on my ride into work, I decided to park my bike at the public, very visible bike posts on the side of The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. This was in lieu of where I normally park it, in my office. (Alternatively, there is an employee bike rack behind the building that is cumbersome to get to at times). Why did I make this decision? Answers after the jump...

For starters, not enough people seem to know the public bike rack is there, despite it's visibilty. Therefor, I've rarely seen it used. It's close to the front entrance and can park at least 6 bikes. By parking it in a prominent location, I'm hoping it gets people to think about biking (whereas by storing it in my office I'm just hiding it). Perhaps by parking our bikes everywhere, businesses and city hall will start to realize they need to give us more bike public bike racks.

The second reason was that I was inspired by Erika Gore's essay in The Hartford Courant and the reactions it created in those that I know who read it. My friends and I talk about improving things so that people will react like Erika, and give Hartford more than just a chance; they will actually join us in improving things. By riding to work and parking the bike in plain view in front, I'm declaring that a) Hartford is bike commuting city, b) I'm not afraid to leave something as valuable as my bike out in the city, and c) this is how I roll.

Ok, slightly over optimistic, you say? I know there are those who will find something to be negative about, but after the last few years I've had, I'm done with letting things beat me down. We have to take a stand. This city is home to a lot of good people and can be home to many more. We should encourage that instead of discouraging it and forcing people to 'drive into work' or look for work in other places.

But that's just how I feel. By the way, my bike is looking lonely out there. Why don't you all come check out some art and park up next to it?

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Something in the Hartford Courant that doesn't suck...

With all of the negative press lately either about Hartford and it's politics, or about The Hartford Courant, it was rewarding to see this well written editorial from former Wadsworth Atheneum intern, Erika Gore. Ms. Gore interned in the Public Relations department of the museum, where I got to know her via her work on Blog This! a meet up between Hartford area bloggers (happened to give her the contacts of some).

Like many students who live outside of Hartford, I had preconceived notions about the city, formed mainly by hearsay, media and tall tales. I hadn't considered the city as a place to work or live. I figured that because I want to work in the entertainment field and lived near the insurance capital of the U.S., there was nothing for me here. I planned to leave the Nutmeg State as soon as possible. However, one small but important assignment changed my attitude.

Many of the points she makes in her essay are ones I've come to realize myself; why must we leave our city and state to make a name for ourselves or work in our field? Why not use what we've learned and put it to work in our capitol city? How else are we going to improve the city? Thanks, Erika, for shining a new light on Hartford.

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Random BETTER Bike Post

My neighbor's bike parked in her office. Photo by MiraHartford

As I sit shackled to my computer awaiting video rendering, I am reminded of some random thoughts from this past week. I had to run some errands the other day (Monday, to be exact) and hopped on the bike to get around. Full story after the jump.

First interesting encounter was riding up to one of Hartford's bicycle couriers. There is a small crew of them, and I've come to recognize them by sight, but never by name, so it was rather cool to be bike to bike with one I've seen around. We started talking and had a great conversation the whole way to downtown. Seems he lives in my neighborhood of Asylum Hill and built his bike up from parts. Wish I had a chance to take a photo but we both had jobs to do. It's super nice looking fixie. Can't exactly have a chat like that to meet neighbors while driving your cars side by side.

A stop at Hartford's City Hall encouraged me about biking by seeing two friends' bicycles parked in front of their offices. It would be inspiring if more people rode to work so that our fair city wasn't as dependent on the parking lot monopolies that scar the city's landscape where historic buildings once stood (don't get me started on that rant). First was my neighbor Jen's bike which introduced the blog post. We've ridden together a few times to our respective jobs. She's been working to promote adding more bike parking to the city. Down the hall from her commuter bike, fellow blogger (from The Beat Bike Blog), Brendan Mahoney had his bike in front of his office:

While I had their attention, I took it upon myself on behalf of our fellow bicycle riders and commuters to get their bosses to pass ordinances for more 'bike racks' in the city! I stopped at least 4 different spots that day between Downtown and West Hartford with not a bike rack to be had! How could the city that manufactured and popularized bicycles not have any bike racks?! (oh, right, because we also tore down the great factory that produce those bikes... ranting!)

Final stop was at the bank (one of the non-bike rack locations, so bike was attached to lamp post). Upon exiting the bank, I was approached by a cameraman and interviewer who were asking people downtown what they were doing to save money at home. Ok, the interviewer was just gorgeous, so naturally I blathered on like an idiot about the usual 'energy efficient bulbs', and 'turn off lights when no one is in the room'. Then I remembered, Oh, and I ride my bike around the city so that a) having to waste fuel on small errands (where most people do waste energy & fuel) and b) so that I'm not polluting. They must have liked that part because they grabbed a bit of B-Roll of the bike and then of me (and my fat tuchas) riding off on the bike. Found out that the show is actually an internet syndicated piece called Better.tv so hopefully it will be up some time soon.

Anyway, that was the fun bike adventures this week. Not going to talk about the creepy woman who accosted me on while I was unlocking my bike in front of Superior Court. No way! Right now, really kicking myself for not having thought of documenting Hartford's bike culture for Hartford.com's "Awesomest Art Thing Ever". Sigh. Guess I'm too damn socialist and political when it comes to my art.

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Hartford Preservation Alliance Fall Tours 2009

The old Northwest School located on Albany Avenue, photo by MiraHartford

Our blogger friends at the Greater Hartford Real Estate Blog have posted about an event I've been a big fan of: tours of our historic homes and buildings in Hartford. For a town that dates back to the 1600's, Hartford unfortunately has lost a lot of it's historic buildings which gave it the unique character it had when Samuel Clemens decided to settle down here. Thankfully, the tireless folks at The Hartford Preservation Alliance have relentlessly fought to protect the historic buildings remaining while educating residents about the history of the city. This fall, the HPA has organized four tours in four distinct neighborhoods: Ridgefield Street Historic District, The West End, The Moderns, and Fairfield Avenue. More details after the jump.

While cleaning my office the other day, I actually found a letter from the Hartford Preservation Alliance which stated, "Although Hartford was founded in 1636, Hartford has only 43 buildings standing that were built prior to 1851 - and only 4 are left from the 1700's!" This is something that truly breaks my heart as some of the more impressive buildings were torn down in the name of progress. I have to say that I'm most intrigued by The Moderns tour as it explores the modern architecture of Constitution Plaza, which razed entire neighborhoods and historic buildings for a very cold sterile environment.

Nonetheless, here is the info for the tours:

Ridgefield Street Historic District
September 12, 2009; meet at The Artists Collective parking lot, 1200 Albany Avenue

The West End
September 26, 2009; meet at the UConn Law School Sherman Street Parking Lot

The Moderns
October 3, 2009; Meet on Constitution Plaza at the Fountain, 1 Constitution Plaza

Fairfield Avenue
October 10, 2009; Meet in front of 8 Fairfield Avenue (firehouse at corner of New Britain Avenue)

For history buffs and fans of architecture, I highly recommend taking these. I've actually filmed two of these walks in past years and was blown away by the details we miss while driving past these buildings.

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MATRIX MANIA! at The Wadsworth Atheneum First Thursday

Painting by John Baldessari

Little bit of promotion for the office space: Thursday, September 3, 2009 is Phoenix Art After Hours First Thursday at the Wadsworth Atheneum! The museum is open until 8pm with a party atmosphere as a band takes the Gengras Courtyard stage (The Bus Drivers), a gallery talk about the current exhibit The MATRIX Effect, and a tribute to Hartford born MATRIX artist, the late Sol LeWitt. Show up to enjoy the festivities and be part of the art tribute! Full details after the jump.

From the Facebook invite:

MATRIX MANIA
Our famed contemporary art series relaunches in January - come celebrate its history of firsts

FEEL THE BEAT
The Bus Drivers, the Hartford Advocate's 2007 Grand Band Slam winners, cover rock hits from MATRIX's 25 year history

OFF THE WALL
Interactive art activity inspired by MATRIX artist Sol LeWitt

SMALL TALK (6 and 7 pm)
Drop in for 15-minute MATRIX exhibition intros with our new Contemporary Art Curator, Patricia Hickson

FILM (8 pm)
See how MATRIX artists Cristo and Jeanne-Claude created a 4-mile long silk fence in the film RUNNING FENCE (1978)

DISCLAIMER: your humble narrator and blogger is employed by the Wadsworth Atheneum.

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PHH: KennedyKennedyKennedy...Swing Batter!!

All of Taxachussetts lit up this past week with news of their very own famous death of Joe Quimby impersonator Senator Ted "Edward" Kennedy. Now, the people of the "new" version of England must think about who next will fill the role of the Inbred American Meritocracy, since they can't find a replacement Kennedy. Once Caroline Kennedy failed at being appointed senator simply by being a famous Kennedy, and the most famous Kennedy, Arnold Shriver Schwarzenegger "Joe II" Kennedy is ineligible due to him being born a birth-certificate-challenged Kenyan, America's title of "royal family" fell squarely to the slack-jawed yokels of the New Haven area, the Bushes. Jeb's next, y'all! <insert random hoots and firing of weapons into the air>

Speaking of weapons, and specifically these town hall meetings...whose bright idea was it to have all these terrible and stupid things anyway? Fire this person, immediately, forever. This is certainly no way to ram home politically strife-y legislation like Health Care Reform. If the Bush administration taught us anything, there is a three-step process to getting whatever wacky laws (and Wars!) that people might have a problem with passed, and none of them involved going to Jethro and Murlene to ask them what they think about what Fox News told them to say. This is what the Dems should have learned this decade from the Ws:

1) Have adorable and easily repeatable names for the bills. The ObamaCare bill should have been named the "Uncle Sam for American Grandmas' United Act" or the "Healthy Bunny Freedom Preservation Bill for Democracy" Seriously, who would fight those finely named pieces of legislation? The Patriot Act, the Clean-Air Act, Cash for Clunkers, etc. all worked this way.

2) No debate. EVER! Just throw it to a vote before Tucker Carlson can start reaching for a phone with his stubby fingers to call his conservative overlords.

3) If someone does try to debate, call them America-Haters, or Bin Laden Huggers, or whatever, immediately to the first open microphone you can find.

All I want is something to happen so I'll have health coverage when I quit my job and become a wise-cracking drunk who runs around the beach playing games of grab-ass. Or a Kennedy. Same difference.

Anyway, I'm done listening, thinking, and marinading in all this health care garbage. I would invite you all to PHH this week to talk about it, but since this SHOULD be the most boringest topic ever, we should be expanding our minds on more interesting topics. Instead, let's meet tonight at Red Rock Tavern after 9:30 pm and discuss.....<flips open the google>....OMG OMG OMG, you guys!! Swedish meatball purveyor IKEA totally just changed the font in their catalog! And THAT has the World Wide InterOnlines buzzing and FREAKING OUT for some reason! And just in time for college apartment shopping! Now, it's just not as exciting to order that FLÜERKN bookcase with the KLON...wait. Is that a bookcase? Or an end table? And where does this extra part go? Dammit, I grabbed the wrong KROVLECK from the warehouse. Oh Jesus. Just hold that pressed particle board plank for a minute, please? I'm only seeing 23 dowels and 14 cam locks. Bah...just throw a mattress on it and call it a futon.

Fries, Beverages, & GAVØRZN for all font geeks, tonight at Kenny's. 9:30 pm.

-Robert Jack Joe Teddy Shriver Smith Onassis Kennedy

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Shifting Gears makes music!

Bike at Bushnell Park by Ryan McMasters

Check out the new blog Shifting Gears - Bass | Bike | Blog - by new Hartford resident, Ryan McMasters. Ryan is new to the Hartford area as a grad student at The Hartt School. Not only is he a musician, but also a bike enthusiast. He just posted a great piece that combines the two: a catchy little composition made of sounds from his bicycle! Check it out here.

Ryan's comment on the inspiration for it:

The sounds are completely unedited aside from chopping up into little usable bits and a little bumping around to make it "musical" It's amazing to me that inspiration can come at the strangest times, such as after a flat, or a bad day of practicing turning into a moment of discovering new sounds.

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Parking at the Hartford Public Library

Pic of the day: rode the bike down to the main branch of the Hartford Public Library. Thankfully, it is one of the few public places in Hartford that has an area to lock up a bike. Better than locking up to a lite post or, my least favorite, a trash can.

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