By bike, we traveled through small portions of three of Hartford’s north neighborhoods: Blue Hills, Upper Albany, and North East. This included the most southern portion of Keney Park, where we saw that an old spray pool filled with litter and branches was operational, but the shinier, cleaner, newer splash pads nearby were not on. It was a challenge to not just stay in the park, because as regular readers know, the pond, horses, and woods are all pretty great. There is still so much of Keney Park that has not been photographed yet, but this time around, we took a break from that.

This recent six-mile excursion took us across the University of Hartford campus (it’s located in Hartford, West Hartford, and Bloomfield — don’t let that West Hartford mailing address fool you) where the Hartford Art School was full of activity on a weekend morning during Summerterm. Paths behind buildings reveal a neat view of the Park River. A hawk, appropriately, could be heard screaming.

From there, we pedaled along Mark Twain Drive, Plainfield Street, Cornwall Street, Westbourne Parkway, Edgewood Street, Greenfield Street, F.D. Oates Avenue, Bethel Street, Mather Street, Green Street, and possibly others that have been forgotten by virtue of a stop-and-go bike ride filled with the distraction of pausing for photo breaks.

This took us by Marcus Garvey Place, at Granby and Cornwall, where the space was torn up. MDC is funding the renovation so that the park is more than just a piece of grass with a plaque. Expect landscaping improvements and the addition of benches.

Later, we passed Spring Grove Cemetery, where maintenance varied from section-to-section. Construction materials were piled in the street, hinting that some bigger changes are coming soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Your Neighborhood: Each Saturday we showcase a different neighborhood in Hartford. These photos are taken while out on foot or on bicycle, because Hartford is not the Interstate and we should see it at human speed.