On June 10th I provided a guide to arriving and traveling Downtown via Space Age methods. Today, we’re going to look at old-fangled modes of transportation and where to park them.

Bicycles

I have locked my bicycle to all manner of things — sign posts, building utility meters, benches — but I prefer to use a designated rack.  Bike racks are usually sturdier than flimsy sign posts and other makeshift racks. Bike locks and pedals tend to scratch and chip paint. I know that my bike has removed bits of paint from a certain mural, and for this I feel guilty, but if there were a better place to lock my bike, I would use that option. Some people are fine with destroying property, but I don’t like to do this. It adds to an appearance of shabbiness.

Visible, accessible bicycle parking is something that especially needs to be addressed by the organizations and businesses that boast about their so-called green cred. Without naming names, there are a few establishments that want us to know how environmentally awesome they are, and while they are in fact involved in many worthy eco-ventures, it seems like few have done anything to counter one of the largest threats to the environment — car dependency. If bike racks are not outdoors or in a visible spot, like the lobby, then such organizations should at least mention where bicycle parking is on their grounds by posting information to their websites. Everyone provides directions and info about automobile parking lots. Why not do the same for those who would like to visit but can not, do not, or prefer not to drive?

While you can go ahead and park your bike anywhere, here is a list of places with actual bike racks.  If there are any I have omitted, let me know.

Locations of Honest-to-Goodness Bicycle Racks

  • Hartford Public Library – sheltered in parking garage next to building. If this is full, you can use the one across the street at…
  • City Hall — on side facing library
  • Union Station — racks near entrances on either side of building
  • Mortensen Riverfront Plaza
  • Along Riverfront path
  • Riverside Park
  • Capital Community College — sheltered in lobby and located by doors connecting to non-college section of building.
  • Real Art Ways — to left of entrance
  • Wadsworth Atheneum — on side facing Traveler’s tower.
  • Trinity College — scattered on campus
  • University of Hartford — scattered on campus
  • Unitarian Society of Hartford — a small rack by the meeting house front door
  • Billings Forge — between Studio and Kitchen, nearly covered by a shrub with thorns.
  • ArtSpace — behind building
  • KFC on Farmington Avenue. Seriously.
  • FedEx on Farmington Avenue
  • The University High School of Science and Engineering on Mark Twain Drive
  • Betances School on Charter Oak Avenue
  • Back of parking lot at Pearl and Ann Streets
  • Connecticut Science Center — on side of building near parking garage entrance, on other side of building near elevator to Riverfront Plaza (they are bright orange), and several on the Riverfront Plaza next to the building (again, bright orange).
  • Marriott/CT Convention Center parking garage: Ride in on the Marriott side, go past the Starbucks, and past the first exit back onto Columbus Boulevard. This is a sheltered rack that can fit several bicycles.
  • Sanchez Elementary School on Babcock Street — in/near parking lot
  • UConn Law School: multiple racks

View Bicycle Racks in Hartford in a larger map

There may be other locations. As I am made aware of them, I will update this list and map.

Foot

I have wondered what the difference is between lingering and loitering. The only conclusion I can reach on this is that anything involving a street corner or a bodega counts as loitering. Anyway, if you have time to fill between engagements, you might consider going to an establishment that is not likely to oust you until closing time.

  1. Bushnell Park — carouseling, looking at scions of the Charter Oak tree, posing for photos with the figures that are part of the Corning Fountain, listening to jazz in the park.
  2. Pope Park — swimming, checking out the Park River, enjoying the removal of the road that had previously ruined the vibe of the park. “Baby Pope” is a smaller section of the park, found in the Russ/Columbia/Park Terrace/Putnam Street region. There’s a sprinkler, playground, desolate-looking tennis courts (commonly used for baseball), and benches where one can sit to admire the lovely rowhouses on Columbia Street.
  3. Charter Oak Landing — launching boats, fishing, playgrounding.
  4. Riverfront — fishing, gawking at sculptures, walking, biking.
  5. Riverside Park: launching boats, climbing ropes, watching cricket games, grilling food, playing beach volleyball.
  6. Keney Park: looking at horses, biking through the enormous park, golfing, getting muscular on the fitness trail, swimming, playing tennis, watching cricket.
  7. Elizabeth Park: stopping to smell the roses, sunning oneself in a meadow, going on moonlight garden tours.
  8. Colt Park: swimming, playing any game that requires a field, watching Vintage Base Ball, reminiscing about the good ole days when the park featured a botanical garden.
  9. Goodwin Park: golfing, swimming, playgrounding, golfing, watching geese defile the pond, walking off the pastries you just stuffed your face with at nearby First & Last Bakery.
  • La Paloma Sabanera — if you sit down on the couch, you have a 9 in 10 chance of falling asleep, no matter how many cups of coffee you drank. There are seats by the windows and seating on the sidewalk when the weather is right for it. They will be showing all FIFA World Cup Soccer games this year, if you’re into that. If you’re not, you can ignore the television.
  • JoJo’s — Like La Paloma, there are some tables next to the windows and some on the sidewalk. There is an out of tune piano to mess with there and lots of magazines to read.
  • State House Square Food Court — when it’s open, you have access to fast food, free Wifi, and the opportunity to silently mock those unfortunate enough to have jobs that require the donning of Corporate Wear. There is a nice place with inexpensive sushi (including avocado rolls that are generous with the avocado) and miso soup, and the employees are awesome enough to set aside a tray of sushi for regulars who come in a few minutes past closing. They are located in the hall, not the main court. There is also a Moe’s Southwest Grill and a decent pizza place. There is a “natural” food restaurant that I have never been able to order from because they always seem to close early (before 2pm).
  • Modern Pastry and Mozzicato Caffe — I’m lumping these two together because I think the rivalry is petty, but I like them both equally. Mozzicato Caffe seems to lend itself more to lingering, but both have seating and delicious desserts.
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery — take photos, sit under a giant tree and read, get yourself lost by trying to walk through the cemetery without a map. At the edge of the cemetery there is playground.
  • Trinfo.Cafe — this is basically a computer lab that’s open to the public. I like that they actually spell out in their rules that patrons can not take condiments home with them. If you have a compulsion to liberate sugar packets from restaurants, then you might want to avoid the internet cafe.
  • Trinity Campus — others may feel differently, but a beautiful campus should not be accessible to just students. Some places keep security excessively tight and feed into the myth that most of the crime that occurs on campus is caused by non-students. While that might be true during major campus events (Looking at you, UConn), it is not so on a day-to-day basis. Trinity has made attempts to address the town versus gown tension. I have never encountered any security guards on campus who make me feel like a suspect. Unless trying to get into a classroom or dormitory, the Trinity campus seems accessible to the general public. This is especially nice in the summer when the grounds seem underutilized. There is a neat coffee house on campus that does not feel like it’s run by the icky standardized campus dining institutions. There are benches to sit on, places to listen to free music, and a fantastic cinema that shows interesting (not necessarily blockbuster) films (not free).
  • Heaven — hang out and watch kids skateboarding, or bring your own board to take part.
  • Burr Mall — there’s a green area between the Wadsworth and City Hall where one can sit and listen in on the hush-hush conversations occurring between politicians. If you’ve seen the giant Stegosaurus downtown, then you know exactly where this is.
  • Kenney’s/Red Rock Tavern — this is an establishment for locals. There are darts, pool tables, and an outdoor patio. It is a restaurant, but you can place an order for potato skins and then stay for hours.

  • Community Gardens — some of the community gardens are locked, but it’s fine for people to walk through those that are not, just so long as they don’t pilfer other gardeners’ tomatoes. The community garden “rules” state that people should be quiet in the gardens so as not to disturb others.
  • Butler-McCook House & Garden — the garden is directly accessible from Main Street and once in it, you will likely forget that you are even in Hartford.
  • 960 Main — there are tables and chairs to use. If you walk past the coffee kiosk and the escalators you will see floor maps showing where various departments were located when the building housed G. Fox.
  • Stilts Building — on the Church Street side of the building there are a few places to sit under trees.
  • Billings Forge Farmers’ Market — other farmers’ markets might have good potential for lingering, but this one is mentioned because it is held on a spacious lawn, complete with picnic tables. Even when busy, it never feels overly crowded.
  • Real Art Ways lobby — there’s a “lounge” where people have been encouraged to just hang out. Real Art Ways used to promote public use of this space a lot more than they seem to now.
  • Pulaski Mall — this shaded area runs parallel to Charter Oak Avenue. If on Main Street, you can find it by following the statue of Count Casimir Pulaski. You can also enter this between South Prospect Street and Columbus Boulevard. There are benches, picnic tables, and playground equipment.

I know that I did not name every single park or establishment in the city. Those included are ones that I think are decent. If you have any other ideas, leave a comment here.