From Wikitravel

For other places with the same name, see Hartford (disambiguation).

Hartford is the capital of the state of Connecticut in the United States of America.

Contents 1 Get in 2 Get around 3 See 4 Do 5 Buy 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Learn 10 Stay safe 11 Get Out

Get in

• Bradley International Airport is located in nearby Windsor Locks. It also serves Hartford's twin city Springfield, MA.
• Union Station is served by Greyhound and other major bus companies and offers trips to New York City and Boston every hour (even after midnight). Amtrak also serves this station linking to New Haven, and Springfield, MA.

Get around

Because of its small size, Hartford does not have the tourist-friendly mass-transportation of nearby New York and Boston. Thus, car is the best way to navigate Hartford and its surrounding towns.

• CT Transit, 100 Liebert Rd, 860-247-0200, [1]. Public bus service throughout the Greater Hartford Area. Most bus-stops receive service every 45 minutes-1 hour. Most destinations are accessible by bus, but one must be careful to get off at correct stops. The general fare is $1.25 with one free transfer. All day passes are also available for $2.75. If you miss your stop, stay on the bus and it will eventually return to Downtown Hartford. An additional $1.25 may be asked if you do not have a free transfer/all day pass, but it will still save you much time.

• The Downtown area has a free shuttle, called the Star Shuttle. It runs M-F 7AM to 11PM and Sa 3PM to 11PM. Three buses run during peak weekday hours, with two buses in normally in service. Services run approximately every 10 minutes. The route connects the CT Convention Center, the Riverfront, the Arts and Entertainment District, various restaurants, and downtown hotels.

See

• Connecticut State Capital Building Located off the highway, featuring it's distintive Gold-colored dome.
• Old State House The original CT capitol building is found in the midst of downtown Hartford.
• Mark Twain House, 351 Farmington Av., Phone: 860-247-0998, [2]. Located in the historic west end of Hartford, this is where popular author Mark Twain lived for much of his life and wrote several of his books (e.g. Tom Sawyer). $17/$13.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe House, 77 Forest Street, Phone: 860-522-9258, [3]. Historic house of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
• Elizabeth Park Beautiful and large park in Hartford's west end equipped with gardens, gazebos, restaurants, trails, etc. The rose garden is not to be missed.
• the Wadsworth Atheneum is one of America's finest art museums.
• Colt Factory America's favourite gunshop, shaped like an arabian palace. It can be viewed just south of the skyline from East Hartford. It is in Hartford's south end.
• Bushnell Park The first publicly funded park in America. Located in the center of the city and bordering the state capitol building. The park was designed by the architect of Central Park in New York City.
• Soldiers Memorial Arch The first memorial arch in America, it pays tribute to the Connecticut soldiers who lost their lives in the American Civil War. It also pays tribute to slaves and their stuggle.
• The Children's Museum The former science center of connecticut in West Hartford has hands on exhibits, planetarium and mini zoo designed for grades k-6.
• The Noah Webster House, 227 South Main Street, West Hartford, 860-521-5362, [4]. Birthplace of Noah Webster who wrote the first American Dictonary.
• Nathan Hale Homestead, 229 South Street, Coventry, Phone: 860-742-6917., [5].

Do

• Hartford Civic Center The largest arena in Connecticut. This is the former home of the Hartford Whalers National Hockey League team and numerous other professional sports teams and the current home of American Hockey League Hartford Wolfpack, and the UCONN NCAA Basketball team, the Huskies. Various bands and recording artists perform here, mostly popular and more established acts.
• New England Dodge Music Centre Located on Savit Way, just outside downtown Hartford. This is a large amplitheatre. It opens in the summer to early fall.
• Webster Theatre, 31 Webster Street, [6]. Small-scale club shows.
• Rentschler Field A stadium in East Hartford which homes UCONN football games. The stadium has also been used as a concert hall. Since its opening in 2003, Bob Seger and the Rolling Stones have both played here.
• Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd., Phone: 860-251-8111, [7]. At 540,000 square feet, the largest convention center in southern new england overlooks the Connecticut River and the central business district. Attached to the center is a new 409 room 22 story Marriott Hotel.
• Bushnell Center for Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Av., Phone: 860-987-5900, [8]. In downtown Hartford, home to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. The theatre principally showcases classical music and travelling Broadway shows. Popular comics also tour here.
• Wadsworth Athenium-local art museum featuring many famous works, including an exhibit of Salvador Dali
• Hartford Stage Tony winning theatre that constantly puts on shows/ takes in shows from on-the-road broadway plays.
• Theatre Works Slightly less popular theatre in the same area. It is a very quiet and non-crowded place though.
• Crown Theatre at Art Cinema art films are played here- brainard rd

Buy

• The Shoppes at Buckland Hills in Manchester, CT is a large consumer area principally holding Chain stores. It boasts several strip malls, department stores, an outdoor outlet mall and a newly renovated and expanded large mall of the same name.
• West Hartford Center A vibrant entertainment, restaurant, and shopping center just west of Hartford's city limits. The area boasts a large array of independent stores and restaurants. An outdoor mall is scheduled to open in a few years.
• Westfarms Mall A large mall just west of Hartford on the borders of West Hartford, New Britain and Farmington.
• Bishop's Corner Large area with several chain stores and chain restaurants. It is in western West Hartford.
• Silver Lane Bargain street in East Hartford with discount shops ranging from a gigantic Petco to a Salvation army shop. This is also where Rentschler Field is located.
• Downtown Manchester A shopping district with independent shops. It is similar to West Hartford center, but is less expensive, more earthy, and has a more blue collar appeal. Notably, there are 2 hemp shops, a tattoo parlor, and a bike shop.
• Berlin Turnpike A mix of chain stores/restaurants, independent cheap restaurants/stores, and motels. The motels in the area were well known for previous involvement with the Hartford prostitution scene. The Berlin Turnpike is in Wethersfield, Newington, and Berlin. Because Newington is a few miles away from Hartford, the wealth of motels still seems mysterious.

Eat

• Food With its large Italian population, good pizza and other Italian cuisine can be found here. It has the standard bars and nice restaurants as many cities. The Park Street area has many Latin-American restaurants as well as a Latin-American grocery store. Most expensive restaurants can be found in neighboring West Hartford Center. Downtown Hartford also houses many upscale restaurants.
• MaxDowntown, 185 Asylum Street (City Place),[9]. Part of one of the city's finest restaurants and is consistantly ranked as one of the city's best restaurants.
• El Salvador traditional Salvadorian food in the center of East Hartford's multicultural Burnside Avenue.
• Grant's A trendy but surprisingly inexpensive restaurant in West Hartford Center.
• Black Eyed Sally's A medium sized restaurant serving traditional southeastern food. The restaurant also plays live music from local blues' artists.
• Triple-A Diner Cheap 24-hour diner on East Hartford's main street.
• Mang Wah Kitchen 6 Best chinese food in the area, on the eastern section of Burnside Avenue.
• Wooster St. Pizza Best pizza east of the river, just west of Buckland Hills on Tolland Turnpike.
• Roma's A local Italian treasure serving excellent pizza and pasta.
• Shady Glen Voted one of the best Hamburger places in Connecticut- check out the cheeseburgers. The main restaurant is in Manchester.
• Puerto Vallarta's Tasty Mexican restuarant located both in West Hartford Center and on the Berlin Turnpike.
• Mo's Midtown Consistently ranked as best breakfast and brunch spot in the area, by the Hartford Advocate.

Drink

• Bar with No Name A medium sized bar attracting young people.
• Mayor Mike's An upscale bar in Downtown run by former Hartford Mayor- Mayor Mike.
• The Brickyard A popular college bar with three floors of rock, dance, and live band
• Arch Street Tavern Historic restaurant/bar featuring a rustic atmosphere, pub food and live music. Located on Adriaen's Landing right next to the Connecticut Convention Center.
• Pig’s Eye Pub famous for never having a cover, and live bands on the roof top patio.
• The Spigot Laid-back bar with wide selection of draft and bottled beers.

Sleep

There are an abundance of large chain hotels in the Hartford area as well as many upscale ones downtown and in the suburbs. Over 60,000 rooms are located in Greater Hartford.

• Hartford Marriott Downtown, 200 Columbus Blvd, Phone: +1 860 249-8000, Toll-free: +1 866 373-9806, Fax: +1 860 249-8181, [10]. Attached to the CT Convention center and overlooks the CT river and Central Business district.
• Crowne Plaza Hotel, 50 Morgan St., Phone: +1 860 549-2400, [11].
• Holiday Inn Express, 440 Asylum Street, Phone: +1 860 246-9900, [12].
• Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 185 Brainard Road, Phone: +1 860 525-1000, [13].
• Motel 6 Hartford Downtown, 100 Weston Street, Phone: +1 860 724-0222, Fax: +1 860 724-0433, [14].
• Residence Inn Hartford Downtown, 942 Main Street, Phone: +1 860 524-5550, Fax: +1 860 524-0624, [15].
• The Goodwin Hotel, One Haynes Street, Phone: +1 860 246-7500, [16]. Smaller upscale hotel in the midst of

Downtown Hartford.

• West Hartford Inn, 900 Farmington Av., Phone: +1 860 236-3221, Small place in vibrant West Hartford.
• Hosteling International Youth Hostel, 131 Tremont St, Tel. 1-860-523-7255 Fax. 1-860-233-1767

Bed price from: 15.00 USD Single Room: 48.00 USD Double/Twin Room: 54.00 USD

Learn

• Trinity College Hartford's small ivy- consistently ranked as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country (and most expensive).
• University of Hartford Private university with one of the best music schools in the country.
• St Joseph's College Women's college in West Hartford
• Rensselaer Graduate School of Engineering
• UCONN Although its main campus is 30 miles away in Storrs, UConn's Law School is in the West End and the Business School is located downtown. A regional school is also located in nearby West Hartford.
• Capital Community College Located downtown at 950 Main Street in the former G. Fox department store building.
• Manchester Community College Largest Community college in Connecticut.
• Central Connecticut State University Part of the Connecticut State University system, is located in New Britain, ten minutes southwest of Hartford. The largest state school in Connecticut, it excels in educational excellence and Division I sports.
• Goodwin College East Hartford
• The Connecticut State Library Located in the State Supreme Court building, along with the Connecticut State Museum.
• Tunxis Community College Located in Farmington, CT

Stay safe

Hartford is consistently ranked as one of the 25 most dangerous cities in the United States. However, it is easy to stay safe with common sense. The north end of Hartford is the most dangerous area of the city. However, it does not house any major attraction. The south end of Hartford is the second most dangerous area of the city. Unlike the North end, the south end contains many attractions, including ethnic restaurants and the popular Webster Theatre. However, as long as you stick to the main roads (where the attractions are) you probably won't run into any trouble. Most of Hartford's major attractions are found in the east and west ends. The east end houses the financial district and most major clubs. Though it can be vibrant throughout weekday working hours and Friday/Saturday nights, the area can look like a ghost town on weekday/Sunday nights. Although significant construction of luxury apartments is occurring, the area is currently best avoided on non-clubbing nights. The west end is generally safe. So, if one wants to eat out on a weekday- he should probably come here, where locals will be much more receptive than in the adjacent neighborhoods. The surrounding towns have minimal violent crime. Parts of Manchester and East Hartford look worn down, but they are simply working class neighborhoods- violence is not an issue to the sensible.

It's important to remember that the violence is generally contained to the north end of town. The high crime rate in that area contrasts the rest of the city, where the streets are far safer and travelled.

Get Out

Hartford is a small city and one can access small farm towns in minutes. There are no national parks/forests in the area, but the general wilderness is easy to access.

• Wickham Park A private owned park in neighboring East Hartford/Manchester boasts a picturesque landscape with excellent views of the Hartford skyline. It holds many biking/hiking trails, picnic areas, tennis courts, and an aviary.

There are also several other cities in the area:

• New York City, NY.
• Boston, MA.
• Springfield, MA.
• New Haven, CT.
• Middletown, CT.
• Providence, RI

Northwest are the towering:

• Berkshire Hills. MA

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