Spotlight Theater

A downtown theater and bistro opened a few weeks ago on Front Street in Hartford, across the street from the Marriott Hotel, the Connecticut Convention Center and the Connecticut Science Center. Development of a retail complex on Front Street began sixteen years ago but the opening of the theater is the first commercial use of the facilities. Next year Infinity Music Hall plans to open an entertainment center here and the Capital Grille will open a restaurant.  Getting Front Street up and running has taken a very long time.  I hope it succeeds.

Like reflections?  You can see more of them on James' blog, Weekend Reflections.

Sandy

For many years Sandy was a Vice President at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.  The Hartford Foundation is a community foundation that leverages the philanthropic giving of many in the community to serve the nonprofits in the region.   

Sandy is an independent consultant these days.  She helps donors define what they want to accomplish through their charitable giving, to have an impact today and create a legacy for the future. 

Another Victorian House

This pretty Victorian house is on a small knoll on Girard Avenue in the West End of Hartford, across the street from the University of Connecticut Law School.  Even though I don't like the arrival of November's colder weather, we can see some of the houses better after the leaves fall.

Don't Look Too Closely

Some places look better . . .

. . . if you don't look too closely.

Hartford Seminary

The Hartford Seminary has been shown before in the summer and in the winter, but not yet in the fall. The stark white modern building is nestled in the West End of Hartford among homes from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

November 25

Susie is 29 today.  The photograph from her September wedding was taken by the marvelously talented Ned Jackson.  (I was told to put my camera away for the weekend.)  Thanks, Ned.  Happy birthday, Susie.

Manchester Road Race

The Manchester Road Race is a five mile race run every Thanksgiving morning.  Thursday's race was the 76th annual race.  It attracts world class runners as well as families, casual runners, and folks just out for a good time.  Amby Burfoot won the race nine times between 1968 and 1977, and ran yesterday for the 50th time at age 66.

Flag man signed up for the Best Costume contest.

Joe Furey is a local TV weatherman.  He lost a lot of weight through a fitness program, so he ran the race to celebrate the weight loss.  He interviewed his personal trainer on camera.  

A spectator behind them got excited about being on TV.

 

It is very colorful.

Including silver.

There are 15,000 runners.  The woman in pink, stretching on the right, is Delilah DiCrescenzo.  

She was the fastest woman finisher.  Aaron Braun, in orange and turned sideways, won the race.

Braun got off to a good start and was in the lead most of the race.

Spirits were high.

One guy ran the whole five miles dressed as a 35-pound Christmas tree.

Braun tied the course record, set in 1995.

Canada Geese

They are called Canada geese because, with the Canadian economy and Canadian dollar so strong, the geese are like other Canadians, spending much of their time down here in the States.

Click here for more photos with reflections.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it.  Especially my daughter Susie and husband Wes, who are celebrating their first Thanksgiving as a married couple with Wes' family and their friends in Johannesburg.  It is no mean feat to find a large turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie filling in South Africa, but Susie is a very determined young woman.

Laura is a volunteer at FoodShare's tent on Woodland Street in Bloomfield.  They needed to get donations of 19,000 turkeys to meet the requests they had received in Hartford and Tolland counties. By Tuesday they had met the goal and were taking cash donations to meet the needs of hungry residents on other days.

Elizabeth Park in November

I love Elizabeth Park in every season.

Diocesan House

The Episcopal Church has put its headquarters up for sale.  They wanted to renovate it and add enclosed exterior fire escapes, but they got entangled with their neighbors in Hartford's West End.  Instead, someone will buy it and turn it into condos or another multi-family use.  I doubt that the neighbors will like that any better.

The late November palette around here is brown, tan, yellow and orange -- poets would call it amber and gold -- and the green left over from summer.

The Colt Building, Now and Then

This is the Colt Building photographed from a moving car on the highway leading south out of Hartford.  On the advice of counsel, I am not answering any questions.

And this is an old photograph of the Colt Building, before the highway was built.  I discussed the conspicuous blue onion dome in my third post after starting this blog in 2010.  (I was pedantic even then.)

Admission Desk at the Wadsworth

Showing the Wadsworth's admission desk yesterday and today is really an excuse for me to show you the Sol Lewitt wall mural in the entry hall. 

This is linked to Monday Murals.

There are other Lewitt wall paintings in this museum, as well as numerous Lewitt wall-sized paintings at a western Massachusetts contemporary art museum.  In the coming months I will show quite a few of them.

The Entry Hall from the Third Floor

This is a view of the entry hall to the Wadsworth Atheneum, showing a mural by Sol Lewitt.  The mural and entry renovations were funded by Helen and Harry Gray.   Mr. Gray was the CEO of Hartford-based United Technologies for many years.

This post is linked to Monday Murals.

Daniel Wadsworth



I will show occasional photos of Hartford's major art museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum, in the coming weeks and months.  The Wadsworth is the oldest public art museum in the United States.  It is on the site of the home of Daniel Wadsworth, whose bust is shown above.  I liked the bright light streaming in behind Daniel and the floating bust reflected in the glass doors.

Click here for more photographs with reflections.

Brooke

Brooke works at Black Diamond, a body piercing shop on Park Road.  Brooke is one of two who perform piercings.  The shop also offers original art and jewelry for sale.

 No piercings for me.  I was just a curious visitor.

Jackie

Andy Warhol's 1964 image of Jackie Kennedy is very popular.   The blue version is an original signed Warhol silkscreen in the modern art galleries of the Wadsworth Atheneum.  The red one is probably a reproduction.  It decorates the walls of the Pond House restaurant in Elizabeth Park.

The label at the Atheneum says that Warhol's choice of the famously stylish and infamously tragic former First Lady combines two of the artist's enduring themes -- fame and tragedy.

Marcie

Marcie is a wonderful and generous person, the kind of committed volunteer who is essential for any charitable organization to be successful. 

This photo was taken at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford.  The church presents a large-scale and colorful costumed pageant in early January.  A decade ago, many of the costumes needed repair.  Marcie didn't know how to sew, so she taught herself so she could fix them.  From repair, she has gone on to designing and sewing many elaborate gowns, robes and other costumes as the pageant continues to grow.

Prince Charles

This was seen on a wall on Park Street in Hartford.  I googled Prince Charles Burger King and found that the image is by someone called Dolk.  How it ended up on this wall is one of the mysteries of life that I didn't spend the time to unravel . . .

This post is linked to Monday Murals.

Faux Pas

Now, really!  You gotta look in the mirror before you go out.  Right, ladies?

I was going to post the bottom photo just because I liked it, but I figured most people would think it was too boring.  What do you think?  (Update:  I have linked it to Shadow Shot Sunday.)

The Artist at Work

John and his customer let me take photographs while John worked on a tattoo on his customer's leg. He wanted viewers to know that the red is dye, not blood. 

John

John is a tattoo artist and one of the owners of Green Man Tattoos, a parlor on Park Road in West Hartford.  He has been creating tattoos for about twenty years.

No tattoos for me.  I was just a curious visitor.

Want to see more photos with reflections?  You can visit James' blog, Weekend Reflections.

Waiting for the Bus

This man was patiently waiting at the bus stop in front of the Wadsworth Atheneum.  We waved at each other, but didn't talk, so I don't know what his name is.

I started to describe him as "elderly," then I realized that I don't know how old you have to be to be called "elderly" these days.  80?  70?  60?  50?  Someone once told me that old is ten years older than you are.  I can buy that.  Or 15.

Congratulations to the Winners

I posted this before knowing the winners in the elections, so that I can remain (kind of) apolitical on this blog.  Whoever they are, congratulations. And, unlike Theseus Slaying the Minotaur, let's hope that the victors will decide that a better winning strategy is to work with the defeated to solve the big problems that we face.

This is a sculpture by the French artist Antoine Louis Barye (1796 - 1875), currently shown at the Wadsworth Atheneum.  It is part of an exhibition of the museum's French works of art, some of which will be shown in later posts.

The Stocks

I usually try to show topical photographs, but on Election Day I am worn out by this overly long and ugly political campaign.  So, I will show something different.

Stocks are the contraptions where those who misbehaved were shamed publicly in the old days.  Head through the big hole, hands through the small ones.  Let the citizens throw rotten eggs and hurl verbal taunts.

This stocks was set up recently at Hartford's Old State House.

Aetna Building at Night

Who knows what goes on in here?  I think it is an ancillary building for Aetna Life Insurance Company.  As one drives past at night, the building is dark but the entrance hall with a wall-sized historic photograph is lit.  I always liked it, so I visited one evening when I had a camera and tripod with me.

Municipal Building at Night

Hartford's City Hall is officially known as the Municipal Building.  For a long time, the building we know today as the Old State House served as Hartford's city hall.  This building became the seat of city government when it opened in 1915. 

Images are more interesting with people in them, so I asked this man to walk in front of my tripod to provide a person-blur.

Albie

Albie retired twelve years ago.  He now operates an antiques store -- Mashapaug Trading -- in Union, Connecticut.

Union is the least populated town in the state.  It is just east of U.S. Route 84 as the highway runs into Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  Most of the traffic in Albie's store is from locals and regular visitors, who check in once a week to see what is new.

Still Revolutionary

The offices of the State's Department of Economic and Community Development display posters from the State's current tourism promotion, "Connecticut:  Still Revolutionary."  This post is linked to James' blog Weekend Reflections.

The Water's Edge

Some people don't appreciate beauty.

To see other photos on the theme of "The Water's Edge," visit the City Daily Photo bloggers' website here.

(And here is a less depressing photo I was thinking about using today . . .)