March Madness

For those who are not sports fans, March Madness is college basketball's year-ending tournament.  Most fans, including me, will be watching men's college basketball for the next three weeks.  A smaller number, also including me, will be watching women's basketball.

Ohio State's men's basketball team will start the tournament ranked #1 in the country and the University of Connecticut's women's team is also ranked #1.  Both also won their conference championships.  The UConn men's team won the Big East tournament and the Ohio State women won the Big Ten championship.  So, I have four good chances for favorite teams to go deep into the tournament.

Although I have lived in Hartford for three decades, I worked in Ohio for six years, until last summer.  My loyalties are divided.  I expect to log many hours in front of the TV in the coming weeks, changing my shirts back and forth from blue-and-white to scarlet-and-gray.  Go Huskies!  Go Buckeyes!

Elbow Room

West Hartford Center is the restaurant mecca for this region.  There are perhaps 25 - 30 good restaurants in a small area.  When good weather arrives, diners will want to sit outside, but the Center wasn't designed with wide enough sidewalks to accommodate the growing demand.

So, if you are the Elbow Room and operate a successful restaurant with more demand for outdoor dining than your small piece of the sidewalk can serve, what do you do?

Answer:  You build a funky rooftop dining patio, overlooking Farmington Avenue and LaSalle Road.

But, if the weather is not great, of course, no one eats outside in Connecticut.

Thinking about the People of Japan

I had to scour my archives for a photo that could represent Japan for today's blog.  We have Japanese restaurants in central Connecticut, but that is about it.  This is a relatively new one that opened about one year ago, with an unusual (to me) buffet format.

No doubt, yesterday's earthquake in Japan is on many minds today.   The scenes we saw repeatedly on TV were frightening.  Like you, my thoughts are with the people of Japan.  They have suffered very serious damage, but the Japanese are resilient and will recover.

Weekend Reflections: XL

XL is a Dublin-based global insurance company with its Eastern US headquarters in downtown Hartford.  Their building offers simple reflections of the sky and nearby buildings.

For other reflections on Fridays, please look at Newtown Area Photo.

City Council Chamber

This is the former City Council Chamber on the second floor of Hartford's Old State House.  You saw the Senate Chamber across the hall in February. 

I don't know why I turned the camera . . . I must have been looking for an artistic effect.

"My" Starbucks

We should all post photos of "our" Starbucks and see if anyone can tell one from another.  OK, this customer is wearing a jacket, so it must be in a cold weather climate.  That really narrows it down.

Mark Twain Again

When you can't think of anything else to show on a Hartford blog, show something about Mark Twain.

The Mark Twain House is one of Hartford's most visited tourist attactions.  I have previously shown a bust of Twain and photos of his impressive Hartford house.

For other photos with a lot or a little red, go see Ruby Tuesday.