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Hartford Favorites

By Mike McGarry

September 19, 2013

In that politics is - for this election - kind of taking a back seat, your reporter will allow himself a bit of whimsy and discuss some of the reasons to enjoy Hartford.

First of all, the remarkable venues in the city that are free. If you haven't visited the Capitol since grammar school, stop by for a walk through or a tour. What a grand building. Then, go across Capitol Avenue to the Connecticut State Library and Museum. Although guns are now politically incorrect, the Colt Collection there is just the nuts, for anybody, not just gun nuts. They have occasional special exhibits on a variety of historic topics. Then, on both ends of town, take a visitor to Cedar Hill Cemetary and the Elizabeth Park. This beautiful fall weather will bring out colors from the flowers and trees hardly matched anywhere.

Two other favorites of ours are two underappreciated walks. The Wallace Stevens walk from the Hartford Insurance Company on Asylum through the Westend with "13 ways to see a Blackfird" inscribed on 13 granite markers is a nice jaunt. And, the Lincoln Walk along the river from with 15 statues of Lincoln's life is a great way to spend a few hours. Take a kid, leave the electronics in the car.

Secondly, once you have enjoyed the fall air, stop in one of our favorite haunts. Vito's by the Park, has a great new Happy Hour menu with "meatball sliders" as our new favorite. And you can always get a hot cup of bowl of soup for lunch at Max Bibo's on Trumbull.

Now, for evenings, we keep going back every Wednesday night to McKinnon's, 114 Asylum, for the Irish Session. It continues, every week from 7:30 to 10:00 pm. Anybody can sit in to play, sing or sit with a pint.

We feel sorry for those poor souls who are always putting our city down. It, for the most part, is safe and clean and lots of fun.