Hartford: a Cure for Retail Therapy

So I know I often complain, both in the blog and otherwise, about the lack of retail in my new neighborhood, downtown Hartford, but the other day I was thinking about the benefits of the area's 40% retail space vacancy. I recently started a new job, my first job since graduation college and also moved into my first apartment where I will be paying rent (and all other bills) on my own. Luckily, I am not repaying my college loans yet (thank you 6-month grace period!), but in a few months, that will be yet another expense to add to my budget. I'm slowly getting myself on my feet. When I leave my office at 6pm and walk home to my apartment, I do not pass any retail stores or quick food stops that I can run into quickly. If I was living in New York City, Chicago, or Boston, my attention would easily be grabbed by storefronts filled with clothing, electronics, and quick, cheap, and yummy food....if there was a tasti delite or a pinkberry down here, I'd be making a stop at least a few times a week. If I want to go shopping, even for the essentials, I have to make a special trip to, say, West Hartford. I have to walk to my car, drive a few exits, drive back, park in front of my building, unload my car, drive to my parking spot, and walk back. Yeah, it's really not that big of a hassle but it does mean that I'm less likely to spend money, at least during the week. So that's a good thing right? Don't get me wrong, I still wish some of those empty store fronts in downtown Hartford will fill up with holiday displays, etc. It's upsetting that all the beautiful, brand-new, prime location retail spaces on the first floor of my building are still sitting empty when once, when Hartford was a bustling city, they were full. but I'm seeing a silver lining/bright side here. Also, I've been getting this email of free things to do in Hartford. It's being forwarded to me from an old email account at work but it is definitely a great resource for free events in Hartford. I'll have to look into it and get you some more information.

Happy Hanukkah everyone and happy Monday tomorrow!