[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Down here in the corner everyones back in offices. Rush hour is back to full-force terrible traffic. Everyday.
The summer weekend 95 standstills are back too. You can't move. The "you build it, they will come" crowd is vehemently opposed to any infrastructure upgrades but it doesn't matter because "they" are coming regardless.



pickup again to what? It was dead Before Covid.
I was at a wedding in DT Hartford around 2 BC. A beautiful warm Saturday evening that was eerily quiet. It was uncanny. I remember thinking where was everyone. I walked by what looked like a nice trendy restaurant, it was closed with all the chairs on the tables. There was literally no one around not even a bum. You could freely walk across the street anywhere without needing a crosswalk. I couldn't believe it.

Compared with 20 years ago, as I said in a previous post. Not compared with 2019--when yes, it was already pretty dead.

2 BC? Before Christ? There weren't any tribal events going on?

[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by Stylo

New Haven has drawn suburbanites. A lot of people choose to live there for the city experience. I know some younger people that work in suburbs in area but choose to live in New Haven.

Then you can look at other popular small cities in northeast and it’s possible, but Hartford has a longgg way to go to make its downtown appealing.

Have they chosen this since the pandemic though? That's the real question. I'll bet even New Haven sees more of a migration to the suburbs or just fewer people moving there from the suburbs. WFH takes so much of the lure of living in the city away. And even if they do live in the city, they may discover like I have that living in a converted office building in the city is just pretty lousy WFH ambiance and they may bolt when their lease ends.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

Have they chosen this since the pandemic though? That's the real question. I'll bet even New Haven sees more of a migration to the suburbs or just fewer people moving there from the suburbs. WFH takes so much of the lure of living in the city away. And even if they do live in the city, they may discover like I have that living in a converted office building in the city is just pretty lousy WFH ambiance and they may bolt when their lease ends.

New Haven had no problem filling new apartments during the pandemic and home prices appreciated just like neighboring suburbs. I don’t think the outflow effect you mention in big cities during Covid was a factor in smaller, lower key cities like New Haven.

If you go out in New Haven now, the streets are busy as ever, apartments are going up in droves, and new businesses are opening.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stylo

New Haven had no problem filling new apartments during the pandemic and home prices appreciated just like neighboring suburbs. I don’t think the outflow effect you mention in big cities during Covid was a factor in smaller, lower key cities like New Haven.

If you go out in New Haven now, the streets are busy as ever, apartments are going up in droves, and new businesses are opening.

Actually Hartford hasn’t either had a problem filling apartments. That’s why we continue to multiple new buildings proposed.

I also agree that smaller cities were less affected by the Covid crisis. You just didn’t see the exodus you saw in big cities Jay

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Actually Hartford hasn’t either had a problem filling apartments. That’s why we continue to multiple new buildings proposed.

I also agree that smaller cities were less affected by the Covid crisis. You just didn’t see the exodus you saw in big cities Jay

Yeah, Hartford apartments seem to be doing well. I wonder if office conversions are in its future?

[mdovell]

Some of those offices were empty student forms. I've seen an interesting pattern with what's going on.

Young graduates in their early 20s actually do what to do back to the office. They are sick of what they dealt with in high school and universities. However your mid career professions are leaving. Unless you can try to block or delay adulthood further (buying a house, car, getting an apartment, having a kid, bring a caregiver for parents, funding a retirement, starting a business etc) you'll have a very hard time getting them back.

What might help...

On site day care, on-site holding of deliveries (think groceries /meal plans), on site laundry services, on-site gym, on-site car work, shuttle buses) I was at a place long ago that had some of this. Dot com things like free beer and Foosball are not going to be work.

Apartments growth without looking at other things (logistics of groceries, transit) might not work

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Yeah, Hartford apartments seem to be doing well. I wonder if office conversions are in its future?

It’s already happening BIG TIME. Many are older early 20th Century buildings but some are newer. This one was built for the Hartford National Bank & Trust in 1967. And the old Travelers Training Center on Constitution Plaza is likely next. Jay

https://www.777mainstreet.com/

https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/art...ford-gets-crda

[Stylo]

Got tickets for a Yard Goats game in July. Looking forward to it.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Got tickets for a Yard Goats game in July. Looking forward to it.

Keep looking to do the same but it never materializes. Pulled in too many directions. One of these days, and then followed up with dinner at Zoharra's.

[JayCT]

Cementing Hartford’s title as the Insurance Capital of the World, a massive Insurance Capital Summit was held yesterday at the Connecticut Convention Center. Jay

https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/art...rtford-tuesday