Archive for the 'Video' Category

Hartford Art Sled Derby Video

This past Saturday Paul Spirito put on the first ever Hartford Art Sled Derby in Elizabeth Park. It was part art, part engineering, part theatrics, and all fun. Various sites have photos and commentary on the festivities, with the best sources that I have seen being the official Facebook event page and the Real Hartford photo recap, and the FOX61 News Report.

I was most interested in the actual sliding capabilities of the art sleds, so I staked out a position at the bottom of the hill to see how they performed. Keep in mind, there was a lot more to the event than what you’re about to see. Here is what happens when 15 individuals and teams put together art sleds and pointed them down a short, but steep, hill.

Paul and a team of judges gave out awards to the participants, but I didn’t have an opportunity to stick around to see the official winners. I’m sure those interested in that information can find it from one of the other recaps.

Instead, I would like to give out some awards of my own…

Most Spectacular Crash
I came into the event expecting a high percentage of the sleds to crash since the artistic design seemed likely to be emphasized over engineering. It turned out that there were very few catastrophic sled failures, which was a good thing since sledding can actually be dangerous. Anyway, there was one crash that stood out from the rest. Please join me in congratulating Cupcake for achieving the Most Spectacular Crash.

Most Successful Run
I was most impressed with the sliding capabilities of the entry titled “Lazy Tony.” This sled was a recliner like you would see in a living room mounted to dual snowboards. It was well built, with the extra weight and wide base allowing it to slide quickly and smoothly down the hill. Congratulations to Tony (and any team members) for their accomplishment.

Most Surprising Success
Of all the sleds, the Phantom Outhouse wins the award for the Most Surprising Success. It was a cardboard outhouse attached to an intertube – it appeared to have very little vertical supports and be top heavy. Yet it made it all the way down the hill without tipping over. Nice work team Phantom Outhouse.

Congratulations to all the participants, and to Paul. It was a fun event, and one that will hopefully become a winter staple in Hartford’s Elizabeth Park.

Quick Tour: Hartford’s West End

Transcript
Welcome to the quick tour of Hartford’s West End neighborhood, I’m Kyle Bergquist of Greater Hartford Real Estate TV.

Not surprisingly, the West End is on the western edge of the City. It’s made up of all the land north of Capital Avenue and West of the Park River’s north fork.

The neighborhood is mostly residential, with single-family and multi-family homes built in the very late 1800s and early 1900s. Apartments are available throughout the community in the numerous two and three-families, and in apartment buildings along the main roads.

Homes in the West End are some of the largest, and most architecturally detailed, in the City. One of the consistent themes is front porches, where you can find residents relaxing and socializing on summer evenings.

Many of life’s necessities are available at the retail shops along Farmington Avenue. There is also an impressively diverse collection of restaurants – some of the best in the City.

The Downtown business district is a short 2 miles away. Highway access is convenient, and bus lines provide an alternative to driving.

The community is home to residents of all professions and highly regarded institutions like the UConn Law School, Hartford Seminary, University of Hartford, and Connecticut Historical Society.

Finally, the West End has one of country’s premier public spaces in Elizabeth Park and its internationally renowned Rose Garden. The park also has annual gardens, sports courts, summer concerts, and many wonderful spaces to just relax and enjoy the moment.

For more information please feel free to reach out to us by phone or online. I’m Kyle Bergquist, and that’s the quick tour of Hartford’s West End.

Related Posts
Discover Hartford’s West End
Playground Review: Elizabeth Park, Hartford
Elizabeth Park Concert Season
Sledding in Elizabeth Park
CHS Preserves Drawings of Historic Homes
Missing the Bus
Marathon Parties
Elizabeth Park Greenhouse

Strawberry Picking in Greater Hartford

Transcript

Strawberry season has arrived, and we traveled to South Glastonbury to pick our first flat of the year.

Bright sun and warm temperatures welcomed pickers to Carini’s Berry Farm on this June morning. Despite a heavy rainstorm the previous evening, with reports of hail, the fields were ready for harvesting. Large, sweet, berries filled the plants and eventually our flat. Carini’s is hoping for another two weeks of picking, and is keeping their fingers crossed that the weather cooperates.

South Glastonbury has a number of farms with strawberries, many of which also allow pick-your-own.

For more information, please visit us on the internet or look us up on Facebook. I’m Kyle Bergquist for Greater Hartford Real Estate TV.

Links
Carini’s Berry Farm
Rose’s Berry Farm

Related Posts
Pick Your Own Berries
Greater Hartford Farm Scene, Part 1

Hello World: Video on the Blog

This is our first foray into video posts here on the Greater Hartford Real Estate Blog. It’s something we’ve been considering for quite a while, but just haven’t pulled the trigger. Now is the time, and this is the first test video. We’re going to focus on tips or other thoughts, and keep them short (like a minute or two). Check it out – we would love to get feedback!