my first and very brief blog....

For years now, I have felt I have something worthy to say, and yet struggled with thoughts in the other direction as well. Honoring the former tonight, as well as some strict time management, I'll just launch this with two brief paragraphs, on my latest trip, while blogs over time may concern "travels" here in Philadelphia and in the life of the mind.....

All I'll say for now is - Hartford, CT!! This small big city (and ditto for its metro area), has national and even some world class history out-of-proportion to its population, as I had the pleasure of seeing - in just scratching the surface for four days there from Feb. 9 - 13. For many history lovers, I'd assume that would include the house built for Mark Twain and his wife in 1874 and abandoned by them, at least as a residence, in 1891, but taking in a small but historically rich additional area (specifically, the two suburbs of Wethersfield and West Hartford), you can include close connections with Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Gallaudet family and its pioneering efforts - leading a  Hartford area friend of mine to only semi-jokingly call Hartford "the world deaf capital" - Samuel Colt (hugely important if politically incorrect as I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels compelled to raise concern about our nation's love affair with guns), Noah Webster, and so on.

Hartford clearly has older Northern city woes, but I encourage all history and built environment lovers to get up there for its stunning buildings, including the Connecticut state capitol, and its wonderful historical characters and mementoes of their past in the city, including "Chick" Austin (check out this pathbreaking museum director, magician, etc.!) and the poet Wallace Stevens, whose "Wally Walk"is commemorated at least in a limited fashion on the internet, and which I hope to take in full one of these days since it was a birthplace for much of his writing.

More to come on this blog, though I cannot guarantee exactly when, and with thanks for those who stumble across it!