Recently in Hartford Category

Every American student knows the work of Noah Webster well. The lexicographer, author, and word enthusiast first published An American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828, a classic that would live on under the Merriam-Webster banner for generations to come. Scholarly types and the merely curious can make their way to the Noah Webster House in West Hartford, Connecticut to see where the "Father of American Scholarship and Education" was born and spent his formative years before changing the face of American academia forever. The house was built in 1748 as part of a farm, and the young wordsmith grew up here in the 1760's, spending his days studying for his entry into Yale at the precocious age of 16. Today it's been restored to look much as it did in the 18th century, with various rooms of the historical house open to explore, as well as a library, archives, shop, and a modern exhibition gallery. A few special events provide meaning and context to the experience. Kids First Saturdays, for example, offers fun, interactive educational programming for children, while Tavern Night combines delicious home-cooked foods and traditional beverages with Colonial-era tavern games and rowdy entertainment. Now that's my kind of history lesson. Starwood has four hotels in and around Hartford, including the Sheraton Hartford Hotel.

[image via The Noah Webster House]

The trees are smiling in Hartford's Pope Park, and it's not because of all the rain the Northeast has been getting this summer. The Texas-born artist Matthew Rodriguez creates whimsical characters, and for a new public art project running in the city's Parkville and Frog Hollow neighborhoods through the fall, he painted silly faces on 77 of the park's tree trunks.

As part of the project, Real Art Ways commissioned four artists to create public works inspired by the neighborhoods' vibrant environs. Lisbon-born photographer Margarida Correia tributes the city's Portuguese community with her image of Portugal's renowned beach Praia da Nazare pasted across a Parkville billboard. Stroll down park street and you'll see album covers of famous fado singers strung from the lamp posts, while the music streams from the stereos of nearby shops. In adjacent Frog Hollow, Puerto Rican painter Sofia Maldonado festooned the facade of the Pelican Tattoo building with a colorful mural that blends elements of feminine style with aspects of street culture. And just up the way from Rodriguez' tree party, a labyrinth, constructed of clotheslines by British artist Satch Hoyt, recalls the migration of the neighborhood residents, whose voyages have brought them from all over the world.

On the other side of the Connecticut River, The Sheraton Hartford Hotel is the perfect place to rest your head during a visit to the artful city of Hartford. Isn't it fun when a city transforms its public spaces into open-air art galleries? When I worked in Times Square, I'd often stroll across Max Neuhaus' sound installation during my lunch break. Is there a public artwork that you love? Tell us about it.