Connecticut's largest city

[202_Cyclist]

I had a bit of time before my Amtrak train yesterday, so I took some photos of downtown Bridgeport. It was a holiday, so there weren't many people downtown. Bridgeport, being an older industrial New England city, has its challenges but it being on I-95 and being a little more than an hour from New York on both Metro North and Amtrak, it also has some opportunities.

First, here are a couple of photos from the past year of the Black Rock neighborhood, which someone described as the new Burlington, Vermont.





This is Ash Creek, which is on the border of Bridgeport and Fairfield.










I had a Lipitor for dessert after this meal!


Now, here are some photos of downtown Bridgeport.

This was formerly the P.T. Barnum museum.












This brewery has excellent German and Czech beers.






The Post Office is a neat Art Deco building.




Here is some much-needed housing that is under construction downtown.
























If you're bored with Bridgeport, you can also take Metro North a couple of stops to New Haven, which made the New York Times' list of 52 places to visit in 2023.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...avel-2023.html

[OhioGuy]

Interesting to see, thanks!

[DetroitSky]

Nice old building stock!

[202_Cyclist]

The next time we have a nice day, I will have to add some photos of Seaside Village, a community of small houses built during World War I for workers. The houses are in the National Register of Historic Places.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seas...toric_District

[Murphy de la Sucre]

You're testing us, Hartford, that's what pops up in my head before click.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

fellas might disagree but Bridgeport skyline is one of the ugliest among all majors in every state.

[xzmattzx]

My first guess was Hartford, but then I remembered that it was a trick question.

I have driven through Bridgeport on my way to Cape Cod several times, although I normally avoid it because I take the Merritt Parkway around all this stuff until it reaches Milford (but the Merritt Parkway sees enough traffic of its own to be a headache most times).

Bridgeport is a nice city, with some good bones, and some time I need to explore it. I have been exploring New Haven lately.

Bridgeport's former minor league baseball stadium, which is now a concert venue, had one of the most unique backdrops around. Beyond the outfield was the harbor, and then a big power plant. You would think a power plant would be ugly, but it actually provided a nice backdrop during evening games.

[pallo]

Curious to know how much would it cost to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in this city? Being only 1 hour away from New York City I assume it would make for a very cheap place to live

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by pallo

Curious to know how much would it cost to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in this city? Being only 1 hour away from New York City I assume it would make for a very cheap place to live

You can get a decent one bedroom apartment in the Black Rock neighborhood for about $1,500 - $1,800 per month. This is great deal for a location that is a walkable neighborhood with restaurants, that is on the water, and a 10 - 20 minute walk from the Metro North station. There are a lot of artists and musicians and other creative people who live in the neighborhood who likely couldn't afford housing elsewhere in the New York-metro area.

https://newyork.craigslist.org/searc...1~gallery~0~15

[ColDayMan]

Thank you for this tour!

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

My first guess was Hartford, but then I remembered that it was a trick question.

I have driven through Bridgeport on my way to Cape Cod several times, although I normally avoid it because I take the Merritt Parkway around all this stuff until it reaches Milford (but the Merritt Parkway sees enough traffic of its own to be a headache most times).

Bridgeport is a nice city, with some good bones, and some time I need to explore it. I have been exploring New Haven lately.

Bridgeport's former minor league baseball stadium, which is now a concert venue, had one of the most unique backdrops around. Beyond the outfield was the harbor, and then a big power plant. You would think a power plant would be ugly, but it actually provided a nice backdrop during evening games.

The Merritt has some awful drivers! I guess that is expected in the tri-state area. If you have time, there is a Barcelona restaurant off of exit 42 (Fairfield/Reading) on the Merritt. As the name suggests, it has excellent Spanish food.

I think anywhere else the power plant would be an eyesore but Bridgeport and the harbor are so industrialized that it just adds to the character of the city. Right next to that, there is the ferry to Port Jefferson, Long Island. It takes about 45 minutes. We took it two years ago in June when it was about 95 degrees to escape the heat. Our daughter was about two months old at the time, so it was her first boat trip.

I haven't been to any of them but there are some good concerts now at the stadium where the minor league team played. Additionally, the Sound on the Sound music festival was at Seaside Park last September. Despite it being very expensive and the logistics were lacking, the music was great.

[202_Cyclist]

Here are a couple of more photos of Bridgeport's Black Rock neighborhood that I took this evening. These three below are from the commercial section on Fairfield Ave. Fairfield Ave runs most of the length of the city.

If you ever find yourself in Bridgeport, make sure you go to Tasty Yolk for breakfast or lunch. As the name suggests, it is indeed quite tasty.





There are a few Latin small businesses, including a couple of markets and bakeries that smell absolutely delicious along the Fairfield Ave. corridor.




This house is from the 1700s.




Bridgeport is about 55 miles from Manhattan but it starts to feel a little more like New England.




The heart of the Black Rock neighborhood his probably the Harborview Market, which attracts people from outside the immediate area. The market serves delicious breakfasts and pastries and many neighbors go for conversation and to catch up.

[Hudson11]

do they still plan to demolish that big ol' smokestack? It's pretty iconic... despite being, you know, ugly.

I remember they demolished an old smokestack on the west side of the Hudson River in the 2000s. It was a good landmark but I guess these things must become blighty and structurally dangerous if not kept up.

• Video Link

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by Hudson11

do they still plan to demolish that big ol' smokestack? It's pretty iconic... despite being, you know, ugly.

I admit, I am not familiar with the plans but I agree. Anywhere else and it would be an eyesore but Bridgeport's harbor is so industrialized that it kind of fits right in.

Here is an article about it.
https://www.ctpost.com/local/article...l-14074358.php

[geomorph]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

This was formerly the P.T. Barnum museum.

Did this museum move somewhere else or just close for good?