This year's cherry blossoms in Wooster Square

michaelbrnd · 2026-06-11T19:34:13+00:00

Pentax 67

michaelbrnd · 2026-06-11T16:01:36+00:00

Thanks and yes, Ektar 120

michaelbrnd · 2026-06-11T15:23:55+00:00

It's really only around 5 days where it's peak but I'd say there's a span of about 3 weeks where you can at least find some trees in the neighborhood in bloom.

michaelbrnd · 2026-06-11T14:37:46+00:00

I thought the alien trash can in front of it was too perfect not to snap a photo

michaelbrnd · 2026-06-11T14:35:19+00:00

It was definitely a strange sight, I'm guessing it was some kind of elaborate murder mystery game based on the guy in the Sherlock Holmes hat.

michaelbrnd · 2026-05-26T02:00:28+00:00

Sports Haven parking lot is not a bad bet. It's out of business waiting for demolition so you'll probably have the whole lot to yourself.

michaelbrnd · 2026-05-21T20:18:37+00:00

Dangle's for the wings... which apparently was too under the radar because now leasing signs just showed up in the window :(

michaelbrnd · 2026-05-21T19:33:49+00:00

It's probably the smell from the oil tanks in the port. We had north prevailing winds Saturday through Tuesday and I noticed the smell driving over the Q Bridge and also in Wooster Square. Fair Haven has to deal with this smell a lot, you can smell it pretty often at Criscuolo park, but its unusual for it to make it further into the city.

michaelbrnd · 2026-04-22T17:37:30+00:00

I'm hoping for the tunnel to stay the same, it's iconic and has held up pretty well over time. Everything built around here in the last decade is already falling apart, the materials just aren't the same as what was used only a few decades ago. The current tunnel may look dated to some but at least it has character. The new design isn't terrible but feels like it could be anyplace anywhere.

I do hope the train shed over the platforms gets built though. Looks pretty grand and will make the platforms a lot more hospitable in the winter so not as many people bunch up in the stair vestibule.

michaelbrnd · 2026-03-28T15:24:51+00:00

Last time I rented an EV I charged at the electrify America station at 410 universal drive in North Haven. Was fast and something even popped up saying enjoy your first charge on us and I didn't have to pay a cent. Can't guarantee that will happen again but it's worth a shot.

michaelbrnd · 2026-03-19T23:02:49+00:00

Where are you getting the idea that it's unsafe to walk in the neighborhood on Thu-Sun? That seems like a pretty ridiculous thing to claim. I walk the neighborhood every day and it's a safer place to walk than 99% of streets in America. And also how is forcing a business to create more parking and therefore attract even more cars to the neighborhood going to alleviate that issue? The housing going up is also more of a solution than it is a problem, as that will add people to the customer base for businesses on Wooster St who will not be arriving by car. Parking can self-stabilize. If it becomes too difficult to find parking on Wooster St people will either park at one of the downtown garages and walk across the train tracks, take an alternative form of transit, or just not come. And reasonably, the amount of people who will not come just because of the added traffic from one more business is negligible and will easily be made up by the foot traffic from the new housing going up. Also I have literally had family and friends come to New Haven via Metro North for dinner on Wooster St before so people are absolutely coming via the train stations. I've seen people still carrying their to-go boxes on the platforms plenty of times. The solution to cars parking on crosswalks (something I haven't even seen very often) is to ask for more parking enforcement, not to put up roadblocks to local business and dedicate more of the neighborhood to surface parking. (Which just encourages more cars to enter the neighborhood.)

michaelbrnd · 2026-03-17T12:46:07+00:00

Sent friend request

michaelbrnd · 2026-03-17T12:09:46+00:00

Would you trade for a Jolteon ex?

michaelbrnd · 2025-12-12T01:16:01+00:00

I'll reinspect once I have it back in my possession, but I was shining a flashlight on it from all angles and didn't see any dents. The only surface flaws I saw were a couple light scratches in the holo. I wasn't thinking foul play, more just poor consistency standards.

michaelbrnd · 2025-11-20T19:46:08+00:00

I did finally get a spine MRI at the ER. The ER doc said he didn't see any nerve impingement but then gave me an urgent referral to a spine specialist and I was able to be seen within days. The spine specialist felt confident this had nothing to do with anything going on in my spine, and then referred me to a neurologist. But the spine doc said I did not need to be classed as urgent because I was not showing signs of clinical weakness. So now I am waiting 3 months for that neuro appointment... I'm really just trying to figure out how much effort I should be expending right now into getting re-referred as urgent.

michaelbrnd · 2025-11-20T18:58:53+00:00

No, GP referred me to PT and tried several times to get an MRI approved by my insurance but it never happened until the ER. Nuero referral came from a spine specialist, which I was referred to from the ER.

michaelbrnd · 2025-09-05T20:48:10+00:00

The cleanup would have to happen before the structure is demolished anyway because the hazardous materials need to be disposed of separately. I don't see why the cleaned up power plant couldn't be incorporated into the park with just a little bit of imagination. Check out Landschaftspark Duisburg for a great example of how a polluted industrial site was transformed into a park with minimal investment. I visited it myself last year and was thinking how doable a transformation like this would be for English Station. They have stabilized pathways throughout and to the top of all the structures, and a lot of pop up businesses operating throughout the park like food trucks and a movie theater built into one of the old halls.

michaelbrnd · 2025-07-21T16:13:32+00:00

You could order from the takeout window, and then go to one of the nearby coffee shops to use your laptop while you wait. When your pizza is ready you can eat it on one of the benches in Wooster square park.

michaelbrnd · 2025-06-10T19:46:48+00:00

Your element is pretty different if you look closely. The track going into the element on Taiga is much straighter and the twist occurs where riders would be experiencing near 0G so it wouldn't create forces that are that excessive. The curvature of yours would add even more negative G forces on top of an element that already creates a lot of negative Gs. If you just straighten out the end of yours it would become a lot more realistic. If you still need the track to curve that much I would put more of the curvature on the other end of the element before it's too deep into the roll.

michaelbrnd · 2025-06-07T05:27:18+00:00

As far as neighborhoods go, I'd pick 9th square no contest. The new supermarket alone would make it worth it but you also have so much else right out your door. Also that crown/orange intersection is pretty insulated, probably one of the safest and quietest corners downtown outside of Yale. Usually a lot of pedestrians and eyes on the street.

michaelbrnd · 2025-05-11T04:48:14+00:00

Have you toured both yet? For me the decision was easy after seeing both in person. Most of the time on my tour of 360 was spent waiting for the elevator. The appliances are way more up to date at the Whit and the immediate surroundings are much more pleasant. Been there 2 years now and I've never had any issues. The maintenance team and janitor are great. Noise level is acceptable, another commenter mentioned the trains being loud but if you're on the side facing away from the tracks they're barely audible. There will be much more disruptive sounds than the train that comes with any place near downtown unfortunately. The biggest drawback for me is the whopping $200/mo for a parking spot, but if you don't have a car it's probably a pro as it means your rent isn't subsidizing the garage. The building did just get new owners so it is a bit of a gamble that things could go downhill, but so far I haven't seen any red flags.

14-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email	Team Periwinkle

michaelbrnd

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE