Connecticut
Generic buildings reach into the sky in downtown Hartford, hovering over the stylish restaurants that feed and water suits after long commutes. The people of Hartford lament local coffee shops closing down, but bypass these local merchants, preferring to stop in Starbucks on their way out of the city for work. It’s been said before and holds true, much of Connecticut is square miles of accommodations and parking for New York City. Still I’m looking for inspiration but instead find a $10 parking lot across from a sushi restaurant that has WiFi. Chip sits down at the bar with three others, empty chairs acting as spacers. The question is posed by a woman that works in the restaurant industry if he’s from Hartford or here on vacation. The bartender pipes up, “No one vacations here.” In Hartford on business, Chip works for a consultancy that was asked by another consultancy to help The Travelers Companies, an American insurance company, deliver software. According to Chip, “I’m a third party to the third party.” Monday through Thursday, Travelers flies him from Richmond, Virginia, to Hartford. It’s about three hours of flight time. Since he doesn’t fly back and forth everyday, Chip isn’t an “extreme commuter,” the 2.41% of U.S. citizens that travel more than 90 minutes each way to work, according to the Census Bureau. It may be hard to believe,...
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