Welcome to Hartford! Nevermind the haters, downtown is safe, with plenty to do. No grocery store within walking distance though.

I might also recommend the West End - plenty of walkable accommodations plus easy access to downtown via bus or a 5 minute drive.

I'm also from a large (massive) city in Texas; in comparison, Hartford (and the rest of CT) feel tiny and slow. You can get to Boston, NYC, the mountains and/or the shoreline in the time it takes to drive across Houston (a bit longer to the big cities). Lots of Texpats here.