It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Today marks the second week of Hartford's Festival of Light at their new Bushnell Park location. I'm not going to get into how underwhelmed you may have been for a free light show a couple weeks ago because someone once told me that opinions are a lot like...let's just say sphincters. Frankly, I don't get the big deal about strings of lights this year. Sure they're pretty, but they're still going on in Constitution Plaza and there's youtube videos all over the internet with fantastic displays. And I know the people bitching the loudest are the same ones that bitch about "nothing new" happening in Hartford. Well this is new. Don't be that guy. Don't be crotchety. Don't complain about stuff that you haven't even experienced yet just because it's not what you were expecting. Imagine if you were that way in the bedroom; you'd never get laid. Well, you would, but probably only by the Amish.

Anyway...Amish sex aside, I really need Hartford people to get to the park. It's all well and good when we get visitors to Hartford, but I want these free skates and beautiful displays to benefit the residents in high numbers. Working for the city for years, I've had people give me some ridiculous complaints (usually regarding parking in the wrong and getting ticketed) followed by the line that grinds my effing gears, "This would never happen in my town!" Yeah, it probably wouldn't. But I'm also not allowed to bring my nephews and nieces to swim in your pool for free in your town since I'm not a resident. You have no theaters, no residents in low-income housing to care for and generally nothing else to do in your town and you like it that way. I don't mean that to sound like a jab, but if you wanted to live in a city and deal with parking, crowds and establishments that stay open late, you would. And while people come into Hartford and complain about all that is wrong when they visit, the tax paying residents in dire straits don't even get to benefit from all Hartford has to offer. A single mother of 3 working 2 jobs can't afford to take her children to the CT Science Center in her own backyard. Some of my friends didn't even know about the Taste of Hartford until it was posted about in my blog.

I'm taking phase 2 of FOL as the City's way of saying "thank you" to us city-dwellers. Thank you for dealing with the traffic while people speed through your neighborhoods to make it to a UCONN game. Thank you for dealing with delays in bus service so people can publicly drink and barf in your streets for massive parades that very few of you will actually attend. Thank you for paying insanely high taxes to fix roads that many residents throughout the state will use. Your reward: a free ice skating rink in the park through January 6th. An additional thank you: free rental of ice skates!

Do not let this opportunity pass you buy! I want to see residents there! I want to hear how much fun we had skating around. From Barry Square to Blue Hills, the West End to Clay Hill, we are all Hartford, and we all need to take advantage of what our city has and not leave it all to visitors. This is our home. Let's live in it.

For more details, Real Hartford has provided the details from the Press Release from the City of Hartford's Communication Department.

Black Owned Business Week: Jessica Designs Jewelry

Tis the season to be bombarded with annoying ads for jewelry, like the Zales one where that woman is ice skating with her grandpa sugar daddy and he pulls out some bling to make up for his brittle bones? Well that's all well and good, and I know Kay Jewelers and Jane Seymour need money too. But this year, how about we leave the mass produced apology jewelry to those who save shopping for their spouses til Christmas Eve, shall we?

This year, why not buy something unique and beautiful from a designer right here in Hartford? Jessica Designs' pieces are as elegant and tasteful, with styles that fit everyone's taste and personal flair. The pieces range from something simple for everyday in the office, or a classy holiday party (hint hint). Just look through her website and you'll see what amazing talent she has. You ever go to the beach with some girls who stop every 5 seconds to collect rocks and shells and they're like, "I'm going to make a necklace!" even though you know you'll never see this necklace, but you nod and smile anyway cuz you want to get in her pants? (what? just me?) I'm pretty sure Jessica is the person who actually makes the necklace and makes it look mag-effing-nificent.

Nothing on the site hitting the nail on the head? That's cool, just call her up and talk to her about making something custom for you. She's good like that. You can also arrange for an in home show, so that way you can help her generate some business with your friends AND earn money towards some jewelry of your own! It's kind of like those other jewelry parties your friends have, but less pyramid-like and you can be all progressive and brag about how you support local artists.

Behind the intricate designs, Jess is a gem herself. She comes in the room wearing a smile and some of her beautiful creations, telling you all about what she's been up to in her soft spoken way. This is good, because I don't like giving my money to mean people. Unless they work at McDonalds cuz I needs me my Big Macs.

Being that it is the season of giving, or if you're not into that then consider this your lucky December, all jewelry will be 10% off with free shipping until December 24th! So even if you don't celebrate Christmahannukwanzicas but you want to get down on some badass jewelry, I'd suggest making your first purchase not now, but right now!

Jessica Designs
(860) 478-1261
jessica@jessicadesignsjewelry.com
http://www.jessicadesignsjewlry.com

Black Owned Business Week: Hot Pots

Listen, because I am going to drop some serious knowledge on you right now. Hot Pots on Main Street is what's really good in the hood.

A couple months ago, a man came by my office to hand me a menu for Hot Pots' new truck that would be stationed in the Old State House Square. A coworker told me that she was excited to try the truck's food, because the restaurant's was "off the chain." Though I don't eat much in one sitting, I consider myself a bit of a foodie. I know what I like and I'll drive to the ends of the Earth to get it. So when I was told there was a soul food restaurant that I hadn't tried, I was a bit offended that not only had I not heard of it, but they had been around long enough to expand to a truck. My coworker goes on to say that the restaurant has mac and cheese, collard greens, potato salad and other delicious sides "just like your mom would make." Shows how much you know, lady, because my mother only cooks like that once a year, therefore I have a serious soul food deficiency at all other times.

First I walked to the truck and got some fried fish that really did taste like someone in my family would've made it. I could just see my grandmother rolling some whiting in corn meal and emptying her well seasoned grease into a pan from the can on the back of the stove. As I devoured the perfectly flaky fish, I decided that a trip to the actual restaurant was in order.

Before going, I asked a couple people if they knew where it was. They looked me up and down and said, "I don't know if you'd like it on that side of town" with a tone that suggested the restaurant was on the corner of Rape and Stabby. I've lived in Hartford most of my life, so I know that though unfortunate incidents do happen in my fair city, I'm not going to let fear keep me from trying out new things on certain sides of town. (especially at lunch time on a Tuesday. C'mon!) A quick Google search showed me that the restaurant was at the intersection of Main and Nelson, a stone's throw away from the church I grew up in and my old hair dresser. If I had any fears, they were now gone.

The place is small with just one table, so much like a Chinese restaurant, staying isn't really encouraged. (Except I hear that outside of Hartford, Chinese restaurants have multiple tables? That's insane to me. Chinese is to be eaten in front of the TV or maybe, maybe around the table with your friends directly out of the box like people do on TV.) The menu is short, which I like because choices just make my brain hurt. I ordered the bbq chicken meal with collard greens and candied yams, along with a side of mac & cheese because I couldn't drive all the way there and NOT try the mac. The staff was pleasant and got right to work on my meal while I had a conversation with a man who warned me that I would want to finish my entire plate, but I wouldn't be able to. I laughed and told him about my awesome power of self-control and he kinda laughed back at me as if to say, "yeah right."

When my order came up, I was handed what felt like 5lbs of food. The whole way back to my office, the smells taunted me. I never got to a long enough light to reach in the bag and nosh on a chicken leg. Back at my office, I opened the container to a massive amount of oh.my.gosh...pardon my French but fucking delicious food. yeah...F Bomb up in this piece. That's how good. I don't know if you're familiar with the phrase "smack your mama good," but let's just say my mother is lucky she works in Wethersfield. (or maybe I'm lucky, because I'm pretty sure slapping my mother is grounds for a coma) That guy warned me that I'd want to finish my plate, and he didn't lie. I think I ate until food was ready to come out of my ears.

For $11 ($8 for the chicken along with 2 sides of your choice, $3 for the extra side I got) I was able to eat lunch, and split the leftovers with my girlfriend for dinner the next day. I'm sure other people don't eat as little as I, but even those with big appetites would surely get their money's worth from here.

Hot Pots
2374 Main Street
Hartford, CT
(860) 241-0200)
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11a-7:30p (I saw a sign that also mentioned that they are opened Sundays until 4:30p. If I went to church, that would be a perfect after church meal! Since I do not, heathen game day dinner? I think so.)