A while back, I started on some new projects. I've been traveling, moving, shaking and generally neglecting TBPDIH, but a lot of people have been asking when I'd come back. I've missed the blog, especially the part where I get to tell people what I think about things and they have to sit there and like it. And if they don't, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
My true favorite part of this blog is that a lot of times, people will just start to tell me what they think about Hartford. The good news is that it's mostly positive. I'm not blind: I see that my beloved City has some issues. But complaining about them in a bar to strangers doesn't really do much, so it's rare to catch me Hartford bashing. I'd rather hear what you as an individual want to do to help our fair city thrive. It doesn't even have to be anything big, but creating a street-wide phone tree to inform your neighbors when there's a parking ban is a great idea that someone told me, which also introduced her to a lot of her neighbors. My Uncle Horace works cleaning the streets of Downtown during the day, but even after he's punched the clock, he's been known to clean up around his own neighborhood on the North End. There's a ton of things we can do to make this city more to our liking that start at home.
The downside of taking my break is that I feel like my silence perpetuated the myth that nothing is going on here. This city is alive and thriving, people. Yet every now and then someone will mention to me how if you want to do anything, you have to go to New York because this city is so boring. Granted, we're not an action a minute city, but we're not all that bad. We just have to work a little harder to find it. Sometimes people will pepper me with suggestions on how to make this place more like New York, but seriously, they can save it. Hartford, or all of CT for that matter, will never be like New York. It's called the city that never sleeps because it's filled to the brim with insomniacs. The population of our state doesn't even come close to that of NYC. So let's stop comparing ourselves to them, or worse, trying to pretend to be them and support our own stuff. Go to Real Art Ways for a date night, take a walk in a park, check out a show, add The CT Science Center, Wadsworth Atheneum, Mark Twain House and all the other oodles of hotels to your friend's list on Facebook. They've always got great free and discounted days.
Another thing that you NEED to do as a Hartford resident in want of a social life is say yes. When a coworker asks you out for drinks after work, say yes. When you get an invite to an event that you never would normally go to, say yes. I find this to be a good motto for my life anyway, especially when I'm in a rut. It's a great way to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. Go out with a clear head ready to have some fun. Don't compare it to how much better it would be somewhere else, just enjoy it now because it's right in your backyard. Afterwards, stick around and talk to the coordinators. These are the creators who are making sure more shit that you enjoy keeps happening. Let them know you're hungry for a good time.
I understand that we all have a lot of things going on in our private lives, but the best way to make new things happen is to support what's already out there. What ARE you looking for in a night out? It may not happen often, but it's probably out there in Hartford if you look for it. Hell, there's a swing club in Hartford if you want to do that. (I don't know where it is though, and frankly, I probably don't want to know. With my luck, I'd run into my high school principal getting whipped by a dominatrix while a clown tickles his nipples with a feather. More power to him, but I don't wanna see that.) If you can't find what you're looking for, try something different else and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's sad the amount of awesome events that I go to with so many empty chairs.
We're not New York. We never will be. We're Hartford and we're awesome.
