So, last week, I think I mentioned that I wrote (via an e-mail) an angry letter to this local, supposably liberal, newspaper called The Hartford Advocate The operative word being advocate. I read the HA every week. They feature interesting articles, they have alternative ads in the back for threesomes and such, the ask isadora column is hilarious, and they relay all the haps... concerts, restaurants, entertainment, et. al. in the city. It's a popular newspaper, I enjoy it, it's witty and to the point... but I don't enjoy reading how they chomp-at-the-bit to print everything that's wrong with the city. While it's no NYC or Boston, Hartford is a little city on the rise, and the effort is obvious upon visiting. There are a lot of neat cultural attractions here. The arts thrive in Hartford. My city is home to Real Artways, the Wadsworth Atheneum , The Old State House , The Hartford Stage, The Bushnell and many more historical sites. I live right in the midst of all of this. There are bars. There're a French-American brasserie and a wine & panini bar right around the corner in addition to a tapas bar. There is a lot to do downtown and beyond. It seems as if people want efforts to expound on the city's offerings, to fail miserably so that they can turn their noses up at Hartford residents. Yes, there has been a disturbing rash of shootings in and around the northend, but then again, that's just the reality of any innercity... when you have disenfranchised youth contending with poverty and naysayers who think the worst of them anyway. Even the northend has some great, neighborhood sites. The Upper Albany Avenue area features an interactive, multi-arts facility called The Artists Collective where students learn various forms of dance and music, with an emphasis on the African diaspora. Needless to say, it's not that bad. I live right downtown, I grew up in Hartford (born and raised), my family lives in a Hartford suburb called Bloomfield, and not every Hartford resident is downtrodden and uncultured. These are preconceived notions from the same people who come here, party hearty, trash the streets (so that hardworking Htfd residents have to pick up the tab for that shit), buy drugs here, and solicit prostitutes. Lovely. Anyway, here's my letter... in all its edited glory, chastising this paper for not being an advocate, afterall. enjoy...