The tendency is to want every depiction to be beautiful, for our dirty laundry to never be noticed on the line. But how does one put something out there and expect invisibility?

Parkville might be faring better than some surrounding neighborhoods when it comes to warding off or dealing with things like graffiti and blight, but it is not immune either.

That’s how a boarded up house on an otherwise maintained street can stand out. How is it possible for this to stand when many of the homeowners on the block post signs demanding that people pick up after their dogs?

Other parts of the neighborhood are less cohesive, with there being a “wrong side of the tracks” feel, by virtue of there being tracks and now a busway, in front yards.

In other places, roads essentially dead end with a large church or a health center. The latter has this description on its website: “Park Place Health Center is Hartford’s premier healthcare center located on the west side of Hartford, just a short walk from local trolley and bus routes. ” A trolley?! Either someone has been terribly misinformed or is a proponent of wishful thinking.

Along Park Street in Parkville — as is the case for the parts in South Green and Frog Hollow — many cultures are represented. It’s not a, exclusively “Portuguese neighborhood” any more than Frog Hollow is an exclusively “Puerto Rican neighborhood.” One need not look too hard to see the presence of others. Look at the restaurants, the flags, the signs affixed to houses. Listen to the many languages spoken on the street. Neighborhoods change. That is something to embrace.