Hartford, you have not been easy to love this year. Not one bit. In February, 65% of Hartford residents have had one vaccination shot. Most Hartford census tracts show that only about 35-50% of residents are fully vaccinated. Cross the border, and you’ll find that 93% of West Hartford residents have had at least one shot, and the full vaccination rate is much higher there. As I write this, I see that 387 Hartford residents have died from Covid – many of those deaths happening after the vaccination has been available. There is failure at every level from the personal to the political, to the institutions that have essentially suggested the virus can be prayed away, to those who continue to promote false information, to those who balk at masks and other protection measures, despite the deadly consequences for the vulnerable in our community.
Hartford, you are making it real hard to love you right now. And I know, this same struggle can be found throughout Connecticut, throughout New England, throughout the United States. But I’m talking about you because that’s where we are, and you are hard to love when being so damn difficult.
Try though I might, I could not come up with 50 reasons this year.
- All of the extra efforts put into getting Hartford residents vaccinated against Covid-19, despite the many (preventable and solvable) obstacles from transportation to fighting a seemingly uphill battle when it comes to disinformation and rumors. (For those worried that the vaccine will interfere with their fertility…umm, dude, you know what definitely kills your swimmies? Being dead.)
- The consistency in Covid protocols from Hartford’s theaters: Bushnell, Hartford Stage, TheaterWorks, and Sea Tea Comedy all require proof of vaccination and masks worn inside. They are like a model for how other industries should be behaving: sensibly and consistently. Instead of setting up a situation where someone can say “I don’t like this policy so I’m going to another pizza shop,” this solidarity means that if someone wants live theater, in-person, they need to follow guidelines that support life. Boom. Now, everybody else try this!
- Seeing people defy the scarcity mentality by sharing resources. Tangiers placed a box of N95 masks by the register, free for the taking. I think those were supplied by the West End Civic Association. Tangiers also keeps masks and hand sanitizer on a table outside its entrance.
- The playground that still has old school metal monkey bars (and no I won’t name the location!)
- The Wallace Stevens Walk. It makes poetry public and accessible.
- Cute architecture, like the skinny house on Broad Street
- Rain barrels and compost bins becoming the norm in more community gardens
- Karaoke in Keney Park
- The Wolcott Family Park playground that has repurposed old tires. . . kind of like we used to do back in the day before creative reuse fell out of vogue
- Meaningful traditions, like petting alpacas every year at the Harvest Market
- Little Peru.
- J Restaurant donated 43 pizzas to Connecticut Children’s healthcare workers who were on shift during the bomb cyclone in January 2022.
- When faith-based organizations and houses of worship provide food for the community, without strings attached (i.e. They do not require people in need to go inside the building or listen to a sermon in order to receive goods or services)
- WECA luminaries on solstice along sidewalks and on front stoops
- Having a monument to an abolitionist
- Having the kind of murals that you are not likely to see in surrounding towns, including the tallest one in Connecticut
- Baltyk, where you can buy cheese babka, cherry babka, all the babka, Ruskie Pierogi, jams, magazines, and more
- Min Min Myanmar Market, where you can find nori-flavored potato chips.
- The GIFs in the Hartford Public Library’s newsletter
- The Connecticut Forum’s talk on creativity. (Here’s one video clip from that night)
There’s a comment section below for a reason. What would you add to this list?