Albany Avenue

I want to remember all of my pre-law school sentiments so that one day, I can reflect on them and laugh. I took the liberty yesterday to drive down to Hartford in order to set up my apartment, along with cable and all the good things. After a full day of painstaking yet enjoyable organization, I decided to go for a run to discover my new neighborhood.

Unfortunately, after running through beautiful West Hartford and Elizabeth Park, I made the wrong turn after exiting the park and proceeded to head east towards Albany Avenue. The ensuing 15 minutes were quite nerve-racking in a sense that all my previously harbored prejudices came into complete fruition. I must remind myself that it was Marc who planted the dangerous neighborhood notion in my head prior to my run.

With that attitude firmly in my conscience, I proceeded to run through ill-kept grassy fields, abandoned warehouses, run down tenements and houses, as well as a few commercial properties that seemed to have closed down years ago. Not surprisingly, I picked up my pace through this neighborhood, as I frantically searched for the safe haven of West Hartford in my mind. Even though the run through the neighborhood was relatively brief, it left a solid impression in my mind about the incredible diversity that exists in Hartford, and not all of that is good.

I have never thought of myself as one to harbor prejudices. In a sense, I guess everyone has the same preconceived notions - whether those notions are developed through the media, through family, or through some white guy from Vermont. The run was certainly a fantastic introduction into my neighborhood for possibly the next three years, and there is no doubt in my mind that these impressions will dictate my future runs in the neighborhood. I just hope that future instances and more exposure to the intricacies of Hartford will work towards quelling this unrealized fear of the supposedly more dangerous neighborhoods.