Don't say Hartford is boring!

To make a list of 25 things to do in Hartford, we had to consider everything there is to do in Hartford. It's tough! there are so many fantastic museums and historic houses and concert venues and restaurants! we wanted to dig deep to put together a list of things you maybe hadn’t already considered doing or that you maybe might not have heard about. some are more obscure than others, and some are in places farther away from the city, but they're all great. try going to a CATALOGUE show and definitely check out a Hartford Party Starters event. And if you have any suggestions for next year, Facebook us or fax us or something.

Along with barefoot running, yoga has become hugely trendy in the world of physical fitness. By extension, meditation is taking on a more mainstream popularity, as well. At West Hartford Yoga, you can try it out for yourself, or just take advantage of the cheapness, at several-day-a-week $5 yoga and free meditation sessions. About once a month, you can try out a free intro to yoga class, too. By the way, barefoot running is also free. just take off your shoes and haul ass.

The Hartford Party Starters Union. they put on great shows! Dance parties! Concerts at Bushnell Park and the Wadsworth! THE WADSWORTH! They’ve set out to make Hartford awesome and, since they began almost two years ago, they've brought Janelle Monae (pictured, at the HPSU still Wavy event this past summer) Andrew W.K. and Neon Indian here. we can't wait to see what they do next.

Doing laundry already sucks and it’s a whole other kind of hell having to lug your dirty, crappy clothes to a Laundromat, with everyone sort of eyeing each other to make sure nobody steals their towels or sweaters (as if!) and watching the clocks on the machines. Finding quarters is a nightmare. That’s why it’s hard to believe that Spin Cycle Cafe and Laundromat is a unique establishment in the Hartford area. Located in Newington, SCC&L has free WiFi, a full bar, food, and TVs that run ESPN all day. And they take it several steps and levels up: there’s weekly bingo, singles nights, darts, DJs and comedians. And there’s little baggies of quarters you can get from behind the bar; none of those stupid change machines that never take your dollar bills. This is a Laundromat you want to hang out in.

we cannot put enough emphasis on the truly outstanding restaurant scene in this part of the state. There’s fantastic Indian in Rocky Hill and West Hartford and hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese in East Hartford and Hartford, or Peruvian and Ethiopian and Puerto Rican eateries that serve authentically tasty cuisine. try El Sarape on Broad Street in Hartford. they make micheladas (pictured), a Mexican beer drink made with hot sauce and pepper. It might sound alcoholically risky (some people get freaked out by the idea of putting hot sauce in their beer), but we promise you once you try this, it'll be difficult to suppress the urge to go grab one at lunch on a Tuesday.

Hookahs are big water pipes that bubble when smoked. they can have as many as four or five hoses, so they’re a great group activity! And though most people think hookahs are for pot-smoking, they’re actually best for smoking a fruity tobacco called shisha. (You could, of course, smoke weed with a hookah, but potheads have discovered that doing so is a waste of pot — there’s too much filtration or something.) what this means is that smoking hookahs in West Hartford, at the newly opened 1,001 Arabian Nights on Park Road or in West Hartford center or at the Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan, is a totally legal group activity, which may make it more or less appealing, depending on how dangerous you like to live.

We pointed out last year that those of you looking to get tied up and slapped around a little can head over to Leisure Time on Zion Street. It’s a bondage club that meets pretty regularly, and is open to new members. Turns out there’s other places you can get off at, too, like the Society, a Connecticut-registered LLC that meets in a Hartford community center for bondage forums, discussions, playtime, etc. Of course, nobody’s taking their clothes off at community centers. It’s just a launching point, if you will.

Brownstone Park in Portland is a little mecca for families looking to get adventurous. You can do everything from scuba diving to cliff jumping and rock climbing here. There’s even ziplining! And it’s mostly cheap, like around $20 or $30 per person, but some activities require membership, which is obviously a little pricier, but hey there are worse things than being a member of an outdoor adventure park.

Hartford’s got bushels and bushels of farmers markets with enough stock to allow you to put yourself in the fantasy position of never having to walk your ass into another grocery store. the Hartford Regional Farmers Market is gigantic, bringing together produce and meat from over 4,000 farms. there are other markets in Bristol, Newington, East Hartford, Enfield, Farmington, and more. Go to ct.gov and search “DOAG” or “farmers markets.”

Unfortunately, you might have to wait around for this one, but you should be relieved to know that there was a law that was just passed allowing farmers to make pickles! I know! so starting January 2011, farmers — and therefore farmers markets — are going to be able to legally sell pickles. Good news for a region that’s already got some good delis (Rein’s in Vernon; Reuben’s in West Hartford) with great pickles. And don't forget kimchi! (You can find the pickled cabbage at Ichiban, in Hartford.)

Last year, we mentioned one of the funnest things that can be done in the state is drinking as a passenger in a car. It’s legal here! In fact, the law even went up for review this year and guess what? It didn’t even get past a hearing. That means it’s still legal to drink while someone else drives. Dude, why not make some pickles while you're at it!

See Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and U2 laser shows at the Children’s Museum in West Hartford. Is there anything else to be said here?

Sea Tea Improv (get it?) is a Hartford-based comedy troupe who do lots of comedy events in and around the city. they also do a monthly dinner theater, the City Steam Brew-Ha-Ha, at City Steam Brewery. In fact, there’s no shortage of comedy around here — catch a show at the Hartford Funny Bone or take an improv class at Park Road Playhouse. take a look at twitter.com/CTImprov for show and class times and stuff.

Think of Vintage Baseball as a Renaissance Faire or Civil War Reenactment for sports fans. Isn’t it refreshing to be reminded that jocks can be geeks, too? the Friends of Vintage Baseball in Hartford is one of the sweetest things about the city. all summer, at Colt Park, the team plays baseball in vintage costume by vintage rules (they’re slightly different!), and you can get vintage soda and food and souvenirs, too.  Go to friendsofvintagebaseball.org for more info.

It’s cool that part of the Appalachian Trail goes through Connecticut, so you can sort of hop on and walk for a bit, then tell people you “hiked the Appalachian Trail.” Or you can swing by Sessions Woods park in Burlington, Conn., which has lots and lots of trails and hikes and wildlife-appreciation activities like those. And if you have the right permits you can go bowhunting!

for second-shifters or workaholics, happy hour’s tough to catch. It only goes until 6 in most cases, and assuming you get out of work at 5, that’s not a lot of time to get somewhere, park, dig through a crowd, wait to be served and finally order your probably-weak two-for-one margaritas. That’s why we’re into Feng’s late-night happy hour, which goes from 11 to 12:45 on weeknights. You can get sushi and appetizers for half off, as well as various discounted drinks: beers for $2, wine and martinis for $4 and $6.

From the outside, Wild Bill’s Nostalgia Center looks like a circus or a funhouse or something. big cartoon characters and superheroes and icons decorate the outer walls, including the Beatles and American iconography. Simply driving by might be enough. But come on. You gotta go in there! You’ll find videos and DVDs, CDs and tapes, magazines and books and records and statues and memorabilia and other weird/cool stuff. Wild Bill’s like a tripped-out hoarder.

The well-loved poet Wallace Stevens spent much of his life in Hartford, working at the Hartford. there are a couple of local things you can do to honor him. You can go get a job at the Hartford, or you can go hang out with the Friends and Enemies of Wallace Stevens, whose mission is to preserve the cultural legacy of the poet. Go there, get deep. Or go to the Hartford, get paid.

Pearl Street might be one of the best places in the city. It’s where TheaterWorks is and Bin228. the plays at TheaterWorks are frequently interesting, challenging and funny, and Bin228’s bathroom alone is worth going for (there's this little table in there with a box of tissues and a candle on it; it's wonderful). Outside the W.C., there's great wine and cocktails, and a tiny little sidewalk patio that’s not even roped off. It’s here that’s best to go and sip a glass of white wine on a cool night with a friend, a man or woman, or a magazine.

CATALOGUE is a monthly (or so) exhibit of artists’ work from all over the region. they usually take place in studios or suites in Parkville above Real Art Ways, or, once, in a box truck that cruised around town, making arty pitstops. the guys who run CATALOGUE say it’s a collaboration of art, music, community and space. In one event, pictured, the artist Brendan Mahoney made bowls of soup, one at a time, for everyone who wanted. Mmm. for more info, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

City Councilman Luis Cotto loves this place enough to have a reputation for loving this place (not that he’s alone). recently, Cotto started a project called Center without Walls, which is a series of performances, art exhibits and workshops that have involved the artist Favianna Rodriguez (whose work is pictured) and the saxophonist Miguel Zenon, among many others. take a look at Cotto's blog, ionhartford.com, for more about these and other events.

between the Hartford Jazz Society and the Hartt School and the annual jazz festivals and concerts on the green, the city is seriously drenched in jazz. Look for the Jazz Cruise this fall and check hartfordjazzsociety.com for jazz listings through to winter. Pictured is Misteree, who hosts Jazz on the Main at the West Indian Social Club.

Apart from just general library awesomeness, the Hartford Public Library has a particularly kick-ass setup. There's your standard (as though it weren't enough) free access to DVDs, books on tape, books, Internet and computers, and then there are classes, programs, readings and workshops too. They'll teach you to use a computer and they'll teach you to make a wreath for Christmas. Or they'll just help you find what you're looking for. Chances are they have it.

One of the cool things about global warming is how everyone's starting to get into their trash. like that Sustainable Dan dude who didn't throw anything away for a year (you can see some of his "exhibit" of garbage at the Trash Museum in Hartford), or like the "energy anorexic," who go so far as to relieve themselves on their lawns to spare a flush. Hartford's Trash Museum isn't necessarily advocating public urination, but there are plenty of displays that educate us about our waste and expose the bad habits we've acquired. But don't worry, they also show us ways to fix it.

Hartford has one of the largest Caribbean populations in the country. the North end is full of fantastic Jamaican and Caribbean food, and there's even a yearly celebration, the Taste of the Caribbean and Jerk Festival, where every part of the West Indies is represented. Look for it next summer. In the meantime, pick up some ital at the Lion's Den, beef patties at Scott's Jamaican Bakery or jerk chicken at Golden Krust Bakery.

for your Hartford-based high-fashion needs, swing through NiRo Couture, the high-end custom retail shop on Main Street. started by two friends, NiRo is now a fully operational business, outlet and foundation. NiRo provides fashion education, as well as personal services like closet makeovers, personal shopping and, according to their website, beauty counseling. This is "Sex and the City"-level stuff. Go to nirodesigncenter.com for more.

Annual Manual: 25 Things To Do In Hartford – Hartford Advocate