With its low self-esteem and high urban blight, Hartford is the ultimate underdog city. Sad City Hartford documents the joys, sorrows and eccentricities of New England's Rising Star.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Sad City Field Trip: The State Library

Being the State Capitol, Hartford is home to some pretty cool Government buildings. Most of these buildings boast some pretty cool old-school style architecture. One of the best things about these places; they are free for you to check out if you have an afternoon in the city. Sad City recently took a trip to the Connecticut State Library on Capitol Avenue. The State Library is located in the same building as the Connecticut Supreme Court across the street from the State Capitol. You will have to go through metal detectors upon entering. (We assume the Alpine Cafe takes it's safety measure from the Supreme Court) One can spend the day surfing the internet in the library but we have another suggestion. The State Library is a great place to have some fun and learn about some laws. The help desk at the library is incredible. In our visit there we used three different librarians and they were all extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Pick a law that interests you and ask the librarians how to research the legislative history. They will show you how to find these records in a back room called "the stack", a massive collection of records. Paging through the records you will not only learn about the law, but might stumble upon some other interesting things. In our visit we discovered (1) the legislators like to thank each other a lot, (2) one Representatives granddaughter not only attended UConn, she dated a football player there, and (3) why oil companies want you to use your credit cards at the gas pumps. Kewl! Who says you need a fancy law degree to learn some neat legal stuff?

Downside: NO PAY PHONES!

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