Park Blame

Full court press: Regarding Casey Logan's "Slab Happy" (August 7): Once again, I see the city leaders pandering to certain groups.

I do not skate, but I like to watch it. I play basketball, and most of the city's courts are in terrible shape. They have large cracks that can contribute to ankle sprains, and none that I know of have lights. Parade Park is one where I see this glaring inequity. The tennis courts are being repaved, and the basketball courts have looked awful since I started playing there in 1996. There are no lights, there are cracks, and the rims remain slanted and unstable.

Sure, the skaters should have their park, but don't basketball players deserve the same? Or are they being excluded because basketball players are from a less desirable ethnic group?
Rudolph Pieters
Kansas City, Missouri

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El Torreador
Metal of honor: What can I say? The Pitch has finally done an article about OUR scene (Andrew Miller's "Rebel Yell," August 7). Descension has and always will be considered a metal band the punks love. We are closer with them, we sweat with them, we bleed with them, and we admire them all. This is the pulse of the city.

Brian Saunders and Abe Haddad have both helped this band. When Brian opens a new club, I'm the first there with a drill in my hand screwing up walls. Abe knows that I am also gonna play El Torreon and make damned sure that everyone knows it's open. I hope the kids all come to the shows at both.

I wish the local metal scene could learn from these punk-scene kids. They have more heart and passion in one show than in five metal shows, and they SUPPORT one another. Too many metal fans bitch about lack of shows, but they NEVER support local metal bands; they only pay to see the SAME band like Evanescence or Mudvayne seven times in the same year.

What they said in the article about being punk was true -- it's not the music so much; it's the attitude, the way things are handled: NO EGOS, NO BS and NO SLAGGING.

Thanks, Pitch, for bringing some light onto the scene and how hard these guys all work in it. Know this: If these kids aren't allowed the proper showcase, the proper places to play, the scene here will dry up faster than you think. HAIL to the Punks and to the TRUE Underground -- we're with you every step of the way.
Astoroth Occultus
Kansas City, Missouri

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L-U-V Handle
Point and clique: I read with interest Jen Chen's article on dating and singles in Kansas City ("L-U-V Hangover," July 31).

I have to agree that Kansas City is "cliquish." I moved back to the Kansas City area following six years of traveling throughout the country in the Army. I developed a habit of going to bars -- often by myself -- wherever I went. I've had great success meeting new people going solo. I'm not talking about a "hookup" or Biblical sense of "meeting." No, these were others excited to spend the night in animated conversation with someone new. Frequently, these solo excursions led to quick invitations to join a table of several friendly partygoers.

I've been single since moving back in 2000. A big part of the difficulty in meeting someone is this clique attitude. If I went to a bar solo expecting a group of fun friendly people, I would be disappointed. If Kansas Citians were more like those I've met in other cities, it would invariably lead to an expanding circle of friends. An expanding circle of friends leads to better "friend of a friend" possibilities. The difficulty lies in breaking into these cliques.

Having been to New York, Washington, D.C., Honolulu, San Antonio, Baltimore and Los Angeles, I have to say Kansas City is at the bottom of the pit of dating hell.
Name Withheld Upon Request

Credibility Gap: I totally agree with Jen Chen's article. It's hard to get a date here, especially if you are not the typical corn-fed, J. Crew soccer set. I find that guys like to date the "girl next door" here rather than someone who may actually be different and unique.

I am Asian and like to dress pretty damn trendy, and I hardly ever, ever get hit on. However, Ms. Gap will get hit on all night! What's the deal? Maybe Chen should follow me around for a night out, and then the answers about why KC sucks will become crystal-clear.
Angie Johnson
Kansas City, Missouri

Outdated: I wanted to compliment Jen Chen on her recent article about dating in KC. I live in Lawrence but have dated some in KC, because if you think KC is difficult, just imagine not being a KU student and trying to date in a town the size of Lawrence. Even with KU here, it is difficult for anyone not looking to date in the 18-22 age range. I am forty and divorced and a KU faculty member, which only adds to my difficulties because I am apt to run into my students anywhere I go in Lawrence.