j; j @ down on your knees and thank the Lord above (or whomever we happen to believe in in our blue states) for the Middle West. Now. And everyday.
The Midwest: our salvation, the source of so much of our greatness, the buffer that protects us from what lies without.
Am I serious? Damned right I am.
If Chicago were on either coast, it would be overrun by people who just check in and check out. We would not be nearly in control of our own destiny as we are in the heart of the Midwest. Boston, NY, Philly, and DC play off of each other on the northeast corridor. The megalopolis, at times, overwhelms the city.
Not in Chicago. An island of a city, but a hugely important island, Chicago gets to keep power and identity.
There is a secret about the Midwest. We know it; many outsiders don’t. It can be a totally cool region to live in. What don’t outsiders know (and I may regret telling them):
• the midwest has terrific rolling and hilly scenery: Vermont like in Browns County, complete with covered bridges and blazing fall colors.
• the midwest is downright coastal. How about Michigan? Rocky and roughed, Cape Cod-like around Mackinac with beaches in Harbor Country that could put many in FLA to shame
• history...well, not colonial, but American. St. Louis speaks more about the might of the US spreading across the continent than Boston ever could. How about Galena. 1830’s and still in tact....and sorry, folks, in European eyes, 1830 is about as old as 1776 and 1607.....and all 3 are old to us. And US
• cool, sophisticated and liberal college towns? If Ann Arbor and Madison aren’t among the best nationally, which ones are?
• you want the super rich and the movers and the shakers? I have no doubt that Lake Geneva can give Newport a run for its money
• great resorts? plenty in Michigan, Wisconsin, elsewhere. The Grand Hotel in Macinack is a national treasure. Harbor Country and Door County provide resorts that are outstanding
In other words, a complete, whole, livable and lovable region. A lot more like Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania than it is with Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
Chicago has plenty of places nearby, just a short car trip away, that are terrific. And if that weren’t enough, it’s pretty easy to fly off to further and perhaps more dramatic locales. I don’t know if you heard it or not, but we do have airplanes landing in Chicago these days. And when we return to O'Hare afterwards, we're pretty happy to be back in the midwest.
The Midwest: our salvation, the source of so much of our greatness, the buffer that protects us from what lies without.
Am I serious? Damned right I am.
If Chicago were on either coast, it would be overrun by people who just check in and check out. We would not be nearly in control of our own destiny as we are in the heart of the Midwest. Boston, NY, Philly, and DC play off of each other on the northeast corridor. The megalopolis, at times, overwhelms the city.
Not in Chicago. An island of a city, but a hugely important island, Chicago gets to keep power and identity.
There is a secret about the Midwest. We know it; many outsiders don’t. It can be a totally cool region to live in. What don’t outsiders know (and I may regret telling them):
• the midwest has terrific rolling and hilly scenery: Vermont like in Browns County, complete with covered bridges and blazing fall colors.
• the midwest is downright coastal. How about Michigan? Rocky and roughed, Cape Cod-like around Mackinac with beaches in Harbor Country that could put many in FLA to shame
• history...well, not colonial, but American. St. Louis speaks more about the might of the US spreading across the continent than Boston ever could. How about Galena. 1830’s and still in tact....and sorry, folks, in European eyes, 1830 is about as old as 1776 and 1607.....and all 3 are old to us. And US
• cool, sophisticated and liberal college towns? If Ann Arbor and Madison aren’t among the best nationally, which ones are?
• you want the super rich and the movers and the shakers? I have no doubt that Lake Geneva can give Newport a run for its money
• great resorts? plenty in Michigan, Wisconsin, elsewhere. The Grand Hotel in Macinack is a national treasure. Harbor Country and Door County provide resorts that are outstanding
In other words, a complete, whole, livable and lovable region. A lot more like Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania than it is with Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
Chicago has plenty of places nearby, just a short car trip away, that are terrific. And if that weren’t enough, it’s pretty easy to fly off to further and perhaps more dramatic locales. I don’t know if you heard it or not, but we do have airplanes landing in Chicago these days. And when we return to O'Hare afterwards, we're pretty happy to be back in the midwest.