6/30/09

Chicago

Chicago. The Windy City. City of the Big Shoulders. The City That Works.

True names for a city that is a city in the truest sense of the word. Chicago is a big city, but a small town with its own unique personality. Chicago can influence the world, but can still feel human. It is a city that is friendlier than New York, but more real than Los Angeles. It is a place that is like nowhere else, but will feel like home to those who visit.

There are some who say that cities across the U.S. have become some sort of "urban theme parks." A major U.S. city in today's world is not primarily a place to live and work. It's become a place to visit, to shop, a spectacle, a tourist trap. The people have migrated to the suburbs, and the city itself is just a novelty, a place to come to every now and then, to take their relatives or friends to...residence within the city is left to the elite and the homeless.

Chicago goes beyond that. To quote Bob Greene, "Visitors are welcome, but not necessary." Whether or not a tourist is admiring the way the elevated train tracks snake through the neighborhoods or how "retro" Wrigley Field feels, the city will continue living on. No, those train tracks aren't there to give an 'old-timey' feel to the city, they're there to serve a function. No, Wrigley Field was not designed for the nostalgic, it really truly is from an era that has nearly been forgotten. No, the beaches aren't crowded because simply, "that's the thing to do around here," people here want to enjoy what they have at their fingertips, people want to actively enjoy what their city has to offer them.

Chicago is real in the sense that it actually is authentic. The way the train wheels spark like lightning on a curve on the tracks, the way the weather fluctuates on a scale of 100+ degrees (there's both below zero and triple digit temperatures here) and how citizens prepare for either. None of it is for show. There's no major theme park here, no concerted effort to become something that it isn't. Chicago is, and that's really all that matters to its people.

There are distinct neighborhoods with their distinct residents and their distinct interests and hangouts here. You don't need to impress others to make yourself happy here. You are where you are, and everyone is making a living or having a good time. You don't need $12 to enjoy a beer at a bar with flashing lights to have fun. The night doesn't have to end at 2. You will find your grit, you will find your glamor here. Take out the visitors, take out biggest tourist attractions, and you'll still have a city that lives and breathes and will continue to, regardless of time, season, or neighborhood. That's what makes the Windy City the 'City That Works.'

Chicago. A city in the truest sense of the word.



"No, no, that's refreshing. To hear children playing. It's a nice break from adults bitching."
-The clerk at the impound lot

6/8/09

Where are you going, little one?



So my little sister graduated from high school earlier this week. In addition to making me feel hella old, she has also become the youngest in the family to graduate from high school (and without end of the year panics...long story) and finally leave home, effectively making my parents empty nesters. It's a bittersweet moment. I've gotta hand it to my parents though. 30 years of marriage (as of June 16!) and 28 years of kids...somethin like that has got to take a toll on the body. And after all that (the most "aww-worthy" moments highlighted in the above video), it's no wonder they can find solace in a simple iphone app game.

And so, it being graduation season (I've still got a slew to go to next weekend) has made me realize that first: everyone I know decided to graduate on the same year apparently, and second: it's also been a year since I finally walked that stage for the very first time (remember that long story I briefly mentioned earlier?). However, as my monetary restraints keep me from buying everyone I know a graduation gift, the best I could do is impart you recent graduates with the knowledge and advice of things to come from one who has walked your same path before (and this both applies to high school and college graduates):

You're gonna get fatter.

But you're gonna have the time of your life doing so.

"I can tell you're not Dutch!
...because you're not tall!"
-My uncle's friend