Cities

Just some random thoughts about cities:

This is so clever: There’s a Starbuck’s next to every subway station in downtown Toronto. You come out of the subway, boom, there’s your coffee. BTW, “Tall, Grande and Venti” are the same in metric.

I’ve always wanted to live in Minneapolis. Maybe it’s because Mary Tyler Moore made it look so hip and glamorous when I was growing up. To me, “Minneapolis” means “cosmopolitan.”

I usually have a really good sense of direction and generally know which way I'm facing at all times. I come out of a subway, boom, east is that way. Except for when I’m in Seattle. I never know where I am or where I’m headed in Seattle. “The airport’s that way?”

Fifth Avenue in New York City and Michigan Avenue in Chicago are analogs of each other. Both of them run along the right side, lengthwise, of each city’s big parks as your heading out of town (Central Park and Millennium Park). Both have the ritzy stores where tourists like to shop.

I was born in San Antonio and spent a lot of time there growing up. It has the craziest layout of downtown streets of any city in America.

I still don’t know how to find my way around downtown San Antonio. It’s a miracle that the Mexican army was able to find the Alamo. I still have no idea where it is.

Chicago is laid out in a perfect grid with each city block measuring exactly one-tenth of a mile. If you’re at 6300 N. Clark, you’re exactly 63 blocks and 6.3 miles north of the center of downtown. If you’re at 4200 W. Division, you’re 42 blocks and 4.2 miles west of the center. That makes things easy. However, two main streets in Chicago are named “Chicago” and “Illinois.” Which is stupid.

I think Albany, NY has one of the most interesting skylines of any city in the U.S. It has these four, identical tall buildings and a flying-saucer shaped event center that is so very unique.

I used to drive through it quite often and would often find myself looking at its skyline rather than the highway.

The main part of Kansas City lies in Missouri. Only a small, scrubby suburb lies in Kansas.

Even though I grew up in Texas, I think the hottest I’ve ever been was in Des Moines while visiting an amusement park. It was 95 degrees, not a single breeze, and all that corn makes it extremely humid. Oh, and nothing is air conditioned in Des Moines. Nothing.

Even though I’ve traveled a lot, I’ve never been to any city in California. I’ve absolutely no desire to change that and can’t really say why.

I'd much rather go to Minneapolis. In January. Just like Mary Tyler Moore.

Minneapolis

I just found out that I have to attend a conference in Minneapolis. I’m so excited!!

I’ve never been to Minneapolis and as I kid, my dream was to live there one day.

Basically, it’s all Mary Tyler Moore’s fault.

You see, I grew up in a town of 1,700 people in South Texas where it’s always hot and humid. The nearest city was San Antonio, eighty miles away.

I loved going to the big city of San Antonio, Houston, or Dallas and it was always so depressing to come back to this little bitty town whose culture revolved Friday night football games.

It was always hot and humid there. The school wasn’t air conditioned, and our house, only barely. I hated the heat. I hated it so much that I used to pay my brother a major portion of my allowance just to mow my half of the lawn. We had a good thing going until mom wised up to our unsanctioned arrangement.

Once when I was in the eighth grade, it snowed. It was incredible. Snow! Just like the rest of the civilized world got to experience. For one glorious morning, I got to walk to school in the snow just like Mary walked to work in downtown Minneapolis. God, I loved it!

So, I’d watch the Mary Tyler Moore show and would be so jealous of her. She was this hip, single young woman, out on her own, living the big “city life” in Minneapolis where it snowed all the time. She’d wear these really cool clothes, walk among the big buildings downtown, and meet Rhoda for lunch a lot.

Mary loved her life in Minneapolis so much that she just couldn’t contain her happiness. She ended up throwing her hat in the air with unbridled glee.

I wanted to live there someday. I really did!

Life in Minneapolis was everything mine wasn’t.

So, I get to go to Minneapolis now. And no, I’m not going to throw my hat in the air while I’m downtown. Geez! I wonder how many tourists are seen doing that?

. . . Well, I might. . . . Just a little.

It would be awfully nice to meet Rhoda for lunch though.