Everything is interconnected. Even if it doesn’t appear to be on the surface. This is something Chicago drove home this past weekend.
1) Letting an older gentleman cut in line in front of me at Dunkin Donuts on Sunday earned me not thanks, but a look like I had three heads. He was immediately suspicious of me.
2) Drivers in Chicago do at least 10 mph over the speed limit at all times no matter what street you are on. Going slower gets you yelled at, honked at, and generally beat up for being a pansy.
3) From at least 40 miles outside the city in ANY direction (think Cinci to Dayton folks), there is nothing but solid city. There are no spaces between towns, no extended stretches of two lanes roads without stop lights, etc. This would be a perfect example of urban sprawl. The only place I’ve been to and personally seen it worse was LA. There it was, no joke, 70 miles outside the city.
Cramming people together like this by default discourages personal interaction. Counter-intuitive? Not really. How can you pay attention to one person when there are 15 right behind her? How can you look out for other people when there are 25 people within 25 feet? How can you develop personal relationships when just getting across town takes 2 hours? Someone may be in your part of town today, and you may never see them again the entire time you live in such a place.
There are benefits to living in a smaller town. I constantly run into people all over the area that knew my father, knew my mother, knew me when I was little, knew someone else in my extended family (95% of which live in Cinci), etc. That type of familiarity cannot exist in a place as big as Chicago.
I can drive to Chicago and enjoy all those things that big city folk like to do. However, those Chicago people can NEVER experience the kind of life that I have here. It’s simply not possible for them, and that makes me sad in a way.
There, I would be just another number amongst millions, struggling to make myself heard over the crowd.
Here, I can be myself, and I can be connected to the fabric of society of the entire region, and I CAN make a difference.
I think I prefer it that way………………….
5 comments:
Honey I can do Cincinnati, but don't ask me to go any smaller....
I also like to drive 10 over on all streets...
I wouldn't want to go any smaller either. This is just about perfect.
You drive like those Chicago maniacs my dear. :) It's scary riding with you sometimes.......
glad you know where your heart is.
cincinnati rocks!
I love you guys!!!
My driving isn't scary....I'm glad you will still get into a car with me at the wheel!!
Kind of a late response, but one could argue that Chicagoins have to drive like maniacs to get where they want to go in a timely manner. And if you think it's bad here, go to Naples...
You have a point that the bigger the city, the easier it is to get lost, but I think it also has its advantages. For one, you've got a huge population and though it may take a little longer to find, you're pretty much guaranteed to find a group that you fit in with - and if it takes two hours to get together, you can take public transportation to most places, which will save on gas, too!
Look at Trey and I? He found me, and now he does all of my German club stuff, which is quite a close-knit community within the big city (not to mention all over the country). We also do musical things, both together and separately, and I don't think either one of us would have the kinds of opportunities we're getting in a smaller place.
There are also so many opportunities to experience other cultures. There is everything here!
I'll shut up now, but i hope this gives you some kind of an idea that big city does not equal getting lost and not connecting...
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