Why the Midwest?

[steelyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR Originally from southern Indiana. Visit there occasionally, and the only thing I miss is the scenery. I find small towns and rural locations too provincial... Not that the suburbs are so exciting, but I can hide in an urban/suburban area, and pretty much live as I want, and associate with whomever I want.

Brown County in Indiana is really pretty.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steelyman Brown County in Indiana is really pretty.

Yep. And on some occasions, when it's cheaper to fly in/out of Indianapolis than Louisville, I often take SH 135 from US 50 up to SH 46, just east of Brown County State Park. Great drive...

[steelyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR Yep. And on some occasions, when it's cheaper to fly in/out of Indianapolis than Louisville, I often take SH 135 from US 50 up to SH 46, just east of Brown County State Park. Great drive...

The semi-new Indy airport is nice. A lot of people I know (myself included) prefer to drive to Indy to fly rather than endure commuter flights and the O'Hare nightmare.

[Mulligan]

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Originally Posted by steelyman Sometimes my ignorance of US geography shows. I was visiting Denver a few years back and this huge blizzard hit. Just too much snow for me to go out while it was still falling. So it was TV time. They kept broadcasting conditions and one point they announced the interstate (70?) was closed all the way to Kansas. I had no idea the two states bordered! I guess I'm just an "east of the Mississippi" guy.

Don't feel too bad. When my then wife and I were driving to Colorado for a ski trip, we crossed the border from Kansas into Colorado and her immediate response was..."where are the mountains at we are in Colorado now". One thing about living in Midwest is I can't ever figure out what climate I want. When it's the summer heat time, I can't wait for winter. When it's winter I swear I want to live in Arizona year around. Fall and spring come and go too quickly for me.


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[Andre1969]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulligan Don't feel too bad. When my then wife and I were driving to Colorado for a ski trip, we crossed the border from Kansas into Colorado and her immediate response was..."where are the mountains at we are in Colorado now". One thing about living in Midwest is I can't ever figure out what climate I want. When it's the summer heat time, I can't wait for winter. When it's winter I swear I want to live in Arizona year around. Fall and spring come and go too quickly for me.

One D'oh moment I had was when the ex wife and I drove out to Washington State to see some of her relatives. I remember as we were just about to leave South Dakota, I looked at the little sliver of Wyoming that I-90 cut through on its way to Montana. I figured, oh, that won't take more than an hour. I knew Wyoming was a big state, but still, the part we were cutting through looked so small. Well, imagine my shock when we crossed the state line, and the first mile marker was something like 210!

IIRC, there was one stretch of that highway where it was 60-some miles between exits!

it's a bit of a shock, when you're used to these relatively tiny east coast states. Still, I noticed my sense of scale did seem to get thrown off. For instance, I knew Montana was a big state, and was going to take a long time to drive through. But South Dakota really threw me for a loop. I knew it was a fairly big state. However, we entered it through Sioux City, Iowa, and were on one interstate for what seemed like about 90 miles, and then when we hit I-90, we came in around the 395 mile mark. So that really made it seem to drag out. Plus, the terrain changed so much. Where we hit I-90 was only a few miles from Minnesota, so it was mostly farms, fields, and fairly gentle, rolling terrain. But then as we went west it seemed to get flatter, and more arid. And then more mountainous, and more arid, still. And then there were the Badlands and Black hills area, so it had a lot of variety to it.

Still, the amount of miles we spent in South Dakota alone, would have gotten us more than half-way from DC to Florida! The perspective really changes out west, I guess.

[38Chevy454]

I personally like the more conservative lifestyle of the midwest vs the liberal coasts. However I also have more of a rural than urban preference, which midwest has a lot more rural. Lived in KY for 10 years and it was a good time in my life. Considering it as an ultimate retirement living area. Typically lower COL in midwest is a nice benefit.

[Bestwifeever]

You can get your kicks on Route 66.

[steelyman]

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Originally Posted by Bestwifeever You can get your kicks on Route 66.

Take my way, that's the highway that's the best!

http://youtu.be/OMWLl4KcELI

[HFWR]

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Originally Posted by Andre1969 I always find those little rural towns to be quaint...

I would not use "quaint" to describe my hometown. "Rundown", "depressing", or "meth lab" maybe...

[KM]

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Originally Posted by Andre1969 I live in Maryland, just east of DC, and there are times I fantasize about moving. But, one thing I like about it here is that, we have four seasons, and for the most part, they're really not all that extreme. The summers can get hot, but there are a lot of places that get hotter! And while the winters can get pretty bad, again, there are places where it's a lot worse. I think the biggest problem with the winters though, is that we just don't have the infrastructure to deal with them when we have a really bad one. We just don't have them often enough to have all the equipment in place to keep the roads and such clear, so we'll shut down completely for a storm that most New Yorkers or Chicagoans would laugh at. I'd also imagine they build the homes to be more weather-tight in those areas that are more prone to harsher winters? Or, who knows...I guess there's going to be crap construction no matter where you go.

LOL - my daughter moved from NH to Alexandria, VA (close enough to MD to count) - the first winter she kept calling me and saying "Ma, you should see what they call plow trucks down here!!!"

[steelyman]

We got trouble! Right here in River City!

http://youtu.be/LI_Oe-jtgdI

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KM LOL - my daughter moved from NH to Alexandria, VA (close enough to MD to count) - the first winter she kept calling me and saying "Ma, you should see what they call plow trucks down here!!!"

And I get much joy in listening to my siblings complain about "humidity" and "heat".

Chicago is a secret weapon of wonderfulness. I wouldn't give up my childhood there. Nasty winters are fun for a kid. And summer had the beach. When I finally saw the ocean, it was like: "Big deal, we have Lake Michigan... and it includes air conditioning"

That said, I won't move back to IL unless they get their financial act together. I don't need to pay a premium for the collective foolishness of the politicians.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras ... When I finally saw the ocean, it was like: "Big deal, we have Lake Michigan... and it includes air conditioning" ...

That's the Michigan Ocean!

There are not many lakes where you can't see land beyond the horizon. Not so different from an Ocean. From wiki:

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... Due to their sea-like characteristics: rolling waves, sustained winds, strong currents, great depths, and distant horizons, the five Great Lakes have also long been referred to as inland seas. ... and Lake Michigan is the largest lake that is entirely within one country.

and...

Quote:

Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth, containing ... 54% of the world's liquid fresh water by volume.

Now I wonder if other school children had learned the HOMES mnemonic - Huron-Ontario-Michigan-Erie-Superior?

Quote:

Chicago is a secret weapon of wonderfulness. .... That said, I won't move back to IL unless they get their financial act together.

A part of me wants to move to an apartment/condo in Chicago when we decide to downsize. But the financial issues do concern me. Can they kick the can for another 30 years? If so, maybe I'll be OK.

-ERD50

[steelyman]

[QUOTE=ERD50;Can they kick the can for another 30 years? If so, maybe I'll be OK.

-ERD50[/QUOTE]


I think that's an overused cliche. There are budget problems that need to be solved. These things affect me.

[ERD50]

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Originally Posted by steelyman I think that's an overused cliche. There are budget problems that need to be solved. These things affect me.

Oh, I agree. They should be solved. I was only observing that they have gotten away with kicking the can for many years. And if they are able to do it for another 30 years, then it wouldn't affect me if I decide to stay here.

I'd rather see them fix it, but they need to start now. The longer they wait, the harder it becomes.

-ERD50

[imoldernu]

We really like Peru










IL

[steelyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Oh, I agree. They should be solved. I was only observing that they have gotten away with kicking the can for many years. And if they are able to do it for another 30 years, then it wouldn't affect me if I decide to stay here. I'd rather see them fix it, but they need to start now. The longer they wait, the harder it becomes. -ERD50

OK, we agree to agree. I understand the viewpoint and I, too, want it fixed. It won't be fast, but then the problems weren't either.

[Sittingduck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steelyman OK, we agree to agree. I understand the viewpoint and I, too, want it fixed. It won't be fast, but then the problems weren't either.

I think we all want it fixed - ah but is there hope? I may be wrong, but Illinois is the only state I recall that has had two governors in jail at the same time. One from each party. yikes.

Yet the streets get plowed, the guys with the hoses show up when they need to, teachers still try and pound some learning into kids between their texting, and people keep showing up at Wrigley Field even though there is a big car logo stuck in the left field bleachers. I guess midwesterners are eternally hopeful after all.

[steelyman]

[QUOTE=Sittingduck;1489299I guess midwesterners are eternally hopeful after all. [/QUOTE]


We just try to get along. As a Tar Heel, I get to claim Michael Jordan from two places!

[photoguy]

I'm spending some time in Iowa right now. The people are nice and I'm in a university town so there's lots of smart people around. But there's no diversity, the restaurants scene sucks (unless you like applebees) and god help you if you want any kind of ethnic, vegetarian or seafood.

The nearest big city is Des Moines and it feels like a ghost town. On the plus side there's no traffic. And you can get gas at Costco without waiting 20 minutes in line.


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