Dystopos

An active and diverse neighborhood of great people in great houses with a short commute downtown and easy access to the interstate.

I’ve done this twice on 4 hour layovers at O’Hare. Take the train to the middle of town, walk around for an hour ooing and ahing at them tall buildin’s, then maybe take the elevator up the Sears tower (I dumped a bunch of Tylenol out of the film can I had them in when I went to change film), then grab a pizza somewhere and get back on the train. Once was during a Grateful Dead show at Soldier Field, which abuts the tracks – so we got to see a lot of parking lot buskers and grilled-cheese stands on the way.

I’ve only been around the Franklin/Liberty Bell/Indep. Hall area for a couple of hours, but I did get a good cheesesteak and nice weather.

Basel was OK. It’s near a lot of great architecture. I’d like to see the Alps next time, though.

Nice tax-free country.

It is very brown, and flat, and hot. But the people are great and there’s plenty to see if you can get around.

A thrilling city to stalk at night. Fantastic beer, too.

A remarkable little city that has done more for its citizens than most places. A great day trip. I assume it’s a nice place to live, too.

For sheer decadence, in every sense of the word. For corruption, for the jungle climate, for an entire city who don’t worry about their health or their governance, who are resigned to their inevitable destruction and to the mediocrity of the Saints. Grimy, gritty, steamy. Where the only optimists are in the tourist industry. New Orleans gives you every reason to give up on it.

But why bother? Why not just relax and have another Sazerac on a shaded terrace under a ceiling fan? Why not just slow down and let the taste linger? There’s no substitute for New Orleans.

There are a lot of things worth doing in Atlanta, but it’s always a relief to get back out. Atlanta is a veritable open-air museum of the worst that sprawl has to offer.

But then it’s the only metropolis for a large swath of country, and attracts some of the best. Focus on the people and the events, and just try to put up with the city and the traffic, knowing you’ll get out soon.