jlidbeck

It’s more than a kitsch roadside attraction. The people of Mitchell have been decorating city hall with dried corncob murals annually for over a century—think of it: somber 1899 farmers designing such an extravagant shrine to produce.

The gift shop inside is a disappointment, though. Mostly it’s the same tourist crap you could buy anywhere with a “Corn Palace Mitchell S.D.” stamp applied to it. But that’s not the point.

The point is, this is America. This is our culture. This is a place where you can touch history. So it’s important that you visit (and sign a guestbook—there’s one for each state). I’ve been here many times over the years and am always rewarded by an inexplicable feeling of awe and queasy patriotism.

York fills the senses, with its ancient city walls, winding alleyways, medieval shopfronts, wild daffodils, dizzying aromas from the chocolate factories wafting in the air. Highlights: Evensong at York Minster, wandering atop the ancient walls, hearing live jazz at a 500-year-old pub. Oh, and walking everywhere. Vehicles are prohibited from the city center (the area within the walls) after dusk, so pedestrians rule the cobblestones. You wouldn’t want to drive anyway.

It’s a tourist-friendly town, without a doubt, lively and richly romantic.

I’ve lived here for 10 years, and now that I’m finally leaving, I’m getting all nostalgic. This would be a beautiful place to raise a family: lovely parks, sidewalks, ice cream shops. And family-raising is in fact a primary industry here.

Likewise, it’s a good place for angsty 20-somethings to become deeply cynical about what happens when wealthy Christians dominate the culture.

I’ve definitely been cynical about this place (where, famously, college students are forbidden to dance), but I can’t deny I’ve benefited greatly from its peaceful environment. I lived in a house for 3 years and never once locked the door; I’ve been on many a moonlit walk down the Prairie Path without fear.

Like so many of the tidy western suburbs of Chicago, it’s a good place to live, but a terrible place to visit. If you do, check out the Popcorn Shop, gawk at Perry the Mastodon, take a driving tour of million-dollar homes and dozens of beautiful churches, have a pint at Muldoon’s, but get out before nightfall, or parking tickets and overzealous traffic cops will break your spirit.