Bryan W. Alaspa 1Living in the cow town
October 3rd 2009 19:11
So the IOC has decided that Rio should be the place to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. It was a slap in the face when Chicago was the first city eliminated. I felt it. I know others did. I, personally, would not be caught dead trying to attend any kind of event in one of the murder capitals of the world. If they IOC wants to start a string of host cities where many fans and athletes can end up dead or kidnapped let me suggest a few going forward. There’s Bagdad, Kabul, Darfur, Newark, East St. Louis, Gary, Indiana and Detroit, just to name a few.
There are many in Chicago who seem glad for it. For some reason there are people who desperately want Mayor Daley to fail. I cannot understand why. Who would they want in his place? I think Chicago is better than ever and has been ever since he has been in office. The city looks beautiful, and it feels safer. I have been to parts of town that I felt the need to lock my door in when previous mayors were in charge and felt safe enough to walk the streets and sidewalks in those places now. Do they really think someone else will do better? More people have been moving back down into the city than moving away from it since he took charge. Is going back the other way really the better option?
The problem is that this would really have been a chance to show the world that Chicago is a world class city. I saw many say that we all know that and that we don’t need an Olympics to prove it. Well, I say, what does it matter if only those of us living here know it’s a world class city? You need the world to come by and visit and give its determination on that.
Chicago is perceived by many as a back-water, cow town by those whose only exposure to this wonderful place is to fly over it or a quick pass through the airport. I have had conversations with people in other countries and the first thing that surprises them is that Chicago actually has warm weather during parts of the year (no comments about this past summer, I actually liked it). They are amazed to hear Chicago has beaches. Many of them assume that Lake Michigan is some tiny lake that they can actually see across. I sat next to a woman on a plane recently who had to fly through O’Hare and when the plane came across the Lake to land she had no idea where she was. She was asking us what that huge body of water was. We had to explain to her that it was Lake Michigan and that it is really a large inland, freshwater sea and not some pond dug out of the earth by developers.
Chicago has the best restaurants in the States, I feel. Sure, there are other places where you can find a decent meal, but far too many people I have run across end up amazed to find out that the best places to eat are here in Chicago. We know our food here. We spend a lot of time eating here.
Chicago is still perceived as a place where gangsters hang out of cars shooting tommy guns. Chicago is still associated with slaughter houses even though most of those have been closed for decades. Chicago is still perceived as a railroad town even though we have one of the busiest airports on the planet.
When people who have never been here arrive they are shocked to find the huge buildings. They are stunned at the public transportation system. They rave about how relatively clean the city is. They are amazed that we have nightlife.
The Olympics were our chance to really show all of that to the world at one time. It’s a shame we won’t get the chance. I like showing off this town, but, sadly, I just can’t show it to everyone like I want to. It would have been nice for the IOC to help me out a bit there.
There are many in Chicago who seem glad for it. For some reason there are people who desperately want Mayor Daley to fail. I cannot understand why. Who would they want in his place? I think Chicago is better than ever and has been ever since he has been in office. The city looks beautiful, and it feels safer. I have been to parts of town that I felt the need to lock my door in when previous mayors were in charge and felt safe enough to walk the streets and sidewalks in those places now. Do they really think someone else will do better? More people have been moving back down into the city than moving away from it since he took charge. Is going back the other way really the better option?
The problem is that this would really have been a chance to show the world that Chicago is a world class city. I saw many say that we all know that and that we don’t need an Olympics to prove it. Well, I say, what does it matter if only those of us living here know it’s a world class city? You need the world to come by and visit and give its determination on that.
Chicago is perceived by many as a back-water, cow town by those whose only exposure to this wonderful place is to fly over it or a quick pass through the airport. I have had conversations with people in other countries and the first thing that surprises them is that Chicago actually has warm weather during parts of the year (no comments about this past summer, I actually liked it). They are amazed to hear Chicago has beaches. Many of them assume that Lake Michigan is some tiny lake that they can actually see across. I sat next to a woman on a plane recently who had to fly through O’Hare and when the plane came across the Lake to land she had no idea where she was. She was asking us what that huge body of water was. We had to explain to her that it was Lake Michigan and that it is really a large inland, freshwater sea and not some pond dug out of the earth by developers.
Chicago has the best restaurants in the States, I feel. Sure, there are other places where you can find a decent meal, but far too many people I have run across end up amazed to find out that the best places to eat are here in Chicago. We know our food here. We spend a lot of time eating here.
Chicago is still perceived as a place where gangsters hang out of cars shooting tommy guns. Chicago is still associated with slaughter houses even though most of those have been closed for decades. Chicago is still perceived as a railroad town even though we have one of the busiest airports on the planet.
When people who have never been here arrive they are shocked to find the huge buildings. They are stunned at the public transportation system. They rave about how relatively clean the city is. They are amazed that we have nightlife.
The Olympics were our chance to really show all of that to the world at one time. It’s a shame we won’t get the chance. I like showing off this town, but, sadly, I just can’t show it to everyone like I want to. It would have been nice for the IOC to help me out a bit there.
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