Not My Kind of Town, Yeeesh
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7/1/2018
I've been thinking about getting out of Seattle lately. Too crowded. Too expensive. Too weird. So I have been reaching out to people I met in college. I attended this future government conference in Nashville and people from all over came. I'm pretty good with names so I've kept in touch.
One of the guys was from Indianapolis. Nice guy. Down home. I'll never forget his nickname at the conference....Gomer...that's what we called him. Really.
So anyway, as part of my effort to find a new home, I reached out to Gomer. He said I should come to Indy and so I scheduled a trip. Before I hung up, I asked him what he really liked about the place. Here's what he told me...
1. It's really cheap.
2. The people are nice.
3. There's this really cool district called Mass Ave.
4. Pacers and Colts and Elevens, oh my.
5. The freeways. I kid thee not. He really said this.
So anyway I thought it a little strange. What I like about Seattle is the people, first and foremost. The geography and weather are also nice. Still, like I said, I liked Gomer and he was offering to put me up and show me the town for a few days so what the heck, right?
Oh. My. God. Just. No.
I visited and now I'm back in Seattle. Not happening for me. Now I understand that bit about the freeways. They'll take you away...any direction you want to go.
God's honest truth, I've never seen crime and abandoned buildings and litter and rudeness like Indianapolis. I thought I was in Baltimore again, except there's no harbor. Mass Avenue was nice in a quaint sort of way. I didn't have the heart to tell him that we have districts like that scattered all over Seattle. Everybody lives near one. Pretty much everybody, anyway. And you don't have to worry about being jumped or having your car stolen and then having to walk home through some sketchy neighborhood.
I understand the cheapiness, too. It's mostly because there's so many vacant lots where houses used to be. There are also a lot of houses that just seem to be crumbling into the earth. I don't know why people let this happen. It seems so wasteful. In Indianapolis though it's everywhere.
So needless to say, it's not going to be Indy for me. I had a nice trip to St. Paul Minnesota. I like it there. Kansas City was kind of surprising too. It's still in the running. I just want to end this by saying that Gomer is still a friend because he didn't really misrepresent his city. He told me about the great freeways. True, he forgot to tell me about the great potholes, but after spending a few days with him I'm convinced he doesn't see them any more. I imagine if you live long enough in Indianapolis, life is like that. It's a survival thing. At least that's what I think.
Rick | ,