40 days of the best towns

By no means am I a world traveler or even someone who has traveled throughout the United States extensively. But - I have been to my fair share of cities and towns. Some unique and some… let’s just say I’m glad it was only a visit. For now, sticking to the theme of 40, here are my top forty cities (in no particular order) that I love and a reason or two why.

1 Chicago, IL – It’s a place I lived for four years and have come to love.
2 Detroit, MI – It’s probably on most people’s bottom 40 cities. But for me Detroit will always be a haven for what is Michigan’s history, present, and future. It represents automobiles, adversity, and a hope.
3 Ann Arbor, MI – One of the great unique cities in the world - it was where I was born.
4 Saline, MI – I grew up in Saline. It actually has been voted one of the top cities in the country (mainly because of its location to Ann Arbor without living in Ann Arbor), and it acts as a place where almost anyone would want to raise their family.
5 Kalamazoo, MI - I experienced college in Kalamazoo. It’s diverse and has the charm of a big city.
6 Cheboygan, MI – Cheboygan is off the map for most Michigan vacationers. For me though, it became a vacation wonderland.
7 Indian River, MI – Indian River is in between the two largest inland lakes in Michigan – it is a water wonderland.
8 Boston, MA – History and present combined.
9 Sudbury, MA – I got married here. Enough said.
10 Barre, MA - It’s quaint, has charm, and it’s where Jess is from.
11 Stowe, VT – Swoop, swoop, swoop!
12 Grapevine, TX – It’s where my brother lives and I love to visit!
13 Tampa, FL – Who doesn’t like going to Florida? Plus, my aunt and uncle live here.
14 Monroe, MI – As someone who loves genealogy, I can’t leave a town that has so much family history off the list.
15 Toronto, ON – I’ve been to Toronto twice now. And have loved it each time.
16 London, UK – A premier city.
17 Prague, CZ – Just awesome.
18 Evanston, IL – Every time I walk around Evanston it reminds me of Ann Arbor.
19 Springfield, IL – Springfield is one of the most underrated cities in Illinois.
20 Indianapolis, IN – A race car lover’s paradise.
21 Mackinac City, MI – It’s a little touristy, but it still has one of the best views of one of the world’s longest suspension bridges.
22 New York, NY – How can this city not be on a top 40 list? It’s on here for the pizza alone.
23 Petoskey, MI – A great summer town.
24 Spring Green, WI – Home to Taliesin
25 Decorah, IA – Iowa’s got to be mentioned, right? And this little town is jam-packed with charm.
26 Oak Park, IL – Frank Lloyd Wright heaven.
27 Bellingham, MA – The first place I lived in Massachusetts.
28 Oak Brook, IL – The town where I got engaged.
29 South Haven, MI – The first Michigan town I brought Jess to.
30 Dallas, TX – A great city in Texas.
31 Hyannis, MA – The first place I got a job in Massachusetts.
32 Marion, MA – The reason I moved to Massachusetts.
33 Wareham, MA – Our first house in Massachusetts.
34 Niagara, NY/ON – Honeymoon capital of the world. A destination spot on either side of the falls.
35 Schaumburg, IL – Even a suburb can make it on my list. But only because it involved a first date.
36 Wellesley – It’s one of those towns that when you visit you want to move to because it has everything.
37 Brooklyn, NY – I’ve only been there for a hot dog and a shot to see a non-existent baseball stadium, but it was great.
38 Whitney, ON - Because it offers one of the most remote scenic parks I have ever been to.
39 Ypsilanti, MI – It may just have the best hoagie I have ever had.
40 Lansing, MI – Hey! It’s the capital of Michigan!

So, obviously my favorite places are a little slanted to the places I have lived, visited, and experienced – but isn’t that how it is for all of us?

40 days of anywhere

As Lent is fast approaching (it’s only two weeks away) I am going to write some “40” themed blogs. The first:

I could live almost anywhere and here are 40 reasons why:

10 Reasons why I love the city of Chicago:

1 The diversity is uncanny compared to almost anywhere in the world
2 Chicago has the best hot dogs, pizza, burgers, and overall best food I have ever had
3 Being on Lake Michigan is one of my fondest memories in the city
4 Everything is always open and always at your fingertips
5 It’s a sports lover’s paradise
6 One man: Frank Lloyd Wright
7 The architecture is magnificent
8 The park system and wildlife is way underrated in Chicago
9 Tre Kronor
10 If it wasn’t for overpriced homes I would have a home there, well unless…

10 Reasons why I love Massachusetts:

11 Almost all of Jess’ family lives in Massachusetts
12 The Atlantic Ocean is less than half a mile away from where I live
13 The state is jam-packed with history
14 It has such a diverse geographical region for being so small
15 The Appalachian Trail
16 The Wayside Inn
17 Those little town greens that everyone talks about
18 The fascinating differences in pronunciation (Barnstable is “barn-stuh-ble”, not “barn-stable”)
19 Where’s all the traffic?
20 We have a yard and a garden

10 Reasons why I could live in Ann Arbor:

21 The University of Michigan
22 Michigan football
23 Ann Arbor is the most unique city I have visited
24 Zingermans, Washtenaw Dairy, and Blimpy Burger
25 Green libraries and Co-ops in a city? Yes!
26 One of the top 10 hospitals in the world
27 Kerrytown, Hill Auditorium, and The Michigan Theater
28 A big city with a small town feel
29 The town is just a little bit liberal
30 The Hands-On Museum

10 Reasons why I could live anywhere:

31 I grew up in the flat Midwest – geography doesn’t get more boring than that
32 There is always new food to try
33 You can go birding anywhere
34 You can find a geocache all around the world
35 Water pipes won’t freeze in the south
36 You can tell a grasshopper joke just about anywhere
37 I’m happy as long as there is a river and a kayak in hand
38 A good book travels anywhere
39 Three words: “Netflix instant watch”
40 I could live anywhere, as long as I am with Jess

water: revisited

Back in September of 2008 I wrote a blog on the sustainability of tap water over bottled water. In a 2007 online article from National Geographic's Green Guide states that tap water just isn't about sustainability and money - but health. Just another reason not to buy bottled water. Check out the article here.

libraries and healthcare

Headline: “Government leaks to public that public libraries are a socialist idea. Libraries are shut down across the country!”

It sounds crazy, but is it? In today’s world in the U.S. the rich are buying books. It doesn’t matter if it is the hard copy first edition, the second edition soft-cover a few months later, or the $1.00 book at the used bookstore. The poor? Well - they are going to the library. And what about computers? The rich: they have one or two or three in their home. Or for the most frugal using the computer they use everyday at work. The poor? There is not a computer they are working on, because the work they are doing doesn’t involve a computer. And since the cost of computers is so high (even when they are priced in the low hundreds) that certainly the poor who are barely making ends meet what with paying for rent and food for the week can’t afford even the cheapest computer. So – where does someone go that can’t afford books or a computer? The library.

Books and computer may seem just like a form of entertainment, but they are as essential as food and health in today’s world. Well, at least if you want to pick yourself up by your bootstraps. (That is if you have any.) It’s hard to find jobs without the computer these days. You certainly can’t write a resume or cover letter without one. And books? Well, they are the foundation of education, of course. Enough said.

But the library doesn’t sound crazy. And giving access to free books and computers doesn’t sound socialist. Then why is it so crazy to also use public money for maybe the most basic need next to shelter and food – healthcare? Is health a right or a privilege?

As the world seeks to be more progressive and good, why then is it so far away from helping the most basic needs of the ones that can’t afford to help themselves? Would it not be more progressive and good to help instead of hinder and divide? Are we just regressing to a society of kings and serfs?