Chicago 2009
The Midwest is far too polite to ever secede from the greater-United States, but if it asked nicely and became its own nation (after Canada even more politely (but wisely) rejected it): Chicago would have to be the capital, right? I’m just guessing, but I bet it’s safe to assume that whether one hails from the likes of Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis, or any enclave within relative proximity—they’ve viewed “The Second statistically Third City” with admiration. Not necessarily with respect (because fuck the Cubs), but certainly with a reverence (because who didn’t love Michael Jordan?).
Even if you lived in a “big city,” Chicago was the first big “big city” that many of us ever made a pilgrimage to. There, in the metropolis that boasts strong breezes: skyscrapers actually scraped the sky, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company wasn’t just a movie plot device, and the people were like you. It wasn’t a megalopolis of vapid personalities more fit for a 90210 area code, nor was it home to vastly overrated friends—it was the kind of place which taught you: family matters.
I knew Ben and Chris in high school, but I didn’t really know Jason back then. Granted, all four of us had worked together at the amusement park, but while Alex and Jeffy were technically brothers, Ol’ Jay and I had a different kinship—attending not just the same educational institution, but the same Wood Coaster Maintenance shifts. And the four of us—all hailing from the northwestern suburbs of the great Queen City—loved the same band.
So, we went to Chicago for said band’s tenth anniversary show.
It was a memorable time, even if we had poor service at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Sixteen years later, I felt that these photographs were appropriate for this 1970s-era picture frame that I purchased from my neighbor/friend’s store.
Since 2007, the content of this website (and its former life as Queen City Discovery) has been a huge labor of love.
If you’ve enjoyed stories like The Ghost Ship, abandoned amusement parks, the Cincinnati Subway, Fading Ads, or others over the years—might you consider showing some support for future projects?
