Growing Up in Chicago

As I indulge in the more reflective stages of my life, I stop to consider the effects on that life of having grown up in Chicago. Sadly, I left Chicago a number of years ago but visits have disclosed that it changed substantially without my presence or absence having been detected or recorded. The lakefront has been impacted by the development of Navy Pier and Millenium Park and I know through alumni information that Loyola University Chicago has added and upgraded. Beyond that, I haven't had much opportunity to delve into the growth of my home town.

Since leaving Chicago, I have lived in two major metropolitan areas, neither of which approaches the spirit and culture of Chicago. I admit that my recollections may be somewhat romanticized by my long separation but none of those remembrances are negative in any way. Then and now I think of Chicago as a mecca for diversity, education, culture, history and everything that can be right about a city. Philosophically, I don't indulge in the whatifs regarding my decision to leave. This exercise is merely an analysis of my city's lasting effect on who I am.

Good or bad, virtually everyone has an opinion of Chicago. It's big, it's busy, it's been characterized as politically corrupt and subject to the sociology of poverty, unemployment and inherited social status. But it's the heart of Chicago that you don't get unless you've lived there.

Traveling on public transportation is often subject for nostalgia. Having ridden buses, trains, cabs and elevated trains for all of that life, I am accustomed to the crowds, the noises, the smells and the basic sense of moving through a vast city. What I miss is not that but rather the convenience I enjoyed of getting anywhere I wanted at any time without anxiety. I can't comment on how well other cities handle public transportation except for those in which I have lived, both of which fall quite short by comparison.

Other aspects that I've missed are generally Chicago's resources. I spent a substantial part of my childhood at the Museum of Science and Industry, never tiring of its size, its exhibits and its elegance of being perched on the lakefront, adjacent to Hyde Park. Again, a comparison to other cities is unsatisfactory, even with their own museums. Add to Science and Industry the Field Museum, aquarium, planetarium, the wonderful, majestic Art Institute and the rich resources of the Chicago Public Library. Adults and children are vastly enriched by these assets and I can't imagine having completed my education without having been able to use these venues as prolifically as I did.

Beyond this is the now often obscure concept of growing up in a neighborhood. We knew all of our neighbors in our small ranch home on the southeast side of Chicago. That didn't mean that we spoke to all of them, but they were all available at events of joy and crisis, sharing time, sharing food and sharing the neighborhood joining our lives. My friends were always within walking distance, as were all three of the schools that I attended. I have since sensed the concept of belonging to a parcel of geography, complete with its White Sox pride, seeing each other in all shopping and eating venues and now waxing nostalgic about our sensed unified experience.

Does any of this pay the bills or improve my blood pressure? Decidedly not. But I am certain that there are lessons still learned for me and my offspring, with respect to understanding the concepts of loyalty or pride. In generations of self-absorbed and self-gratifying lives, belonging to something bigger must be a desirable concept. On a much larger scale, I can't help but believe that learning how to make contributions to the world around us from one casserole or hopscotch tournament to the next must be in the best interests of the greater good.