You can feel the pride in the air. It started, cautiously, before election day. It built to an amazing crescendo in Grant Park on election night - an experience we'll never forget- as hundreds of thousands of happy people flooded out of the park and through the nighttime streets of the Loop. Each person seemed to carry a little bit of new found pride and camaraderie and the world is noticing...
...Today, the NYT writes about what this turn of events means for Chicago, the city we call home.
It begins, SO long, Crawford, Tex. Even before President-elect Barack Obama takes office in 61 days, effectively crowning Chicago as the site of the Western White House, the city is basking in a moment of triumph that is spilling well beyond the confines of politics.
It goes on to discuss the Olympics bid, Trump Tower, the new modern wing of the Art Institute, Oprah and more - all in the name of a moment of renaissance for Chicago.
Jeff Tweedy of Wilco sums it up well - the election of Mr. Obama...has given an unusual boost of confidence in a city that is usually nonplussed.
Check out the full article here.
Photos: via Daily Mail and Paw Prints Cross Stitch
ya know, Chicago is a fabulous town. And Obama will be a fabulous president. This is the best political season I have ever seen, and I remember (vaguely) Kennedy, Johnson, McCarthy, McGovern.........oh the heart aches at the thought of all that disapointment. But now things will be so much better!
view Usbek de Perse's profile
If McCain won, I was leaving the U.S. The thought of living in the United States was scaring the crap outta me.
view DDgal's profile
This post gave me goosebumps...again. I've been getting those a lot lately when I think about our new President and future. :)
view pxlchk1's profile
I can't figure out the use there of the word nonplussed. Does he mean the correct definition "filled with bewilderment and confusion" or does he mean the common language error, something like 'bored' or 'not impressed'?
A boost of confidence in a city that is either of those things... doesn't make sense. An injection of excitement in the latter meaning makes sense but is wrongly put. A positive direction in a city that usually doesn't know what to do or how to solve problems is more linguistically correct but that doesn't seem like what he had in mind to say.. ??? He goes on to say, "people think of [Chicago] as being in a cornfield." What is he talking about? Does anyone think that?
view K T G's profile
Chicago was cool long before Election Day.
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
Midwest urban pride for Obama/Chicago coming from Mpls here!
view happify's profile
The cornfrield comment was a quote from a Chicago resident, so it's actually even an odder comment than if it had been said by a New York-centric Times writer. I thought the same as K T G, what idiot thinks Chicago is a cornfield?
view modernlust's profile