Today I learned that Forbes magazine has named my city as one of theTop 10 Most Miserable Cities In America. Hey now! Don't these editors know that only those who live in these cities are allowed to complain about them? My city ranks right up there thanks to our large amounts of snow and poor economy. Yes, that does suck. And I guess our pro sports teams are nothing to write home about, except for one shining star (who hails from my real hometown, which is so not a miserable city, despite all you may have heard).
All is not lost in these parts, however. I present to you my list of why I'm proud to live here:
1. We have a national park! Not many other urban areas can claim this. Miles and miles of trails and towpaths to hike, ride bikes, cross country ski, jog, whatever you desire to work off #2. And I've never been mugged on these paths, so there's something to brag on.
2. We have great restaurants. We have a Little Italy, for crying out loud! I could spend every weekend for the rest of my life doing the fine dining thing and still not make it to all our fair city has to offer. And I've only gotten food poisoning once. Just stay away from the tuna steaks.
3. We've got museums.......art, music, science, historical. You name it, it's here. The ballet packed their tutus and left for one of those flaky California towns, but we've still got the orchestra. And Fleetwood Mac is coming this spring and we've got a loge for it, so put that in your pipe, Forbes Magazine, and smoke it! Ever been to a Fleetwood Mac concert? ;)
4. The shopping - we've got two beautiful outdoor malls and tons of indoor ones. I've got the shoes to prove it.
5. I can get most places in a half hour. That's the only way to describe it. It's interstate central around here. Or, as my dad always says, "just get on the expressway."
6. The people. So, we're a miserable city and not many people move here. That just means the people who do stay are a tough crowd. We've got each others' backs. We're not going anywhere. At least until we can afford that retirement condo in Arizona.
A shout out to all the others on this list:
1. Stockton, CA
2. Memphis, TN
3. Chicago, IL
4. Cleveland, OH
5. Modesto, CA
6. Flint, MI
7. Detroit, MI
8. Buffalo, NY
9. Miami, FL
10. St. Louis, MO.
Wow, I must live close to Misery Ground Zero. . .
ReplyDeleteTwo of the Miserable Ten are within an hour-and-a-half drive of us (here in Michigan, we've been known to comfort ourselves by saying, 'at least we're not in Detroit; or Flint'). And three others are within five hours of us (and St. Louis is a bit of a stretch, but you could still do it in one day).
But yeah - if you live there, you see more of the plus-side than folks from Forbes who may or may not have even visited in the course of writing their piece. . .
You city sounds like it beats out my city for just about everything. Forget Forbes, their a bunch of snobs! :O)
ReplyDeletehometown pride trumps all. that's a great list you worked up to counter the rotten ranking from forbes.
ReplyDeleteAnd, uh, how is the list ordered? Is Stockton the Most Miserable, or St. Louis?
ReplyDelete'Cuz I've been to Cleveland and Chicago, and I'd have a hard time thinking either of them was more miserable than Detroit or Flint. . .
Desmond - Gotta love that midwest misery!
ReplyDeleteJody - Are you close to Quebec or Montreal? I've always wanted to visit those cities.
Lime - Thanks, Lime.
Desmond - #1 is considered the worst. It's amusing that it's in the land of sunshine, but I really know nothing about Stockton.
I can't speak for how fabulous Chicago is, for my only time there was spent locked in a (nonprofit's) conference room for two days, hammering out ad campaigns that bored me to tears. The experience was miserable, and the 3 hour delay to go home that I discovered when I arrived at O'Hare were miserable, but the sliver of the city I saw from my hotel window seemed delightful.
ReplyDeleteI like aspects of St. Louis, but when I go there now, it seems like I mostly just see the Target and Wal-Marts because that's the part of St. Louis my sister loves. For the record, there are some lovely Targets there. :)
I've often thought that it all depends on what is important to you. For me, bad weatehr would trump nearly everything. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Memphis and I have to say that I personally LOVE it. Who comes up with these lists anyway?
ReplyDeleteI suppose it's all relative. For some, City = Miserable. But that's me .....
ReplyDeleteIf you like it/love it, who cares about Forbes? I mean, that's like a business-related Mag, right? Um, last I knew 'business' wasn't doing so good, whatta they know afterall?
FADKOG - We have friends from St. Louis, and they've always seemed to be proud of their hometown.
ReplyDeleteCitizen - Interesting. I have to say, it hasn't been till the last five years or so that I've come to despise the snow and cold. I'm not sure if it's old age or what my problem is, but Husband feels the same way I do now.
MamaDawg - That would be the fine folks at Forbes.
Xavier - That's why I live in the burbs.
Yeah, but how long is the bike ride to the beach from where you live? That's always been my critera for a great city.
ReplyDeleteSorry, once a beach bum, always a beach bum.
Good for you and your town...
Mike, I know what you mean; that was one of the best parts of growing up where I did. 'Course, from October to May, we could ride our bikes to the beach, but the amount of fun to be had was somewhat less than in the warm months. . . But I did take a soaker or two walking on the ice in wintertime. . .
ReplyDeleteIf y'all knew anything about Stockton you'd agree that it should be the #1 worst. I've been there.
ReplyDeleteI've also been to six of the others on the list, and it seems to me that Modesto, Chicago, Miami and St. Louis don't really belong on this list, at least not in my opinion. I have bad personal memories from Flint and Detroit so I do count them among the worst, but not so much for the cities themselves as the event (adoption that fell through) with which I associate them.
Mike - I could conceivably ride my bike to a beach, but it would be all rocky and the water would be freezing and gross!
ReplyDeleteTrue - I will have to google Stockton to find out why it's so lousy.
I've got relatives in the Cuyahoga Falls/Akron area, so I was there a time or two as a kid. Fantastic trails and parks. I also have an old friend that lives in Cleveland, but I never seem to make it that way to visit.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of wondering what makes a city so "miserable," other than reputation.
Yay! My city's not on the list! lol =)
ReplyDeleteLB - You fair weather people like to rub it in, doncha?
ReplyDelete