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Travel observations and new developments of other cities and countries


markhollin

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43 minutes ago, MLBrumby said:

Lots of new stuff since my last trip to Chicago almost ten years ago. But they've got to get rid of that incompetent mayor. The city's crime rate is skyrocketing. 

Actually, the overall crime rate is down slightly from 2019.  The violent crime rate is up, but unfortunately that's a 2020 trend cities throughout the country, including Nashville, are seeing due to a sort of perfect storm of conditions.  Violent crime, particularly in Chicago, is a complex issue and, in my opinion, it's pretty unreasonable to just place all the blame at the feet of whoever happens to be sitting in the mayor's chair at the moment, particularly one who has only occupied that chair for a little over one year.  Overall, I think Auntie Lori, as many of us like to call her, has done a good job.  

Also, I will take this opportunity to provide my seemingly annual reminder that despite the fact that Chicago is a popular 'dangerous city' poster child in certain circles, it's per capita violent crime rate is actually lower than about twenty other large US cities.  

Edited by BnaBreaker
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"Auntie Lori"... um, you're kidding, right? At the very least, she's a hypocrite per the woeful visit to her hairdresser. Anecdotal first... We've had three transfers since April to our southern offices, and they lived on the Gold Coast (incidentally all three have not been able to sell their homes). I'd say they're generally left-of-center in their politics but they unanimously agree that she's a disaster. One of them even insulted her management of the city in his introduction to the firm over Zoom.  Of course, they're close to retirement (late 50s), so their moves could also be attributed to being closer to their desired retirement location on the corporate dime. 

But violent crime is really EVERYTHING when it comes to choices where to live.  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/chicago-crime-complicated-truth-behind-defund-police-efforts-n1231381 Don't get me wrong, I think it's great whenever large legacy urban areas lose population to the benefit of sunbelt cities but not so much when they lose to (in many cases) the suburbs.  It comes down to management, and here's the statistics I've seen (of course, potentially manipulated by the powers in charge)... https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/08/01/cpds-july-crime-statistics-reveal-increase-in-gun-violence/

But here's an article that points to an uptrend in downtown residents, but a downtrend among people in the outer rings, especially south of downtown among the black population. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2020/Are-People-Really-Leaving-Streeterville/  This was from early this year, before the effects of COVID shutdowns and the riots. So it's sad, but a good mayor would have managed it far better than "Auntie Lori" (you're kidding, right?) [smh]

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1 hour ago, MLBrumby said:

"Auntie Lori"... um, you're kidding, right? At the very least, she's a hypocrite per the woeful visit to her hairdresser. Anecdotal first... We've had three transfers since April to our southern offices, and they lived on the Gold Coast (incidentally all three have not been able to sell their homes). I'd say they're generally left-of-center in their politics but they unanimously agree that she's a disaster. One of them even insulted her management of the city in his introduction to the firm over Zoom.  Of course, they're close to retirement (late 50s), so their moves could also be attributed to being closer to their desired retirement location on the corporate dime. 

But violent crime is really EVERYTHING when it comes to choices where to live.  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/chicago-crime-complicated-truth-behind-defund-police-efforts-n1231381 Don't get me wrong, I think it's great whenever large legacy urban areas lose population to the benefit of sunbelt cities but not so much when they lose to (in many cases) the suburbs.  It comes down to management, and here's the statistics I've seen (of course, potentially manipulated by the powers in charge)... https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/08/01/cpds-july-crime-statistics-reveal-increase-in-gun-violence/

But here's an article that points to an uptrend in downtown residents, but a downtrend among people in the outer rings, especially south of downtown among the black population. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2020/Are-People-Really-Leaving-Streeterville/  This was from early this year, before the effects of COVID shutdowns and the riots. So it's sad, but a good mayor would have managed it far better than "Auntie Lori" (you're kidding, right?) [smh]

I've gotta say my friend, it's a little strange to me that you're so opinionated about a city you have no ties to.  How my post specifically about 2020 violent crime rates inspired that broad rant, I really can't say.   What is it about Chicago that gets you so riled up?  Why are you "smacking your head" over a nickname, for example?  For the record, the "Auntie Lori" monicker is one part term of endearment and two parts running joke, because she has a tendency to be rather blunt and matter-of-fact in her proclamations in a way that reminds people of their Auntie telling them to 'stop picking on your cousin,' or 'go set the table for dinner' or whatever.  Still though, I'm not really sure why it bothers you and why Chicago specifically seems to be the object of your ire.   I mean, do you go on rants about the mayor of Kansas City after someone posts photos of their vacation there?  I'm guessing not, even though they are one of the many cities that has a higher violent crime rate than Chicago.  Even as I explain to you that Chicago isn't even in the top twenty most dangerous cities in the country in terms of violent crime rates, you continue on driving forward as if violent crime were exclusively a Chicago problem.  I'm at a loss as to why that is.  

In any case, I don't doubt that your three friends were disapproving of her, and that's fair.  Their reasons are their own, and I'm sure those reasons are valid, and stem from their life experience.   I'm not taking anything away from them.  However, as of August, Lightfoot had a 75% approval rating.  That may sound crazy to you, but you've got to understand that the vast majority of Chicagoans, myself included, lead very, VERY different lives than wealthy boomers from The Gold Coast on the verge of retirement.   I'm not by any means saying there aren't legitimate reasons to criticize Mayor Lightfoot, but is it really so hard to believe that the motivations and opinions and visions that drive your Gold Coast friends might not match up with those of your average Chicagoan?  Make of the numbers what you will, but the numbers are what they are, and the truth is that so far, generally speaking, Chicagoans are pretty fond of her and consider her to have their best interest at heart, and most Chicagoans aren't so unrealistic in their expectations that they're going to blame a mayor just fourteen months into her first term for all the problems this city faces.  You say "a good mayor would have managed it far better"... easy for you to say, I'm sure.  

As for the rest of your post, I do appreciate your effort to provide context through the links you posted, but trust me, you don't have to tell me about Chicago's issues.  I live here, and I face them every single day.  Quite frankly,  and I mean no disrespect to you as I think quite highly of you, but I do get pretty sick of listening to talking heads on TV and other people who have little to no experience with the city using it as a political prop and constantly trying to preach to us about how terrible we  supposedly are and what  usually laughably over-simplified and tone deaf things we should supposedly be doing to remedy said terrible-ness.   All that being said, again, I'm not even disagreeing with you that there are major issues, and that some people are distressed and leaving certain neighborhoods and that violent crime is on the rise this year.  Yes.  That's all happening.  I already acknowledged as much.  My question, again, is why you and so many others are so laser focused on wagging their finger at Chicago exclusively and using it as a whipping boy, when most of it's problems aren't unique to it, and in most cases, it is far from the worst offender.  I apologize for the rant... but it just gets tiresome.  

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Likewise, I mean no disrespect, and I feel the same toward you.  But I didn't say I have no connection to Chicago. Although I was born fifty miles north of the city in Wisconsin, my family moved south before I was two. However, I have a dozen cousins who still live in Chicagoland. They post a lot of stuff about what their city is going through on social media, and it's not good. It's true I'm not able to verify their comments first-hand, but the photos they've posted from the Mag Mile and some of the inner neighborhoods are truly sad.  I think anyone who loves Chicago should be concerned with the image of crime and apparent incompetence of your mayor to do anything about it.  What I've heard her say on camera is utterly derelict and irresponsible, mainly in regard to the truly alarming violent crime we all are hearing about.

Chicago was the first big city I ever visited when I was nine years old, and forty years later I still recall so much about it.  I don't want to see it decline!  I lived in suburban Detroit for two years as a young teen in the mid 80s and saw how quickly a city can decline when it has a reputation as poorly managed by corrupt officials. Whether true or not, the word is that Chicago is getting there fast, and that's coming from people I know who live/lived there. I urge you and everyone else who loves the place to kick your 'auntie' in the arse to get her city under control. I read an article in the NY Times last week where she blamed Donald Trump... really?  I didn't vote for Trump, but even I call BS on that!  She's accountable. The buck stops with Lori Lightfoot. 

I hear you on being tired of the comments about your city.  It's been nearly a decade since I last visited Chicago, but I used to go there at least once a year and loved it. It has a reputation as a hard-working city, and companies were always able to find great talent there.  The comments I've heard of late are very troubling, not unlike what I heard about Detroit back in the day.  I speak as someone who recognizes the uniqueness of the 24-hour downtown of the city, a rarity in America. From what I've heard, it's endangered. Hoping it's better than all that, I appreciate your view from up-close.

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11 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

Likewise, I mean no disrespect, and I feel the same toward you.  But I didn't say I have no connection to Chicago. Although I was born fifty miles north of the city in Wisconsin, my family moved south before I was two. However, I have a dozen cousins who still live in Chicagoland. They post a lot of stuff about what their city is going through on social media, and it's not good. It's true I'm not able to verify their comments first-hand, but the photos they've posted from the Mag Mile and some of the inner neighborhoods are truly sad.  I think anyone who loves Chicago should be concerned with the image of crime and apparent incompetence of your mayor to do anything about it.  What I've heard her say on camera is utterly derelict and irresponsible, mainly in regard to the truly alarming violent crime we all are hearing about.

Chicago was the first big city I ever visited when I was nine years old, and forty years later I still recall so much about it.  I don't want to see it decline!  I lived in suburban Detroit for two years as a young teen in the mid 80s and saw how quickly a city can decline when it has a reputation as poorly managed by corrupt officials. Whether true or not, the word is that Chicago is getting there fast, and that's coming from people I know who live/lived there. I urge you and everyone else who loves the place to kick your 'auntie' in the arse to get her city under control. I read an article in the NY Times last week where she blamed Donald Trump... really?  I didn't vote for Trump, but even I call BS on that!  She's accountable. The buck stops with Lori Lightfoot. 

I hear you on being tired of the comments about your city.  It's been nearly a decade since I last visited Chicago, but I used to go there at least once a year and loved it. It has a reputation as a hard-working city, and companies were always able to find great talent there.  The comments I've heard of late are very troubling, not unlike what I heard about Detroit back in the day.  I speak as someone who recognizes the uniqueness of the 24-hour downtown of the city, a rarity in America. From what I've heard, it's endangered. Hoping it's better than all that, I appreciate your view from up-close.

Thank you for your response MLB, I  understand and appreciate your perspective very much and respect you immensely.  I apologize for assuming you had no connection to the city and the, shall we say, b*tchy tone of my response haha... I've been a bit on edge lately.   Cheers.

11 hours ago, LA_TN said:

Enough. Take it to the coffee house

 

It was a conversation that lasted all of five posts.  Good grief.  

Edited by BnaBreaker
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3 hours ago, PHofKS said:

Some of the amazing variety of cities and towns and settlements I have visited in recent years. Love 'em all!! And Mom's old home in Colorado....

50305669358_54c353366f_h.jpg

Dude, your 'cards' are the best... as they present a collection of the best views of projects topical to the various thread in which they appear. 

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1 hour ago, smeagolsfree said:

The museum in Roswell is a hoot. I knew exactly where that one was taken when I saw it. We have hit a lot of the same places Pete.

No doubt, Ron. I took the highway from Alamogordo to Roswell which was incredible. And all those pictures are mine, also. No stock photos. I've been to all 50 states now and all the top 50 cities except San Diego.

Klaatu Barata Nikto!

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43 minutes ago, PHofKS said:

No doubt, Ron. I took the highway from Alamogordo to Roswell which was incredible. And all those pictures are mine, also. No stock photos. I've been to all 50 states now and all the top 50 cities except San Diego.

Klaatu Barata Nikto!

Been to San Diego, but not all 50 states. I have a handful to go  as well as a handful of the top 50 cities.  You forgot to say "Gort"!

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4 hours ago, PHofKS said:

No doubt, Ron. I took the highway from Alamogordo to Roswell which was incredible. And all those pictures are mine, also. No stock photos. I've been to all 50 states now and all the top 50 cities except San Diego.

Klaatu Barata Nikto!

I've been to all 50 states and I was just trying to figure out if I've been to the top 50 cities.  If you're talking about the largest by metro population or largest by the city population itself I'd be missing Columbus, Wichita, Tulsa and Raleigh.  I had never even thought about the cities before so now I guess I'm going to have to finish off the list!  Those four cities aren't really all that far from Nashville although Tulsa and Wichita don't sound like exciting destinations! 

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