I am from a south suburb of Chicago. Please note that I did not say that I grew up IN Chicago, as this makes real Chicagoans quite angry (and you wouldn't like them when they get angry.) I grew up with The Bozo Show, Jay's Potato Chips, Canfield's Pop, COMISKEY Park, the SEARS Tower, the Bulls, Da Bears, ending my sentences with a preposition, and lots of South Side Pride. I loved the town where I spent my childhood, Homewood, and loved that downtown was an easy 30-40 minute ride on the Metra (translation: the commuter train). We took many trips to the Museum of Science and Industry, Chinatown, the Shedd Aquarium, and many of the other attractions the large city had to offer.
I chose to attend Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. I'm not sure why my parents agreed to out-of-state tuition, but they liked that it was only two hours away. I had not spent much time in Indiana up until that point, so I often describe my first impressions of Purdue as a bit of a culture shock. For one thing, I am pretty sure my high school was more diverse than Purdue at that time. I also had to get used to the belt-buckle, Wrangler-wearing students from rural communities who were there to study some kind of agriculture. (Okay, I'm sure I am stereotyping, but let's be honest..MOST of them were studying something in the school of ag.) I was introduced to country music and combines. Despite all of that, I quickly became a proud Boilermaker and fell in love with college life. I loved bringing my Indiana friends home and taking them to "the big city".
A few years later, I met and married a native hoosier, and we ended up staying in Indiana. I held on to my Illinois plates and driver's license as long as I could. When people asked where I was from, I always started my sentence with, "Well, I was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago..." I did not claim this state and its crazy love of basketball, John Mellencamp, and deep-fried tenderloins. I'd tell people that Indianapolis was okay for a small city, but it was no Chicago. After 10 years, "proud" would never be a word I would use to describe the city that is within a 20 minute drive from me. Until last week, that is.
When it was announced that Indianapolis would be hosting the Super Bowl in 2012, I kind of cringed. Who would want to come to the midwest, especially in February? How would a city the size of Indianapolis provide enough for visitors to do? I thought that this would be one more thing about Indiana that my family would add to their repertoire of jokes about hicks and hoosiers. I am happy to admit that I was wrong.
The excitement building up to the big game here was incredible. I think that because we were a smaller city that was not used to big name celebrities and coverage in our town, it made us all work harder to get the city ready. Hotels were built. Streets were fixed. Hundreds of people signed up to volunteer their time to act as ambassadors of the city for out-of-town guests. And in the end, the size of our city actually turned out to be a huge benefit. (The unseasonably warm temperatures didn't hurt, either.) People loved that restaurants, bars, stores, movie theaters, and even the stadium were all within walking distance of their hotels. Streets were closed off and all kinds of entertainment was provided in order to make the city one big party. Guests commented on just how nice and helpful everyone was. (Hoosier Hospitality is not a myth!) It was exciting to see the city featured throughout the week on national TV. I could honestly say that I was proud of how the city looked and all that was going on.
I hope that this positive experience will make people realize that Indy is more than a car race and a fly-over city. There are fantastic museums, symphonies, plays, restaurants, sporting events, concerts, and schools. And even though I still love visiting Chicago and running into transplanted suburbanites who know that Aurelio's is pizza, I will be happy to tell you that Indiana is where I make my home.
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