Depends on how you define “where you live.” I live in Chicago, the attractions of which are pretty obvious to anyone (except the Cubs; I’l never understand that, even if Wrigley Field is a 10-minute bus ride from my apartment). My neighborhood is really interesting; a couple of blocks to one side, we have a large Southeast Asian/Chinese concentration, complete with roasted ducks hanging in the window (yum!). Half a mile from here is the Green Mill, a jazz club that used to be a speakeasy owned by Al Capone. In the other direction, a couple of blocks away is a neighborhood that has a Middle Eastern element, combined with the remains of a Swedish element that was much stronger a couple of decades ago (all that remains is the Swedish Museum, a couple of restauants, and a couple of delis). Now the neighborhood is more and more populated with gay professional couples who want some peace and quiet, but don’t want to move to the suburbs. It’s great people-watching around here, not to mention great eating!
Evanston, where I grew up (it’s the first suburb north of Chicago) is known for being the home of Northwestern University, but how many of you knew that it was also the home of the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement? There was no package liquor sold in town until maybe 10 years ago; there were only a couple of restaurants when I was a kid that had liquor licenses at all, which meant they could serve beer and wine, but ONLY if you ordered a full meal.
We are a very small island (24 sq. miles) with 65 000 inhabitants
We were the only part of the British Isles (well, us and the other Channel Islands) to be occupied by the Nazis in WW2. There was a death camp on Alderney
Pubs still don’t serve alcohol on a Sunday, and you can’t buy petrol, books or alcohol in a shop or garage on a Sunday (all changing though…)
We too have our own government, although we’re ultimately ruled by the Queen - who we’re supposed to call the Duke of Normandy, despite the fact she’s female…
We have some good cussing words, like ‘boodiax’ (it means ‘disgusting’) and 'bloney ‘eck’ (bloody hell)
National speed limit: 35mph
Seriously gorgeous beaches and bays, especially in the south (where I live :D)
We’re where the cows and jumpers come from
Best of all (IMHO) there isn’t a Macdonald’s/Burger King/KFC/Pizza Hut/Dominos in the entire island! Sometimes I wonder if we’re the only place in the world that’s true. And there’s no unemployment, no homelessness, not much crime…
My area of the UK…
Charles Dickens stayed for a bit, and partly based “Nicholas Nickleby” on a school nearby.
Oliver Cromwell stayed for a night while he was passing through.
The bloke who came up with Parkinson’s law lived here (someone Parkinson )
Jeremiah Dixon of the Mason and Dixon line lived in a nearby village
I think some parts of “Robin Hood Prince of Thieves” were filmed nearby, but am not sure.
Houston is generally a mundane city, but it has some unusual history.
1950’s popular musician Johnny Ace accidentally killed himself here before a Christmas Eve performance in '55 I believe it was.
There’s a serial killer currently operating on the highway to Galveston.
There was a suicide bomber at Edgar Allan Poe Elementary in the late '50s which killed (IIRC) seven people, including the bomber.
There’s an abandoned hospital downtown which is built on an old Confederate veteran cemetary. Appropriately, the building is named the “Jefferson Davis Hospital.” It was built in the '30s, with the basement being built above ground so as not to disturb the estimated 3,000+ corpses in the soil below it. Houston’s first morgue was here.
We also have the source of lots of industry here. Jesse H. Jones and Howard Hughes are but a few of the titants of commerce who have called Houston their home.
You reminded me about a couple of things about the IOM. I have to gloat…
Our national speed limit is, well, non existent (most of the roads have a speed limit, but some, during certain times of the year, don’t. And even when they do - few obey them. It is one big racecourse afterall. There is a day, called Mad Sunday, where the TT course is open to all, but one way only, and you can go as fast as you want, but you are warned - there are other cars and motorbikes trying to go as fast as they can.
The beaches/bays are pretty average, but the hills/glens/ countryside are gorgeous.
There are more non-manx than manx people here.
On a clear day, on pendle hill - Accrington (where I grew up), I can see the isle of man (using binoculars)
Despite all the good points, I am homesick for Accrington (Lancashire)
In 1813 the Royalist forces were defeated at the gates of my city, thus was our revolution saved. In 1816 independence was finally declared in an unimpressive house a few hundred meters from my house.
In a huge country, my state is the smallest (only 22.524 square kilometers) but it doesn’t matter, the fertility of our territory, our many climates and our beautifull landscapes have earned my state the honour of being called “The republic’s garden” (which is really something in Argentina).
Well, New Orleans is known around the world for, of course, food, music, and most of all, drink (especially at Mardi Gras, although for most local people it’s a family celebration, not just a four-day drunk).
The French Quarter is quite historic; the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square is the oldest cathedral in North America, I believe. They upgraded it to electricity some years back, but have never installed plumbing – that might unsettle the foundations enough to damage the building.
A little-known fact about the French Quarter: It’s built on landfill, whereby swamps were filled in by tossing in cotton bales. That’s right, cotton bales. Which might account for the potholed characteristics of the streets…either that, or the chronic terminal neglect by the city.
New Orleans is located on a stretch of the Mississippi River that was home to many, many plantations; at one time, it had the majority of millionaires in the U.S. Of course, they made their money off slave labor, so I’m not sure it’s a bragging point.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that this is a truly unique town. Lots of fun! Some fabulous swamps and swamp critters, too, if you’re interested in such things!
Jackson was burned 3 times by Union troops in the Civil War. It
is also the birthplace of author Eudora Welty. The Governor’s Mansion (circa 1842) is one of only two executive homes to be designated a National Historic Landmark.
Vicksburg was the site of a famous siege during the Civil War. The surrender of V’burg occured on July 4th - the town refused to celebrate the 4th of July until very recently.
Flora has the Mississippi Petrified Forest (a Registered National Natural Landmark).
The 400-mile Natchez Trace Parkway stretching from Nashville to Natchez passes thru the metro area. It is an historic route originally traveled by Indians. The motor road has the distinction of being one of the few federally owned highways in the U.S.
Oxford, home of author William Faulkner, has the University of Mississippi complete with the historic 1960’s enrollment of James Meredith and ensuing race riot.
And of course, Tupelo has Elvis.
I’ve left out a lot, but this is really an intricate and richly interesting place to live. You should come visit !!!
[probably hijacking]Lobsang, how weird - I’m living in Lancashire at the moment! And we do have a little crappy Guernsey equivalent of the TT (oh, how my Manx friends go on about the TT!). It involves racing up a winding hill called the Val des Terres. Yes, exactly as exciting as it sounds… [/probably hijacking]
Thanks for the welcome been lurking for about two years now so I feel like I know everyone way better than I should… It’s racing up the hill, with those funny little low-down cars (yes - I’m not an expert ;)) and it’s quite often lethal, with cars going through the railings and over the cliffs. It’s also bloody noisy.
As for where I am, I’m actually at the uni, so just outside Lancaster. A lot of my friends are from Accrington and the surrounding area (wow, one of them’s just told me that Accrington means ‘town of acorns’).
Shit. I lived there for 22 years (I’m 24) and didn’t know that about Accrington (although ‘acorn’ does ring a very old bell)
You reminded me of a story about the TT. The most famous bit is sidecars - one year there was a dad/son team racing, the son was driving and the dad was in the sidecar. Well in the ‘mountains’ the dad fell off the bike and died. The son didn’t know until the start/finish line that his dad was no-longer on the bike. Sad story, but true I think.
Hillsboro, VA is the smallest independent city in Virginia with a population of 96 as of the 2000 census. Madeline Albright was raised here. It was a huge pain in the butt every time she came back because there’d be more secret service guys than citizens.
The mother of the Wright Brothers was born here.
Loudoun County, on the other hand, is famous (not really) for being the county in Virginia that came closest to joining West Virginia without actually doing it. When push come to shove it was very close as to whether Loudoun would join the Confederacy or not.
The Blair Witch project was shot about 10 miles from here in Burkittsville. Does that count?
Kim Jong Il once threatened to turn Palo Alto into a lake of fire.
Concerning New Orleans, I found it great how in Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces I would recall “I’ve been there” whenever X character went on Y street. It was nice.
