My kinda town....

...Peoria is...my kinda town.

Ok. Sinatra, I'm not.

Sometimes, it seems as though

Eyebrows

, Zig and I are the only three people who live in Peoria who actually like it here.

I know that's not the case. It surely can't be. But it seems as though I hear a lot more negative things about Peoria than I do positive. Maybe it takes 'outsiders' like us to see Peoria from an objective point of view. I mean, isn't that usually the case? They do say that familiarity breeds contempt.

And yea...even after living here a little over five years, I still feel a bit like an outsider. But that's more than ok with me. I just happen to like the relative anonimity of being an outsider. After spending all of my childhood and most of my adult life in a couple of little towns where everyone knew your business...even before YOU did, in most cases...I LIKE people not knowing what I'm up to. Since Ziggy came from similar circumstances, I believe he feels the same way I do.

But being a teeny-weenie fish in a big pond isn't the only reason that I like Peoria. And believe me, coming from a hometown of about 200 people, Peoria IS a big pond.

Peoria really does have everything. Well, everything we'd need or want, anyway. Especially coming from a town where the most exotic thing you'd find on a restaurant menu is fried buffalo. And I ain't talkin about the big, hairy, four-legged mammal.

It has restaurants out the wazoo, a museum, libraries, three major hospitals, a gorgeous riverfront area, a plethora of grocery stores, a zoo, several theatres and tons of shopping. I really can't think of anything you'd need that can't be found here. The traffic's a piece of cake, even at rush hour. Don't believe me? Try driving in Atlanta during rush hour. Ya want culture? There's a local ballet company, an orchestra and a theatre company. The real bonus? Drive 10 minutes in one direction, and you're right 'uptown'. 10...ok, maybe 15...minutes in another and you're in the middle of a cornfield. It's the best of both worlds.

Like I said. It's got everything. Uh...except for an Amtrak station...never have figured THAT one out.

But it DOES have three...count 'em...THREE...Starbuck's. Life is good.

It's big enough to feel like a big city, but small enough to be able to get around without a GPS system.

Crime? Sure. Show me a city this size that doesn't have crime. Hell, show me a town of whatever size that hasn't had their share of crime.

High taxes? "High" is a relative term. Go buy a home...or a car...or a roll of toilet paper in New York, then come back and tell me how high the taxes are here.

Power-mad, limelight seeking politicians? You bet. Believe me...they're a buncha pantywaists compared to small town politicians. Ain't nothin worse than those bubbas.

A school board that seems hell-bent on having it their way or no way? Uh huh. It happens in small towns, too. You wanna see somethin ugly, watch a consolidation push in a small town sometime. As far as I know, there are still some people that aren't speaking to each other and haven't for the last 15 years or so.

The "not in MY backyard" mentality? Hell, NO town wants it in their backyard. A prison. A toxic waste dump. Whatever "it" is. But everything's gotta be someplace, don't it?

Ho's and pimps and druggies? Homeless people? I betcha I can find at least ONE of each of those in every town in Illinois.

No matter where ya go, no matter the size of the town, there's somethin to bitch about. No matter how bad ya think ya got it, there's somebody that's got it worse.

This outsider just happens to really like living in Peoria. I appreciate it for what it is, warts and all.

Comparatively speaking though, Peoria's warts are more like a mild case of acne.