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| Manhattan skyline from Jersey City |
Maybe we'll enjoy the post factual world. Think about it. Trump gets re-elected — a coin toss right now. Democracy goes down the toilet, sure. But we all then can live in fantasy worlds of our own construction. We don't have to trouble ourselves with what is true and what is not.
Because facts can be difficult things. My column Wednesday was about New York City introducing rolling garbage cans, 40 years after Chicago did. It begins with this sentence, "Most Chicagoans have never been to New York City." Of course I considered whether that is actually true. I couldn't find anything as simple as a survey — nobody asking Chicagoans, "Have you ever visited New York?" So I thought about it. My analysis went like this: 11 percent of Americans never leave the state of their birth — there are surveys on that. Fifteen percent of Chicagoans are children, who usually haven't traveled many places, never mind a city 700 miles away. Seventeen percent of Chicagoans live below the federal poverty line — not much tourism there, and New York is a particularly expensive destination.
Because facts can be difficult things. My column Wednesday was about New York City introducing rolling garbage cans, 40 years after Chicago did. It begins with this sentence, "Most Chicagoans have never been to New York City." Of course I considered whether that is actually true. I couldn't find anything as simple as a survey — nobody asking Chicagoans, "Have you ever visited New York?" So I thought about it. My analysis went like this: 11 percent of Americans never leave the state of their birth — there are surveys on that. Fifteen percent of Chicagoans are children, who usually haven't traveled many places, never mind a city 700 miles away. Seventeen percent of Chicagoans live below the federal poverty line — not much tourism there, and New York is a particularly expensive destination.
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| Most Americans never see her. |
The tourism industry offers some clues. A 2012 Hotwire survey found 62 percent of Americans have never been to the Statue of Liberty — true, you can visit New York and not go, but it's high up on the must-do list. A 2018 VOA News study found only 30 percent of 2,000 Americans had been to the Empire State Building. Yes, New York reports 60 million tourists a year, which would mean the entire population of the United States cycles through every six years or so. But many are from overseas, and many are repeat visitors — I've gone at least dozen times, if not two.
The search can lead you down all sorts of rabbit holes — are Chicagoans more or less likely to travel than the average American? I decided to go with "most." Most Americans don't have a passport either (not that you need one to visit New York, but possessing a passport is connected with a tendency to take significant trips — like visiting New York. A 2018 Victorinox survey said 13 percent of Americans don't own luggage — hard to go to NYC without it).
I wasn't the only person to wonder about the opening sentence's veracity. An editor changed it to "Many Chicagoans probably have not been to New York City." Which irked me, first because of that "probably" — no, I thought, "Many Chicagoans have abso-fucking-lutely not been to New York City." I knew why the editor did it — the truth being hard to find, smart to dial back the sentence. I have a writerly edict about that — "It's better to be vague than wrong."
But I have another imperative: "If you are going to take Vienna, take Vienna." A line of Napoleon's. Meaning, don't be half assed. If you want to say something, say it. Don't pussyfoot around. I talked to the editor and we changed it back to "most" and jettisoned that "probably."
The next morning — aka Wednesday — I had qualms. Doubt crept in, and and I looked harder. Still nothing definitive, and Google now vomits up reams of Reddit pages of people speculating and chattering. I looked for a New York Tourism office in Chicago and came up empty. I fired a query to the New York City Tourism Office — the office is closed until Sept. 2. Maybe that's part of the problem. As social media and automatic systems grow, the availability of humans who can answer questions shrinks. I phoned, finally got someone. They're checking, but I bet they run into the same problems I did.
Though I'm still working on the question. That's the beauty of this whole daily business. One may persist over time. I'm starting to fear this is a research failure on my part — the truth is out there, as they say, I'm just not finding it. Maybe the hive can be of assistance. Is a correction in order? I'm still thinking Chicago consists of 51 percent homebodies, at least New York wise. That if 1.3 million Chicagoans have been to New York, 1.4 million haven't. Though I could be wrong.
The search can lead you down all sorts of rabbit holes — are Chicagoans more or less likely to travel than the average American? I decided to go with "most." Most Americans don't have a passport either (not that you need one to visit New York, but possessing a passport is connected with a tendency to take significant trips — like visiting New York. A 2018 Victorinox survey said 13 percent of Americans don't own luggage — hard to go to NYC without it).
I wasn't the only person to wonder about the opening sentence's veracity. An editor changed it to "Many Chicagoans probably have not been to New York City." Which irked me, first because of that "probably" — no, I thought, "Many Chicagoans have abso-fucking-lutely not been to New York City." I knew why the editor did it — the truth being hard to find, smart to dial back the sentence. I have a writerly edict about that — "It's better to be vague than wrong."
But I have another imperative: "If you are going to take Vienna, take Vienna." A line of Napoleon's. Meaning, don't be half assed. If you want to say something, say it. Don't pussyfoot around. I talked to the editor and we changed it back to "most" and jettisoned that "probably."
The next morning — aka Wednesday — I had qualms. Doubt crept in, and and I looked harder. Still nothing definitive, and Google now vomits up reams of Reddit pages of people speculating and chattering. I looked for a New York Tourism office in Chicago and came up empty. I fired a query to the New York City Tourism Office — the office is closed until Sept. 2. Maybe that's part of the problem. As social media and automatic systems grow, the availability of humans who can answer questions shrinks. I phoned, finally got someone. They're checking, but I bet they run into the same problems I did.
Though I'm still working on the question. That's the beauty of this whole daily business. One may persist over time. I'm starting to fear this is a research failure on my part — the truth is out there, as they say, I'm just not finding it. Maybe the hive can be of assistance. Is a correction in order? I'm still thinking Chicago consists of 51 percent homebodies, at least New York wise. That if 1.3 million Chicagoans have been to New York, 1.4 million haven't. Though I could be wrong.
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| Katz's Deli |
$10 & $20 tips at a deli counter???
ReplyDeleteThat's outrageously expensive & overpriced!
never been to New York ?
DeleteYou can be certain that many Chicagoans have not been to New York City, but it's speculation that most have not. So if it's accuracy you're striving for you should probably have gone with many maybe left out probably
ReplyDeleteI have been to NYC 8 or 9 times. More on that later. But I'm not normal.
ReplyDeleteMy first visit to New York was in 1962, at 15. Wanted very much to see a ballgame at the Polo Grounds, but my father vetoed that idea. Stayed with relatives in Queens, and learned the hard way what the "Curb Your Dog" signs meant. They were not pleased.
DeleteIn '65, at 18, I took my first plane ride. Stayed on Long Island. Met a girl, took her to the World's Fair, had a summer romance. Her friends didn't believe I was from Chicago, and Jewish. They all thought I was Italian, and from Brooklyn. Insulted? Never been more honored in my life.
Went back to NYC in '68, and did something I'd wanted to do since childhood... ate at an Automat. I don't think they're still around. That was my last visit until almost thirty years later. In '97, I picked the wrong day to visit the Empire State Building. A guy (from Texas, natch) showed up with a loaded handgun. There was a lockdown, and everyone was detained and searched. 9/11 was still four years away.
In 2004, I stayed with a young transit engineer, and got a personal tour of the subway system. Rode on century-old cars, because it was the system's centennial celebration. That was truly a memorable experience. Once in a lifetime. Like seeing a total eclipse.
Haven't been to New York in almost twenty years. I'm old now, it's pretty expensive, and I still have a lot of other places on my bucket list...like the WWII Museum in New Orleans. So it's been five visits, lifetime, and three of them were in the 60s. Don't know if that's "average" or "normal" for a Midwestern geezer. Maybe, maybe not.
I've been there several times over the years, the last in 2023, where one day I walked 12 miles.
ReplyDeleteI have been there many times but that’s just me!
ReplyDeleteBMP
I have been to NYC once, on a two-week business trip in 1984. Stayed in a hotel that was convenient but not fabulous. Didn't note the garbage but spent some time in a hospital ER learning that I did not have kidney stones. The Lady was sheathed in scaffolding but I did see her. The WTC was still standing and I went to the top, only to find I really do not like heights. Visited my step-brother in his Village apartment, tiny but rent controlled. Made me appreciate my large one bedroom apartment in Uptown. I was glad to come home to Chicago, where the south side remained largely unexplored
ReplyDeleteVisited NYC in the early 2000s. Stayed in Harlem, in a brownstone that was being used as a b&b, explored sites from the Harlem Renaissance, visited Ellis Island, a restored tenement building, etc. Interesting comparison to the Chicago south side where I grew up.
ReplyDeleteIf you count the entire history of Chicagoans since its incorporation the it is surely true.
ReplyDeleteHave been to NYC quite a few times, though quite a number of the trips were business-related. For non-business reasons? Maybe 3-4 times.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great research challenge you've got for yourself. Been to NYC twice -- once for work, once visiting friends -- never saw Statue of Liberty or Empire State Bldg.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been there many times as my daughter is a soprano at the Met Opera. I love the energy of NYC, as you mentioned in your column.
ReplyDeleteI've been there 2x to NYC, stayed in Manhattan. Family was there once. Nice place to visit but wouldn't want to live there. All should see, if the can, the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial.
ReplyDeleteYes, Ellis Island makes for a great visit too.
ReplyDeleteDon't be so hard on yourself.
ReplyDeleteJust once…1990. I was mesmerized. The flow of humanity was amazing. Constantly moving, no down time. Everyone I encountered was friendly, and instantly mentioned that I wasn’t from New York! 😂. I remember returning to Chicago thinking it was a ghost town compared to NYC. I’m happier with Chicago, but it was a thrill!
ReplyDeleteFor several years, I worked one or more weeks per year in New York, while still living here in Chicago. Whenever I tell that tale on the bonnie shore of Lake Michigan, I'm continually surprised by how many blank stares I get. It's unfortunate and bizarre to live in the eastern half of the United States and never visit its vibrant capitol. I recently published a piece that must have received 100 individual reactions in various places. The article included a reference to Jimmy Breslin, and opined that he was the best newspaper columnist of the late 20th Century. None of the comments noted that opinion, which leads me to guess few of the readers knew who the hell Breslin was. And if you're over 50, as I certainly am, and you don't even know who Breslin was, you
ReplyDeletemay be a great person, but you probably aren't interested enough in NYC to be dying to visit.
I taught a class in journalism at Loyola downtown maybe 15 years ago. Only one student in 21 recognized the name "Mike Royko." Tempus fugit.
DeleteYeah, I remember you mentioning that one, Mr. S. Only people of a certain age still remember Royko, whose final column was in '97. At a Chicago-centric Farcebook page, I asked: "Who read Royko?" Got well over 400 replies, mostly from folks who were over 50.
DeleteThe youngest among them remembered reading him in their kid days. People in their 60s and 70s read his columns for a third of a century. The Millennials and Gen Zs either barely knew his name at all, or were clueless. Those who remembered Mike? Well, they were a mixed lot. Some loved him. Others, not so much. He had a nasty and abrasive side in Real Life. Especially when he drank, which was early and often in his later years.
Being a journalism major and a lover of words, I certainly knew who Breslin was. Also Pete Hamill, who may have been even better. And I'm so old that I grew up reading Jimmy Cannon's syndicated column in the Daily News. He wrote some classic pieces, not all of them about sports. I clipped and saved some of them as a teen. Still have a few.
Grizz, I am your age. I don't think one can blame they younger people not to know who Royko was. This goes for any subject, movies, music, sports. If you asked a younger person if they have ever heard some singer or group from the 50's or 60's I m sure you would get a blank stare. I doubt most young people know who George Carlin was.
DeleteDepends on your definition of "young"...Carlin died in 2008. Not so long ago: the year of Obama. George was pretty memorable while he was alive. Could he really have been forgotten by now? Some people stand the test of time, and some don't. Especially writers. I always thought Royko would be remembered far more than he apparently has. But I was wrong.
DeleteFinley Peter Dunne (1867 – 1936) was an American humorist, journalist and writer from Chicago. His nationally syndicated Mr. Dooley sketches were hugely popular. Teddy Roosevelt was a huge fan of his. The fictional Mr. Dooley spoke in the thick accent of an Irish immigrant from County Roscommon, and pontificated on social issues of the day from his South Side Irish pub.
Writing in dialect is not an easy task. But reading it can be even more difficult. I couldn't do it. I returned the book to the bookstore. And who remembers Mr. Dooley now? Hardly anyone. Lost in the mists of time, like so many others.
I would be surprised if there’s any city outside of Illinois that *most* Chicago residents have been to. Your readership is probably not a representative sample, which is in no way meant disparagingly.
ReplyDeleteCoey
I'm thinking many of the commenters don't live in Chicago LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right. I've known suburbanites who've never been to the loop and south-siders who've never been to any of our museums. I was once giving a ride to Evanston with a client who lived near 95th and the Dan Ryan. She was in her late 40s, early 50s. Lifelong Chicagoan. She asked if we could drive by the lake on the way back since she hadn't seen it in a long time. She hoped that someday she could take her grandkids to the Shedd, though she'd never seen it herself.
ReplyDeleteLove New York, try to get there every couple of years for a play or two. That said, the last trip included our first visit to the Statue of Liberty. While it was cool and interesting, the ginormous queue to get on the boat was unsettling. One and done.
ReplyDeleteI'm no longer a Chicagoan, as of about 5 years ago. When I was, I visited NYC once as a tourist and 20-30 times for business. I feel lucky to have gotten to visit the roof of one of the towers of the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty. I've had my fill, though, and have no desire to go back.
ReplyDeleteI think you're safe here. Just using your own logic, which I agree with, coming up with 51% of people traveling is not a stretch. Assuming that 100% of the 51% all went to New York City is unrealistic. You have to throw any other destination into the mix; Orlando, LA, Gary, etc...
ReplyDeleteI've been to NYC about ten times and have enjoyed it every time, while doing lots of touristy things and plenty of other stuff. We went to the soup place made famous by "Seinfeld" a couple times. Uh, that was really good soup and as fun as I hoped it would be! My change was handed over as 4 crisp, new dollar bills in a regular white envelope.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Wednesday's column, I paused for a moment, considered the opening sentence and decided it was most likely true. Personally, I'd have gone with "many," regardless, and left out the "probably."
I'm more mystified by the folks that Ann refers to: "suburbanites who've never been to the loop." I'm a city resident by choice and I've happily visited plenty of suburbs! ; )