The Couscous Chronicles

My streak is almost over.  I write this as I am on the cusp of a minor upheaval in my years of living in suburbia. I have been living in suburbia most of my adult life.  I experienced it from the bucolic “first post WWII planned GI community” in Park Forest, IL. to the edge city suburbia of Detroit’s Southfield and the New York City commuter bedroom community of Norwalk, CT.  Not exactly the quintessential stuff, but you get the picture.

“Shame” on me some of you would say, particularly those of you whom consider yourselves the proper urban pioneer types.  That’s ok too because I am as comfortable in my skin as I am sure you are in yours. You see given my wife and I are able to sell our home in the Cincinnati mega suburb of West Chester we will relocate to a different kind of “suburb” in the inner I-275 loop/beltway historical village of Glendale.   This concerns me as Glendale is technically supposed to be more of an “urban like” suburb if you know what I mean.  My wife assures me its all about being able to walk every where and being able to get the kids to school, soccer, and “calculating minds” sooner and in shorter distances and let us not forget it will be a shorter commute to work for myself.  I don’t buy it.  Don’t get me wrong Glendale is a great community and I am looking forward to moving there, but I struggle with all the burdens we place on where we live.  I am furthest from being one of those folks who actually believes that if you move somewhere it will change you.  I am the exact opposite.  My belief is you make the place (through community involvement and support) and the place does not make you.

The whole suburbia itch began for me when I was in pre-K and growing up in Park Forest, IL.   Back in the early seventies Park Forest was the ideal suburb to raise kids.  I knew this not only because I heard my parents repeat it all the time, but I felt it every time I set foot on one of the numerous playgrounds, climbed its crab apple trees, and swam in its Aqua Center.  It was safe clean and yes you could “walk” everywhere unencumbered by the fear that you could get hit by a car as all the sidewalks practically connected with minimal street crossings.  I spent most days there like a modern day Huck Finn, the only difference was that I did all my exploring via my ninety eight percent plastic big wheel tricycle.  Now I too look forward to seeing my two kids experience their own form of urban Huckleberryism in the urbanist surburban confines of Glendale.