It's the City

I think one of the things I really like about living in a city is the mystery of the place. Sometimes I walk by these huge buildings and wonder what goes on inside them. I mean when you think about how big these building are, how dense these neighborhoods are you have to wonder what type of people you're surrounded by. This sounds kind of strange, but let's imagine what goes on in a suburban, semi-rural upper middle class Georgia county. I mean maybe there's two people in the whole county that have some really crazy secrets-like maybe they've killed someone, maybe they lead a double life or something. But in reality, NOTHING goes on there. Now I walk around Chicago and I walk by skyscrapers where hundreds of people live and you just have to think that someone in that building, or at least this block, has some really dark skeletons in their closet. At the same time, you've got kind of a comforting feeling. I mean, in all likelihood, there's someone in that building, or on that block or at least in that neighborhood that has the same dilemmas, same hopes and fears as you have. But still, that's kind of a mushy thought. It's much more interesting to walk around thinking about which little Italian haunt is really the center of organized crime in the Midwest. It's more intersting to walk by ultraexpensive hotels wondering what kind of executives, politicians and lawyers are planning the fate of the US and world economy. I mean you can get more saddistic-in what building is a kidnapping being planned, or a hit being ordered, or a major drug deal going down. Or, much more likely, how many people you think are in that 500 room hotel cheating on their spouse? While that's a little negative, pessimistic, and probably a little sick, you gotta admit it's intriguing. It's just like in a town like Athens, or even worse, Tyrone, stuff goes on, but really not that much stuff. Crazy stuff happens in Athens, I certainly would never deny that. But the population is just over 100,000. But in the city of Chicago, just the city, the popluation is like 2.8 million. It's just crazy to think of how much happens, how much goes on over the course of a week. I don't know, maybe I'm crazy.
At the same time, even with a huge city and a huge population, I have never felt like just a number in this place. I mean, I remember in Athens as an undergrad sitting in giant classrooms, never talking to anybody in class, never talking to a professor-I was just a stat, just a GPA. Here I feel like I can make this place mine. I can have my own regular spots. The busdriver recognizes me. I know the names of almost everyone in my class. I've made public transportation mine. I know this city reasonably well, I've found places I love. I've gotten to know a couple different neighborhoods. The place is huge, but at the same time it can be yours.
Lyrics:
"She said 'It's good to see you back in a bar band baby'.
I said it's great to see you're still in the bars.
went down on the tallboy cans and he woke up in a cargo van.
went down with the girls gone wild and he woke up with the middle man.
went down with like fourteen bucks and woke up with like sixteen grand.
went down with some crust punk junk and woke up with a straight edge band.
that's not how he planned it."
-The Hold Steady, Barfruit Blues