I saw an interesting story yesterday on WGN TV.  Apparently Joliet is now the fastest-growing city in Illinois.  It grew by 35,000 between 2001 and 2006.  Other nearby medium-sized cities like Aurora also grew at similar rates.

What I find interesting about this is that Aurora and Joliet are not what I would immediately think of as boom towns.  Both cities went through a period of industrial boom and bust.  Both cities turned to casinos to help their downtown areas.  Both cities benefited from a wave of Mexican immigration.  And both areas are the beneficiaries of shifts in population growth away from the traditional high growth northern Chicago suburbs towards the south.

I think that planners too often look to the fast-growing cities of the south and west to find models for successful urban rebirth.  But maybe everyone should figure out how Aurora and Joliet, Illinois were able to take a hardscrabble urban environment and make it grow.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=5430503

Notes from Philly…

We were worried before we left that the Northwest pilots’ slowdown would impact us.  We had read in the newspapers that 20% of Northwest flights from Detroit had been cancelled in previous days.  So, we called several times to make sure that things were on schedule.

When we arrived at the airport, all of the news crews were out.  We saw the WWJ reporter working in the news truck.  As we waited in line, we waved to Brandon Trutling of Channel 7.  He laughed and yelled “Is your flight cancelled?”  “We sure hope not.  But we’ll be sure to come back if it is.”  Strangely, Joanne Purtan, also of Channel 7, was just in front of us in the security check line.  We didn’t get a chance to talk to her.

It is amazing what we have to put up with these days in terms of security.  I spent about ten minutes yesterday measuring plastic baggies for my toiletries.  A traveler can pack a one-quart, clear plastic bag full of shampoo and the like.  I am a firm believer in only taking carry-on bags, but this time we decided to check bags.  It goes against my nature to check bags.  But it wasn’t a problem.

The flight was a bit bumpy, but the highlight for me was our route along the SW Ontario shore out of Metro.  You all know that I love maps and I just love to compare the mental maps that I have in my head with the reality of the actual ground below.  I always locate the Fermi II plant first and then follow the coast.  We had a great view of Point Pelee and Pelee Island today.  And we could follow all of the Lake Erie Islands out to Ohio.  Our region is beautiful!

Can I just say that I love Philadelphia!  Kathy was a bit tired this evening from all of the traveling, so I headed out into the city myself tonight.  I walked in the vicinity of Rittenhouse Park and everyone was out walking, playing guitars and soaking in the pleasant summer evening.  The town is so laid back and unpretentious.  I love it.

I located a grocery store and stopped in.  Kathy and I packed a small collapsable cooler and two ziplocks for ice.  It’ll be our little refrigerator for the week.  I also picked up some couscous to cook in the coffee pot.  You gotta love hotel cooking.

Tomorrow we register at the convention center and return for the Michigan delegation meetings at the hotel.  It is going to be interesting.

 

I’ve been geeked for this trip to Philadelphia for a while now.  I just loved the idea of being in Philadelphia - the location at which the Declaration of Independence was signed - during the Independence Day holiday.  So as soon as Kathy and I left the airport, we headed downtown to scout some of the cool historic sites.

We ended up taking a $1 trolley ride around the city and stopped at Independence Mall.  We saw the liberty bell from a distance and took a look around Independence Hall, where the Declaration was actually signed.  It is impressive to think that this is the place where it all began.

Even better than the mall itself was a conversation that we had with a local Philadelphia resident.  He is a tour guide and booster for the town.  He told us about how the city has improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years.  I just loved the pride that he expressed to us.  And he gave me a tip for a local barber.

More later…

 

Last night, Kathy and I stayed the night at my dad’s on Bates Lane.  We got in at about 7PM and decided to get a little stroll in at Sterling State Park.  What a beautiful night it was!  The heat of the past few days had dissipated, but the clouds emptied the beach area.  This created a quiet, almost fall-like mood at the park.

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Sterling.  On the plus side is its location on Lake Erie.  It’s always great to hear the waves crash.  And the renovation was a big improvement over what the park had once been.  But I’ve always been a bit cold to the smokestack views and the Army Corps dredge disposal area.  And the lack of dirt trails makes me avoid the park at times.

But last night, I really enjoyed our little walk.  Not every community has a shorefront.   And not every town has a large park with bike trails.  It really is a great community asset.  And its a nice place for walk on a coolish summer evening.

I will, hopefully, be leaving for Philadelphia tomorrow to attend the National Education Association annual meeting.  I write “hopefully” because Kathy and I are flying on Northwest Airlines.  If you’ve been watching the news lately, you will know that 20% of the flights out of Metro have been cancelled in the past few days.

But once we get there, it will be awesome.  We will spend the 4th of July in Philadelphia.  And our flight number to the City of Brotherly Love is flight #1776.  How cool is that!

I mention this because I am not completely sure that I will be able to blog as normal for the next week.  I think that I will, but we’ll see.  If you don’t hear from me, you’ll know why.

And if I don’t see you, enjoy the 4th.  God Bless America!

The Ann Arbor News has a nice article in today’s paper about the Saline Depot Trail.  The community has converted a .25 mile abandoned rail bed into a trail with art sculptures in the downtown area.  It runs from North Ann Arbor Street to Harris Street.  Check out the article below:

http://www.mlive.com/annarbor/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-23/118304169844070.xml&coll=2

There are several eternal debates in the world of Michigan recreation.  One of these involves roads that end at inland lakefronts.  In the past, the land between the end of the road and the shore of the lake had been widely considered as public land.  This opened access to some otherwise private lakes.  A recent court decision reversed this common practice.

On Wednesday, the Michigan State House voted to overturn the court decision.  It awaits Senate action.  Check out the link here:

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-45/1182983686304150.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

A few days ago, the Detroit Free Press published its annual produce guide to area farm markets and u-pick stands.  The actual newspaper had a very cool map (June 20th edition), but the online list is not bad.  Check it out here:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706200323

 

Those interested in local Native American history and culture should consider attending the Tecumseh Pow Wow this coming Saturday and Sunday, June 30th and July 1st.  It is held at Cal-Zorn Park and includes storytelling, fireworks and several Grand Entries.

Check out this website for additional information:

http://www.tecumsehchamber.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=2

My wife and I have family in from Wisconsin this week.  My wife’s side of the family is made up of many, many dairy farmers.  My father-in-law, Hank, and my mother-in-law, Gertie, are just the best kind of people.  They work hard, give God his due and love everyone in the family.

They have an interesting idea of what Michigan is all about.  When they visit, the first thing they think about is fruit.  In fact, before Kathy met me, they would visit southwest Michigan to pick blueberries, apricots, peaches and a wide range of other produce.

So, today we went cherry picking.  We had spotted a U-pick cherry orchard near Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton on our way to the Golden Nugget Restaurant last night.  Here’s a look at the big cow on top of the restaurant:

Today, we returned to the orchard, along with my niece, Taylor and her parents, Marv and Julie.  Here’s Taylor holding the ladder as Kathy picks the cherries:

Taylor helps raise the chickens and calves back at the farm, but she had never picked cherries before.  She was really excited.

The cherries were just everywhere.  And part of the fun is sneaking a few before putting them into the buckets.

Before we left, we had to weigh the cherries and calculate the price.  They went for $2.25 per pound at this stand.  I don’t buy enough cherries to know if this was a good price, but my in-laws can now give cherries to all of their farmer neighbors in Wisconsin and brag about how fresh they are.

Before I end this blog post, I have to show you one last picture of my niece.  Here she is taking a nap on the floor of our living room.  She is just the most dynamic little girl.