[quote=briansd1]
My cousin’s son lives in Bloomington, IN and works for the university there. He says that one of the best places in USA to live — a cultural oasis in midwestern desert. It’s on my list of places to check out, one of these days.[/quote]
Good heavens. You really do need to spend some time in the midwest. I spent the first 35 years of my life in Detroit/Ann Arbor/Chicago. I currently live 40 miles from NYC and culturally I’ve never lived in such a desert. The grocery store in Ripon, WI (birthplace of the Republican party) is a palace compared to the grocery store down the street. And I love Indiana, especially Indianapolis. (This is a beautiful picture of Monument Circle there: http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc33569.php). Anyone old enough to have seen the movie “Cutters”? (Refers to the stone cutters in southern Indiana) It was filmed in Bloomington, I believe – gorgeous. Also, U of I Bloomington has a fantastic music school – according to Wikipedia, in 1981 it’s opera program was “the first non-professional company to stage an opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.”
You’re kidding yourself if you believe the standard spiel about the midwest – mostly just a result of the people on the coasts patting themselves on the back, IMHO.
