tumbleweeds

This is an image taken in the city (St. Louis) on a beautiful Saturday around noon in the fall. Aside from the one police car headed my way, there was very little going on in this part of town. Right behind me is an art studio where they blow glass, which happened to be having an art show going on at the time (yes, I was in it). The parking lot behind me was fairly full, but it was a ghost town everywhere else.

Unfortunately, this description seems to describe much of the city of St. Louis. Recently I read an article listing 8 cities that might not make it, St. louis was just behind Detroit (at #2) in the ranking. Walking around downtown it is shocking how empty the city is in the evenings and weekends when there are no Cardinals/Rams games going on.

So why is this? What is the solution? This was a topic of discussion at lunch often while I was AG Edwards when I ate with my good friend Rick Allard. One solution I had was more free public parking (parking is expensive and scarce in the city), as people might consider shopping there if it was convenient to so. I have a real hard time shelling out $10 (unless I find a meter, which would limit my time there) to browse the shopping scene.

Another issue is safety – or is it? While I have never been mugged, I don’t always feel safe walking around by myself down there. There are quite a few shady people roaming about, which is likely true for any city, but I think that in larger cities this element blends in with the crowd more. Our downtown has no “crowd”. I’ll also mention that while I haven’t been mugged, my car was stolen when I was in high school in the city.

I don’t know what the answer is, but what I do know is that a lot of the big businesses that existed in St. Louis are leaving. AG Edwards, AB, Purina, etc. all have left in the past years. Not too many big, nationally known companies exist in the city any more. Like most of the population of St. Louis, what does exist has moved out into the county.

Anyway, back to the picture. I feel this one, especially in black and white, matches my mental picture of where I live. Dark, lonely, empty … in short – not like home… which is odd, because it is home. With the exception of college, it is where I have lived my entire life. Conversely, Minnesota always felt like “home” – and still does when I visit.

This feeling of “home” is something that I’d be willing to bet that will be on my mind when I reach the end of my life. I have this uncomfortable feeling that when I am old and broken down and reflecting on my life, I will regret not making my “home” somewhere else. That is what this image conjures.

So why don’t I just move. Too many reasons, all too complicated to spill out here. Long story short, my kids. This is their home (for now) and uprooting them just doesn’t feel right.

Enjoy the picture – hopefully it stirs something within you.

-b