Cities

LONDON

I was living in London THREE different periods in my life. The first period, I was a Naval bodyguard to General Eisenhower during World War Two…aside from the military life, London was wonderful in the brave British sense and I thoroughly enjoyed the English people, and roamed the city. I had a beautiful older female friend who knew all of the vagaries of the city and she taught me them…we ice skated while bombs dropped, swam while bombs dropped and walked about the city and learned of its history and beauty. A bomb finally sent me home to America but I have returned to The Big Smoke several times, the last to establish a school in Stratford-upon-Avon…that’s another story.

There are only one or two large cities left in my life and travels. Chicago!

CHICAGO

I had a big family in Chicago and met my second wife there, and I love the city. It is a BAD place in many ways, but its life is like a village. It not only has the best museum in the U.S. but has better food than anyplace excepting NYC.

Its very corrupt politics has finally been sawed apart by our new President Obama who, I’m certain, will straighten up some of the wobbly politicians.

But the wide streets, the buildings, the huge population, the mixtures of people, are not like NYC but very personally ‘Chicago’.

A young black friend of mine of years ago sang a ditty:

“Chicken in de car

De Car won’t go;

Dat spells C H I C A G O!”

I stayed there ten years and enjoyed every minute of it.

LASTLY, where I live today:

TAMPA

Tampa is a polyglot mixture of every kind of person and language under the sun. It is so alive and vibrant that it pulses! It is seaport, airport, industrial and has stress on all of its busy streets and a population of all colors, languages, feelings and educations. In spite of the now time of lost jobs, TAMPA has a high rate of hiring, and in the low pay ranges, workers and people of higher preparation are able to find work.

BUT the appeal of the city is its BEAUTY, its FOOD, its laughing people who will help you in three or four languages!  There are trees,trees, trees every where!

If you pall at the heat in Tampa, you can drive cross the bay to Saint Pete, and lollygag in the palm lined streets, the haven for the Over Eighty crowd!