Growing up "Pure Michigan"

I went downstate to college, as most upstaters do. It may be hard to fathom, but one could draw a line, east to west, through the middle of Michigan's mitten, and it would be true that 90% of the population and the colleges are south of that line. Northern lower Michigan and the Upper Penninsula are very rural areas, sparsely populated, good vacation spots and wonderful places to raise children, but it is also the case that there isn't much there. It is hard to find work and one needs to drive tens of miles to do any major shopping.

After college, I moved to Lansing and have lived in the area around the Capitol City ever since. It is said that there are only three places to work in Lansing - state government, the auto industry, or at Michigan State University in neighboring East Lansing. Both state government and the auto industry have struggled in recent years, but I was fortunate to choose to work at Michigan State, so I have a secure job and, not incidentally, it has afforded me the opportunity to visit and cross off a number of the fifty states. More on that follows, of course, but attending conferences has taken me to many places in representing the university that I probably never would have seen in another line of work. It has enhanced my taste for travel far beyond what I would have been able to do on my own.

Lansing is a good place to live. A city of around 100,000, it is large enough that you can get a pizza delivered or find a video to rent within a mile of work or home, with three major malls to shop - no more driving fifty miles to buy bulk food or pick out a new refridgerator - and there are even international selections in restaurants due to the large international population drawn by the university. I find I like having the choice of twelve Chinese restaurants, another half-dozen sushi bars, Greek pizza, Italian and Mexican and Middle Eastern choices in abundance. Okay, I only know of one Thai place - but I am not that fond of Thai food so it's a matter of indifference to me.

Working on the campus of Michigan State University is a delight, every single day. It is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen. On my drive to work, I pass the horse farm where mares and their foals graze in the spring. Then I pass between two golf courses and work my way past south campus, with their modern buildings, to the best part of the campus, North Campus, where the old architecture rules. Out of my window, I can see a garden with a fountain and a classroom building with gables and brick. An example can be seen at the left.

Lansing and its near neighbor communities have a lot to offer and I have been content to live here for more than 30 years. It's a wonderful jumping-off point, at the center of the mitten, and from here I have launched myself on many travels which I will journal here in later postings.