You CAN Go Home Again–But Maybe Not to Chicago
Wichita, Kansas
2024
The title of this POTD has little to do with this photo of a lovely albeit vertiginous sculpture by the artist John Kennedy (no not that John Kennedy) except that it is in downtown Wichita, Kansas where I grew up and where our recent visit had me musing on the experience of going back to places, home or otherwise.
While I’ve not actually lived in Wichita for 50 years, I’ve returned a number of times. I visited frequently for several decades after moving away in 1974 but until a couple of weeks ago not at all since my mother died ten years ago. Contrary to Thomas Wolfe’s admonition in his novel “You Can’t Go Home Again,” as well as the more geographically pertinent John Stewart (no not that John Stewart) song “You Can’t Go back to Kansas,” I have found that at least on a superficial level, I can go home again. I mean in the sense that I always seem to enjoy myself while there even though Wichita–and I even more so–have changed quite a bit over the last half century.
On this Wichita trip I enjoyed a reunion with my three siblings who were also there and had a nice visit with a childhood friend. There were also trips to the zoo which I had actually helped in a very minor way to build while in college in the 70s, the art museum where I had a major exhibition in 2008, the botanical gardens and just walking around town taking photographs. The only part of the visit that was unpleasant was the late night trip to the ER after the Fashion Queen fell getting out of the tub. (She’s fine, or will be as soon as the remaining soreness abates.)
Contrast my experience in Wichita with visiting Chicago just after. I’ve been to Chicago several times previously and always found it stimulating and engaging; particularly visiting the Art Institute and photographing on the streets. This time I found it to mostly be crowded, noisy, and much less an inspiration for photography (although I managed to get some images I like). My reaction was unexpected and the Fashion Queen felt much the same. (I would be remiss though not to mention that the highlight of our visit was a very nice lunch at a very tasty Chicago style pizza place with the Fashion Queen’s middle grandson and his girlfriend, two very engaging and fun young people.)
I was shocked at my reaction to Chicago and that has left me wondering if it’s just me that has changed or if Chicago has. Perhaps I’ve “aged out” of dealing with and enjoying large cities, or maybe Chicago has just gotten considerably more hectic since our last visit. Either way, our experience there was more consistent and true to the sense of Thomas Wolfe’s novel. Quite frankly, that surprised me, and not in a good way.
Nice shot. Combined with the refrain “You can’t go back to Kansas, it just up and blew away”, this figure looks like it is being blown or sucked up and away…
Thanks Steve. And yes, it looks like it’s being sucked up and away by one of those famous Kansas tornadoes.