Grrr, third freaking time a university’s website has crashed this browser. Want to disable flash. Everywhere.
So, I was looking at cornell’s urban planning school because I heard it was pretty cool and had a policy focus. My application essay writing process for the Goldman school convinced me that urban planning is overspecialized for where I am at this point in my life though. So, I hiked on over to their policy program’s website, and checked it out. Turns out it’s in the school of “Human Ecology”. I really like that name/idea. They also have a “life cycle development” program, which looked pretty cool, if overly individual in focus, and insufficiently analytical for my taste.
While out in austin, I did a great deal of thinking about where it is I want to live. Thus far of all the cities I’ve been to, I like chicago the best. In part because it has the big city “if you want it, it’s there somewhere, you just have to find it” thing going on, and in part because it is total transportational bliss for me. Well, maybe not total, but better than just about anywhere else I’ve been. And
It’s flat, so blades are totally an option. It’s a giant fucking grid, with almost no cul-de-sacs, plenty of walkable space, a twenty-four hour elevated rail system, connected to two good-sized airports, a heavy commuter rail, and amtrak. Another advantage of the giant fucking grid is that it generally takes no more than two buses to get anywhere.
It snows, and has some very definite seasons. Huge ass lakefront park, with a several mile long bike trail, little woodsy-like areas, beaches, and fabulous views of downtown. Several kickass universities (though only uchicago seems to have a good policy school from what I’ve seen, and they are not accessible by L, unless you are willing to trek through some rather less than savory neighborhoods).
But the transportational nirvana thing is the big win for me. Wherever I ‘settle’, I plan on spending a great deal of my time traveling, and chicago would be awesome for that.
Now, all I need to do is haul my ass out of debt and put away enough to afford a 3-4 br condo on chicago’s north side. No problem. 😉