Seen a flick at a single-screen theater lately? Ever seen a movie at a single-screen theater at all? Odds are strong—for any American over the age of 35 who grew up an urban cluster (basically any community over 5,000 people, per the Census’s revised definition—the answer is probably “no”. Some very remote small towns have
The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is, by far, the most commonplace and widely distributed bear species on the planet. Its range includes nearly half of the US land area. Much of the country coexists peacefully with the beast. Despite the fact that they are smaller than all the other North American bear species, the
It’s been a long time coming. But only within the last few weeks, after encountering a big sign at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), did I achieve full awareness of a condition that has crept across the American social domain: indoor dogs everywhere. Here was my indicator: If it’s not immediately obvious, the overhead
Several weeks ago I featured the borough of Wilson, Pennsylvania—a small municipality in the Lehigh Valley region, where Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton are the most prominent cities. Wilson is adjacent to Easton and in most respects is culturally indistinct: at a certain point it incorporated as a separate municipality, but it shares Easton’s street grid,
A few lifetimes ago, when I lived in the northern suburbs of Chicago (the “North Shore”) I would routinely drive along Golf Road, an east-west arterial linking the city of Evanston (where they called it Emerson Street) and the seemingly never-ending concatenation of suburbs to the west. Continuing westward, Golf Road eventually terminates in Elgin,
This blog is long overdue for a listicle, and at last I’ve found a subject that has preoccupied me for quite some time: all of America’s Washingtons. And by Washingtons I mean municipalities named “Washington”. Having lived for a few years in the largest of these—our nation’s capital—I had no real idea how many other
My first visit to a casino was many, many years ago—long enough ago that I wasn’t allowed to linger and look around. Still a minor. During a family trip that began in Las Vegas, we had to keep walking through a gaming area to get from A to B; kids couldn’t gamble, and anything that
During the season of giving, it’s not likely that most people’s first notion of a repository for seasonal gifts is a dollar store. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, you name it. I suppose I’m making an elitist generalization here: after all, many people lack the wherewithal for purchase gifts anywhere other than a dollar store. Furthermore,
Glenwood Springs, Colorado is a fun town. That’s its brand. It aspires to be one of America’s most recreationally-minded small municipalities—really more of a tiny city—and it routinely makes the top 10 lists among various outdoor-centric periodicals, as I covered once before. Sometimes it reaches a bit further, placing on lists of all-around best and
Social critics have asserted for decades that American religiosity is in a state of decline. In recent years, they have grown more confident. And they certainly have evidence: churches are closing left and right across the country, a condition that accelerated during the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns. Additionally, polls show a reduced percentage of American
Seen a flick at a single-screen theater lately? Ever seen a movie at a single-screen theater at all? Odds are strong—for any American over the age of 35 who grew up an urban
The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is, by far, the most commonplace and widely distributed bear species on the planet. Its range includes nearly half of the US land area. Much of the
It’s been a long time coming. But only within the last few weeks, after encountering a big sign at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), did I achieve full awareness of a condition
Several weeks ago I featured the borough of Wilson, Pennsylvania—a small municipality in the Lehigh Valley region, where Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton are the most prominent cities. Wilson is adjacent to Easton and
A few lifetimes ago, when I lived in the northern suburbs of Chicago (the “North Shore”) I would routinely drive along Golf Road, an east-west arterial linking the city of Evanston (where they
This blog is long overdue for a listicle, and at last I’ve found a subject that has preoccupied me for quite some time: all of America’s Washingtons. And by Washingtons I mean municipalities
My first visit to a casino was many, many years ago—long enough ago that I wasn’t allowed to linger and look around. Still a minor. During a family trip that began in Las
During the season of giving, it’s not likely that most people’s first notion of a repository for seasonal gifts is a dollar store. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, you name it. I suppose I’m
Glenwood Springs, Colorado is a fun town. That’s its brand. It aspires to be one of America’s most recreationally-minded small municipalities—really more of a tiny city—and it routinely makes the top 10 lists
Social critics have asserted for decades that American religiosity is in a state of decline. In recent years, they have grown more confident. And they certainly have evidence: churches are closing left and