Hell of a Day to be in Newspapers

Update: The first run of Chicago Tribune's paper yesterday was at 690,000 copies, with a rerun of 410,000 extra copies, said the Tribune. Today, they will sell more copies at convenience stores. Here's the link.

I don't think there is an unclaimed copy of the Tribune, Sun-Times or Red Eye left in the city. And I wanted to read today's paper. Ok ok and maybe I wanted to keep something as a memento.

I heard that they were selling reprinted copies downtown at the Tribune Tower. I went down and ran into this . . .

They said they were selling posters of the front page for $3 and something just came over me. Money exchanged hands and I was told there would be a 10 minute wait for the actual paper. I waited with about 50 other people inside what can only be called the Gothic Cathedral of my kind. A huge room with high ceilings and notable quotes of famous journalists written into the walls.

After a 15 or 20 minute wait a woman came in calling out that the truck was on the bridge. Her declaration met with applause. The truck rolled up and a few burly men ran in with papers in hand.

Really I just wanted to read the newspaper.

Second City Syndrome

Last night we all watched history being written. I could almost see myself telling my grandchildren what I was doing when Obama was elected President. But the intricacies of the historical context should be discussed in another blog, by another more knowledgeable person. I can only talk about what I know best: living in Chicago and feeling inadequate.

Today, November 5th, is the happiest day for Chicago. Today seems brighter, the air smells better, people are more polite. People don there Obama '08 T-Shirts and walk around smiling. I was on the bus today and people were laughing. The bus driver was joking with the passengers.

This city has always been talkative. Chicago is a Midwestern sensibility with a large population. Strangers will always tell you what they do or do not like about you. But todays seemed less crabby; less of the do not and more of the do. This comes from the destruction of what is called the Second City Syndrome.

The Chicago contradiction is that we think the Midwest consists of only Chicago, but we think we are always second best. "Where Chicago goes, Illinois goes," probably should be our mantra. But we will never meet the expectations of a New York or a San Fransisco.

This is how we Chicagoans think, but our minds are changing. Last night we saw the countries newest President Elect give his acceptance speech in our backyard. We saw our beautiful city on TV sets across the world. Obama is a person who cut his political teeth helping make the South Side a better place to live and he calls Chicago his home.

Chicago has always been on the map, but now it is in our minds. Now we can see what a wonderful city it really is.