I tend to have a philosophy that "greatness", in its heart, is somewhat about bullshit. You have to sell yourself to create a cluster, and as that cluster grows and snowballs, something great comes out of it. Every great place had to do it during some points in their history, even New York.
In a way I sort of disagree in that I believe Chicago has a growing problem of standing out in the crowd. We have a much more crowded field of great cities in America today as compared to 1893. I feel we need to do a bit more boasting and grandstanding to reel in more international tourism business, although I understand that this rubs some people the wrong way, particularly those of a mild-mannered midwestern persuasion.
But we also should remember that for a long time, this is how Chicago once was, and how it got the nickname "Windy City".
|