Finding Beauty
I live in a fantastic city.
In all fairness, there aren't a lot of people who would agree with me, whether they think their city is better or they live here and they think I'm full of crap. Rapid City has a reputation -- wry, a little dirty, blue collar, and generally not wealthy. It is, in most respects, a working class town, filled with modest houses of a certain age and surprisingly low on Starbucks locations (at least on a per capita basis). Any formal event will bring people out in what I call "Black Hills fancy" -- the good jeans, a clean button-up shirt, boots that have been cleaned and oiled recently. And so help you, if you express an opinion to a local you'd best expect a response.
As far as I'm concerned, that all works in its favor.
I enjoy the honesty of Rapid and the simple fact that I never feel like I have to put on a show, something that hasn't been true in other places. I get a kick out of the conversations I can have with strangers in almost any public place, and I hugely appreciate the still-wild spaces in the middle of town. More to the point, as I've gotten to play tour guide a bit more lately, I've come to appreciate the proximity of the Hills ... and some of the more interesting food options that you can find if you take more than ten seconds to look.
[That would be my biggest frustration with Sioux Falls coming through there.]
It certainly has its drawbacks -- like everywhere -- and there are things I'd love to see turn up, but for right this moment, I love this place.
... Now to hope the rain passes so I can get back to enjoying it ...
In all fairness, there aren't a lot of people who would agree with me, whether they think their city is better or they live here and they think I'm full of crap. Rapid City has a reputation -- wry, a little dirty, blue collar, and generally not wealthy. It is, in most respects, a working class town, filled with modest houses of a certain age and surprisingly low on Starbucks locations (at least on a per capita basis). Any formal event will bring people out in what I call "Black Hills fancy" -- the good jeans, a clean button-up shirt, boots that have been cleaned and oiled recently. And so help you, if you express an opinion to a local you'd best expect a response.
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| The view from the trails along Skyline Drive |
I enjoy the honesty of Rapid and the simple fact that I never feel like I have to put on a show, something that hasn't been true in other places. I get a kick out of the conversations I can have with strangers in almost any public place, and I hugely appreciate the still-wild spaces in the middle of town. More to the point, as I've gotten to play tour guide a bit more lately, I've come to appreciate the proximity of the Hills ... and some of the more interesting food options that you can find if you take more than ten seconds to look.
[That would be my biggest frustration with Sioux Falls coming through there.]
It certainly has its drawbacks -- like everywhere -- and there are things I'd love to see turn up, but for right this moment, I love this place.
... Now to hope the rain passes so I can get back to enjoying it ...
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