The Essence of Our Cities: A New Series!

I’ve learned that if you spin your wheels long enough, you’ll eventually move forward or end up in a ditch. I’m not sure which of these paths The Essence of Our Cities belongs in, but it does feel good to lay off the tire tread for a while.

This planned series of ultra-short books—courtesy yours truly—was born from thoughts captured in the following blurb.

About This Series

There are two problems when it comes to American cities.

The first is that the big ones get way too much attention, relegating the others to anonymity. This injustice goes beyond mere feel-good stories—metropolitan areas outside the top 30 by population account for about half the country’s GDP.

The second is that in the off chance a modest city is mentioned, it’s typically for a quality that is overplayed. Yes, Buffalo has snow and St. Louis has crime. But New York City has garbage on the streets and rats in the subway—if that’s all you know, you’re missing the point.

The goal of this series is to correct these two problems.

It’s time, in other words, to give our unloved cities some love.

You can safely assume that all these places have hotels, restaurants, cafés, and the like. As such, these books are not travel guides.

Nor are they the well-intentioned but sometimes misleading propaganda that comes from a chamber of commerce brochure.

They are, simply put, the short-and-sweet stories of the cities you don’t know but should.

They are the 20 (or so) pages that will help you appreciate the flawed beauty of our unappreciated homes.

Why Should I Engage?

Beyond the above, this project is necessary for another reason—the erosion of local journalism has left the fates of misrepresented cities in the hands of larger cities that love to misrepresent their smaller counterparts even more.

Must we continue to listen to those with bloated self-importance further denigrate the already self-deprecating?

And how many more backhanded compliments must we absorb regarding the apparently shocking presence of macchiatos in the middle of the country?

Of course, what’s written must be real—preconceived notions are rooted in some degree of truth. But while Buffalo is not Washington, DC, it is closer than advertised. In fact, in select areas, it could even have the upper hand.

Still, you might think that places like Omaha, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, and Syracuse are not worthy of your time.

With The Essence of Our Cities, I will prove you wrong.

You can start by exploring a city near and dear to my heart, one that was clearly destined to be the first in line.

Note: The Essence of Our Cities will initially be available for purchase in paperback and eBook format on Amazon. Barring further wheel spinning, an audiobook version will follow.