Travels

I’m currently sitting in Chicago’s O’Hare airport waiting for my flight to Albuquerque. I tend to learn new things when I travel and the recent past is no exception.

I spent some time this past week with my family in Kansas and as I was driving there and then back again, I noticed a few things that amused me. I also noticed a definite international motif to my drive. For example, if I asked where Brazil is, you might answer it is a country in South America. While you would be correct, I would also be correct in identifying it as part of Indiana. Also, Paris is not only in France but also in Illinois. Furthermore, Mexico no longer lies below the Southern border of the United States, it is also in Missouri. I have often noted that, particularly in this part of the country, there seems to be a lack of creativity for city/town names. There must be a dozen (or more) Springfields throughout the country with one in many of the states in this region. There is a Lancaster, OH and a Lancaster, PA (they are pronounced differently though...). I have been told, but have not checked, that there are really two Bainbridge, Ohios. I have to wonder if the people who settled those towns thought to themselves, What is my favorite place in the world? Where would I like to live? Ooooh, maybe Mexico, or Paris, or Lancaster... I’ll name this new town where I would like to live. Or perhaps it just happened by coincidence, I don’t know (but somehow I doubt it).

So, for now, I’m off to the only city in the country (that I know of) named Albuquerque. The city was named after the Duke of Alburquerque (note the extra r after the first u)... so maybe the other cities were named after people with the same unoriginal name. Who knows. I could probably figure out some of these things if I really wanted to, but at this point I’m not sure it’s worth the extra effort. I think at the moment I’m content to live in the mystery and the random musings of my brain. =)

Kate