I'm happy for you guys that you'll be making a change for the better. I agree with you on several points about Springfield. The drivers here totally suck. I'd rather drive in downtown Chicago in rush hour than make my way across Springfield. People here are slow, oblivious and otherwise just plain retarded.

But I disagree with you about the lack of things to do. Have you been to the Lincoln Museum yet? And if so, have you checked out the Lincoln Museum? Of course, when you get done with that, there's another great place to check out called the Lincoln Museum. Ok, maybe you're onto something there. Please take us with you.

Well, I am from MN so I personally know it is way better.

Side bar.... the Twin Cities area is consistantly voted one of the top places to live in the country, so I guess I'm not the only one who thinks it is better.

http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2006/05/intr...

http://tcbsolutions.net.phtemp.com/Minneapolis.html

http://www.mensjournal.com/feature/0504/bestPlaces.html

Congratulations! I will say that Springfield 'could' be worse. I mean, at least we have Target. lol I'd hate to live in the middle of nowhere. But I'm frequently disgusted by simple things like the quality (or lack thereof) of our public library. It's really a disgrace when you've seen so much better. And I can't believe they just put so much money into it, and it's really still not much better.

Hey, I have nothing against the South- just Springfield.

And like I said, I'm from there so I know all the fun things to do & great places to eat.

Can't wait to get back to eat at Cecil's or Moscow on the Hill again. And who can beat the Mall of America- which was just expanded again.

Actually it will just be nice to get back to people who are not so dang rude all the time.

Good luck wherever. Just remember, home is where you make it.

Don't forget to take a tour of Lincoln's home before you get out of dodge. Just a fantastic place to see!

Wow. I have never heard anyone so violently angry at Springfield. I don't remember it being that horrible. Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder...

I'm somewhat going to agree with RM a bit about Springpatch, although, I did only live there for five years. The big things for me were: A) Veteran's Pkwy., B) stupid drivers, C) Veteran's Pkwy., D) dulls-ville and E) Veteran's Pkwy. We now live in Bloomington-Normal, and there are more things for kids to do here, frankly. We have found that Springfield does have more original dining than B-N. Besides CJs, Garden of Paradise and The Gyro Stop, it's all chains here. For better eats, we head up to Chicago.

Oh, and did I mention Veteran's Pkwy.??

PS. On the plus side, Springfield is warmer than anyplace in MN.

And it's not just the cart incidents that I am referrring to when I talk about rude people. They were just the best examples I could list in my own personal blog. Sorry, if I offended you, but I am not the only one who thinks that Springfield is one of the rudest places they have ever been to.

And yes, some taxes are higher in the Twin Cities- some are lower. It all balances out in the end.

Sorry, you may love it here and you may even consider me "rude" for putting something up on my own personal blog site, but you are not going to change the way I feel about this place.

I have had nothing but bad experiences here. In my experiences, people are rude & if it makes me "rude" to feel that way, then so be it.

I can diss Springfield with the best of them, but at the end of the day it's still home. I make fun of Springfield because I'm from here, and when you know a place this well you know all of its quirks. I'm so excited to live somewhere else for a while (yay NC!), but I know that I'll miss Springfield. This is my home - my people are here. It may not be the nicest place on the planet, but it's not the worst either. Sorry we left such a bad impression.

Actually, MN weather is not that much different than IL a lot of the time.

Thanks Casey for understanding how one can feel. People like you are not included in the "rude" category. :)

Sounds like somebody has a bad case of the Poor Me's.

Google search...

"Minneapolis Sucks": 556 results

"Springfield Sucks": 544 results

(and there are 34 Springfields)

Have fun at Mall of America.

My sister and her husband live in Rosemount, MN and I love to go and visit her. The drive from here to there is not too bad either. There is a ton of things to do and in the Fall, Spring, and Summer, I could spend weeks up there. The winter is what I don't like, but it is not awful. It really is a beautiful area and a great place to live. I have a lived a large number of places from Seattle to D.C. and I ended up in Springfield. It is not too terrible for me, but I am working on convincing my husband when we retire to move to Seattle! I hope the move goes well for you (sorry, edited to remove personal info)!

Sounds like someone has a bad case of not minding your own business.

The fact that if you google "Minneapolis sucks" & it has slightly more results means nothing. "Springfield sucks has 544 results & there are 34 Springfields." Must just mean that they all suck then.

And I will have fun at the MOA. Have fun shopping at Walmart in your crappy little run down hellhole of a town, Marjabelle.

Dear K8Day-

Thank you for your kind note. Again, you are not the "rude" types I spoke of before.

No prob, besides, being that close to the MOA is awesome, except at christmas time.

@Hilton

I don't know Taffy (sorry Denny- edited personal info) personally but she is obviously proud to be the mother of her son. I don't see any problems with her using her motherly status as her moniker on Humzoo or any other site. Besides, you admit on your own site that you are only half what you aspire to be (half-man, half-robot, half-carnivorous ninja pirate). So whats the harm in someone taking pride in being a proud mother? Do you have children Hilton?

Thanks Denny-

To Hilton....

Yes, I am proud to be my child's mommy. I have also accomplished many other things in my life, but I do take pride in being a good mother.

I don't see why that should bother you so much, but it makes me think that maybe if your mother took more pride in your upbringing than maybe you wouldn't be such a jerk today. JMO.

I guess he was embarrassed and deleted his comment. Good riddance.

I was looking for Hilton's comment after I started reading Denny's response, but alas I found no such thing. Probably for the best considering the reaction to it.

All these comments really make me laugh.

I'm just curious... have you even been to a city (or any part of town) when you say, "wow, these people drive GREAT?" Or, "honey, look! They got out of the left lane for me"... or better yet, "did you see that, Polly? They put their blinker on before changing lanes?" Nah...Every city sucks... and the closer you get into the "inner" city (of any city), nobody obeys the rules. That's life.

I also agree it's what you make of it but not everyone cares to take the energy to do that. It seems like you've obviously made up your mind and are happy about it, but... I can assure you you'll find cart ramming, unfriendly, boring people who drive too slow/fast/careless in every city in this country. You just may be more accepting of it when you're out of Springfield.

Good luck!

Angi, I'm so surprised to hear you say that B-N has lousy dining. Sure we got all the usual chains, but beyond that I think this place is a dining mecca! El Porton, Nana Thia, Rosie's, Central Station, Medici's, Desthil (with its own micro brewery), Lucca. And I thank the chain restaurant god everyday for places like Flat Top, Noodles, Avanti's, and Kobe. Then again, I live in a town where the only place to get food is the gas station pizzeria.

mmm...Flat Top and Avanti's. When I'm fully recovered, that's going to sound awesome.

Courtney, is there an Avanti's in Springfield? If so, I'm going to be there all of the time! I make my mom bring me gondolas from Peoria everytime she comes to my house.

This could possibly be making my day!!

I agree with you Carrie. I've lived in 6 states in my life. Every one of them had negatives and positives. Some good things were harder to find on the surface. When I moved to Bristol, TN, I hated it at first. Thought it was dark and mountain-poor looking. Five years later, I was balling my eyes out to leave it behind. I lived in MN for seventeen years. I met some wonderful people there--people I think of more like family than friends (and they treat me that way!). I also met some incredibly rude people and drivers. One of the reasons I left MN was to leave that "big city rush and lack of friendliness" behind. It wasn't that people there were rude; more times than not they were busy and rushing and moving through lines and stores and freeways like cattle in a chute. Anyone slows down--the chute backs up and everyone waits. You inevitably get that feeling yourself. Push through the lines, don't talk to people, zip in and out of traffic to keep moving. I came to Portland and the cashier at the grocery store talked to me. The woman in front of me took time to separate her stuff into bunches. A car stopped in the middle of the street to allow me to get out and cross traffic. Usually in MN, I would have had to jump in first opportunity. We all like different things and are comfortable with different environments. Occasionally my MN-rush returns and I find myself griping over some chatty person in front of me at the checkout. But, then, I take a breath and remember that is what I love about Portland. And I wasn't in love the first time I saw it. Cried when I got home to MN. Dark, rough roads, poor looking houses at high rent prices. MN looked clean and open with great roads and nice houses. Sometimes first impressions take a while to work themselves out. I've never lived any place that I didn't learn to appreciate something there nor have I lived in any place that I didn't find something negative enough that it made me want to move (like the price of buying a house in Portland!)

No, Jenn. Just in Bloomington, or is it Normal. I never know. Um...just by ISU. So, I haven't had it in years.

Oh, rats! I knew about the Bloomington/Normal one. I'm not sure which part it is in either.

Courtney, come on up. Andrew and I will treat. We'll be the ones greeting you guys in hazmat suits and respirators. Actually, just me. Andrew has an uncanny ability of never getting sick. Even when I smeared the monkeypox virus on his pillow and put SARS-infected body fluids in his milk.

Never fear. I have not removed any comments. I can only assess the situation as thus, (edited to remove personal info) removed the comment I made for some reason. Why would I delete my own comment? I have no fear of expressing my opinion on this matter, and I will gladly answer any of the rebuttals that have been posted here. Hilton Hightower never, ever removes his own comments. It takes the actions of a much-lesser being than me to remove my own words.

To Denny Deaton: Yes, I am only half of what I ever hope to become some day, which is dead. None of us are ever really all we aspire to, as even when we accomplish some goal that we set in front of ourselves, we wish for something else. Thus is the futile cycle of life, Mr. Deaton. To live, to pursue, to achieve, to still feel unfulfilled and pursue again, and eventually to die. 'Tis great fun, is it not?

As a great philosopher once said, there are only so many scoops of dirt that can cover your corpse in death. Meaning, there are only so many experiences one can conjure in one's life that follows one to the grave. You go to bed at the end of this long life with certain things you can be proud of. I, for one, think it's great for people to procreate. The more people we have on this planet, the sooner we will reach capacity, and the sooner the end will descend rapidly upon us.

To (edited): So glad to hear you've accomplished so many things in your life beyond your ability to conceive a child-person. I sure wouldn't know it by your user name. It's not that you're proud of your son that I shun, it's the fact that the only thing you put out there for me to know about you is that you are someone else's mother. I think that's pathetic. I didn't make my profile name Henry's Friend or Tamsen's Son. Give me a break. I chose my name: Hilton Hightower. I am a poet (albeit terrible), and I happen to despise just about everything that makes humans human.

Oh, and yes, my mother was a horrible, horrible woman. It was she who cursed me to this eternal prison called Earth. I understand that on some petty human level, you were simply trying to bring a tear to my eye by pouring salt in some imagined wound. You are wrong, however, as I refuse to feel any sort of pain relating to emotions or other pathetic human constructs.

K8Day: You want some Hilton Hightower? Just come visit my blog any time. Leave a comment, and I'll bust your chops, too. You're less of a person just for spending the time to post here. Oh, and before you cry and say, "Oh, but Hilton Hightower, you are less of a person, too, because you've posted here also!" Yes, you're right, but I don't care because I'm already the worst person in the world. You can't get much lower than I already am. So eat it.

Anybody else want some of this?

Springfield is a shithole, yes. But so is every other god-forsaken town on this god-forsaken hellhole of a planet. I have no beef with your sentiments about this town. I just think your breath stinks.

Delete this comment if you must, Oh (edited), but please no that my words will still linger on your mind.

I understand that there are bad drivers in every city. I'm not disputing that.

My point is that Springfield has the WORST drivers of any city I've ever driven in. No, no city is perfect but it seems like Springfield is especially bad & bad as a collective whole. When you are constantly almost getting hit by people running red lights & stop signs- that is grounds for stating that they have the worst drivers. Seriously, it happens everytime we are driving in the car in town. So, I stand by my previous statement.

"Hilton Hightower never, ever removes his own comments."

OMG, is that you, Bob Dole?

Yep, you got me. It's Bob Dole. Really smart comment Carrie. Thanks for wasting everyone's time. OMG, LOL. Sharp.

Is that Hilton Hightower of Sangamon Star fame?

Oh jeez... lighten up a little. Your negative energy is oozing a bit too much tonight. Please don't assume I'm wasting "everyone's" time.

He who believes our Earth is prison is who is wasting EVERYONE'S time. If you truly believe you are the worst person in the world, then please stop typing and call your local crisis line.

@HH: Your biggest beef with (sorry Dave, edited to remove personal info) seems to be that her username is derived from something other than her own name. Perhaps you should compare this with your name. And since when does a person's username have to sum up every dream and accomplishment in one's own life?

That's wild, I just Googled that to understand what Joe is talking about and found someone quoted Denny WORD FOR WORD describing Hilton Hightower. How weird is that that Wikipedia already has that quote? Humzoo really gets out to the rest of the world fast!

Hilton-

First of all, I did not delete your message. I don't know what happened to it & I don't care. It was nothing but a low blow from some worthless troll who just likes to cause drama on other people's blogs. If you were so honest & willing to express yourself you would have real account on Humzoo- not just coming in as a lurker.

You may think I am "pathetic" b/c I had my son's name in my loggin. That's fine. I really don't care what you think. I think many of us here think you are pathetic. Like I said- Why do you care what my name is? I don't care that you are a poet or who your friends are. At least my name means something special to me. What the hell does Hilton Hightower mean? The only thing that it seems like it means is you are an a-hole.

Do us all a favor.... Stop posting on our blogs here. We are a friendly community of nice people who are respectful of other's opinions. We don't need a troll like you here.

So it seems like this comment page has gotten a little off track from where you meant for it to go (sorry, edited to remove personal info).....I read it a few hours ago but haven't had a chance to comment.

First I want to say Congrats on the opportunity to move back home! Home is where the heart is. I've read your reasons for disliking Springfield and while I disagree with most of them...I think when you really would rather be somewhere else....everything else seems to go downhill.

As for the people who have taken offense...there are 120,000 people now in Springfield and all with different experiences. Some of you call this place home and love it.....others cannot stand the place. As some one who just moved here I happen to love it so far. People have been extremely kind to me, as bad as you think the drivers are they can be much worse (don't go to Jersey). I don't think there really are that many "bad parts" of town. As someone who works out East...while the areas may be low income and there is some violence....I meet the NICEST people out there. Sometimes areas like that get judged too quickly cause people can't afford to put up white picket fences. As far as places to eat......ask my bro how he ate when he visited a couple days ago.

However....you can't really compare our experiences since the people I may be meeting may not be the same people you are meeting. And you'll never be happy somewhere you really don't want to be in the first place. So I am PUMPED that you are getting the chance to go somewhere that you love. Good luck with the move...looking forward to some new home blogs!

Hey Denny & Dave-

Is there a way to block unregistered users from posting comments? I have received a few really stupid ones that are nothing but personal attacks against me or my user name.

P.S.

This user will no longer accept any comments from people who are not registered or who are unknown. If you were so strong in your feelings of what you write you would post your real name & put real information about yourselves on Humzoo. So, yes, all your comments will be deleted.

Also, b/c of the lurkers coming in here & harrassing me & my child, I have deleted all personal information about myself & my family. Like I said, this is my own personal blog & I feel I have the right to say what I want about where I live. Random people shouldn't care about that or go out of their way to post things about me or my family that are not true. And by doing so, you are just proving my point that Springfield has some of the rudest people on the planet living here. Good job proving me right!

When I first read this post, I have to admit I got a bit peeved. I wasn't born in Springfield - didn't move to Illinois until I was eleven (yikes...24 years ago), but it is a town that grows on you over the years (like most other cities of its size). I've found the people, in every part of town, to be super friendly. The cost of living is ridiculously low. The architecture is diverse and interesting - if you know how to look. And of course, there's the history - which we do admittedly lean on a bit heavily.

I can certainly sympathize with your feelings though. There could be more to do for families with young kids, there could be more promotion of cultural events, there could be better manicured vistas, Walmart could screen its clientele at the door, etc. I catch myself thinking "Only in Springfield" or "Agh...the roads in this town!" all the time....but I guess it's like calling your sister an idiot. You feel fine about picking on what's yours. You can do it because you love your sister...but if somebody else calls your sister an idiot, you will kick that kid in the shin and say "That's my sister you're talking about." Well, that's how a lot of people feel about their hometowns.

I would just echo Ben's comments and say don't judge an entire population based on your experience with a few bad apples. It sounds like you got soured on Springfield very early in your time here and that might have tainted your perspective a bit. You'll find those things that ticked you off about Springfield in every town of its size (especially government-based economies). I'm sorry it didn't work out for you here - hopefully your next stop will better suit your lifestyle and personality.

And for those of us left behind in this God-forsaken hell hole, (kidding of course) let's remember this post and maybe be more careful with our grocery cart next time we're behind a Minnesotan at Schnuck's.

Russ-

Like I said, it seems like there is a large collection of rude people in this town. Does that mean that everyone is rude? No, not by any means. Hey, the neighbors down the street from us are the greatest neighbors we have ever had (they know who they are).

Did a few bad apples ruin it for me? Probably. I came here really thinking it was a great little town, it didn't take long before my view changed. And w/ people being rude to me on a daily basis, it didn't take long for me to think "why should I continue to be nice to people when they are so rude to me?" It's not just the cart incidents, trust me. Those are just some of the worst things. It's a lot of little things. Snotty comments while checking out of stores, people pushing past you in lanes (excuse me would work, KWIM?), people not using please & thank you. To me that is rude & pretty consistent w/ my experiences.

Sorry if I implied that I you were included in the "rude" category. Obviously it does not apply to you. :)

Taffy,

This totally was taken out of proportion. Don't you think? I mean really...you have the right to say, 'I'm out here and on to a place that suits me better.' Sounds like that is basically what you are saying. Why it led to such lengthy comment is beyond me. Don't give it any more thought and enjoy your new/old home!

I think I probably should be offended by what Hilton Hightower says, but I don't care enough about him. Oh well. Enjoy MN (sorry, edited to remove personal info)!

Say HI to MN for me, Taffy. It was a great place to live for 17 years and I will always have a fond place in my heart for it. I'm glad you are going home and are so excited about it. I'm sorry your blog created such a stir and the ugliness of lurkers who just want to be mean, not contribute to anything.

Springfield does suck!

I lived there for a couple years while my husband was finishing med school & hated every minute of it! This blogger is completely correct about there being nothing to do & lack of good places to eat. Oh, & by the way, I also found Springfielders to be rude little assholes too! I was happy when we left & have never been back. I have great pity for all those who are still stuck in that pit.

Danielle, anybody can be rude. It has nothing to do with their location. For example, you're not in Springfield, yet you are still rude.

OMG, Courtney...You are sooo funny. I just about wet my pants laughing at your comment.