Racine Reporter, September 20, 1996

Racine: So Much Has Changed

by Michael Pugh

Most teenagers are just too cool for their home town. As a kid growing up in Racine, I was no exception. Nor were my friends. We moaned about how lame Racine was, and how we had nothing to do, nowhere to go. We spent our weekend nights driving around aimlessly, sitting in someone’s back yard, watching movies - or, if we were really desperate - bowling! Sometimes there was a party to attend; on those rare occasions we had the luxury of complaining with 20 or 30 of our peers. Racine was just plain boring, and we all dreamed about the day when we could get away.

For me, that day came when I went off to college. At last I was freed from the familiarity and dullness of my home town. I could do whatever I wanted, and, finally there were things to do. There were also loads of people to do them with - people who, I soon discovered, came from towns equally as dull as Racine. There we were, together in a new exciting place, and we relished every moment.

As my college years neared conclusion, I set my sights on an even loftier and more exciting place: Europe. Before long, I was studying in London. I found endless pleasures in the culture, the people, the motion, and the sense of things constantly happening. When classes ended, I acquired a student work visa and stayed on, working first outside of London and then in Dublin. And I traveled whenever possible, taking in everything - the countryside, the people, the history, and the sights.

Before I knew it, though, I was out of money and on a plane heading toward O’Hare. From there, Racine was but an hour and a half away. I hadn’t actually lived here for more than six years and didn’t know what to expect.

And then I was home. I spent the first few days resting, catching up with the family, and regaining a few of the 14 pounds which I’d lost over the past year and a half. Then I set out to reacquaint myself with Racine. I took walks, drives, spent time with friends... and discovered something miraculous.

Everything had changed. Everything was... well, Okay. Truth be told, everything was pretty good. I was shocked. Lake Michigan, for example: I knew it was there, but hadn’t noticed how beautiful it was. And how about the lakefront, the Racine harbor, and the Festival park? They’re quite impressive, too. Oh, and the Racine Zoo - when was that remodeled? While still reeling from these and other discoveries, I realized that there are fun things in Racine: the beach, the restaurants, the bars, the music, the trolley, the theaters, the golf courses, the parks... Yumpin’ yimminey, even the library is cool. And, most importantly, some of my best friends live here; we could have a grand time anywhere. Racine, it turns out, truly is a great place to live.

Could this be the same town in which I spent my high school years? I began to suspect some Twilight Zone-esque switch-a-roo: "A local boy thinks he’s returning to his dull home town, but instead he returns to a place more beautiful and friendly than he ever imagined, a place found only in... The All Right Zone."

As a teenager I was too busy knowing everything to notice much of anything. Many things have changed in Racine, but the biggest changes have taken place in me.