I was interviewed by my hometown newspaper, the Akron Beacon Journal, about the book and of course whether I thought Akron was a lovable city. Of course I am biased but I do believe that Akron (and other mid-sized Rust Belt cities like it) have a particular charm that makes them endearing. At their heart, they are hard working, middle class cities that exemplify our concepts of working hard, building things and seeing the results of our efforts.
Cities like Akron feel fair in the sense that they give most (if not all) of us a chance to make something. As much as we love superstar cities like New York or San Francisco, they often don’t feel very fair because of their high costs and perceived barriers to entry.
For the article, they photographed me in front of Luigi’s in downtown Akron. Luigi’s is a long-standing institution in Akron (since 1949 in the same family). I love their pizza! The restaurant is not the newest, most fashionable or trendiest, but there is something endearing about it that keeps people lined up out the door on weekends. Every city has a Luigi’s and every city can build on those elements that people respond to – history, tradition, community and fun.