Why Do We Hate the Park Cities?
A certain non-blogging member of the People Newspapers staff told me about a conversation she had over the weekend in which a friend of hers said “everyone” in town was abuzz about why everyone who writes for Park Cities People hates the Park Cities.
This Park Cities resident pointed to our editorial about the fountain, Talmage Boston’s column about big houses, and Merritt as evidence that we have nothing but disdain for this community.
This is, of course, ridiculous. There are many reasons for loving the Park Cities, just as there will always be criticisms about specific aspects of the community which this blog (and the companion newspaper) will argue.
May I offer a few examples of our love fully on display in print: Here. And here. This one. And that one.
Feel free to comment on why you love the Park Cities below.
Lakeside Park. It’s a guilty pleasure.
The first day of school when so many of the kids and parents on the block walk to school together; the generous support your PC friends and neighbors offer when you need it; Christmastime in the Village; Football season; kids can play in front yards, parks and playgrounds more safely than probably anywhere else.
The two “S’s:” Schools and Safety.
(And the hottest moms of elementary kids you could hope to see anywhere).
I love the volamoms and the school carnivals.
I love the sense of community here, seeing so many neighbors out and about and reading “Skullduggery Of The Week” in PCP, particularly when the misdeed involves a cat biting a jogger or stone porch dogs being defaced.
Think about the mail you would get if all you did was talk about the “sugar coating” of the bubble…
I love Merritt’s column. That is what I love about Park Cities. And the ad about the blog.
I think your readership (most of it anyway) is sophisticated enough to handle a little bit of edginess in PCP every week, if you could call Merritt’s columns and similar features “edgy”. If was only able to read features such as “Vote for your favorite Park Cities hamburger! Results in next issue!” or “PCP selects the ________s as Family of the Year” then I guess I wouldn’t read your paper at all. Although I suppose that doesn’t count for much anyway since I don’t subscribe and only read it online. On the rare occasion that I want a printed copy, I drive over to my parents’ house and steal one from their yard.
At any rate, God forbid that you start imitating that **cough** other weekly paper, whose subscriber base surely has an average age of 78 and is lame in so many ways, not the least of which is its apparent lack of competent copy editors (a recent front page article spelled the word “through” as “thru”). The article was education-related if I remember correctly.
I love park city because I love the carnivals at the park city. Its so much fun staying in a park home.
Oh, and by the way, regarding Jason’s original post — the good folks in the Park Cities might think that Merritt doesn’t like the Park Cities because she makes funny and astute (and sometimes unpopular) observations about our community in her column. But that’s not the case and once again, I remind people to have a sense of humor.
PS — Another thing I really love about the Park Cities is all of the church-going people here who are kind, compassionate and non-judgemental.
Kersten, caveat your church comment “and non-judgemental as long as you are protestant.”. Charles, you are correct on the eye candy. While I refuse to “drink the Kool-aid”, this is a great place to live, I believe, because of the pride everyone has about this place.
Dallas has one newspaper, PC has three!! Must be something to write about, love, criticize, make people want to live here?
It’s a great place to be from if not taken too seriously.
I love the in-breeding. Like when I go to dinner with all the moms in my son’s class and 85% of them talk about how they have known each other since 1st grade, married each other’s brothers/cousins/whatever, went to UT together, were all in the same weddings, all their kids are in the same classes, etc. And then the other 3 moms, who have just moved to town, sit there and think “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” No wonder all the women around here look alike. The gene pool is dwindling.