I need a city

[sholio]

There's this White Collar AU I've been poking at for a little while (it's actually a sequel to the Elizabeth-is-a-con-artist AU I wrote awhile back) that I wanted to set in a city that is kind of gray, depressing and industrial in general character, but not utterly post-apocalyptic. I had originally picked Gary, Indiana, just because of having driven through there and gotten a "gray and full of factories" vibe off the place, but then I got to reading about Gary's general economy, and, well, see above re: post-apocalyptic. So then I decided St. Louis would be perfect (parts of it are gray, industrial and warehouse-ish; other parts are rather nice), and wrote about half of it before remembering that Neal canonically grew up there, which doesn't completely invalidate it as a location, but might be difficult to write around.

So, do you guys have any suggestions for other cities that might fit what I'm looking for? I want a city that is a ways from New York, big enough to have a big-city character & amenities (universities, really nice neighborhoods and run-down ones, etc), but is more of a place where you end up because you drifted there, rather than somewhere you move to because it is a really awesome place to live. I've gotten somewhat focused on the Midwest, mostly because I used to live there and therefore can write about it decently well, but I'm open to other places.

Comments

[kate]

Indianapolis comes to mind. It's a nice city, it's big, there are schools, but there are big swathes that are kind of industrial. Plus Midwest! Also, Detroit, which might have been post-apocalyptic before, but I think is doing better these days.

I think Milwaukee could work, too.

[sholio]

Ooh, I like Milwaukee for this! I hadn't been thinking that far north, but it really clicks for the general type of city that I was thinking of. Plus it has the wonderfully (for my purposes) gloomy and miserable Great Lakes winters. :D

Indianapolis also sounds like a decent option (I used to live about an hour west of there) but my general image of the city is more in the "pleasantly Midwestern" vein than the "run-down and depressingly Midwestern" sort of thing I was thinking of. I'll keep that in mind, though! Someone on LJ suggested Toledo, also, which sounds like a good option (based on what little I know of Toledo).

[carose59]

I've lived in Indianapolis all my life, and I agree with you. It does have a more "pleasantly Midwestern" feel to it.

And mind you, my favorite place in the world is New York--Manhattan for its big city-ness and Brooklyn for its provincial-ness. So I think I know what you mean by a city's feel.

If you do settle on Indianapolis though, I'd be happy to be a research source. *g*

[sholio]

Thank you! :D After taking everyone's feedback into account, I'm leaning at the moment towards Toledo, Ohio. It's got precisely the right blend of industrial and bland to fit my mental image of the place ...

[adalger]

Feel free to ask me questions, pick my brain for details, what have you. I haven't been rigorously punctual about keeping up with internet-based communication lately, though; if you'd like alternate means of contact, just let me know.

[merisunshine36]

I second the Toledo suggestion, and also perhaps Columbus, OH or the suburbs of Cleveland. Also maybe Pittsburgh?

/former Ohio resident.

[adalger]

The thing about Toledo is, it's not a place you tend to /drift to/ so much as a place you simply /fail to escape/. After multiple attempts, I finally have escaped and ... I still feel its gravitational pull.

None of this should invalidate its potential for this purpose, however.

[sholio]

Actually, that makes it kind of perfect for what I had in mind. I'm looking for the sort of place that a character ends up when their life is hitting rock bottom, the sort of place that makes your (few remaining) friends go "you live there? WHY?", but not in a "oh my God, you're going to die" way -- more of a "... what on earth would attract a person to live THERE?" kind of way. The boring kind of bleak, rather than the interesting kind of bleak.

[merisunshine36]

Hee! I understand that--I am from Cincinnati and fled immediately to escape the lure of large, cheap houses and giant cars. My tiny, expensive 1br apt is all I need, gosh darnit! *clings* I visited Toledo once during my college tour and my main thoughts were, "not far enough from Cincy" and "omg why so much snow??"

[adalger]

Hah. Toledo's the good end of the lake. For every inch we got, Cleveland ended up with six. :)

[sholio]

Toledo is definitely looking like the best option so far! :D I may ask the former Ohioans to weigh in on my authenticity if I ever finish this mess. XD

[leonie_alastair]

In the midwest: Pittsburgh fits, as does Harrisburg, also Milwaukee and Cleveland. Iowa City if you want someplace in the middle of nowhere. A warmer choice might be Albuquerque (though I haven't been there in 15 years so it might have gotten better. Hartford, CT is a choice nearer NYC, as is Worcester MA.

[sholio]

Thank you! :D Hmm, my impression of Albuquerque was more touristy (but I haven't personally been there). I am definitely leaning towards somewhere in Ohio at the moment.

[brightknightie]

Wandering off-topic: You remind me of a European fanfiction author who set an otherwise brilliant AU series in Sacramento, California, under the hilarious, horrible delusion that it is a place that her main character could ever stand to live. The capitals of US states are not like the capitals of European countries. Juneau. Olympia. Sacramento. Yeah... :-)

[sholio]

Ha! It is interesting how difficult it is to get a good impression of a place you've never been. I think that's the main reason I want to set this AU somewhere in the Midwest, because I lived there long enough to have a general idea what it's like and how the different states "feel" to live in. (Which is one reason why I'm leaning towards Ohio -- Ohio, as a state, is fairly well suited to my purposes, but none of the cities I could remember really fit. Toledo is looking good, though!)