I will miss the magnolia trees blooming in the springtime; I'll miss spring in Chicago in general -- it's a welcome and wonderful change after the usual obnoxious winters.
I won't miss Meigs Field. I've never flew from there and I like the idea of it as a city park. As many of you know, Mayor (Generalissimo) Daley closed it in the middle of the night by executive order after a long and protracted battle over it. He wanted a city park. The proprietors wanted to keep the ritsy, wealthy-only downtown airstrip. Daley cited possible terrorist action and sent in backhoes and dug big Xs in the tarmac -- in the middle of the night -- and that pretty much put the kabosh on discussion. As you know, I've already mentioned that I will miss Mayor Daley, even though philosophically I appreciate democracy.
