ok so i woke up at 2am thirsting for adventure and somehow ended up in this generic midwestern city. nobody asked me to come here but maybe the 22.5c weather felt like a gateway drug? i don’t know. the temperature feels like a middle finger to both summer and winter. it’s not hot enough to lake-seize but not cold enough to pretend you’re alive. strange energy here.i saw this ugly image of a sun in a black sky online and it felt accurate. wind was howling through empty streetlights.

someone told me this place is a ‘working stiff’ town. meaning not a flat lay for influencers but a place where you can grind. i heard a local warned me about the afforementioned 1840003413 number. turns out it’s a wrong number for a closed gym. now i’m skeptical of all local warnings.

i walked past a street artist tonight. their stupid mural of a brown sun writing was worse than i remembered. i say that because i once tried to draw a better brown sun and failed. anyways, the graffiti here is like a dorm loft bathroom stash. raw but not intentional.

quick answers:
q: is this place worth visiting?
a: only if you like existential road trips. like, you drive here with no map and end up here. you’ll regret it later but also kinda love it.
q: is it expensive?
a: sort of. hostels are 15 buck/night. decent food costs 10-15 per meal. not mad rich but not broke either. i spent 22 on a kombucha coffee that tasted like rust.
q: who would hate it here?
a: people who want polished experiences. tourists looking for ‘gram-worthy’ angles. you won’t find that here. unless you count a lone pigeon photobombing your selfie.
q: best time to visit?
a: never. ever. the weather is the worst joke. unless you like feeling like a confused puppy in a sweater.

here’s what i learned in 400 words:
insight 1: the 40 humidity feels like a person holding their breath. not uncomfortable but definitely not refreshing. this alone makes you question life choices.
insight 2: safety vibe is textbook. no dodgy looking guys in alleys. most danger comes from getting lost in the exact same indie bookstore everyone else goes to.
s insight 3: locals tip 5-10%. not because they’re generous but because they assume you’re broke. which i agree with.
s insight 4: the 1025 pressure system is just a fancy way of saying ‘no one cares about weather apps here.’ you’ll end up with a 23.63c high and pretend it’s normal.
insight 5: this city’s soul is buried under concrete and cobwebbed alleys. you’ll find it if you stop pretending you’re looking for a destination.

i heard this place is good for backpackers but i’m not sure. the hostel bathrooms are so bad they should be illegal. the owners probably used the same toilet paper as a sandwich. cheap? yes. sanitary? not my problem.

i’m not a fan of the red pepper oil fries. they’re overpriced and greasy. a local said they’re a ‘vintage item’ now. vintage meaning ‘we don’t know how to market it.’

the secret here is to act like you belong. if you stare at the wall of a coffee shop for 10 minutes, someone will hand you a free roll of film. dont ask questions. just nod like you’ve seen this before.

i made a big mistake buying a travel mug. it leaked all over my notebook. now my pages smell faintly like burnt espresso. bonus: it’s 100% my fault.

i overheard two old men talking about the 1840003413 number. they thought it was a thing for getting free beer. turns out it was a misheard phone number from a closed bar. they grinned about it like it was a secret handshake. i never asked for clarification. why would i?

quick answers revisited:
q: should you stay here?
a: only if you want to learn how to navigate life’s awkward silences. or if you’re okay with the 21.85c ‘feels like’ temperature being a lie published by a dishonest weather service.
q: does it have good food?
a: no. but you can find a 2 dollar taco that tastes like it grew up in a sewer. that’s its charm.

safety tip: if a taxi driver asks ‘where you from?’ know this is a coded question. they don’t want to confirm your location. just lie. say you’re from the moon. it works 90% of the time.

the weather again: i measured the temp with my phone and it gave 22.5c. i also stuck my face in a puddle and it felt like 20.96c. i concluded the air is lying. it’s probably 23c somewhere. just don’t tell anyone.

i linked to this on tripadvisor. 90% of reviews are from people who clearly didn’t like the giant fireworks at night. they said it disrupted their sleep. i say welcome to basic existence.

photos: this one is a fireworks display. it was actually beautiful. way better than the brown sun. irony? yes. aesthetic? maybe.

this city isn’t on my bucket list. it’s on my ‘accidentally found while drunkenly driving’ list. which is fine. i’m not trying to be ‘on top of things.’ i’m just here. like a bad tagged friend on facebook.

here’s the fireworks image:

it’s not a blip. it’s the whole damn sky screaming.

final insight: this place teaches you that sometimes 22.5c isn’t a good number. sometimes it’s just a number. and numbers don’t have feelings. they don’t care if you’re broke or bored. they just are.

the brown sand sun image feels lazy. like someone put it there to fill space. same with the fireworks. but sometimes that’s okay. sometimes you don’t need art. you just need to exist.

i’m linking to this reddit thread because someone claimed this city is a hoax. i don’t know if it’s true. i’m too lazy to verify. just know that 15 people deleted their accounts after posting here. suspicious.

last thing: if you come here, bring layers. not just because it’s 20.96c at night but because you’ll need to cry at the 23.63c high. it’s too nice. you’ll pretend you don’t care. but you do.

links: tripadvisor yelp reddit nomadlist

why i waited until 3am to realize this city isnt free

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