#28 -- Bright Lights, Big Cities

Whether you are in an apartment right in the middle of an urban area, or you just visit big cities for special occasions, you have to experience the "drive by" of a few at night.

It's easy to get swallowed up by the hustle and chaos of a busy downtown area as you walk the sidewalks and duck in and out of businesses. Even easier -- to curse at cramped traffic at 5 p.m. as everyone tries to leave the parking garages at the same time.

But there is something calming and majestic about seeing the big picture of a metro area after dark -- preferrably as you fly by on an overpass or encircling interstate system.

Indianapolis was always more glamorous when I viewed it from 465 South after 8 p.m. The red lights of the Key Bank building, and several area hospitals, towered over the historic churches, businesses and homes. It made that "Indiana town" look like it really did belong among the ranks of the "greats" like Chicago, New York and L.A.

I have never visited St. Louis. But I will never forget driving through it at 10 p.m. on the way home from a trip to Kansas City for a football game. The highway wound through glowing buildings, and a ball park or two. Suddenly, the famous "Arch" appeared on the left-- lit up against the stark sky -- and was literally breathtaking.

Chicago, of course, will always hold the top spot for me. Leaving town after a Cubs game, whether in a car or on the train, is bittersweet as the blinking antenna on both the John Hancock Building and Sears Tower fade into the dark sky. Lights at all heights and of all sizes adorn the night -- and it's hard not to think about all of the people who are out at the clubs and bars, working the graveyard shift or snuggled up in their brownstones watching the evening news.

And last night, I took notice of downtown Orlando for the first time in over a year. I found myself north of downtown, and beginning the southbound journey home on I-4. Maybe it was the new angle, or time of day, but as I looked at the buildings I'd seen so many times before, I was unexpectedly impressed. The lights of Amway Arena, hailing a one-point Magic playoff victory, sat on my right, while the businesses of the left basked in the balmy Florida night. The city lights extended for at least a mile, before tapering off to low-lying malls and hotels for the rest of the trip. I thought of all the places in that well-lit strip that I had been, and longed for the time and means to visit all the others. The city lights were inviting, pulling me in with their unfamiliarity.

The perceived serenity of a metro area after dark might only be an illusion. But it's lovely...and illuminating.