Final Thoughts on Boise…

Sitting at the airport waiting to fly out of the dessert, I watch a teen rocker flip through a book and a bearded traveler eat McDonalds. When it comes to airports, once at the gate they all feel the same no matter what size: same obnoxious support beam in the sitting area, same chairs bolted together with never enough armrest, and same tacky carpet with grey patterns behind light blue background.

But that is the airport. Boise is a good town. It holds itself well. The additions of Californians moving in the 1990s have yet to take over. The West is alive out here; without the need to remind you of it every five minutes whether in store name, street sign or souvenir store. It is an authentic Denver. It is Denver maybe thirty years ago.

That is what makes this town fun. It is true to itself. Unlike so many American cities, it does struggle to be what it is not. It does not try to be a competitor to bigger cities; nor does it try to revert to its rural roots.

Not a top tier tourist spot, like Los Angeles or Miami. Not an economic powerhouse like Chicago or New York. Not a political hotbed, like Austin or Boston. It is what it is. And that is just fine with the locals.