In a New York Times essay, Joe Queenan discusses his own nerdtastic, literary staycation—visits to a few towns in eastern Pennsylvania, all of which have some sort of literary relevance.
As he says, "The idea was to combine local color and cuisine with a visit to the old stomping grounds of...three very different American writers."
Pretty awesome, pretty geeky, and thus, pretty much something I adore.
So I got to thinking: If I could plan my own literary staycation, where would I choose to go?
Cities such as New York and San Francisco are obviously rich with literary history; in addition to hosting movements such as the Harlem Renaissance and the Beat Generation, so many authors set their stories in these particular regions. So how could you possibly begin to narrow your trip down to just a few places? (I would, however, really like to see some of the Beats' stomping grounds some time.)
My pure adoration for Pablo Neruda makes me want to go to Chile, but I'm pretty sure that trips to South America don't fall within the jurisdiction of a staycation.
I'd be interested in exploring Pittsburgh, too, as it relates to Michael Chabon. Chabon went to college at the University of Pittsburgh, and his first two novels (The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and Wonder Boys) are set in this city.
And one of the literary loves of my life, Jeffrey Eugenides, was born and raised in Detroit. It's also the setting for a large portion of his second novel, Middlesex, while his first, The Virgin Suicides, is set in Grosse Pointe, a Detroit suburb. I'd be interested in exploring the city with the knowledge that it's clearly a region that he finds both familiar and inspiring. Additionally, since the Michigan portions of the novels are set in the '60s and '70s, respectively, I think it'd be fascinating to see how much of the city has changed since then, and how it differs from the picture I painted in my head after reading his works.
I wouldn't mind visiting the old homes of writers, the ones that have been preserved and added to the NRHP. For example, Walt Whitman's house is in Camden, New Jersey (although I have no interest in roaming that city without several bodyguards) and e.e. cummings' is in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
As you can see, I can hardly plan a concrete trip around these places, as they are located all across America. While I'm sure I could find literary significance in many places, I think part of the trick is finding literary significance in which you're interested, or at the very least, with which you're familiar.
My inability to select a location comes as no surprise. I am notoriously indecisive when it comes to making very simple decisions, such as "what should I wear today?" or, more commonly, "what do I want to eat? Because everything looks delicious." Give me a more complex decision to make, however, and I'll tackle that in a methodical, time-effective way.
I'll just stick to visiting literary locations when I'm in the area, though it's probably something I should tackle either alone or with fellow nerds. I forced my family to comply with my request to visit the Folger Shakespeare Library on a trip to Washington D.C. about five years ago, and I think my brother fell asleep just listening to me talk about going there. It was fun, though, and I bet a lot of these literary locations would be, too.
Nerd Alert: The title of this post comes from the Reading Rainbow theme song. I watched this show ALL THE TIME as a child, so I suppose I've been cultivating my geeky side for a long time.
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