Eras of U.S. History I Would Have Liked to Lived In

Every now and then I see a movie or picture or read an article about time in American history that draws my attention and fascinates me. I wonder what it would have been like to have lived there and what I missed out on. For some reason, I continuously come back to the same three eras in United States history:

1. Los Angeles, 1950s- What's not to love about the Golden Age of Hollywood? Los Angeles itself was still a growing city, luring people westward daily. This was the American Dream at its prime; we had just won the war and all was right in the world. I'm fascinated with the cut on the suits that men war and how women were really coming into their own. The music, jazz and swing, dominated the airwaves and I would have been able to see the birth of rock and roll. Think L.A. Confidential.

2. Utah and Colorado Territories, 1850s- Oh, how I would have loved to have seen the frontier! To be a mountain man as the United States expanded westward. To have survived without the conveniences and trappings of modern life. To hunt native wildlife before it was destroyed. To wake in the mornings and not breathe in smog filled air. It would have been a tough life, but it would have been a good life. Think Jeremiah Johnson.

3. Seattle, 1990- Something I barely missed out on. I cannot recall the amount of times I wish I were but six or seven years older and living in Washington around 1990. What an amazing cultural time! The music, grunge and alternative, the coffee, the SFW lifestyle. This is probably the era I regret most seeing, because I missed it by thismuch. Think Singles.

Jason Herbert
AMH 1041
TR 10:05-11:20