Peoria is a city in Illinois in the US Midwest. It has a reputation for being dull, perhaps reinforced by the question “Will it play in Peoria?” The city is supposed to be so typical of middle America that it is used as a test market for products, political campaigns, and entertainers. It was to Peoria that my first US visit occurred. It is not a city that has the beauty, character, or vibrancy of so many others that I since been too. However, it is a far better introduction to the US than the UK town I visited last week with a colleague. It was his first trip to the UK and we spent four nights in Milton Keynes. This is an incredibly untypical UK town – it did exist until the 1960s and is the only town in the country to use a grid style road layout.
Peoria has more history; Lincoln spoke there in a set of debates for his Senate race.
Peoria has more attractive buildings
Peoria has a better range of places to eat and drink.
On the bright side my colleague did get to try real beer, a curry, proper fish and chips and get a little confused by cricket high-lights.
