CLINTON VISITS MICHIGAN CITY

Photo/Jennifer Flowers

FLAG-WAVER: Melissa Howard (left) raises and Americanflag as she enjoys dancing with Bess Block on Wednesday during the longwait for President Clinton's arrival in Michigan City.

Clinton has people talking about city

On the train, on the streets, inside the United Center, people were talkingabout Michigan City.

On the South Shore, on the way to the Democratic National ConventionTuesday, I heard several small groups of people talking about and anticipatingPresident Clinton's visit to the city.

Inside the United Center, delegates, reporters, convention staff, guestsand police officers all chatted about the president's schedule, about hisarrival in Chicago, about where he might be at that very moment, on Tuesdayevening.

"He's already in Michigan City," a bureau chief from a Texaspaper said.

"No," I said, ever so confidently, but, I hope, not too smugly."He won't get there until tomorrow."

"No, he must be there now," the bureau chief said. "He'scoming to Chicago tomorrow."

Finally, I explained to the Texan that a reporter from my paper (RhondaSobecki) was scheduled to ride the train with the president. Rhonda wasto meet the train in East Lansing Wednesday morning.

Rhonda and the president were scheduled to arrive in Michigan City onWednesday afternoon, I assured my new friend.

"Where is Michigan City?" he asked.

"Just across the lake," I said. And yes, I assured him, itis possible to get from Michigan City to Chicago in one day. Many, manypeople do it every workday of their lives, I said.

It's always fun to brag about Michigan City. There's so much to bragabout.

At the convention on Tuesday, there was ample opportunity for bragging.Everyone was talking about us.

Reporters who go to the national conventions are playing with the bigboys and girls of media. It can be intimidating.

Ringing the United Center, in big, air-conditioned tents, reporters fromthe country's major news organizations worked on their lap-top computers,filing stories for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the LosAngeles Times.

In the convention hall, I recognized Sam Donaldson, Wolf Blitzer andMaria Shriver.

I cannot say that I heard Sam or Wolf or Maria utter the city's name,but everywhere I went, within the mammoth United Center -- to the conventionfloor, to the media tents, to the concession stands, to the makeup mirrorsin the restrooms, I heard conversations about Michigan City. I was proudto say that I work for Michigan City's newspaper.

On the way home, in the wee, wee hours of Wednesday morning, on the SouthShore, a young newspaper intern and a young woman who apparently workedfor the convention discussed Michigan City. The intern, who apparently attendsa college in Ohio, asked where Michigan City is.

"It's not very far," said the young woman, who left the trainat the Ogden Dunes stop. "It's right on the lake. It's a beautifultown, just beautiful."

President Clinton thinks so, too. In his speech in Washington Park, thepresident noted that no president has visited here since 1899. Those presidentswho failed to visit here, Clinton said, simply "didn't know what theywere missing."

Amen.