The sun was just starting to rise when I woke up in the front seat of my parents’ minivan. We were on our way back to Chicago from Nashville, traveling overnight through the flat and repetitive landscape of southern Illinois so my mom and I could sleep during the most boring stretch of the journey.
And even though the town’s rural location and tiny population (around 6,500 people) are more reminiscent of Smallville, the farm town in Kansas where a young Superman first landed, the real Metropolis is trying its darnedest to mirror the bustling fictional metropolis of, um, Metropolis in every way possible. You just have to look for it to see that it’s there.
We were the only people milling about the town square in these early morning hours, but Metropolis isn’t always so calm. This was the off season, when tourists can take their time perusing the town’s oddities. But thousands of people from across the world come to Metropolis every year for the Superman Celebration.
As for my dad, he’s already planning his return trip. There’s nothing he regrets more than not getting a photo with his head on Superman’s body. If you find yourself in Metropolis, Illinois, this summer, don’t make the same mistake. v
