Flyover Syndrome

Hi, my name is Jenna and I have flyover syndrome.

"Hi, Jenna."

I've had flyover syndrome since I was a child. Through my traveling "back east", Europe, and the Bahamas, I felt that the states passing underneath me were there to make the journey a bit longer, to make the trip that much sweeter.

I didn't hear much about those states other than whatever weather catastrophes would take place and that everyone in L.A. had moved to L.A. to get away from those states.

"You're from L.A.? No one is from L.A."

Whenever Angelinos have to travel to those states, it is normally for business, trapped in chains, seeing only the inside of offices, hotel rooms and mediocre restaurants. This does not improve the problem.

However, I have begun to develop an antidote for this affliction. It is not easy, inexpensive or guaranteed to work on everyone. In fact, I hypothesize that those who are from those states, those who have escaped if you will to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, etc... will be the most resistant to my proposed cure. However, for the rest of us interested in dealing with the affliction here is my idea:

For those of you living with this disease, you have to know someone knowledgeable about and content in living in those states and go for a visit. It is true, Wisconsin,Michigan, Minnesota, etc... (pick one of those states as an example) would not be a typical weekend getaway. The beaches of San Diego, wine country outside of Santa Barbara, or even Vegas would normally come to mind. But remember, we are trying to deal with an illness and we must be willing to think outside of the proverbial box. To visit relatives who don't much care for their surroundings will not aid in the cure, in fact this will only worsen the problem. However, to visit friends who can take you to yummy restaurants, fun spots (bars, parks, stores, etc...) and generally help to illustrate the good points of one of those states will help to end the affliction.

For those of you who want to aid in the cure, who want to sponsor a friend as a visitor and help deal with the problem, you have a very important role to fill. You must not merely serve as a host, a place to say, but more of a guide. If your visiting friend is a golfer, take him/her to that course in Wisconsin that is ranked one of the twenty best in the world. If your friend is a foodie, keep him/her the hell away from all chains and instead introduce him/her to some of the tastiest food they'll ever eat. Guard them from the weather that pushes people to move from those states. Instead only invite them when the weather, although not perfect, is fairly moderate so that the extreme cold or frightening humidity is merely a conversation topic. Experiencing extreme weather would only strengthen the syndrome and not aid in the cure. This would set the treatment back further than when we begun.

Now, we have a long road ahead of us to fight flyover syndrome, but if we all do our part, we can help to find a cure.