BELVEDERE MOTEL

Cairo, Illinois, a truly hard-scrabble community.

I grew up in rural Illinois. These were common scenes for me and become the subject matter for daydreams and nightmares from time to time. There is such raw and decayed beauty in these grim little places, though. Great shot.

Have you ever been to Cairo? Man that place is wasted. It's a very sad and compelling American tale in my book. Just haven't figured out all the implications for the rest of us.

The family drove through Cairo on our way to Arkansas when I was a little kid. I was born in Iowa, grew up outside Peoria, and went to college in Missouri, so I know many of the small towns throughout these states. As an outsider looking in, it seemed very sad with peeling paint and boarded over stores. My own hometown has parts of it that are similar to the scene you captured. Somehow, life goes on. I always feel somewhat nostalgic when I see these scenes. My wife, a Bostonian, just gets depressed.