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In a heartfelt column published in the Chicago Tribune over the weekend, Hugh Hefner bid farewell to Chicago as he announced that the Playboy offices will be consolidating in Los Angeles.
In the article, Hef wrote that Chicago helped shape Playboy, since, being in the heartland, the city represents real American men:
New York City seemed a world away from the rest of America, sophisticated and socially advanced, detached from the remainder of the country. Chicago stood as the most significant representation of true, post-war America. The high-rises and subways brimmed with urban men who returned to the city after their experiences abroad and found themselves receptive to ideas that challenged their socially conservative surroundings.
Hef didn't say anything about how that might change with Playboy in Los Angeles now; our city is many things, and reflects a hugely diverse population -- but representative of middle American mores, it is not.
Then again, in his column, the famous founder of the frisky girlie mag credited L.A. with being "the land where my dreams had come from."
Maybe the move means dreams really can come true.