Lois says in the NPR interview that she knew something spectacular would be necessary to pick up where the cows left off. Theirs is not a city without serious concerns, and in some respects Chicago may be worse off than Philadelphia. Call it spirit, chutzpah, boldness. Maybe we might even call it magic. I've been to Chicago a couple times this year.
People there seem to know they're part of something special - it's in their character.
Chicagoans readily take in Ping Pong 2000 in all its goofy glory because they know their city is in the business of doing big things, thinking big thoughts. They know that people will come from Iowa City, stand in plazas, and stare with slack-jawed wonder at all the little green tables. The people from Iowa City spend real money. Sometimes they even stay to live and work. Lois Weisberg understands that what you do isn't as important as the simple fact that you are doing it.