Ripen, then leave

Victorian-era row houses in Springfield, built in the city’s industrial heyday.

—Photo by Magicpiano

“Springfield, Massachusetts, is a place to be from. Talented people ripen in Springfield, then move away to larger cities to make their fortune.’’ (Like Theodor Geisel, the Springfield native later known as Dr. Seuss.)

— James C. O’Connell, in Pioneer Valley Reader (1995)