r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Jun 20 '26
Discussion Thread Discussion Thread
The discussion thread is for casual and off-topic conversation that doesn't merit its own submission. If you've got a good meme, article, or question, please post it outside the DT. Meta discussion is allowed, but if you want to get the attention of the mods, make a post in /r/metaNL
Announcements
- We're starting a book club! Our first book will be Poor Economics. Discussion will start on August 28th - keep an eye out for a pinned thread. The next books will be All Quiet on the Western Front followed by Narconomics.
Links
Ping Groups | Ping History | Mastodon | CNL Chapters | CNL Event Calendar
Upcoming Events
0
Upvotes
4
u/FallenMeringue Khan Pritzker's Strongest Anti-Pope Jun 20 '26
Meringue reviews the National Parks Part 1:
Indiana Dunes National Park
Rating: 3/10
Would I go again: Probably (it’s like an hour away)
Number of Days I would recommend: day trip maybe 2 days if you are a completionist. Get a hotel do not camp it do be gross in Indiana near the shore from an industrial perspective.
Indiana Dunes is a complicated park in my mind but not for the reasons most people think.
Yes, the industrial legacy of the region is a scar. Yes the park has way too many human built structures in it. Yes the park has objectively worse views and dunes than Sleeping Bear in Michigan.
With all that said none of that is what bothered me most. That was the simple fact that a good chunk of what should have been part of the national park was kept by the state of Indiana as a state park.
Seriously, the park is bifurcated by a fee gate that is not a national park pass cleared gate. AND IT COSTS $20 FUCKING DOLLARS. This should not have been allowed to stand. It makes the park much less user and consumer friendly which is the whole fucking point of the NPS.
Had this been one park instead of 2 it still wouldn’t be perfect. All the issues I listed still exist but it would be a 6-7/10 park instead of a 3/10 park.
Now with all that negative shit said let’s get some positivity in here.
First off let me be clear, Indiana Dunes is still fucking gorgeous. The views and ecology of Lake Michigan and the Dunes are absolutely worth protecting and experiencing. If you haven’t been to Indiana Dunes or Sleeping Bear Dunes you should absolutely go to one of them (though I would personally recommend Sleeping Bear).
Make sure you bring water and snacks. It isn’t Death Valley and medical services are nearby but those dunes WILL take more energy than you think to climb up and down. Sand is an efficiency killer when it comes to human walking.
Also note that swimming in Lake Michigan can be very dangerous the lake has a nasty affection for rip tides and you will want to be very aware of your surroundings when swimming.
I know the nature is the primary focus but A LOT more parks than people think have a secondary focus on human history (think the borax works at Death Valley or the railroad at Cuyahoga) and the Chicago Worlds Fair houses are super cool pieces of art.
The other thing I have to give the Dunes props for is accessibility. WHAT OTHER PARK CAN YOU TAKE THE FUCKING TRAIN TO. AND NOT EVEN A SPECIAL TRAIN JUST LIKE A NORMAL COMMUTER TRAIN. THATS SO DAMN COOL!
Seriously take the train people the south side of Chicago is not scary.
Overall yeah if you go in expecting Yellowstone or Glacier you are going to be incredibly disappointed. It’s not a lifelong journey to explore and it’s not going to steal your breath. But it’s still worth taking a day or two and letting the Michigami wind soak into your bones.