Write It Right?

They're destroying my world.

Okay, not literally.  Well, okay, maybe literally.

Just a little purposeful over-reation to the fact of progress.

I have a novel that I put on the back burner.  It takes place here in Chicago.  As such, I've gone around town and took notes (mental, written and general impressions) about specific places.  Then I wrote them, specificially, into the story.  I'd hoped it would have an authentic feel.

Well, as it turns out, some of the places I have the boy and girl visiting no longer exist.  Drat.  It's not all for naught, though.  There are locations that (goodness forbid) will not change.  It would require a major re-landscaping and there is no (it would seem) conceivable reason to do so.  But then there are spots such as a particular restaurant in Greektown.  You'd think that those would be safe.  For right now, yes, but consider that one of Bart's favorite restaurants has gone bye-bye.  He's in his thirties and he'd been going there as a six-year-old and has ever since.  If even an "institution" like Matsuya can suddenly disappear... is anyplace a safe fictional bet?

I'll of course be revamping that back-burned novel whenever I wind up getting back to it so as to make it a little less exact... but then, some of the places and 'objects' are heavily woven into the story!  Besides, I had wanted people to be able to visit these places themselves (if the spirit so moved them.)

Makes me wonder if it's better to create a fictionalized city like Jeremy Strache's "Chicago" or if the realism adds that extra believability.  Seems like there's good reason for both ways.