Four Corners

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
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**Ira Glass** (0:31)
Let us speak of our nation's monuments. When you're at the Statue of Liberty or standing under the rotunda at the US Capitol, when you're at the Alamo, it is clear what they mean. But why do thousands of tourists go every day of the summer to Four Corners, that spot in the wilderness where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, four different states meet at one point? I went one summer, drawn inexorably magnetically without quite knowing why. Just like every other wandering tourist who strays within 250 miles of the place. Chances are you have done this yourself. You've driven three or four hours out of your way, and you show up, and there's a marker on the ground, ringed by dozens, literally dozens of t-shirt stands, and families come, and they stand on the opposite spot where the four states meet, and what? They hold hands, they sit on the ground, and then mom or dad or sis stands on a little platform they have there built especially for this purpose and takes a snapshot.
And then, often, there's this kind of aftermath moment where everybody stands around haplessly like what was that all about? We came for this? And then the next group comes in. The arbitrariness of it all, I think, is lost on no one. I saw one family with young kids who simply placed a teddy bear on the spot where the four states meet and snapped a picture of that.
Couldn't any four corners hold just as much meaning as this place?
And my friend, the answer, of course, is yes. And today on our program, we offer our own little national monument here on the radio, our own picture of life in America, our own four corners. From WBEZ Chicago, This American Life, from Ira Glass. Today on our program, Four Corners, we tell the story of life in America through portraits of life on four different corners in four different states across this great nation. Act 1, History, Act 2, Love, Act 3, Neighbors, Act 4, How to Become an American. Stay with us.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:50)
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**Christopher Kimball** (3:16)
Hey, this is Christopher Kimball. On Milk Street Radio, we share compelling stories about food. You'll hear about the secrets of restaurant design and the truth about picky eating. For example, in 19th century, kids loved oysters and corned beef.
We also have a story about cooking in prison from former This American Life producer Sean Cole, and interviews with Jose Andres, Sami Noserat, and Padma Lakshmi. Listen to Milk Street Radio wherever you get your podcasts.

**Nate DeMeo** (3:46)
My name is Nate DeMeo, and for the past 15 years, I've been finding odd and wonderful things in the dustier corners of history, and trying to turn them into beautiful stories that are surprising, or sad, or funny, or sometimes all of those at once. The show is called The Memory Palace, and each episode is short. It might last just as long as a dog walk, or the drive home from the grocery store, but they might stay with you for far longer.
It is an odd little show, and it might not be for everyone, but it might deeply be for you. Find The Memory Palace wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

**Ira Glass** (4:23)
Just American Life. Today's show is a rerun from 1999, a very memorable rerun, but I mention this just in case you notice some outdated language. Act one. Let's begin with the most epic of our four stories today. Back when we made this episode, writer Sarah Vowell had a theory that she could tell the entire history of America by describing what happened on and around one single street corner, specifically the corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive here in Chicago. She thought she could just swivel around and point at the whole dark and inspiring tale.