Hugh Hefner Says Farewell To Chicago

By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 23, 2012 10:20PM

Hugh Hefner penned a poignant farewell "thank you" to Chicago in a Tribune column today as Playboy staff pack up to move west. Moving the magazine's headquarters to LA seemed inevitable, given that city's abundance of bleached-blonde silicone-stuffed ladies. But reading this piece changes our thinking on that, and instead of farewell, it makes us want to hold tighter. Hefner writes about his growing up in Chicago, and how Chicago deeply influenced the magazine. When he started Playboy Chicago "stood as the most significant representation of true, post-war America," Hef writes.

An excerpt from the column:

Now, after nearly 60 years, the Playboy offices in Chicago have closed as we consolidate our operations in Los Angeles. It is bittersweet to see Playboy leave the city I love. It's where I grew up, and where my two oldest children were born. Chicago provided the magazine's connection to the true American male, and in return I like to think the magazine's presence provided the city with an edge, a reminder to the rest of America that the first steps of a sexual revolution took place at a card table at 6052 S. Harper Ave., ran wild in a State Street mansion and grew into a global presence on Michigan Avenue visible to anyone driving down Lake Shore Drive. Together we took those ideals of sexual liberation from Loop newsstands to the farthest edges of the planet. Playboy could not have happened anywhere else but Chicago.