Name That City! — September 2, 2021

Here’s a review of the questions: 

1. The local delicacy that this Midwestern city serves to its legion of fans is a dressed up hot dog called a “Coney Island.” However, neither the name nor the dog has anything to do with New York’s famous Coney Island amusement park. What is the name of the city famous for “Coneys?”
2. This city is home to the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, nicknamed “Fed Med.” Famous guests have included John Gotti and Robert Stroud, AKA “the Birdman of Alcatraz.” What Midwestern city has been home to this facility for nearly 90 years?
3. Hollywood icon Shirley Maclaine was born in this Southern city in 1934. Three years later, her brother Warren Beatty came along, and they both grew up in the capital city of the tenth state to join the Union. What city is it?

And here are the answers:

1. Detroit’s Coney Island hot dog confuses visitors who surmise that its origins are in Brooklyn, New York, where the hot dog (sans toppings) was actual invented. A traditional Michigan Coney consists of an all-beef hot dog, all-meat chili without beans, diced white onions and yellow mustard. Like its hot dog cousins in Chicago, there are multiple variations in ingredients and preparation depending on what restaurant you’re ordering them from. In Detroit, the places to go for the real deal include American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island.
2. Besides being the home of Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri is also the city that the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners calls home. In 1929 the city had proffered a bid for a proposed new federal Medical Center. On “Black Tuesday,” October 29, Springfield received word its formal bid had been received and was being considered. Its storied history includes “visits” from terrorists, gangsters all manner of federally-indicted bad guys. The facility is still in operation today, employing more than 35,000 Springfieldians.
3. Richmond, Virginia is the birthplace of Arthur Ashe and Fran Tarkington, but their most famous former citizens, by far, are Maclaine and Beatty. Shirley’s birth name was Shirley MacLean Beaty. Her first name was reportedly inspired by the famed child actress Shirley Temple. She later adapted her mother’s maiden name, “MacLean,” into her stage name of “MacLaine,” while her brother added a “T” to his stage name. Children of a drama teacher and a psychology professor, the siblings eventually made their way to Hollywood, where they appeared in some of the biggest movies in film history, including “Sweet Charity,” “Terms of Endearment,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” and “Shampoo.”

Thanks for playing!