Columbus is nice. Great people, nice restaurants, and some vibrant areas. The ‘Short North’ is pretty cool and reminiscent of a combination of Capital Hill and Ballard Avenue. German Village is very cool with great architecture. Ohio State is a fine university. Worthington is a real cute town seeming built for a perpetual fourth of July parade down main street every day. Columbus brewery has a killer IPA, and North Star has a very fine vege burger and their Bhudda bowl is out of this world. Traffic isn’t bad around Columbus although there’s a higher percentage of aggressive, nearly insane, drivers.
But it’s flat, away from any great body of water, and the overall topography is better described by what it isn’t than by what it is. There’s nothing to look at. No views. None. Everything you look at or do is manmade or has a business model. There’s nothing wrong with that and I imagine that huge segment of the US population lives that way. If you get a away from the coast, and away from the mountains, you are probably living somewhere in the mid west (or from a Seattle perspective, just shy of the east coast).
Much of the mid west was summed up by a gal we met at a pub. She was from Iowa and was extolling the virtues of her small town (pop 1000). It had all you needed. A doctors office, a pharmacy, dentists and a grocery store. Her central point was that this is what made her town a great place to live. She actually repeated her points a couple of times to ensure we knew that all health care providers were close and you could obtain food. I can’t remember which Iowa town it was, but wherever it is, it’s firmly cemented in last place on my ‘places to visit’ list.
Compare it to living on the dock. The dock has its own vibe. Last night we sat in the cockpit of a Cape George. A boat that came down from Juneau and, in two years, will be somewhere in the South Pacific. A powerboat near us is getting ready to head out for the weekend with a new crew mate, exploring the area. This morning I helped an older couple push off and they are headed down the sound for a 4 or 5 day cruise. There’s a new sailboat on the dock that looks destined for a round the world voyage. I talked to Rick this morning and he just took off his Satellite dish as he just didn’t want to pay those fees when he takes his boat down to Mexico this fall. There’s a laid back, casual feel on the dock but when the conversation touches on ‘where’d you go last week’ or where are you headed next weekend (or next year), it can get pretty interesting.
Certainly there are tradeoffs living on the dock, but after being in Columbus for a month it re-affirms that the relatively small hardships of living aboard are worth it. It is comfortable and last night’s chat on the bow, followed by a barbecue, followed by some time kibitzing with neighbors was really nice. What many want to escape to, we are living in. I’ll take it.
No comments:
Post a Comment