REFLECTIONS ON LIVING IN OHIO FOR 3 MONTHS

The best thing about living here are the people. Respectful friendliness. Cashiers, restaurant help, simply folks on the street I suspect one could move here and in relative short order develop a good set of friends.

The things I like?

The NorthStar Cafe. Never knew a Makers Manhattan and a vege burger went together so well. The Buddha bowl is something I could eat 7 nights in a row. The staff is justifiably proud of their food and their service.

Columbus brewery. Great IPA.

I 270, the loop around Columbus. Just stay on the road, you’ll get there ( or close).

Proximity to Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Roughly 50% of the US population lives within 500 miles of Columbus. How cool is that?

No real traffic. Ever. Ok, maybe minor slowdowns, but nothing in the way of real stop and go traffic that can last for hours.

The history. Seven presidents hailed from Ohio. The state has contributed more than its share to the strength and historical vitality and growth of the US. Firestone, Kettering, the Wright brothers, Thomas Edison, Goodyear--- all Ohio names.

Fireflies. Love fireflies on warm summer evenings.

Cookouts and screened porches.

Ohio State University. The affection for OSU is palpable, especially on friday when everyone wears red. Never blue. Key piece of glue binding the community together.

Things I don’t like:

Torture of the english language. I can’t wait until the words 'have' and 'seen' are together once again. When one says "I seen" the natural tendency is to assume it’s never followed by "the inside of a book".

Stopping on the merge lane on to the freeway. I (have) seen this several times. Even in relatively light traffic, rather than speed up and merge they'll come to a complete stop even though there's ample room to merge. The sign says ’yield’, not 'give up'.

The lack of natural beauty. We are incredibly lucky in the northwest to have physical features that inspire the senses. Mounts Rainier and Baker along with the Salish Sea. Seattle has the Cascades to the east for glorious sunrises and the Olympics to the west as foreground to sunsets. The islands are close and always calling. Just the simple pleasure of getting to a highpoint and viewing your surroundings.

Here there are no highpoints, no hills, no vistas and certainly no mountains. Flat. Maybe that’s why so many notable aviators and astronauts are from Ohio. They had an insatiable need to go up and see things.

Easton. For all its convenience, it looks like someone erected a sterile mall by bulldozing a cornfield. Oh. That’s exactly what they did.

Obstacles to walking. Paths are either narrow, nonexistent or end abruptly. Walking is encouraged between car and business, but not between businesses and certainly not as a way to cover any distance. Crosswalks are all but irrelevant and pedestrians are targets. Cars have and take right of way at all times There are a few great paths but more for recreation and don’t appear to connect to anything useful.

Could I reside here and work? Absolutely. The work has been interesting, productive, and meaningful. There are enough attractions that one could be here for some time and not get bored at all.

Could I live here? Not with my definition of the word ‘live’. Living is time in the Islands. Living is having a view. Living is a hike in the mountains. Living is happy hour in cockpit watching a sunset. There may be deeper definitions of ‘living’, involving family and service to others, but part of the definition, to me, is the sheer beauty of the Northwest.

The opportunity to work where you truly want to live is a blessing.