Great Things about Being in Ohio

This marks the first in a mini-series of what's nice about Ohio and what I will and won't miss about New Mexico (being temporarily out of the news-circuit, I'm afraid it's more editorials from me for awhile).

-Ethnic food. It's wonderful to be in a place where "ethnic" expands beyond New Mexican food (as great as it is - that's in another blog later). In New Mexico, you could get chiles, indigenous food, and some not-bad vietnamese, thai, and mediterranean. The ethnic foods of northeast Ohio, while perhaps more superficially similar, are far more varying, including EXCELLENT German, Italian, Russian, Greek, and other European foods, as well as some really good Chinese and Thai in the region. And let's not forget the power of the Jewish deli. In my four years in New Mexico, I didn't find a single restaurant that knew how the hell to make a good reuben (and many of them had green chiles on them - AWFUL). Sure, not everything comes with Chiles, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. For those who grew up in the Rust Belt, you'll appreciate the marvelous things you can do with meat, noodles, and sauces and marinades. And the variety of sausages can't be beat.

-Green. Honest to God Green. For those who have lived in New Mexico for awhile, this has certainly been a relatively "green" year there, but "relatively" is the key term. I'm now just 5 minutes from a national forest (the Cuyahoga, which is a world of difference from the Cibola). There are deciduous trees EVERYWHERE, and it's a giant orgy of green. Even better, it's JUST starting to show signs of an approaching fall here, and so the color of the trees has begun to change, as hints of yellow, red, and brown in numerous shades have started popping up. For those of you who have never seen the east-of-the-mississippi region in the fall time, you're truly missing out on one of the most incredible seasonal sights. Not only that, there are many beautiful, multi-colored wildflowers here, adding to the green and giving me an orgy of color I haven't seen in years.

-Unions. I mentioned it in my travel-log, but this point can't be stressed enough. I'm back in the heart of real union activity. For all the brou-ha-ha over immigration, one of the downfalls of the southwest is the absence of any major and substantive union activity in the urban centers, which isn't surprising, given the amount of labor that is privately contracted with no questions asked. Not so in Akron/Cleveland. Here, union activity forms a very important part of life for cities, and is dealt with sympathetically as well. In a region that has been wracked by the rubber and steel corporations jumping ship, much of the employment and revitalization of places like Akron and Cleveland has revolved around union lobbying and the labor voice in elections. It's so nice to be back in a place where, while far from ideal, the laborer still has a voice and a presence, and impacts local and regional politics and life beyond the workplace.

-A real city skyline. While up in Cleveland today, I realized that, as beautiful as the Albuquerque skyline is, its beauty rests in the mountains and volcanoes. Downtown looks pretty unimpressive (an appearance which applies to much of the night-life in downtown Albuquerque - thanks mayor Marty and the APD). I don't know what the appeal is for me, but it is just great to actually see buildings towering over the city, instead of resting in it's bottom. I'm sure Ayn Rand would have something to say about progress and whatnot, but I just prefer it.

-Sports on TV. I totally respect regional approches to broadcasting games, and I'll be fair - who in NM wants to see the New York Jets play? However, due to regionalism, it meant I was subjected to every Broncos game on CBS for four years. Now, as a Browns fan, my hatred for the Broncos has diminished somewhat (though not for John Elway). Nonetheless, seeing the Broncos and Raiders for the 10th time is NOT my idea of watching a good game. Same went with college football. I learned the nuances of Pac-10 games (like lasting 15 hours), but it isn't the same as seeing Big Ten for me (which, mercifully, the first year I was in NM, all the early games showed Ohio State in their heart-attack national championship year, but not after that). And as for baseball, I'm sorry - watching the Rockies can be fun, but at best, I can work up a mild interest, and as for Diamondbacks games, I really couldn't have cared less (though I'll always be grateful for the 2001 World Series). At least in Ohio, I can see Indians games, and even if they suck and are out of it, I get to watch an INTERESTING wild card chase as they play the Twins, Tigers, and White Sox, instead of watching a chase in which the Rockies vie with 10 other teams to potentially be a below-.500 wild card team.

Stay tuned for what I won't and will miss about New Mexico (there's plenty good to say, I assure you, dear reader.....)