Columbus redux
Some asked what makes Ohio different from Michigan or what is the appeal.
I think that in many ways northern Ohio and the lower part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan are the same. The same values, the same interests, the same economy, the same weather and the same landscapes. The only real division is a little collage football rivalry.
I think that for me it is what makes a place home. Sure my time away has allowed me to see the faults in Ohio but home will always be home. There will always be something that makes me think of what my life was and, in some ways, could/would have been had I stayed.
Columbus is not Cleveland, but it is similar enough in size, people, and culture to feel like home. I am not sure if I would feel the same about Cincinnati. It is further south and has, from the couple of brief time I was there, a different feel.
Imagine growing up in North Muskegon and then moving to Florida. Then for work you have to spend a couple of weeks in Lansing. Sure, not exactly the same, but you get the taste of home. I think that is what it is for me.
It really has nothing to do with Ohio/Michigan. It is all about feeling home.
I know that GR is my home now. It is where I work, where a lot of my friends are, where my family is. But there should be more than one definition of home. This is my adult home. Ohio (Cleveland) is my childhood home. It will always feel that way.