Columbus @ Night

There's something about emerging into from the cave of the parking garage and into the crisp night air of Columbus. The lights are ablaze, the moon shines among the clouds, the downtown is falling asleep after an evening of enjoying itself. My car loops around a block to get aligned correctly with the one-ways, and it's off and down the ramp onto I-70 Eastbound, headed back home. City lights follow me until Canal Winchester, where I depart into the countryside. Heading north I can see the radiating skyglow from the city, that ever present sunset to the west.

I took a walk down the Lower Scioto Greenway, more specifically Scioto Mile Park, the other night. The urban landscaping and effort that has gone into such a pedestrian and watershed management place is pretty amazing. Couple that with the fact there is more than ample path lighting, and amazing structures from the Columbus skyline, and you have a park that entirely lives up to its awards and news articles.

Rich Street Bridge @ Night

Supreme Court Building with Hunington Building and the Riffe Building

LeVeque Tower  with it's seasonal lighting

Another shot of the greenway and the park.

The Greenway/Park with COSI (Central Ohio Science and Industry) Museum
to the left, across the river with red lights on it's pillars. 

I think I keep forgetting the value that natural spaces can hold. The weather in Ohio has been quite erratic as of late, and I found myself being shuttered in by the rain and cold (a habit I should have dropped in the Pacific Northwest). But the past couple of days the weather has taken a turn for the better, and it has been some of the most beautiful days I have experienced in a while. The sun is amazingly bright, without a cloud in the sky, and the temperature is perfect. I know these are fleeting days of springtime, but I am now, once again, realizing how much I actually need to get out and enjoy nature and the outdoors.

The "sense of place" (whatever that may be for you) shines through in Columbus. The city has really redefined itself as the capitol of Ohio, or at least from my perception from when I was in high school. There are parks galore (including the amazing Columbus Commons, venue for multiple concerts and festivals), the Scioto Greenway and reclaimed waterfronts, and the restaurant and bar scene is ridiculous for a town that rarely makes it on the radar for places to be. (Although that is changing too.)

This whole process of me coming to work in the Statehouse Parking Garage has led me to look at Columbus as more than a simple job center. Yes, it does host many commuters for the in and out everyday, but it also has developed a placeness of it's own. There are brand new things all around the city, and they are still being constructed as well. Bike paths and markings line the streets, new brick pedestrian crossings and features, and a friendly yet business atmosphere really accentuate the Midwesternness and the progressiveness of the people who live here.

It's amazing what you can feel and experience once you finally hurdle the xenophobia of the rural culture you grew up around. The city is being redefined, and Columbus is pressing forward and is one of the best examples I've experienced of this modern transformation.