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Farewell, Toledo
City Paper staffer says goodbye
published December 13th 2006
First of all, thank you. When I moved here one year ago I knew it was an itinerant stop; I would live with my parents and save money before attending grad school in a city that at the time had not been determined. I was awaiting acceptance from several schools.
Naturally, I dreaded the experience. Though most of my family is from here, I never lived nor spent more than two weeks consecutive time here. Plus, having lived on my own for 10 years in Columbus, a city nationally recognized for diversity and not where my parents lived, the prospect of hanging out in Toledo with my folks was right up there with elective castration.
But Toledo showed me something I didn’t expect — intelligence, creativity, livelihood and true grit. This town’s art, music and culture scene is alive, and though not as big as it would probably like, fairly well-networked and strong in conviction. There are incredibly creative, bright people in this town, and I am thankful to have spent whatever time I could around them in this city.
Writing for the Toledo City Paper helped plug me in to T-burgh and its people. But I read its stories more like many readers rather than an employee. I read to find out what kind of nightlife there is, who’s making it happen around here and where to go.
Toledo, you have your problems: casually accepted racism; MS; terrible, terrible, terrible driving manners — I mean really, comically, medically bad drivers are on your roads and likely in pickups; and the most hilarious caricature of a mayor ever conceived — if you invented a character like Carty Fink-beiner, people in your writing group would urge you to make him less obvious, less over-the-top and with a more plausible name.
But there is more to compliment than criticize. Toledo is beautiful. Hip-hop lives here. So does jazz and the blues. So does rock. And even reggae!? Unparalleled stylists, graphic designers, graffiti artists, traditional painters, sculptors and poets all kick around this town. The Old West End and ever more parts of Downtown are amazing places bubbling with diversity and people ready to make up their own good time rather than find out about one from television. And the Toledo Museum of Art, mon dieu! What a gem! But more than anything, Artomatic419, to me, was a symbol of everything this town is, wants to be, and will be. Everyone coming together, everyone putting aside whatever BS existed prior and everyone making a ‘60s-style happening. Artomatic419 is the kind of thing great cities do.
As a living organism, you Toledo, really flowered before my eyes during my stay. Toledo made me believe it is a great American city. And my folks ended up being pretty cool with my loosely interpreted sleep schedule. I start school this January in Chicago, and I never thought I would say such a thing, but I have reservations about leaving you. I look forward to returning and seeing how you’ve grown. Miss you already!
Kiss kiss, hug hug
