Urban Marinade

I don’t expect you all to look at the above photo and see something beautiful. Frankly I wouldn’t either if I didn’t know where this was taken. It’s actually quite a depressing site of snow, industrial refuse and thick haze above an aging city.

The shot was taken just south of Youngstown, Ohio.  I remember the first time I saw this view of the city shortly after moving there.  Sure, it’s a gritty looking place.  But after growing up in a smaller town in Delaware, this was one of the first times I looked out across a city I called home and felt like I lived somewhere just a little bit more relevant.  Some probably laugh, because calling Youngstown relevant is like calling Kenny G hip.  But when your city skyline consists of tall pines and church steeples, this was pretty exciting stuff here.

Obviously my view of cities has changed dramatically.  San Francisco started to feel small after living there for awhile. And DC is down-right quaint.  But for the small-town kid that moved on to bigger things, this was the moment I felt like I had escaped the small-town blues.  So when I look at the above photo, I smile and think… beautiful!