All kinds of stuff winds up in my mailbox. The most intriguing thing last week was a copy of the Ottawa Citizen travel section, dated Nov. 13, 2010. Ottawa happens to be the capital city of Canada.
Gene Faeth, of Bucyrus, sent it over. The story by Gary A. Warner, a staff reporter, was about his 10 favorite places in the United States.
We were one of them.
Besides two places in Hawaii and the California redwood country, Warner enjoyed a trip on Ohio’s Lincoln Highway.
“I just couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” Faeth said. “He was writing about us.”
Us includes Mansfield, Crestline and Bucyrus. The old, original Lincoln Highway crosses our state from Pennsylvania to Indiana. Cities along the way include East Liverpool, Canton, Massillon, Wooster, Upper Sandusky, Delphos and Van Wert.
The Old Lincoln was Warner’s fifth pick. He wrote that “The drive along one of the oldest routes in the United States takes you through the main streets of dozens of small towns.”
He thinks the trip is best done in autumn, and adds that many towns have murals painted to tell their stories.
I can think of a dandy on the square at Bucyrus, and that big one on North Main Street in Mansfield that depicts the city in its prime. You can see it from East Fourth Street, which is part of the Old Lincoln.
I’ve always enjoyed the Old Lincoln, but had no idea a Canadian writer felt the same way. Faeth said he has visited all 50 states, but would like to explore Alaska more than he did. He was in Ottawa to visit his brother when he read the article by Warner.
Warner’s 10 picks start off with the north shore of Kauai Island in Hawaii.
No. 2 is New York City’s Upper West Side, which Warner thinks is a lot better to visit than the Times Square area.
Next comes Wrigleyville, in Chicago. That’s Wrigley Field, where the Cubs play and lose a lot.
Warner also likes the Willamette Valley in Oregon and Northern California’s avenue of the giants. That’s where U.S. 101 winds its way through the redwood country. I loved that one, too.
He also likes Savannah, Ga., and Monument Valley in Utah and Arizona.
I’ve never been to Monument Valley, but I’ve seen it in a dozen films directed by John Ford. That’s usually John Wayne in the saddle with the great valley in the background.
Warner’s next pick is the north shore of Oahu in Hawaii, where the big waves come crashing in.
“Some of those waves in the winter can be over 30 feet high,” he said.
The final pick was Lexington Green in Massachusetts, where the American Revolution began.
Sadly, I’ve only been to California and the Old Lincoln. So there are eight wonderful places I’ve never visited.
I suppose most readers have a number of places or trips in mind. My favorites include the California and Oregon coasts and the Old National Highway, U.S. 40 from Wheeling to Cumberland.
Niagara Falls as seen from the Canadian side is awesome.
Now that winter is playing out, there’s an itch to hit the road. Gas prices might put a crimp in that, but we shall see.
So thanks, Gene Faeth, for your consideration. I enjoyed the trip. I hope the rest of you reading this do, too.
Ron Simon is a retired reporter, award-winning columnist and veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. He can be reached at ronsimon@neo.rr.com.