I have an on-campus interview at Bowling Green State U in a couple weeks. Talk to me about living in Ohio - the good, the bad, all of it.
I was just thinking "wow, how crazy that someone else has an interview there!" DUH! The sun doesn't shine in the winter. Cinnamon in chili and on pizza is gross. H thinks that Bob Evans is the best place on earth.
Skyline Chili from Cinci - you'll either love it or hate it. I love it. I swear there is a Bob's on every exit on 270 around Cbus. I do like their sausage biscuit & gravy.
I lived on the east coast until I was 8 and then moved to Ohio and lived there through college. I grew up about an hour east of Toledo (near Cedar Point). People are much friendlier in Ohio than on the east coast! Everyone waves to everyone else and smiles, even to strangers. It is funny how nice people are. I can't even get half of the other parents at daycare to even say hi to me (I'm in Baltimore now). It is definitely a different mindset over there.
However, I am sure that being right near Toledo would be much better than where I grew up. I hated being so far from a big city (1 hour to either Toledo or Cleveland). I will say it is not an attractive state (up north at least) - everything is so flat and straight and there are barely any trees. Mostly corn. Everywhere.
And how could we forget - you're close to Cedar Point - the world's #1 ranked amusement park. The Roller Coaster capital of the world. If it were open year round it would out-draw the disney's (individually, not collectively). If you like roller coasters, this is your Mecca. But it's also a great all-around ride park. www.cedarpoint.com/ Entertainment, beach, the works.
I agree with cosmowife. People are much nicer here than the DC area. Even while driving. I heard a car horn for the first time since April and I was like "woah, what did that guy DO?"
I put my blinker on and people let me over. Like they make room for me. Strangers put away my shopping carts while I'm putting DS in his car seat. Its bizarre!
And how could we forget - you're close to Cedar Point - the world's #1 ranked amusement park. The Roller Coaster capital of the world. If it were open year round it would out-draw the disney's (individually, not collectively). If you like roller coasters, this is your Mecca. But it's also a great all-around ride park. www.cedarpoint.com/ Entertainment, beach, the works.
Man, I practically lived at Cedar Point when I was in middle school. We would have our parents drop us off, and we'd spend hours drinking coffee with like 12 packs of sugar and playing in the arcades. I love that place. In high school, we'd get drunk and take my friend's boat across the lake to the park. We were very bright, obviously.
I agree with cosmowife. People are much nicer here than the DC area. Even while driving. I heard a car horn for the first time since April and I was like "woah, what did that guy DO?"
I put my blinker on and people let me over. Like they make room for me. Strangers put away my shopping carts while I'm putting DS in his car seat. Its bizarre!
I think that's funny; I hate the driving here, and I'm from Massachusetts. Drivers run red lights, pretend obliviousness when you want in, and seem to have no idea what the speed limit is.
BG is a total college town, nothing really outside of the campus/bars/etc.
Perrysburg is going to be pretty close to campus (about 20 minutes) and is a pretty good place to live. There are lots of great restaurants, outdoor shopping/eating/etc. Perrysburg is also fairly close to Toledo for the great things that it offers. Toledo has minor league baseball and hockey downtown with super cheap beer/food on game nights. The tickets to the games are also really reasonable. There is also the art museum, Lake Erie (beaches, parks, etc.), a decent night life (there are many more students in Toledo and a better "adult" nightlife than BG will ever offer). The zoo is awesome and has a rockin concert series. Sylvania also has a great concert series in the summer. Toledo also has a decent theater circut (Stranahan) and orchestra. There are pretty decent restaurants as there seems to be some foodie action finally going on. There is a farmer's market in the summer as well. Both UT and BG have D1 football and basketball, so there is always a game somewhere. It's an hour to Detroit, 90 minutes to cleveland, and 2 hours to Columbus. Overall it's a great location and really does have a lot to offer.
It's Ohio, so there is going to be snow and ice. BG campus is basically the freakin tundra in winter because it is all wide open with no trees.
My concern might be the recent major budget cuts at BG, they seem to be hit extra hard for some reason. They cut all of the adjunct and lecturer positions last year and a lot of staff lost their jobs as a result.
I agree with cosmowife. People are much nicer here than the DC area. Even while driving. I heard a car horn for the first time since April and I was like "woah, what did that guy DO?"
I put my blinker on and people let me over. Like they make room for me. Strangers put away my shopping carts while I'm putting DS in his car seat. Its bizarre!
LOL so true - I had someone actually load my groceries in my car when I was about 39 weeks PG and ginormous. People are honestly very nice here and it's normal to say hi when walking by someone in the park.
Also, most importantly, I need to decide where to eat dinner when I'm there for my interview. Any local places I must check out? I'm a fan of anything from bar and grill greasy spoon on up...
Trotter's in BG. It's a hole in the wall but so, so, so good.
I have an on-campus interview at Bowling Green State U in a couple weeks. Talk to me about living in Ohio - the good, the bad, all of it.
I was just thinking "wow, how crazy that someone else has an interview there!" DUH! The sun doesn't shine in the winter. Cinnamon in chili and on pizza is gross. H thinks that Bob Evans is the best place on earth.
Lol. Didn't you see my tweet I was going to be productive at work today? That was code for breaking my posting hiatus
Also, we put cinnamon in chili on occasion here in IL. And Bob Evans was my dad's favorite.
My concern might be the recent major budget cuts at BG, they seem to be hit extra hard for some reason. They cut all of the adjunct and lecturer positions last year and a lot of staff lost their jobs as a result.
Hrm. That's disconcerting, but good to know. Part of the reason I'm abandoning ship where I am are the massive budget cuts. We aren't laying off yet but have stopped all hiring and there is often question of if we will be paid month to month.
Post by DotAndBuzz on Jul 22, 2014 20:50:33 GMT -5
Watch your speed in Ohio. They just upped the speed limit to 70, and highway patrol is allll over the place. Michigan - I can probably count on one hand the number of police I've seen patrolling the highways.
Also, the Ohio-Michigan rivalry actually stems from a war over the beautiful port city of Toledo, and the Maumee river basin around 1835. I had to google for details but walla (via wikipedia):
"Originating from conflicting state and federal legislation passed between 1787 and 1805, the dispute resulted from poor understanding of geographical features of the Great Lakes at the time. Varying interpretations of the law caused the governments of Ohio and Michigan to both claim sovereignty over a 468-square-mile (1,210 km2) region along the border, now known as the Toledo Strip. When Michigan petitioned for statehood in 1835, it sought to include the disputed territory within its boundaries; Ohio's congressional delegation was in turn able to stall Michigan's admission to the Union.
Beginning in 1835, both sides passed legislation attempting to force the other side's capitulation. Ohio's governor Robert Lucas and Michigan's 24-year-old "Boy Governor" Stevens T. Mason were both unwilling to cede jurisdiction of the Strip, so they raised militias and helped institute criminal penalties for citizens submitting to the other's authority. The militias were mobilized and sent to positions on opposite sides of the Maumee River near Toledo, but besides mutual taunting there was little interaction between the two forces. The single military confrontation of the "war" ended with a report of shots being fired into the air, incurring no casualties."
Michigan capitulated and got a crummy economic deal (and was not awarded the territory in dispute) in return for statehood. And thus began the rivalry.
Post by wanderlustmom on Jul 22, 2014 22:36:00 GMT -5
I grew up in Toledo and spent a lot of time in BG. Myles pizza for sure. People are really friendly, relaxed and nice. Few pretensions. The winters are gray and bleak but not as much wind and snow as Chicago and Cleveland. The cost of living and big city amenities are nice. No major commuter traffic. Toledo has a brain drain problem but lots of established areas with great places to raise families. I also liked the political diversity. Cedar point and put in bay are super fun. Great art museum, zoo and mud hens baseball.
Post by katandkevin on Jul 22, 2014 23:26:11 GMT -5
I graduated from UT and DH and I lived in Perrysburg for almost 5 years after we got married. Perrysburg is a quick drive to BG. The area is nice and Toledo definitely has more to do than BG. There are a lot of outdoor shopping areas and pretty good restaurants. The winters suck, but they do have the change if seasons, which I miss now living in Texas.
Pollyeyes breadsticks are awesome, so that would be my suggestion for where to eat. Good luck on your interview.
Also, most importantly, I need to decide where to eat dinner when I'm there for my interview. Any local places I must check out? I'm a fan of anything from bar and grill greasy spoon on up...
Tony packos downtown, a kid that's like my little sister works at the original across town. The original isn't far from maumee bay if you want to check it out. Go get ice cream at the mellocreme! Bigbys coffee in Perrysburg is fantastic. Maumee bay brewing company in the Oliver house downtown has great beer and food. There's a sma Mexican rest between bg and Toledo right off of 75 in rossford that is pretty good.
H and I have a list of places we have to go when we visit my family.