Columbus has been quite a popular destination recently. We enjoyed tours, lectures, concerts and countless choices of entertainment. Some weekends Chris and I had to select carefully because we just could not do it all. Truthfully, I would like a few days off just to recuperate.
There are moments when I feel that this spot on the globe just may be the center of the universe. I visualize concentric circles radiating from the corner of Main and Fifth, moving further and further, to places very far away.
It”s no wonder that visitors are drawn to our city. With a postcard-pretty photo-op around every corner and an alter-ego of “The Friendly City,” there is much to like about Columbus.
Many people who actually live here talk about how they love to travel. But, it seems they are always glad to return, happy to be “home.”
I am curious about what our “pilgrims” take away and what our residents bring back from their journeys. Some answers are probably obvious. We have lovely gift shops displaying locally-made items; a blues CD would be a good memento, or perhaps a cookbook featuring Southern recipes.
Whenever Chris and I travel we bring back small gifts for our friends. We collect crafts from the area or edible treats made from homegrown harvests. But, in the end, they seem somehow not good enough, not quite right.
Maybe this is because that over-used word “culture” symbolizes something that does not travel well. You can fill your bags with snapshots of Mardi Gras Indians, or a miniature statue of “David” or a sack of stone-ground cornbread mix.
However, a camera can never capture the amazing experience of “discovering” “The Yellow Pocahontas” as the tribe moves through the streets of Treme. Anyone who has seen Michelangelo”s 17-foot-high sling-shot hero probably scoffs at an 8-inch replica. And, sadly, food is most often an experience that depends much on environment, seldom reproducible in another kitchen or another time zone. Still, we try.
Columbus is one of those places that can only be described as “real.” This is no Disneyland stage-set, with false-front mansions and costumed characters. Bambi and his woodland friends were only animation. Here, live deer roam even “civilized” parts of Lowndes County and raccoons raid our trash cans. (OK, we can sometimes be accused of wearing strange costumes. I”m talking to you, Tar Man — but not to you, Mother Goose.) Even a Hollywood special-effects team would have a hard time recreating Columbus.
I do hope our visitors will be able to pack some bit of Columbus” magic when they go. Although I certainly expect them to buy a souvenir or two, I am thinking of the more ephemeral charm. My wish is that they slip a bit of our distinctive enchantment into their luggage and into their memories. This may be a bit difficult, but certainly has more value than a torn ticket stub, or a flower pressed between the pages of a book.
So to our visitors, I say, “You are invited back for any event. Bring your sense of awe and a suitcase that holds magic … you may need it.” Because Columbus is not only a cultural destination. It is a state of mind.
Adele Elliott, a New Orleans native, moved to Columbus after Hurricane Katrina. E-mail reaches her at [email protected]
Adele Elliott, a New Orleans native, moved to Columbus after Hurricane Katrina.
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