My, Oh, My, Oh, My, Oh. There’s Plenty of Great Art in Ohio

With a nod to lyrics by Comden and Green, music by Leonard Bernstein, and, of course, Rosalind Russell and Edie Adams, who sang “Ohio” in the Broadway production of Wonderful Town in 1953 — it’s a homesick hymn from two sisters, new to Greenwich Village, who want to go back to safe and sure, quiet and quaint, boring Columbus. Hell, I’d stay in Ohio just for the art. I took a swing that covered only northeast Ohio and visited wonderful towns with wonderful museums. Next time, it’s Columbus and Cincinnati.

Sentiment ruled my visit, too. Though I’ve lived in Vermont for years, I’m a Connecticut Yankee. Northeast Ohio was once called the Western Reserve. To whom, you might ask, was it reserved? To Connecticut, in case the Land of Steady Habits ever decided to live large and have itself a colony.