Sunday, April 12, 2009
Seeing Roanoke Valley through a stranger's eyes
Dan Radmacher
Recent columns
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- Redistricting process must be taken from pols
- A shutdown remains a very real possibility
- U.S. Navy Vets case argues for campaign limits
From the RoundTable blog
When I decided to use a blog entry to criticize Washington Post columnist George Will for distorting global warming science on the April 4 Opinion page, I completely forgot that I had been invited to a reception for Will prior to his Monday speech at Roanoke College.
After I was reminded of the speech, I decided to keep the blog item on the page, figuring Will had a thick skin. He did. When we met at the reception, he cracked a joke about our difference of opinion and we moved on to other topics.
Will, despite his journalistic lapses on global warming, is a charming guy. He was apparently charmed by the Roanoke Valley, as well.
The reception was in the Wortmann Ballroom at the Colket Center. The windows of the ballroom look out on the mountains. A woman at my table overheard Will say as he looked out the windows that this was one of the most beautiful places he'd seen.
He's right. The Roanoke Valley is beautiful. I'm new enough to the area to still be struck by the splendor of the mountains that surround Roanoke. I try to point this beauty out to my 4-year-old son whenever I can -- like when there's a particularly beautiful sunset as we're driving home.
But I fear he won't appreciate it when he gets older. I worry that, having grown up here, he'll take the mountains and other natural wonders around us for granted.
Sometimes it takes a stranger to point out the beauty in your own back yard.
Will's comment reminded me of the visit last October of a couple of friends of mine from Morgantown, W.Va. They were in town for the Society of Environmental Journalists convention at the Hotel Roanoke. We met up for drinks and dinner one night, and I showed them around downtown.
It was a warm night, and downtown was crowded and full of life. Music floated out of the doorways of bars. We had drinks at 202 Market, where we ran into some of the other convention-goers who were waiting for a dinner table. My friends and I had dinner at Wasabi's around the corner, and then walked to Blue 5 to listen to some music.
Along the way, I pointed out the recently opened Hancock Building as well as some of the condos available for downtown living.
Keep in mind that this couple lives in a university town that has a good amount of culture and night life. They were still blown away by the vibrancy that downtown Roanoke offered.
Their enthusiasm gave me a new-found appreciation for the city, just as Will's comment reinforced my appreciation of the region's beauty.
I didn't really need a booster shot in that regard, though. The day before Will's speech, I hiked up Old Mill Mountain Road (thanks to Dan Casey for mentioning that in his March 10 column). It's a great hike about five minutes from downtown.
As I climbed up the mountain, I looked out over the city and was struck by the tremendous quality of life that Roanoke offers: incredible natural beauty, a vibrant downtown, generally light traffic, beautiful greenways, a number of fantastic hiking opportunities within an hour's drive.
When I got to the top of the road, Mill Mountain Park was crowded with people. Children played on a slide. Families ate picnic lunches. Young couples snuggled as they gazed at the view from the observation platforms.
It was a beautiful day that made me feel lucky to live here.
I worry that the economic downturn will hurt the ongoing efforts to remake downtown, but so far it doesn't seem to be having a huge impact. It might be slowing gains and making it more difficult for the Taubman Museum of Art to establish itself, but I don't see progress reversing itself.
That's good, not just for those of us who live here now, but for the potential to attract the businesses and jobs and people that can keep the region growing and alive.
Don't wait for a stranger to make you appreciate what we have here. This region truly is something special.
Radmacher is the editorial page editor of The Roanoke Times.
