50 States And A Sharpee

Remember the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones is holding the Staff of Ra, and the beam of light shoots down through the ruby on top of it revealing the exact location of the Ark of the Covenant? Well, I ain't Indy, I have a black Sharpee pen instead of a staff and my energy saving light bulb beaming down above me is merely casting shadows of my enormous head on the walls. Unfortunately for me, the only way I'm gonna find out where home is, is the old fashion way; the process of elimination.

So lets face it, The United States is pretty large by any standpoint, but when I sat on my bedroom floor and laid out a map of this country, I instantly felt small. I couldn't help but feel insignificant, almost minute, to the point to where I was ready to say "eff this". What do I really know about this country? What, besides things that are common knowledge, can I possibly say about any given state other than the one I'm currently in? I don't know anything, and in truth I don't know what it is I'm suppose to "know". I mean, what am I suppose to be finding out, logistics? Populations? Crime Rates, schools systems, job markets etc? Ok well that's all a matter of a Google fest, but what about the things that Google won't tell me, like what is it that has kept a lady living in the corner house of a certain city for 4 decades. Or what the story is behind a community park that was just built in the main square of another city. Or where is the best place to hear some good spoken word in some other city. You know, the little things that make a city come alive.

This is one of the many questions I'm fielding out to whoever might be reading this. What makes your home town amazing? Where's your favorite place to go watch a sunset, or your favorite music spot, or park, and of course, the best place to eat? I guess I wanna know why you love where you live, and if you don't love it, maybe this will get you thinking about why you're still there. Even "Cali" responses are welcomed (smile). I just want to get a better sense of what it is I'm suppose to be "looking for", and I figure by living vicariously through someone else s nostalgia, it may help me develop more of a sense of what "home" feels like. T-Minus 362 days...