Steve

has written 3 SperlingViews. Currently, Steve is living in Dayton, OH and has a little something to say:

Great place to live if you're an OSU football zomb Posted On: 4/26/2012 8:38:22 AM

Everything here is about college football because the city isn't good enough to have a professional team. For a city that was touted as "up and coming", I was surprised how hillbilly it was. Third rate news talent, overrated restaurants and shopping, and people that don't know how to dress or act (throw out your dress clothes because you won't need them here no matter where you're going). Very unfriendly and cliquish people too. In the two years I was here, I didn't make one friend. Lived in a number of places including the east coast. Philadelphia was the worst, and Columbus comes in second.

Actually, it's really not all that bad. Posted On: 4/26/2012 8:29:35 AM

Moved here a year ago from Gahanna (outside of Columbus), where I spent two years. Dayton is a little limited. Retail shopping is relatively miniscule, and you may have to drive a distance for some chain restaurants because some of them only have one or two locations in the entire metro. However, two much larger cities, Cincinnati and Columbus, are fairly close by. I'm really surprised about the comment that people are unfriendly. I found Columbus to be really cliquish, but I haven't found that here at all. Most people I've coem across have been extraordinarily nice. No problems with crime either. You get more for your money here....my housing here is a step up from what it was in Columbus at the same price.

Very hateful and dramatic law enforcement Posted On: 4/26/2012 6:21:54 AM

I went to Lawton once while I was attending OU in Norman in the early 1990's and regret ever going there. I'm in an unfamiliar town driving in the rain at night. I am on a road going around the deserted mall, and I went through a red light. It did not seem to be a logical place for a light. Well, herw comes "50" blaring their sirens. Two cops come up, and one was like "Oh my god! Did you see what he did?" It was overly embellished. You would have thought I robbed a bank.

When I went to court, I was early. I said something jokingly to the clerk. He looked at me very hatefully and said "Excuse me?" In court, I explained to the judge why I ran the light, that I was a college student with inadequate income, I had been between jobs for a few weeks, and that I couldn't afford the ticket. He said "Well, this is just another one of your bills." Then, he cut me some slack and told me that he didn't have authority to arrest me outside the city limits (hint, hint - leave the city without paying the ticket, and nothing would happen to me aside from it being on my driving record)

As I leave the court room to deal with the same clerk as before, he starts harassing me and giving me grief. The judge had already given me permission to leave and get money from an ATM to pay the ticket (or leave town if I chose), and this guy with no authority starts ego tripping saying "How do I know you're going to come back if I let you leave?" The decision wasn't his to begin with.

Keep your crappy little town, Lawton! I've never been back.