 I genuinely feel sad when I look at photos like this. This is what downtown Toledo used to look like. I remember a few months back, I decided to take a hit of acid while I was staying for the weekend downtown with my ex who lived in a studio there. We decided to go outside at around 3 AM and spend some time in the cityscape. We took a walk to look at the architecture and passed so many empty store fronts. Shop windows that haven’t been inhabited since the 1960s. We passed arcades that had revolving doors that used to house clothing stores and barber shops. I felt sad. I felt sad looking at what used to be a thriving, bustling, beautiful downtown that has succumbed to crippling unemployment, poverty, and crime. I remember wondering “who even goes downtown? There’s nothing more than office buildings here.” We sat on the front step of the building he lived in and watched as the sun went up and all of a sudden the street lights flickered off and in that exact moment, people in business attire started turning the corner to walk down the street. People walkin their dogs, people carrying briefcases and coffee. It was all in an instant, it seemed like magic. I looked at him and said “did you just see that?” And he laughed and said “that’s fucking crazy.” And maybe it was just the acid that made it seem like such a spectacular moment, but it felt like we watched the literal difference of day and night. From a hollow ghost town inhabited only by homebums completely transformed to the office commute. Downtown Toledo has something magical about it and I was able to catch a glimpse of it that night. I promise that will forever be in my memory. |
