When people think of America, they think of cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Houston that are occupied by millions of people and play host to thousands of jobs. And companies like Microsoft, Kraft and Chevrolet that make products enjoyed by every American and employ tens of thousands of American workers. When I think of America, I think of the small places in our country’s heartland that truly define what this country is and stands for and more than anywhere else, show Americana in one single snapshot. To me, one of those places is Stow, Ohio.

From markets that offer items made by the people who sell them to roads that are lined with corn, pumpkins and historic homes – to a place where farms are still run by newer generations of the same family – Stow is indeed a very sweet piece of the American pie. When you live in New York City, it is very hard to remember the “purple mountains majesty” or the “fruited plains” that make America “the beautiful.” But when I travel to places in America like Stow, where it’s normal for a tractor to drive down a street normally occupied by automobiles – I am reminded of the reasons why people stay out of the “big cities” of America for what everyone calls “the simple life.”

Having “lived” here for the last two days, I am amazed at the difference at life here versus life in Brooklyn, New York. In Brooklyn, the world moves very fast, and most people do not have time to do the things that people do here, such as make their own wares and sell them at a market, drive through town in their tractor – or dress up cement geese that are prominently displayed on their front porch – which for some odd reason is a popular habit here, although nobody really knows why. And while New York City may be, “The Capital of the World” – there are many things about Stow that make it, “The Capital of America.”

Besides traveling to see friends, I love to travel to different parts of this country and see how people live outside of Manhattan. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy driving down streets of neighborhoods I probably will never visit again, shopping in stores and eating in restaurants that I will most likely never enter again. Like on Thursday, when Carla, Mek, Deborah and myself ate lunch at the Hartville Pie Factory. Sitting outside on the second floor, we enjoyed a delicious lunch while watching cars, pick-up trucks and tractors drive down country roads past country markets and antique stores – how I love it here.

I still have three more days to enjoy this wonderful town, and I certainly intend to. Today, we are going to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and then head to an Oktoberfest at Geauga Lake. We also plan to visit a few markets, enjoy some more local cuisine – and drive through a life-size portrait of America the Beautiful.