I’ve been out of town for the past 3 months working down in Tallahassee, FL.  The weekend I left Corning was the last snow storm of the winter, and I returned a few days ago to the first week of summer. Pretty awesome timing.  Florida sounds nice and all, but this time of year it’s starting to get ridiculously hot. When I left FL it was pushing 100°… at NIGHT.  Humans were not meant to survive like that, at least not happily. I used to live down there, and for all the crap northerners get about surviving long winters, there really is no comparison to the horrid humid summers of the deep south. Down there you are dealing with sun burns, skin cancer, and vampire bugs.  The hottest summer day up here means jumping in a lake to cool off, which you can do because there aren’t fricken alligators; flesh-hungry monsters that are known for running really fast and drowning people in a move known as the “death roll.”  Someone told me that to escape an alligator “just run in a zig-zag because they can only sprint in a straight line.” To which I reply, “I’m moving to the north.” You might think Southerners are lazy, but really they are just perpetually exhausted.

I drive to Florida every year for work. Of the entire trip, it doesn’t get much better than Route 15 between Williamsport, PA and Corning, NY.  One thing I notice when I get back to Corning is how much I take for granted aesthetically. Downtown Corning is one of the most beautiful areas on the east coast, but you may not see it unless you’re a visitor or have been gone for a while and return with fresh eyes. Driving in on 414, crossing Brisco Bridge, and seeing our homes tucked into the hill as the town appears below, gets me pretty psyched.  Even though I have only lived here for a few years, I get an overwhelming sense that I am returning home. I wish I wasn’t a horrible painter because it feels worthy of the process.  I love that I can go out my front door, walk down a tree lined hill through a park, and be downtown sitting outside a cafe in less than 5 minutes.

If you’re planning a trip this summer and you can afford the time for a few extra travel days, why not drive instead of fly? The trip is half the fun, and not only does it make the destination more rewarding, but coming home can feel just as satisfying, especially if your coming home to Corning.

Myles Lasco

Myles started UrbanCorning.com and Facebook.com/UrbanCorning in 2008, and ran it until May of 2014. Myles moved to Tacoma, WA and his new website can be found at: www.tacomatose.com.