Day 7: Cincinnati & Columbus, Ohio

Today's drive was beautiful. We crossed four states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. All of which were beautiful. Green rolling hills, forests, idyllic farmland, barns, silos. And none of the ugly sprawl that marred Missouri. What a difference! Southern Indiana is simply gorgeous. Northern Kentucky is mountainous and hilly.

We stopped at New Harmony, Indiana, a utopian community from the early 19th century and now a charming preserved historic district without the slightest feeling of a tourist trap. Unlike other religious-based utopias, New Harmony was more of a social and economic utopia, focusing on education, equality between the sexes, and fostering community.

Then we stopped in Cincinnati where we met my former roommate at Harvard who now works for Proctor & Gamble. We ate Cincinnati chili and then he gave us a thorough tour around Cincinnati, which I must admit is an impressive city. It is situated on the banks of the Ohio River and contains many hills (almost as many as San Francisco!). The downtown isn't much to boast of, but there are a dozen different urban residential neighborhoods with colorful victorian homes centered around little neighborhood commercial districts. The city seemed to be vibrant and exciting.

Then onto Columbus Ohio, which we essentially skipped, and only used for a motel on the outskirts of town.