×
X logo

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox.

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

You may opt-out anytime by clicking "unsubscribe" from the newsletter or from your account.

A Short Drive To Anywhere

Sometimes, just sometimes, Bob Schmitt has a good idea. I’m kidding, Bob always has something interesting to say.  Bob is a friend of mine and pretty much a friend to all. You might have known him when he and his six brothers were growing up in Warwood. A formidable bunch on a playground or football field, I would imagine.

Or maybe you knew some of Bob’s brothers. Two became Catholic priests, and did I mention his brother Bernard was bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston a while back? Bob lives in Wheeling and his only surviving brother, Henry, resides in St. Clairsville.

As for Bob’s good idea, he asked me to write a column describing things to love about Wheeling. Over a festive holiday luncheon with a group of church ladies last weekend, Bob lit up with energy when be began talking about all the things that made him glad he’s a Friendly City resident. He told of how, when first married, he and his wife, and later, kids lived in Charleston, Fairmont and other areas of the state, but longed for the streets of Wheeling.

“Why, can you believe in Charleston they only had one public swimming pool, and when we lived in Fairmont we had to go to Morgantown to swim? Look at what we have here in Wheeling — two beautiful parks and swimming pools all over the city. People just don’t realize what we have here.”

Then it started. One woman praised the fine cultural aspects of Wheeling living. She asked how many cities the size of Wheeling have a symphony orchestra, a fine one at that? Another mentioned the festivals held at the city’s Heritage Port, and the annual Oglebayfest and Winter Festival of Lights. And that’s only in Wheeling.

Bob chimed in with “seven minutes.” “I can be anywhere I want to go in Wheeling in seven minutes. Really!”

Whether it’s his favorite place to eat — and all agreed there are plenty of choices from privately owned haunts to chain restaurants — or his church or nursing home he visits daily, he can generally be there in about seven minutes from his out-the-pike condo. Even heading downtown is a quick jump onto the interstate. We all laughed at those who complain about traffic issues that sometimes happen in Wheeling. Waiting 10 minutes to get out of town after the July Fourth fireworks is nothing. Have you been to Robinson Towne Center or Ross Park Mall on a weekend? Now there’s  real traffic. (We won’t count the traffic to Oglebay for the lights festival because it only happens a few days out of the year.)

For all we complain about in our daily comings and goings, it’s nice to hear these comments from a generation who saw Wheeling at its most crowded. Those crowds are what built the city, leaving a legacy for the rest of us to refashion into Wheeling today.

So the next time you hear someone complaining about too much of this or too much of that, just tell them what Bob said: seven minutes.

Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today