Akron! Before I begin, I must be honest- I am someone that did not fully appreciate Akron when I resided there. Looking back with my impeccable hindsight, I just don’t know what my problem was. Akron is a city with a past that is trying to build a future…

I grew up in Akron. Well, my mailing address included “Akron” in the city name, but, technically, I grew up in a suburb. “Going to the city” meant a trip through the valley, up Merriman Road and down West Market toward the big buildings.

The lack of a grocery store in Highland Square has a remarkable parallel to the war in Iraq: both have seemingly no end. Weapons of Mass Destruction are non-existent, much like interested grocers. Most of all, the neighborhood residents, like the American people and the war, have complacently accepted the fact there is no grocery store.