225BatonRouge.com

Editor’s Note: Baton Rouge is changing fast, yet sometimes we don’t notice. Beginning this month, 225 asks ex-pats for their unique take on life here versus elsewhere. First up, Carolyn Pione.

Why did you leave Baton Rouge?

I left in February 2004 for a job in Cincinnati with a 37.5 percent pay raise and to be closer to family in Columbus, Ohio, about two hours away.

What do you miss about the city?

The warm winters, my group who runs around the LSU Lakes every Sunday morning and my book club.

What don’t you miss about it?

Opening a utensil drawer and finding roach antennae twitching at me. I still flinch when I see something small and dark lying on the floor. I’ll probably always carry that little bit of South Louisiana with me.

What does Cincinnati have that you wish our city had?

Great old neighborhoods and places to walk along the river. Wonderful parks with well-maintained equipment, walking trails and open spaces.

What’s essential when you come back to visit?

DiGuilio’s tuna steak with salsa, Juban’s bar, runs around the lakes, the beautiful new Manship School at LSU—my alma mater.

When were you in town last?

Labor Day weekend, a few days after Katrina. People in Cincinnati think I must be so happy to have left the area before the hurricane, but I feel some guilt for not being there to do my little part in the relief and rebuilding efforts.