The darkness of Western New York

I spent a portion of my vacation last week in central western New York. It’s beautiful, spacious country in the day, and at night, the starry sky is something to behold.
Running a late-night errand, I found myself in awe of just how dark it gets out there in the country. The pitch-black sky was only broken by the oh-so-dim outline of the mountains to each side of the highway. It was a magical sight, but only magical if you’ve seen the opposite of it.
I now live in a metro area that’s ranked among the worst in the nation for its polluted skies. And while the air is awfully bad, the light pollution is just terrible. Streetlights, porchlights and headlights turn the darkness into a murky, ugly brown.
That’s just one of those things I hate about suburban life:  People are afraid of the dark.
Me? I miss it.