Professor Yeti

Ah, Columbus. A city known far and wide for… well… not much. OK, that’s not exactly true. We do have this little thing called The Ohio State University and the related phenomenon of Buckeyes Football Season, which is when people go absolutely insane and dress only in scarlet and gray for five months. Other than that, Columbus just isn’t the obvious choice as a vacation destination for the masses. But in my first year here in the capital of Ohio (round on the end and high in the middle, as my college roommate would kindly remind me), I have discovered that it has style, charm, and a quirkiness that I think people should travel for. And we have great food. GREAT food! So if you’re looking for a cheap and truly interesting place to visit, check us out:

First, there are the people. Columbus is a city populated by “an eclectic mix of students, politicians, artists, and entrepreneurs…” according to a surprisingly flattering Wikipedia entry. Sounds good, right? Not many people would put “eclectic” and “Columbus” in the same sentence, but it is amazingly accurate. (As a side note, the entry also notes, “Evidence of ancient mound-building societies abounds in the region near the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. Mound Street, located in downtown Columbus, was so named because of its proximity to a large Native American burial mound.” We are known for our mounds! No one else has mounds!) Anyway, there is an active arts community, a culturally diverse population, a massive number of students and professors milling about, and a thriving business sector. Because of this diversity of inhabitants, Columbus has an interesting geography as well as an interesting set of available activities.

Northern Columbus is occupied by The University and the inevitable college bars, cheap and delicious restaurants, and grungy music venues. It is also home to The Wexner Center, which is an architecturally gorgeous arts compound. It shows independent and foreign movies, hosts art shows, plays, and public programs, and carries the moniker of Les Wexner, Ohio native and founder of Limited Brands.

Wexner is a big name in this town: far northeast of the city looms Easton Town Center, his outdoor Mall of America. It’s like a mini mall-city, and includes not only shops but bars, restaurants, a cineplex, and a comedy club. It’s a shopper’s dream on a grand scale. According to About.com, “… actor and Easton-investor Arnold Schwarzenegger (who reportedly loves Columbus) was quoted as saying, ‘I’ve never been part of something of this size. Les Wexner built a freeway for this thing.’” I would like to point out that it was actually the state of Ohio that built the freeway, and also I had no idea that Arnold Schwarzenegger loved Columbus. More points for us!

Back in the city, and slightly south of campus, is the Short North. I knew when I moved here that this was the part of town I wanted to live in, and I was lucky to find a beautiful apartment a block off the main drag. The Short North is a small arts district that runs between The University and downtown. It has retro shops, trendy shops, vegetarian food, burger joints, Asian food, Spanish food, an upscale steakhouse, dive bars, trendy bars, themed bars, gay bars, and all the ice cream and smoothies you can handle. The first Saturday of every month the Short North plays host to one of the most enjoyable of Columbus customs: the Gallery Hop. From 8-11 the galleries and shops in the Short North stay open late, serve food and wine, and entertain the several hundred people who meet to browse and buy. Even in the snow, people turn out to shiver and walk together; it is on those Saturday nights that I know this city is truly alive.

At the end of the Short North is downtown. Right between the two, Columbus has its own small version of Seattle’s Pike Place Market called the North Market. It is a sight to behold: an indoor marketplace with vendors selling fresh meats and cheeses, Indian and Chinese food, pizza, produce, homemade pasta, chocolate, almost any kind of food you can think of. There is no fish tossing, sadly. But anything you buy can be eaten on the second floor where you can look out over the vendors, and that almost makes up for it. On the weekends they also serve enough samples to fill you up for lunch.

Then there’s downtown. And so much to do! There is a gorgeous and historic theater called The Ohio Theater where I saw singer Carlos Vives and hope to see author David Sedaris. There is an interactive science museum beloved by every schoolchild in Ohio called COSI, and a small art museum that is currently hosting a beautiful exhibit called “Renoir’s Women.” Franklin Park Conservatory has a permanent collection of Chihuly glass, ancient and awesome bonsai trees, and hosts musical, artistic and other fabulous events throughout the year. They are currently hosting an exhibit called “The Amazing Chocolate Tree” about . . . chocolate! And who doesn’t like chocolate?! In the summer Franklin Park also hosts the Asian Heritage Festival. That’s the other thing I should note about Columbus. We have great festivals. We even have the largest Latino Festival between Chicago and New York. In June we also have Comfest, a weekend of great music, food, and reverie (or insanity, depending on your p.o.v), held on the grounds of the beautiful Goodale Park.

My last plug for Columbus comes from just south of downtown in a beautiful, quaint, and oddly European part of town called German Village. It is similar in feeling to the Short North, but slightly less commercial, definitely less heavily trafficked, and a whole lot more German. Think lots of crowded brick homes on narrow brick streets. It’s a great place to walk around. In my opinion, the pride of German Village and the destination of choice is The Book Loft. It is what appears to be a normal sized bookstore in an old brick building that somehow contains a labyrinthine 32 rooms of books. And this is not a nicely connected 32 rooms. I have been lost in there! It’s like a rabbit warren for bibliophiles.

There is, of course, more. I do feel compelled to add that the Columbus Metropolitan Library is the best library in the country, and is gorgeous to boot, so you might want to stop in there while you’re here. We also have pro sports teams and great music venues. Nice hotels and cute bed and breakfasts. And it’s not extraordinarily expensive. Convinced? If you are interested in checking Columbus out, please explore experiencecolumbus.com. Then call me up when you get here.

Rachel Rubin would happily show you around town and take you to her favorite old-school Italian restaurant, The Florentine.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 16th, 2006 at 11:47 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.