Many may know that I recently accepted a new job and moved my life up north from the sweltering heat of Florida to Columbus, Ohio. I resigned my teaching job as of June and left the next day for two weeks vacay in Madrid, Paris and London. It was a whirlwind but a fantastic trip! On my very last day, a piece of the Berlin Wall outside the Imperial War Museum in London was a very apropos sign, given that I would return home and the very next day move up here to Columbus.
Since moving here on June 22, I have been making it my mission to get to know my new city, and so far I am totally charmed! First, let’s talk about the weather. It should be no secret to those of you that know me well that I absolutely detest summer in Florida. It’s humid and stifling. I have been enjoying the weather here so much; not to warm during thbe the day, with cool, dry temps in the evening. It’s September know and there is the faint crisp of fall in the air already! I know, everyone says wait until winter and I’ll be singing a different tune, but I love it! I can’t wait to head to Hocking Hills in the near future, once the leaves change. There is great hiking there, especially at Old Man’s Cave.
I live in northeast Columbus, and have been getting to know the little neighborhoods here (Westerville, Worthington, Clintonville, Easton, Short North and Dublin). Westerville has a great uptown area with charming shops and a great farmers market on Wednesday. It also has a happening commercial mall center called Polaris Fashion Place.
I have a few favorites so far. If you are a lover of finely crafted Amish furniture, there is a great store called Amish Originals Furniture Company. They have two floors of everything you could possibly want, from mission rockers to kitchen tables to lamps and bread boxes. I treated myself when I first moved here to a mission swivel chair and sofa table. It takes weeks to get them but it is so worth it. Mine just came in and I am loving it already.
I also found a great restaurant, the Asterisk Supper Club. In addition to offering an afternoon tea, they serve up comfort food like chicken and waffles, meatloaf and shrimp and grits. They also have a full bar. I particularly recommend the “You’re making me crazy” chocolate martini! It’s my new addiction!
I highly recommend Dublin. It’s a charming little area and they have a very well known Irish festival every August, hence the name Dublin. There was a fantastic band called Dervish the night I went, and they were rocking it! If you ever find yourself in Columbus in early August, you must go. I met up with an old coworker who lives there now and we took a short hike into Indian Run Falls park, which was beautiful! And let’s not forget Dublin’s famous field of ceramic corn! LOL, you heard me right!
The Columbus Zoo is a must see if you are ever in this area. I know what you might be thinking, I hate zoos. But take my word for it, even those who aren’t big on zoos will love this place. Fair warning, it’s overwhelmingly large, but you will be glad you went. They have a water park called Zoombezi Bay attached to it, so if you come in the summer, the kids will enjoy both sides. There is also a small aquarium. They specialize in primate research and have a very large number of Western Lowland Silverback Gorillas, Bonobos, Monkeys and Orangutangs. There are also Tigers, Lions, Zebras, Elephants, Cheetahs and Giraffes.
I have been hitting up the farmers markets around here and really love the Worthington Farmers Market, as well as North Market in the Short North area. I recently found a purple pepper, which I had never seen before! The area of Worthington that the famers market is in is the old town area, and the have great little antique shops and restaurants, which I love! North Market is a great place to kill an afternoon. There are vendors selling different ethnic foods (Polish, Indian, Thai, etc). There is also a fresh vegetable stand, a cheese monger, a baker, you name it. I equate it a bit to San Miguel in Madrid.
As fall approaches here in Columbus I am definitely looking forward to continuing to explore my new city. If you ever find yourself moving to a new city, as I have, immediately set out to explore all your new surroundings.
Buen viajes, gnomies!
Colleen
Ever been to Columbus, Ohio? Let the gnome know what you love about this great city!