Favorite Spots in Columbus
When I started college last year, Columbus sometimes felt like a sister city to Cincinnati. In Columbus’s Short North arts district, just down the street from Ohio State’s campus, many of the shops and restaurants were first or second locations to the establishments in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine. (Homage, Bakersfield, and The Eagle, anyone?) In some ways, I liked it: I could still get the creature comforts of home down the street from my dorm (and I’ll soon be dragging my Cleveland friends to the Skyline that just opened!). In other ways, though, I wanted to explore the places that make Columbus, Columbus.
There are many things I love about Columbus, but here I’ve compiled a list of my top spots outside of campus where I go when I want to feel like a C-Buser:
North Market is the only public market left in Columbus, situated between Short North and downtown, in a large warehouse-type building housing more than 30 food merchants. Sometimes I want to go to North Market just to hang out because of its vibrant environment full of intoxicating smells! The merchants range from vendors you can only find there, to vendors from local Columbus restaurants, to small chains from other cities (Taste of Belgium). My favorite spots so far include Taste of India and Bubbles Tea & Juice Company. My goal by the end of college is to try the food from every single stand! Additionally, North Market has Farmers Market Saturday, as well as a local artisan jewelry, clothing, and furniture market from June to October.
Short North is a giant chunk of High Street between campus and downtown, with shops, galleries, restaurants, and prime real estate that mostly caters to the twenty- and thirty-something crowd. Cincinnati’s gentrified OTR area reminds me of a tiny version of Short North. Since it’s on the same street that runs by campus, it’s easy for me to get there by bus, and I find myself there all the time. I could write an entire post about Short North itself (and I may write one about the restaurants), but I’ll name a couple of my favorite shops:
On Paper: As a lover of books and typography, a PAPER STORE is just a dream for me. They have stationary, maps, prints, cards, pens, journals, custom calligraphy…I could spend every day here.
Mission Coffee Co: Come for the drinks, stay for the hipsters. Although there are many coffee shops in Short North, Mission seems to be the most relaxed (and has the most seating, including a plush couch). I’m not actually a coffee drinker, but I like their Chai and it’s a chill environment to study or read. After I leave, it’s close enough to all the other Short North shops that I can window shop for a while.
Flowerchild Vintage: This store is a labyrinth of rooms dedicated to 1930s-1980s apparel, furniture, art, and housewares. They consider themselves a “museum” as well, and it’s not difficult to see why: each room is a unique display of the interesting and sometimes wacky items of the 20th century.
Kafe Kerouac Coffee House and Bar
Okay, so this one doesn’t really count as off campus, since it’s only across the street, but I’ll claim that it is. As opposed to the delicately crafted, looks-rustic-on-purpose hipster coffee shops of the Short North, Kafe Kerouac lies in the more hippy area between campus and the neighborhood of Clintonville. It’s a cluttered, eclectic mix of books, board games, furniture, art, and people. They also somehow managed to accommodate a stage for concerts, poetry nights, and workshops, but it works well with the vibe. I usually go there to study, but I need to get there more often just to read and relax. Next year it will only be a block from my house!
Like Short North, German Village is an entire neighborhood with its own unique culture. It’s nestled just south of downtown, but it’s almost like you’ve teleported to a different time and place when you’re there. The entire village is on the National Register of Historic Places: the densely packed, brick Italianate homes and shopfronts, cobblestone streets, and lush gardens and parks ooze New England charm. There are also many local German delis and restaurants (as well as, funny enough, the original Max & Erma’s restaurant). Take the time to just walk around the charming streets. In June, there’s actually a “Haus und Garten” tour, where you can see just how beautiful those homes are on the inside.
I go to German Village for the books, of course. My favorite place is The Book Loft, with its maze of 32 rooms! Each room is dedicated to a different genre, and I have gotten lost many times before. Next time you’re in Columbus, stop by The Book Loft in German Village. You might find me hiding amongst the shelves.
