Columbus, OH
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Anonymous
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We were driving back from the Mid-West and stopped in Columbus real quick for a coffee on our drive. It was very early in the morning, so nothing else was open and the streets were dead, but the city looked very cute and charming from our quick drive through. The main street was really nice looking and it looked like there were tons of trendy bars and restaurants. I had heard that it was a trendy, low cost of living city and I can see sorta why based on our quick drive through.
Is it worth going back to visit Columbus alone? Would a weekend be sufficient? Any recommended things to see that I can't already find easily on Google? Any hole in the wall bars/restaurants the locals would prefer would also be great... |
Anonymous
| It’s Ohio. |
Anonymous
| Really? I found it distinctly lacking in charm. |
Anonymous
| I was just there and went to this place for dinner and it was delicious: https://www.themarketiv.com/ |
Anonymous
Correct. It is in Ohio |
Anonymous
| Ann Arbor is better. |
Anonymous
| I've been there for work. Lots of things to do indoor and outdoor and with family. Definitely not for everyone-it's very Midwest. People are laid back and friendly. |
Anonymous
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I grew up in Columbus. I’m so curious which part of it you stopped in. It does have its cute moments. A lot of it looks equally quiet day or night. I grew up in a part that looks like a classic New England town. Vast parts of it are also sprawling, traffic-choked suburbs like almost anywhere else. People do eat out way more than anywhere I’ve lived other than Dallas and NYC. The food can range from very pedestrian to authentic, specific, regional food from around the world. Ohio State helps make Columbus more interesting, although campus is more sanitized than it used to be. It punches above its weight when it comes to the arts and philanthropy- I live in a far larger city now with a smaller arts scene and culture of philanthropy.
Although the area has become far more diverse, the parts of town with the best schools and/or the best private schools remain similar to my youth and very white. Many suburbs that were apolitical or relatively centrist have swung far to the right. There are a lot more transplants than in the past but like any small to mid-size city, the people who run things all seem to know each other and it feels quite small. Real estate in areas that weren’t developed in the last 30 years is highly sought after and it can be hard to buy into Upper Arlington, Worthington, and comparable neighborhoods within Columbus itself. |
Anonymous
I’m PP. Not worth a specific trip- wait for a wedding or a college visit or something. -Go back for an Ohio State football game if you really want to experience Columbus. The marching band’s Skull Sessions are a not-to-be-missed part of the experience. -If it’s not football season, tour campus, especially if you have children who have never experienced a massive state university campus. -I know north better than south. There are lots of good dive bars in the Short North, near campus (the Library is a good option), and in Clintonville. North of Worthington is the Ruckmoor if you’re staying near 270 north or Polaris. -If you are a golf fan, the Memorial Tournament is a quintessential Columbus experience but book hotels well in advance. If you can’t make it, go to the Bogey Inn in Dublin for a classic Memorial-adjacent experience. -The Columbus Zoo would take a full day and is a world-class zoo. Visit the cheetahs and their dog companions and don’t miss the manatees. -if you like Japanese food, there are many excellent Japanese restaurants in the area, a byproduct of the Honda plant that moved nearby decades ago. Dig through reviews of places near where you stay to get past cheap sushi and fusion places and there will be obvious standouts in many areas west and north of the city. Do not visit during football weekends or memorial tournament weekend unless you intend to attend. It will be expensive and traffic will be bad. |
Anonymous
It's DC here too (car jackings, shootings, metro assaults, homeless, open drug use,...) |
Anonymous
*1 |
Anonymous
| I lived there for 6 months and found it very pleasant. Several nice neighborhoods, coffee bars, Jeni's ice cream, lots of Victorian architecture to admire. I loved exploring German Village. But I would not call it a tourist destination, and I'm a person who really likes Ohio. Cleveland, by contrast, has museums, the symphony, etc. etc.—definitely a weekend worth of attractions at least. Definitely a nice-place-to-pass-through-but-don't-go-out-of-your-way city. |
Anonymous
| I was there for a conference at Ohio State. On a Friday night in spring, the downtown area was hopping. We had dinner at Rooh --- amazing Indian food -- they have sister restaurants in Chicago and San Francisco. My sense is that between Ohio State and the fact that it's the state capital, there's a critical mass of smart and interesting folks who live in and near Columbus. Saeed Jones, the poet and writer, has talked about his decision to move to Columbus for the supportive literary scene. And, to those who say "it's Ohio", do you know that while Ohio electoral politics is currently dominated by Republicans of the Trump and Trump-adjacent variety, 70% of Ohioans support abortion rights and common-sense gun safety laws? (The New Yorker recently had a great article on this.) |
Anonymous
+1 as another native to Columbus. The Columbus Zoo and COSI (the Center for Science and Industry) are the feathers in Columubus' kid-friendly cap. German Village is the really picturesque neighborhood. Schmidts is a landmark institution of German food. It's the hometown of Jeni's ice cream. Ohio State is ubiquitous, you'll see people wearing OSU gear wherever you go. It is very stereotypical Midwest in both good and bad ways. People are as a rule friendlier than they are here. Football is a big thing, there are good local restaurants but chain restaurants abound. It is a much less healthy city than DC in terms of percentage of active versus overweight people. Also agree with the PP who mentioned the handful of families who really run the city. I could name half a dozen and they go back decades in terms of being in control. In that way, I think it's different from a place like DC or New York which doesn't boil down to 5 or 6 specific families. |
Anonymous
| I found it to be extremely boring and white bread. |