Wither Columbus? (Or at least Ohio)

What year is it in columbus?

you can still get 25 cent beer in oberlin, i think.

the one bar that i really liked in columbus was the blue danube.

I had dinner at the Blue Danube on my visit! My friend Lotus insists that it should be referred to only as "the Dube," as in "You're a rube if you don't call it the Dube." Dug the fried macaroni and cheese balls. The chocolate silk pie was eh but service was fine and I could see myself making it an adoptive diner hangout of sorts for a while.

$1 Tacos could almost make me start eating tacos...

The only other place I got a chance to go in town was a small coffee/sandwich/bar place called Victoria's Midnight, which had a really pleasant ambience in the day (lot of good light, in other words, and a neat back patio). Didn't get a chance to try the food but I played an open-mic show there which was surprisingly fun although naturally dominated by hippies. A really nice old guy was so inspired by my Paul McCartney cover that he did an almost all-Beatle set; that was cool.

A ways north of campus on High Street (in the vicinity of Clintonville) I was taken to a pretty decent thrift store although I couldn't tell you the name. The LPs in particular were excellent - tons of classic rock junk rather than the churchy easy listening junk I'm used to finding here.

Victorian Village ==> Vickyville.

.. can't think of what thrift store you're talking about unless it's the Goodwill (which is a kinda easy name to remember) or rag-o-rama (which is an overpriced indie goodwill.)

yup, it's the dube. i never ate anything there, though. just drank heavily and spent $$$$$$$$$$$ on the jukebox.

volunteers of america? you don't eat tacos? what? you have a friend named LOTUS?

xpost

also i have learned that samuel p. bush (great grandfather of mr. george w. bush) is buried in columbus. i like cemeteries but i bet i will never make it there, trying to get rid of the car. and go to the clintonville community market! it's not the best co-op i've ever seen but co-ops are nice to have.

It probably was the Goodwill. I didn't mean to suggest that it had an exotic, big-city name, merely that I didn't remember what brand of thrift store it was. And no, I've never been much for tacos, but I'm working on that. Lotus is her name (hippie parents, with a normal name in front that no one ever used, added solely to please the grandparents). She's a dear old friend of mine who happily enough moved to Columbus a year ago with her boyfriend (she's at OSU for a masters in women's studies) so I've been fortunate to have a person "on the inside" to help me find my apartment, etc.

Good for you on getting rid of the car (and good luck as well!). I'll be getting around strictly by bike myself; if that's the direction you're going, exercise caution as I've been told it's a rough city for bike robberies. Get a good lock and keep your wits about you.

yeah i have a kryptonite u-lock but maybe i should get more locks. i just had to kill my dumpy bike and trade it for a better one from my dad's garage and i am afraid the upgrade will attract bike thieves.

i am not 100% sure about the car. i want to not be a driver and cars are kind of a crutch sometimes but i might want it while i'm there, i dunnooooooo

you can get 25 cent pabst in oberlin at the gross college bar. believe it, i've definitely learned why people pay more for ambience.

Revive! T minus 3 weeks for my arrival! Still hoping to hear about some pinball machines! Also, the best karaoke selections in town. Nothing will take the place of sweet Indie Rock Karaoke, but I have to start somewhere.

Currently 100% humidity. Bring gills.

Also, tall ships!

http://www.cleveland.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/cleve/images/1910/01-01.jpg

i am here now. it's too hot to leave my house!

where are the least douchey, non-chain places to have coffee? i asked my friend and she seemed indecisive.

Grandview - Stauf's
German Village - Cup O' Joe
Clintonville - Cup O' Joe
Victorian Village - Victorian's Midnight Cafe (coffee's not the greatest, but it's the most indieseque in town if that's your bag)

There is, in fact, a coffee shop *in* the College of Law.

(plz note that "non-douchey" and "coffee shop" are kinda not-quite-but-almost mutually exclusive criteria. I've done my best)

yeah i totally knew that but i hoped it would be understood, thanks!

Rolling blackouts in Clevo last night. Thank god Rolling Rock is 9.99 an 18-pack.

welcome to Ohio, btw

Haven't been there in a while, but my favorite things in Columbus not yet mentioned are:
Used Kids Records (ever-changing selection, priced to move)
Wexner Center for the Arts (classic cinema plus some music events - Boredoms played there in June!)
Studio 35 (double features, cult classics, and they have beer and pizza!)

Also - what's the deal with nacho platters being so freakin' huge in Columbus? It's not like that everywhere!

Also - if you like roller coasters, you MUST make the drive up to Cedar Point.

How could I forget?
HOUND DOGS PIZZA!! Especially the Smokin' Joe's crust! Open 24 hours!

BTW, Doctor Casino: that might be a good place to check for pinball machines.

IT IS DISGUSTINGLY HOT IN COLUMBUS TODAY.

Is the Flying Tomato on High street still open? I loved their pizza as a kid.

Long gone. Flying PIZZA (aka "Pizza by the Slice"), however, still exists, and remains awesome.

i went to victorian's midnight (it is very close to my apartment). it was ok, i kind of liked it (it was better than my old coffee shop in rochester). except for the guy doing like a one hour soundcheck to prepare for open mic night. he was really bad. but i think i will go there sometimes.

might be here for Xmas wtf

does it snow? i have no idea

Woooooooo! I'm here now too! And it's hot as a mug! Oh well, that just gives me an excuse to hole up and get unpacked, I guess...

I ended up having breakfast at Victorian's Midnight the other day (it's right around the corner from me too). Pretty damn decent. My dad was raving about the home fries and Lotus also stands by them. The French toast I had was satisfying, although they're one of those places that only serves sugar-free syrup but doesn't tell you that in advance. Oh well! I'll be going for open-mic on an annoyingly regular basis probably, starting next week? We'll see...

Ate dinner the other night at North Star (High Street & 2nd, across the side street from the White Castle) - VERY delicious basil/pesto chicken burrito. Prices sorta high but it's a huge burrito (I took half home), and they refuse tips since it's counter service and they (supposedly?) pay fair wages. The staff seemed fine with the arrangement and I loved the chocolate truffle cookie.

Oooooh, I need to track down this Hound Dogs' Pizza - I was DYING for a good slice of cheese yesterday but ended up at an extremely mediocre Chinese joint called Yau's. Not recommended.

The heat aside, I'm finding this town wonderfully bike-able and my vibes are positive. Hither, Columbus!

Update on Hound Dog's pizza - they don't serve it by the slice! :( Way to make a guy feel like he just moved to town and has no friends, guys. It was kind of worth it though for this dialogue:

Me: (looking at menu) "Y'all don't serve pizza by the slice, do you?"
Server: (apologetically) "No...no, we don't... what exactly were you looking for?"
Me: "A slice of pizza, mainly."
Server: "Sorry..."
Me: "Do you know anywhere around here where I could get such a thing?"
Server: "No - I just moved here."

Oh well. The pinball (Lord of the Rings - hadn't played that before) was worth it, even if the junior funk ensemble was kind of distracting. I then went to the "Dube" for a milkshake and fries. I don't recommend either of these things there. What I do recommend is The Other Paper, which I'm finding to be markedly more useful than the other paper(s) I've found so far. At least this one actually has a music listing and shit.

I think columbus was supposed to be a pretty good ("good") jazz town too.

The Other Paper and Alive both suck equally in different ways, but they're the best we've got. Pizza by the slice (awesome pizza by the slice) can be found at Flying Pizza on High Street just south of 15th Ave.

Columbus has a great jazz rep, but the reality mostly fails to live up. There are a few acts that are always worth checking out, and there's a venerable open stage at the Dolphin Lounge (which is in a *highly* sketchy area). Dick's Den (just south of the Dube) often has decent jazz as well. Beyond that it's a bit of a crap shoot.

why is ambrose going to be in columbus, oh, at christmas?

good used bookstores (non-textbook, i mean) other than the book loft (this is kind of far away from me)?

wait i guess maybe the book loft is a new bookstore, i thought it was both new/used

anyway flying pizza is great, esp. how i think they make mushroom pizza slices by plopping a handful of canned mushrooms on top of an already cooked cheese slice AND you get a free drink with 2 slices of pizza during lunchtime!!!! eeeee i love pizza

I checked out Flying Pizza today - J and nazi bikini OTM! Very good slice, crispy on the bottom which is something I'd sort of forgotten about during my Athens years. My second slice got a little cool by the time I finished #1, but whatever, the free drink thing really does make it a great deal.

Books - I went to SBX today (right next door to Flying Pizza) which is very textbooky and prices are generally high. There's a pretty decent sale table, but I second n.b's clamor for a good book shop. I'm going to go check out a couple around the corner right now...

Next open query for the collective wisdom: good veggie places? I'm not vegetarian myself but I'd like to know where to take my friends if they come visit me someday. The aforementioned North Star can do tofu in pretty much everything which is cool, although I didn't try it to see if it was any good.

Used Bookstores: Closest non-academic to campus/Victorian Village is Half-Price Books on Lane Avenue. It's pretty great, actually. There's also this fantastic place called the Village Book Store that's in an old church, but it's a ways off from that area.

Vegitarian stuff: Dragonfly on King Ave. in Victorian Village, Whole World Cafe/Pizza on High Street in Clintonville. Northstar's vegan food is pretty tasty. Dragonfly's really pricey.

i wonder if we were there at the same time xpost

nazi: Hmmm, it's possible! Did you notice a disoriented-looking scruffy guy attempting unsuccessfully to photograph his pizza and reading this surprisingly enjoyable book?

J: Ooh, those are some promising tips. I think I'll check out Half-Price Books soon - I've been wanting to make an expedition into the unknown lands west of the Olentangy, but haven't had much of a destination to draw me thither. Where is the Village Book Store? Google isn't proving too useful and my curiousity is aroused, ways off or no ways off.

haha holy shit, i was right behind you. i was like why is that dude taking pictures of his pizza. small world.

OMG, that's amazing! the power of ILX lives. wow!!

for the record, i was trying to get some sort of sequel to a previous pizza photo in athens, and also some sort of suitable photo to kick off the columbus years in my photo albums, as i haven't really shot anything since i've been here (need to get on that) and what better way to symbolize a new town than the shift from little italy to flying pizza? i dunno...the light in there was pretty green and i suspect we're going to end up with a fairly gross looking photo....oh well. keep your eyes peeled for my next freaky synchronistic appearance i guess.

Village Bookshop: 2424 W Dublin Granville Rd
Columbus, OH 43235
(614) 889-2674

(sorry, I had the name a little off)

Thanks a lot! Oof, that's definitely a commute. I'll talk Lotus into it, though, she's a sucker for a previously unvisited bookstore....

Half-Price Books (on Lane Ave, some ways west of campus) turned out to be great! Looked kind of ehh from outside, but it's one of those places that's bigger inside than out, and they have good, robust sections for pretty much everything. Prices were all fair if not mind-blowing, the exception being LPs, which are either perfectly reasonable or really overpriced. (DVDs didn't look like a bargain either.) I got a couple of really good books out of the $1 clearance section...overall, definitely worth the trip, and I'll go again next time I feel like a little bit of a workout...

Yes, that Half-Price Books is one of the biggest/best in the chain.

While you're at that HPB, go a bit west on Lane and check out Liberty Books & News -- best magazine selection in Ohio. And they've got free wireless. And there's a Graeter's across the street. We're getting a LBN in Cleveland (Rocky River actually) this fall and I'm psyched.

Graeter's, eh? That does look like some pretty delicious ice cream...

Columbus is actually filthy with free wireless. All of the Cup o'Joe locations have free wireless, as do Kafe Kerouac and Shi-Sha on North High Street. There's always free wireless at Panera Bread, the *entire* Easton Town Center has free wireless, and there's a huge free wireless zone on Long Street downtown. I think the North Market also has free wireless, although I've never used it.

other ice creamses - Denise's on High in Clintonville, Jenny's (Jeni's?) in the North Market.

i LOVE udf because they have "wow cow." and it reminds me of stewart's in eastern ny/vermont, a convenience store with ice cream in it!

i rode my bike to the library yesterday and it was fun

Jeni's Ice Cream, particularly the Salty Caramel flavor, is AWESOME.

Ongoing explorations and overtures have netted me one new acquaintance (along with a crew with whom to watch Project Runway!) and several new physical discoveries....

For records: Lost Weekend, at High and Crestview. Pretty good selection on anything older than 1990, spotty after that, but wonderful basement rummaging ambience, and the owner/operator guy was very good-natured and conversational. Turns out he's also from Georgia and we swapped thoughts on a few regional topics, very good vibes. Also picked up Talking Book at a fair price, so I was happy that day.

Camera stuff: The guys at Midwest Photo Exchange (High Street, a little bit below Broadway) were pretty helpful and I got what I needed, but for sheer ambience they couldn't touch Columbus Camera Group, located in an old church on the corner of Blake and East Avenues. What can I say - I'm a sucker for businesses in old churches, and it really does a lot for a mess of tripods and lenses and bellows and things to be piled up in the shadows and crannies of a space lit primarily by stained-glass-window-light.

The Ohio State Fair is unbelievably huge. I didn't see anything close to all of it, but I learned some surprising facts about maple production in Ohio (like, the fact that it happens) and finally got around to trying a fried Snickers bar. The midway is the main attraction - if you get any kick at all out of garishly-illustrated carnival ripoff rides it's worth the visit. Unfortunately I didn't realize until I had already shot half a roll of film that my camera batteries were dead :(

Rag-o-Rama was pretty all right and I was pleased to see that there were plenty of good-looking under-$10 items around. Unfortunately nothing, at all, fits me right now...

The Clintonville Coin Laundry (next to the bicycle shop - by the way, are there any other decent bicycle shops around? I didn't really love the vibe in there) has an Attack From Mars pinball machine! Not to be confused with the vastly inferior Revenge From Mars, this is a genuine classic in excellent working order, and marred only by the 50 cents for 3 balls pricing scheme, which seems worrisomely common in Columbus so far...

Cycle shops: Baer Wheels is a little farther north on High Street, on the opposite side. You might try there.