Feed Me Columbus!
It's no secret Columbus is a great culinary hot spot. Gourmet, organic, rustic, decadent - pick your adjective and your favorite cusine and you're off. Well I'm looking for new places to tackle. Each month I try to hit at least one new or new to me restaurant in Central Ohio to review and I can only find the great spots if people are willing to share. Here is a list of places we've already reviewed:
Opa! Short North's Happy Greek
TAT Ristoranted di Famiglia Review
Harvest Pizzeria Restaurant Review
Eddie George Grille 27 Restaurant Review
Leave me a comment below and share your favorite local food joint!
Dinos Descend on Columbus Zoo
It's the number one zoo in the country and that was before the dinos came. This summer Columbus Zoo visitors will be treated to a whole new display with animatronic dinosaurs. The Columbus Dispatch has a great story on the arrival of a 7,000 pound T-rex.
Yesterday was move-in day for the 25 creatures that will make up the animatronic-dinosaur display at the zoo this summer. All morning, the figures were lifted off 53-foot-long tractor-trailers after a three-day trip from Billings Productions in Allen, Texas.
Front-loader operator Roger Van Horn of Smoot Construction said picking up dinosaurs was a new experience. "Most of our stuff is kind of boring in comparison, like lumber and block," he said.
Columbus School Fires Gay Teacher, Makes National News
If you've been anywhere near the news in the city, you've heard the story of Carla Hale, a gay teacher at Bishop Watterson High School who was recently fired after her partner's name appeared in Hale's mother's obituary. A complaint was lodged by a parent and Watterson - a Catholic high school - dismissed Hale. Hale maintains it was because of her sexual orientation, the diocese maintains it was because of her "quasi-spousal relationship" with another woman that violates the church's moral teaching.
Either way the story has made national news with commentators, civil rights activists and religious scholars weighing in on the whole situation. Even the hacker group Anonymous has reportedly vowed to get into the backgrounds of the diocese. The latest news is the diocese's Bishop has broken his silence on the issue -read more about this on-going story at the Columbus Dispatch( http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/04/30/bishop-responds-watterson-teacher.html) and weigh in with your opinion in the comments section. Please, keep it civil folks!
Mark Your Calendars Columbus
There are people who say "There's nothing to do in Columbus" to which I always reply - you haven't been looking for something to do. It's amazing the amount of things that go on in the city that appeal to every taste and interest. Check out some of my favorite things to do here in the city:
Marvel Movie is Hosting Tryouts in Cleveland
Dream of rubbing elbows with the heroes of the Marvel Universe? Have you ever looked at the scenes of mass chaos and runninghumans and thought "I can do that."?
Now you may just get your chance. A Marvel movie being shot in Cleveland is looking for extras. Most assumed the movie is the next Captain America sequel. Did you know city scenes from the blockbuster hit Avengers was shot in Cleveland? They may say itsNew York, but when work needs to get done, Ohio shows other states how to do it!
Columbus and Ohio Makes News in National Polls
Ohio has made quite a bit of news in polls, and things are looking great for the state and the city, well, it depends on who you ask.
The City of Columbus was name a Top7 Intelligent Community by the Intelligent Communities Forum. The forum looks for communities who "are those which have - whether through crisis or foresight - come to understand the enormous challenges of the Broadband Economy, and have taken conscious steps to create an economy capable of prospering in it. They are not necessarily big cities or famous technology hubs."
Columbus is the only U.S. city named to the Top7 list and is now in the running to become the 2013 Top Intelligent Community. Read more...
A new Gallup poll shows Columbus ranking number two in job creation. Great news for a nation that has had serious economic trouble and renewing Columbus' reputation as (almost) recession proof. Read more at Columbus Business First...
And while Gallup show that the city is doing a great job in creating employment opportunities, it also shows the state of Ohio is the 7th unhappiest state in the nation. According to a Columbus Business First blog:
Ohio had a well-being index score of 64.6, highlighted by the country's 13th-lowest life expectancy, 77.5 years, and the eighth-highest obesity rate of 29.5 percent. It also had the third-highest smoking rate, with 28 percent of the population doing so.
How do you feel Ohio and Columbus is doing? Do you agree with the polls?
April Events and Activities
Spring? Is that you?
This winter has been a long one for Columbus residents and those who are eager to barbeque a certain furry weather predictor are feeling more hopeful as temperatures creep up toward normal. Good news for you, I've got a whole host of activities for everyone who is eager to get out of the house.
Pay special attention to the great events that are happening for kids this month. Tea parties, plays and some historical fun are all on tap this month.
Super Cool Events in April for Kids
Cool Places to Go in Columbus Year Round
More things to do in Columbus:
Short North Galleries Part 1 (don't forget Gallery Hop April 6, 2013)
OSU Professor Hits 100K Downloads at iTunes U
While nationally Apple is celebrating the apparent success of its iTunes U program with the 1 billionth enrollment, local Ohio State University professor Matthew Stoltzfus' chemistry class is a hit with educators, including high school teachers.
According to a recent Columbus Dispatch post, more than 1,200 colleges and universities and 1,200 K-12 schools and districts participate hosting courses in a variety of fields.
It's always great to see OSU recognized for more than simply being a football school or the backbone of a great hospital. Classroom innovation may be helpful to the students in another way. Online and mobile study may help curb the cost of higher education in the state of Ohio.
Take our poll below:
Travel Thursday - Short North
Arch city - that's what Columbus was known for and the arches that lined High Street in the Short North were a staple until mounting costs and changes in technical preferences banished the arches for over 100 years. The arches are back and they are just one feature that makes the Short North an interesting place to visit and shop. Discovering all the Short North has to offer takes more than a day and it's best to pick a focus - buildings, shopping, or restaurants. On your next visit to the area, look past the dazzling store and restaurant windows and look up. Unexpected and wonderful surprises await (just don't walk into an Arch.)
While you're there:
Travel Thursday - East Side
Many Columbsites forget about the East side when they think about scenic sites, but the area known as Old Towne East is full of charm. Large, sweeping homes and cultural gems like the Franklin Park Conservatory.
According to its website, the John F. Wolfe Palm House is one of the oldest portion of the Conservatory. Built in 1895, the Victorian-style glass greenhouse is a popular spot for events, artists, green thumbs and more.
While there, check out these other East side spots: