Columbus Part II (Goodell Park, North Market, Capitol, Scioto Mile, and Dirty Franks)

One of the days I was in Columbus the weather made it right to around freezing.  It was a lot warmer than it had been so I figured it would be a great day to take a stroll and make my way downtown.  What's there to do in Columbus?  Great question. There was Goodell Park, a place with a unique water/ice sculpture and some geese.  The North Market, which kind of reminded me of the Philly Market a bit.  Seeing as how I'm from Harrisburg, I had to at least stop by at the State Capitol.  When I did, it was perfect timing for a tour and even better, I was the only person on the tour.  There's the Scioto Mile, so named because of the river it runs along, although not that special in the winter.  The evening finished with a visit to Dirty Franks, a place where all your hot dog needs could be fulfilled.  So, if you find yourself with some extra time in Columbus, there are a few ideas.

Stay tuned, for those of you who like personal updates, there's a bombshell on the way...

(The geese had a little bathing area at this end since the rest of the pond was frozen)

(This monster of a goose was huge.  May have been a sign for the upcoming Olympic hockey matches...)

(Ice sculpture - from a different angle the ice looked like angel wings)

(A little bit of snow in Columbus - that's a parking meter)

(Outside of the North Market)

(Inside of the North Market)

(Pig mascot, possibly named Maggie, but I very well may be wrong)

(There were about 30 vendors and each one had a pamphlet as you walked in the door.  All local and there were all kinds of different goods.)

(Around the upstairs there was seating if you wanted to enjoy some food or have a drink.  This is a view from the top down.)

(Outside of the Capitol building.  Something about the Jewels of Ohio.)

(Same sculpture from a different angle)

(Dispatch - Ohio's Greatest Home Newspaper)

(This was inside the State Capitol, a placed called the grotto.  The floor was actually lowered 3 feet to allow for the taller people of today.  If you look in the distance you can see the museum.)

(Lancaster Stage Coach)

(A few medals from the Civil War)

(Type Writer, old school)

(The Dome)

(Inside the Senate Chambers, a recreation of the original chandeliers which can also be found in either the Vermont or Massachusetts State Legislature)

(A different view of the chambers)

(Huge painting weighing a lot.  In its frame there is no way it could be removed from the building.  It was probably 40 feet long and 20 feet high.)

(State Seal of Ohio found on a lamp post)

('Marble Room' with each of Ohio's counties, although none of the marble is from Ohio)

(Stained Glass window with the State Seal.  If you look closely above at the picture of the grotto you can see it in the background.)

(Inside the museum.  There was a lot of basic information on Ohio state politics as well as some old political advertisements.)

(The museum was broken into 3 parts - Legislature, Executive, and Judicial)

(After the Capitol I headed down towards the Scioto Mile and passed the Courthouse, as well as this ginormous gavel on the way.)

(Had a few fish)

(Scioto Mile located right next to the river)

(A little art as I was walking around downtown Columbus)

(For some reason I just liked this shot)

(The Arc de Triomphe, only in Columbus)

(El Camino and Dirty Franks were only a few doors apart)

(We had to wait about 15 minutes before being sat)

(Definitely some interesting art on the wall)

(A few of the toppings you could put on your dog)

(There were vegan options as well, which was thoughtful)

(Poma as he's getting ready to chow down on some hot dogs)

(Tater tots and 2 dogs, a chili cheese and one with brown mustard, onions, and sauerkraut)

(A little bit more of the memorabilia)

(Shot was we were leaving Dirty Franks)

Columbus Part I (El Camino, the Workshop, and Dewey)

It's been a while...  

I just got back a few days ago from a trip out to Louisville, Kentucky and Columbus, Ohio.  The trip started a few months back when I met a beautiful young woman in Calgary.  For some reason, she has always wanted to go to Kentucky.  So, we did.  Not too far and possibly on the way to Kentucky is the city of Columbus.  Fortunately, one of my good buddies from high school lives in Columbus and we were able to have a bit of a reunion, if only for a short period of time.  

Here's the first part of the trip in Columbus which includes a night out on the town, a workshop meeting, and Dewey.  Enjoy!

 (The last time I saw Poma was at a wedding and we were trying to figure out the math and came up with at least 8 years since we've seen each other.)

(El Camino, a Mexican place with cheap delicious food and a fun Happy Hour, or at least it was for us.)

 (Amy Holden, another old friend from high school who now also resides in Columbus.  At one point she was slated to be the Secretary of Education...)

 (Whitney, Poma's wife.  It was my first time meeting her and I'm sure what impression I made...)

 (Of course we had to hug it out)

(Whitney and Poma)

(Someone was drinking a beer called Lonestar.  If you've never had a Lonestar the caps have riddles and puzzles printed on them.  So, we had quite a bit of fun trying to solve puzzles after we had had a few drinks.)  

(Whitney headed home for the evening as we headed to a final bar for the night)

 (By this point and only for a brief moment Ivy had control of the camera.  As you can see, her photos leave a lot to be desired.)  

(Another Ivy Photo)

 (Char Bar in downtown Columbus - had a fun atmosphere.)

(Random guy who was met out on the street)

 (Ivy hanging out at the table giving Jonathan the evil eye for something.  At one point, and I believe it was a discussion on the legalization of illegal drugs, tears were shed.  However, I know he loves her!)

 (Barnes, a cool-cat from Columbus)

(Poma had a meeting the one morning with a few of his buddies as they are attempting to get a start up company going.  Not so important.  The important part was the location - a placed called the Workshop.)

(Chandelier in the Workshop)

(Some old luggage and a mounted deer head)

 (A few globes in case you ever get lost or I guess are trying to figure out where you're headed next...)

 (An old bike)

(A nifty looking clock)

(Not sure what this contraption was but it looked old)

(I put in a request while I was in Columbus to ride some horses.  Ivy, as long as I have known her, has always been involved with horses and I figured seeing as how I would be close to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, I should try and get on a horse...)

 (Well, thanks to Ivy, I did.  This is Dewey...)

(This is me wearing a helmet after I signed my life away.)

(Ivy took me through the whole process from bushing the horse down to putting the thing she is putting on now, the saddle, cleaning out the hooves, and everything inbetween.)

(Dewey and I get one last photo while we are both happy with each other and I'm off to ride him)

 (That's me, on a horse)

(We did a walk and a trot I believe, but didn't go any faster.  There were discussions before the evening started of jumping.  That's going to have to wait, at the very least until next time, possibly longer.)

 (Thanks again to Ivy and Dewey, as well as Dewey's owner!)

(Pyyyyyyaaaaahhhhhh!  I did it!)