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)

Hockey Hall of Fame, St. Lawrence Market, Distillery District, and a little Korean Food

My first full day of adventure found me headed downtown to the Hockey Hall of Fame.  While I'm boycotting the NHL for the next two years, I still support the sport.  Let me tell you, there is a lot of memorabilia in the Hall.  It took me a few hours to make my way around and I could have spent a few days inside.  Next, I walked down to St. Lawrence Market, a nifty market place with all sorts of shops.  It kind of reminded me of the Reading Terminal Market in Philly.  After that, I headed farther to the east and after stopping for directions, found myself in the Distillery District, an old distillery which has now been turned in to a variety of shops.  I finished the day in Korea Town with some kimchi jiggae while Hiroko had some gamja tang or pork spine soup.  It was great, but not nearly as tasty as the food in Korea...

 (The Hockey Hall of Fame)

(A little different angle.  It is actually found inside an old bank.)

 (Getting ready to hop the boards)

 (Canada even minted a coin, but I can't remember if it was simply for hockey or the Hall)

 (The logo)

 (As you make your way inside and down the escalator to the Hall)

(Hockey - enough said)

 (A variety of pucks)

(I only managed to snipe 2 out of 5 on the electronic tender.  Although I think it was rigged.  I had at least 4 from what I saw...)

 (A shot inside the Hall)

 (A few of the old rings)

(Dome inside the trophy room)

 (There's me and Lord Stanley's Cup, one of two)

(It was originally called the Challenge Cup and was paid for by Lord Stanley, awarded to the best team in Canada.  From my understanding, he believed a Cup would normalize rules throughout the land.)

(A few of the other trophies)

(A final look inside the trophy room from the vault)

(The old bank vault where they keep the old rings of the Cup)

(International section of the Hall)

(Outside view of St. Lawrence Market)

(Just an idea of what the inside looks like)

 (This begins the Distillery District.  I have a feeling this would have been a lot better area to visit in the summer.  However, it was still worth seeing.)

 (This stone was actually brought over from England)

(An old truck)

(An old clock)

(These were used to make sure the pressure didn't get too high in the distillery)

 (A few barrels on a wagon - don't mind if I do)

(I guess this is modern art...)

(A picture of a picture of some of the old workers from the distillery)

(Inside one of the buildings)

(Hiroko at work)

(I was a little bit excited for Korean food, even though my hair was a hot mess and Hiroko never told me)

(There's a little pork spine soup, which was actually really tasty and the meat was oh so tender)

 (Kimchi Jiggae or Kimchi Soup, one of my favorites, of all foods)

(Hiroko getting ready to devour her soup)

(Well, at least one of us finished all of our food...)

(Tiger, Korean Style, for good luck)