Amanda and I ventured out in the wind and rain to go check out one of the coffee shops in the Short North. We took the COTA over to Mission Coffee Co. in hopes of warming up with some good coffee. 
When we first walked in, there were some coffees on display for us to choose from. This coffee shop wasn’t for the faint of heart; you had to know a little bit more about your coffee than than the average coffee drinker. All of the choices were handcrafted coffee grounds. The flavors ranged from cranberry to orange to candy corn! Amanda and I looked at the menu for a pretty long time before pretty much randomly pointing to the menu to choose our drinks.
The atmosphere was really relaxing and cozy. This place appeared be an old garage (much like the last coffee shop I visited on the Columbus To-do List) and the lighting was just super calming. I was joking to Amanda that this would be the perfect place to live in an apartment above the coffee shop, not far from the city, after I graduated. This is the kind of place that I could see myself spending a lot of time in in my 20’s, living and working in the city, while exploring on the weekends or mornings. When we left the coffee shop, we realized that there actually were apartments upstairs!
Over some interesting (but still good) coffee, Amanda and I had a great conversation about life in general and how we were feeling and where we were at in the pursuit of our dreams in coming to college. I really treasure that time that I was able to spend with her and get off of campus for a little while.
I would definitely go back to this coffee shop and recommend this place to a friend, first and foremost as a cozy place to go and study or read a good book. The coffee was good, but you really need to know what kinds of things you like. Most of the coffee is just black, so no super sugary caramel frappachinos here!
I learned that it’s important to take time for yourself in the midst of crazy college schedules, and that it’s not hard at all to just hop on the COTA and explore the things that are in the Short North. Setting aside time for myself and taking care of myself is something that I haven’t been doing very well, so this excursion was ling overdue.
My roommate and I went out to Jenis’ Splendid Ice Cream to see exactly how splendid it was. Being from Columbus, I’ve only had Jeni’s once or twice surprisingly, and I never really thought that I liked it. I’m glad that Alex drug me along with her to use our free coupons, because it was actually really good!
After realizing that you can try as many flavors as you want, and being as indecisive as I am, I finally settled on two flavors after trying just about every one. They were all so creamy and delicious, I couldn’t believe that I thought I didn’t like it! I think since some of the flavors are a little bit odd, I was apprehensive. I settled on the pistachio & honey and the almond brittle.
I really enjoyed Jeni’s and spending quality time with Alex. This is one place that I will definitely go back and would recommend to a friend! I really loved the atmosphere of Jeni’s (although it was really cold in there AND we were eating ice cream so brrrrr) and I’m just really glad Alex convinced me to give this place another try.
Alex and I later went for a run on the Olentangy Trail! We woke up pretty early in the morning to get out a nice workout before our classes, and to see where the trail went.
While on our run, this man came out of the bushes and just began to walk towards campus in the trail. It was so bizarre and we were both cracking up. Definitely a time I will always remember. We ended up running for 1.5 miles and then turning around, but we got to se a lot of the trail! I need to go even further on it when we come back to campus in the spring.
Ansley and I took the COTA down to Goodale Park to walk around for a little bit. On this particular day, it was pretty warm out. We saw a lot of really pretty trees there, and there was also a pond with some ducks! We both wondered if the pond would freeze over during winter and if we could go back and skate on it…
We definitely want to get our whole suite to come out here next spring and have picnic sometime!!
Kafe Kerouac is a place that I discovered this summer. My friend and I wanted a good coffee shop near campus to meet at when she came to visit me. When I saw that it was on the list, I was so excited! I went over there with Mallory and I enjoyed my coffee while she enjoyed her tea!
Since Mallory doesn’t live in Morrill, I don’t get to see her a ton outside of class, so this was a really nice chance for us to catch up. Her tea was served in a very strange looking glass, and they gave her so much that she couldn’t even finish it all.
They also had records and books, so we browsed those for a while. I really do love this place, for the atmosphere more so than the coffee, but this is a place that I might just find myself at during finals week, being that it’s open until 1am most days.
My favorite experience was probably getting coffee at Fox in the Snow Cafe and getting to hang out with Bryce 🙂 The coffee shop was just so cute. I learned that Columbus is really so accessible and not that far away from us, and so now I’ll be more willing to get off campus and do fun things. I want to go further into the downtown parts of the city and see what kinds of things there are to do down there. I would recommend to do each activity with a different person because it really lets you get to know them on a deeper level, and it just changes things up a bit. I loved exploring Columbus this semester!