Columbus To Do List, Part 2

Parks!

For the remainder of the items on my Columbus To Do List, I went to places off the Nature and Outdoor Adventure list. I went to Goodale Park, Columbus Commons, the Topiary Garden, and Schiller Park. I attended the parks with Will, John, Doug, and Andrew S. I really enjoyed being able to time with them outside of the dorm and explore some of the parks of Columbus with them. It was also a nice stress reliever and way to wind down right before Thanksgiving break began. The first stop on our journey was Goodale Park. I didn’t realize how close it was and how huge it is! After we arrived we quickly found a playground and obviously began to play on it. After we had our fill of that, we went to Columbus Commons. It was interesting to see a tiny, but very green park wedged in between apartments and skyscrapers in the city. I would be interested in coming back to attend a free concert or event. We of course took the opportunity to take an O-H-I-O picture at this location, and it was quite special to me as it was the first O-H-I-O picture I have taken with friends at OSU. Next on the list was the Topiary Garden, a park with beautiful trees, interesting topiary sculptures, and a small pond. We had fun recreating the poses of the topiaries. I would love to come back with a book and read on one of the benches or eat lunch with a friend there at some point. The last stop was Schiller Park, which we spent a bit of time exploring. We took pictures on a bridge over a pond with a fountain, and of course found another playground that we played on for a long while. I had such a fun time that day and would love to go back to the parks with the guys or explore brand new ones with them.

Northstar Cafe

I also visited some other places off the list with other people in Scholars. I went to Northstar Cafe with Jasmine and Amanda and had a great time. I consider them close friends of mine, however I have never sat down for a meal with them. We went after one of the football games, so the Short North and COTA busses were very crowded. The atmosphere of Northstar Cafe was really nice: dim lighting, soft music, and friendly staff. The food was delicious and we were all happy with our choices. The most interesting thing any of us ordered was mint iced coffee. Amanda had it and it was super interesting, sometime in the future we’d like to try and make it ourselves. We talked about many things and I feel closer to my suitemates as a result. I would definitely go back to Northstar Cafe, and have been craving another Buddha Bowl since I went!

Eden Burger and More Parks!

Mallory and I had lunch together at Eden Burger, and we easily had the best veggie burgers we’ve ever had. It’s always a blast hanging out with her, and I really enjoyed getting closer to her. Brooke then joined us and we went to a few parks as well! We visited the Bicentennial Park, Scioto Mile, and I brought them back to the Topiary Garden. I was super excited to be able to go back to familiar parks and explore new ones with them! I would definitely love to go back to the Scioto Mile and Bicentennial Park once it gets warm out again. It seems like a wonderful place to have a picnic and hang out with friends. Right next to the parks is the Cultural Art Center, which we decided to explore as well. It was super cool to see locally made art in all types of mediums. An interesting piece was a black tent in the middle of the room which had words and shapes cut out of it, leaving a pattern on the floor where the light shone through. We also discovered that they offered weaving classes, and talked about taking a class in the future. It was nice to return to the Topiary Garden, however there were no ducks swimming around this time. We did however see a couple walking their pet cat! All in all, I’m really glad I decided to tag along with Mallory and Brooke to help them finish their list.

Overview

My favorite experience this semester from this project would definitely be when I visited the parks with the guys. Just being able to goof around for a few hours and be outside and spending time with people I care about was such a memorable experience.  I also loved being able to try new foods, and my next goal is to visit places on the Coffee & Tea list. I learned that Columbus is super easy to navigate and has so many fun places to explore.  I also learned that there are so many fun things to do outside of OSU with my friends. For someone else who is planning on going to places on the list, I would encourage them to step out of their comfort zone. I expected myself to just try coffee shops, however I visited all sorts of places on the to do list and had great experiences at all of them.