Preface

I’m gonna be honest, I did end up completing these last three on the same day, and that day was the Monday before it’s due. Now, that doesn’t mean I jammed them all together and rushed through it. I made a point to try to explore the whole park, however small or large it was. Also, basically the only technology I own now that isn’t broken (My smartphone, a less smart phone, and my watch) is my laptop, which I lugged around my bicycle journey in order to take the fantastic selfies that I have to show. It was interesting trying to hold my laptop up and frame a shot, and I’m pretty sure I got a few questioning looks, but that’s besides the point.

Goodale Park

This was the first of three parks that I stopped at during the 8.5 mile journey downtown. I want to start out with saying that I was not impressed. Sure, the gates at the corners look nice, and the lake has a great walking path around it. There’s even a statue of Goodale himself, proudly sponsored by Kroger and Mcdonalds bricks in the forefront. He overlooks a few dumpsters about 30 feet away. Anyway, the overall vibe I got when I entered was not good. This might be due in part to season I did this in – basically winter – but I couldn’t help but wonder the purpose of the park. Was it for walking? Maybe, but the paths mostly just cut through the center. Was it for casual sports? Not really, there’s a lot of trees and such to get in the way. Maybe just a green space for people cut through on walks though the neighborhood. This is a nice idea, and I think it fits with the overall layout of the park. It might be useful for a brief escape from the world, maybe a sit by the lake, or a game of tennis at their courts(which are covered in leaves). Either way, it’s not one of my favorite parks, but maybe, as I said, I just had the wrong season.

Such Lake, Much Wow

Columbus Commons

After a short trip down N High street and into S High street, I arrived upon(and almost missed) the next stop on the journey, Columbus Commons. This was quite a change from Goodale park. It was clear that it was well kept as soon as I entered, and it also looked like they were getting ready for some Christmas event. The neatly trimmed and luscious green grass reminded me of a warmer time when one could walk outside in peace without being attacked by unrelenting wind and a skin cutting cold. Anyway, I really liked this park and it’s clear that Columbus takes pride in it as well. And a bonus: the “No skateboarding” sign didn’t include bikes.

Backstage passes to whatever the h*ck was going on

Bicentennial Park

The third and final park I chose was the Bicentennial Park. Although I had attended this park before via the Olentangy and Lower Scioto Trails, I took the opportunity of the fountains being off to explore the park a little. It’s clear that this is mostly purposed as a water park for small children with some seats on the edges for their parents to relax. It also has a pavilion and natural amphitheater which takes advantage of the natural grade of the hill that the water park sits on. On of the major things that stood out to me about this park is that the water grates make a cool noise when you ride over them. Yep, neato. Anyway, what I thought was interesting was the integration of the restaurant with the park, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen. The restaurant has many windows through which to watch children play (or cars in traffic) and has a very soft organic shape to make it look like it belongs there. Bicentennial Park sits on the Lower Scioto Greenway, which makes it easily accessible for folks along the river as well as those with cars through the street entrance. Overall, I like the design and feel of the park and enjoyed visiting.

Ugh, this picture is clearly the worst of the three

Nature and Outdoor Recreation

The theme I chose from the Columbus To Do List was nature and outdoor recreation. Initially, this was one of the categories that really stood out to me. As a boy scout who grew up in a household of hikes, picnics, and other outings, I decided that it’d be cool to find out what parks and trails Columbus has to offer. It’s also nice to find smaller interesting things in Columbus on my way to the parks.

The Olentangy Trail

The Olentangy trail is an essential trail that links Downtown Columbus to the Ohio State campus. Not only that, it runs a length of over 13 miles from the Northbank Park just west of downtown, to the Olentangy Park near the intersection of I-270 and SR-315. In addition, it connects to other trails such as the Lower Scioto Greenway trail.

The trail, running along the Olentangy river, makes it easy for one with a bike, such as myself, to hop on through campus and get downtown in under  20 minutes. It’s safer and faster than road riding and it’s a good way to get exercise. I’ve personally traveled the entire length of it on separate occasions and find it very enjoyable. The only parts I dislike would be travelling next to the 315 the majority of the time and some parts on the Upper Olentangy trail that are only connected via neighborhood roads, which are a little tricky to navigate. I have and plan to use this trail many times in the future.

The Scioto Auduban Metro Park

Among the many parks connected to the Olentangy trail is the Scioto Auduban Metro Park. This park was a neat place to ride around and explore. One of the things that stood out to me was the big red (or rusty) water tower in the center. It looks really neat and I find it really fits in with it’s surrounding tall grass. If I recall correctly, this park has a –maybe 25 foot– climbing wall in the form of two rocky arches. I didn’t really look into the cost of climbing it, but it might be cool to check out when I have time on a weekend. It also is sandwiched between the Scioto river and a railroad track. On one of my explorations I jumped the track, and thought it would be cool to walk down in the future. (yeah, it might be a little dangerous).

These are the first two in a five part series on the Columbus To-do list, and I look  forward to completing the last three.

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