For the other four places to visit downtown, my group decided to go to the Columbus Commons, the Scioto Mile, the Columbus Museum of Art, and COSI.  The first night we visited Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace, we also stopped at the Columbus Commons and Scioto Mile.  In the Columbus Commons, not a whole lot was going on.  We did see some people walking their dogs, and the stage was set up for some sort of concert or performance however.  I think because we visited the commons on a Saturday night in the fall, there weren’t a lot of activities going on.  I feel like visiting there during the day in the summer would be ideal.  Afterwards, we headed to the Scioto Mile which was more populated.  We saw some elderly men fishing together off of the walkway and plenty of people were scootering around us.  It was definitely more lively and also gave a nice view of the lit stairway to COSI across the river which got me excited to visit.  This weekend, we participated in the Night at the Museum event hosted by OUAB on Friday.  We got to go to the art museum after hours for free with provided food and a Ted Talk speaker.  I was really excited to go visit, and I was intrigued by what the museum had to offer.  I came away impressed by the exhibits and the architecture of the museum.  The classical elements of the interior mixed with modern architecture was very cool to look at.  There were groin vaults, Roman arches, and doric columns mixed with minimalistic glass staircases and monochromatic interior colors.  I found the interplay fascinating, and it got me more excited to study architecture next semester.  I appreciated seeing all of the art from different eras but was most excited to see the contemporary exhibits.  Some of the pieces were mind-boggling and very impressive.  In particular, there was a hyperrealistic sculpture piece of a man’s back profile that was freakishly human.  On Saturday, we traveled to COSI and became children again.  It was so cathartic to feel like a kid again at a science museum, and our group had a lot of fun.  All of the exhibits were entertaining for all ages, and I particularly liked one exhibit that created an entire set for a town street throughout the generations.  One version of the street we walked through was set in colonial times with the other being set in the 1950’s.  A lot of work must have been put into this project as there were so many little details that were very charming.  Individual shop windows had vintage products displayed, and animatronics were used to simulate real people.  It was all very impressive and was like nothing I’ve really seen before.  I also really enjoyed playing with all of the gadgets in the exhibits like surreal motion cameras and various types of magnets.  COSI made me feel like a kid again for a day, and I really appreciate it. I would definitely recommend others to visit the art museum and COSI as those were the locations that impressed me the most.  I am glad to have done this project and gotten a little more knowledgeable about places in downtown Columbus.  

https://spark.adobe.com/page/znyPOgGKDmPbD/

For the Columbus To-Do List assignment, I decided choose the Downtown neighborhood list to further my knowledge of the surrounding area of campus.  I ventured downtown with a group to visit some recommended spots, and one of the places our group went to for dinner was “Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace.”  The restaurant was cozy, dimly lit, and packed, and we ended up getting seats along the bar.  I enjoyed the atmosphere, and the selection of hot dogs and sides was impressive.  What I am most looking forward to doing for the rest of the To-Do List assignment is getting to the Art Museum.  I really want to go check that place out and spend some time there with the art.  I’ve always really enjoyed going to art museums, and I want to see how Columbus’s stacks up against others I’ve been to.  I’m also interested in going to COSI because I’ve heard so many great things about it.  Back in Cleveland, we have a science museum that somewhat reminds me of what I’ve been hearing about COSI so far, so I would really like to go check it out at some point.  Overall, I hope to learn my way around Columbus better by exploring the downtown atmosphere and acclimating myself to it.  I’ve always enjoyed visiting cities, but this is my first time really living in an urban environment.  I hope to grow as a city-dweller and learn about the culture surrounding Columbus.  I feel that this is very important for me because I want to be involved in urban architecture later on as a career on an international scale.  I hope to eventually visit cities in the Far East and see for my own eyes how vast those places are.  I hope that these are the first steps for me towards becoming integrated with city life because I plan to be involved in urban culture and architecture in my future career.

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