G.O.A.L.S.

Along with being an avid coffee and tea drinker, I am also a huge fan of sushi. While my mom was in town, we decided to go to a restaurant called Nida’s Thai on High. I had come across this restaurant while searching for my next place to explore in Columbus and wanted to try it out. The restaurant was small and dimly lit. Bright blue snow-flakes lined the windows. My mom and I were the only ones in the restaurant, but as we dined a few “regulars” came through. The menu had plethora of delicious, Asian dishes to choose from with reasonable prices: spring rolls, soups, curries, stir fries, and of course sushi. While looking over the menu, we decided to order an appetizer of fresh, steamed edamame to share. It was a cold, rainy day outside and the steaming edamame quickly warmed me up. After struggling to decide from the variety of sushi rolls, I settled with ordering my usual Rainbow roll and decided to try one of the vegetarian rolls, while my mom ordered a Negi Hamachi (yellowtail) roll and a standard tuna roll. The service was incredible, our rolls were served promptly, and everything tasted delicious. I plan on visiting Nida’s Thai on High again and hope to explore the delectable options on the menu other than sushi. I would recommend Nida’s Thai to anyone who likes Asian cuisine or is hoping to try a dish for a reasonable price.

Although I have lived close to Columbus my entire life, I am still surprised at how little I have actually explored the city. I have been to many items on the Columbus to-do list such as Jeni’s Ice Cream, the Columbus Museum of Art, the North Market, and Easton Town Center, but Columbus is a huge city that would take years to fully uncover. I have scraped the surface, but I have never explored the depths of what Columbus has to offer. As I stared out the window while driving to Nida’s Thai on High with my mom, I was amazed at all of the local places I did not know existed. There were boutiques, thrift stores, and multiple other restaurants and cafes. My favorite place from my two new experiences is definitely Nida’s Thai on High because I loved the atmosphere and food that the restaurant had to offer. Kafe Kerouac was also a neat experience, but I would rather go to a spacious, modern style café to study while enjoying my coffee. My advice to someone beginning to explore Columbus would be to choose a place of interest, but also keep an open mind about all of the endless possibilities to explore around Columbus.

Columbus To-Do List Part 1:

This semester I decided to explore Columbus by exploring different coffee and tea places. I am an avid coffee and tea drinker, and I love seeing different cafes since each one has its own unique style and feeling to it. My roommates and I decided one weekend to go to a cute café called Kafe Kerouac on High St. This café was unlike any other café I had been to before. It was a brisk day outside and I squinted to see through the intense sunlight. When I stepped into Kafe Kerouac, my eyes were surprised by the dim lighting. Similar to many coffee shops, inside the café was warm, cozy, and quiet, and the menu was written in chalk. However, something was different about Kafe Kerouac. The walls were covered with posters and the bathroom walls were covered in intentional graffiti: messages written in chalk from past customers. Some of the notes were funny, while others were serious. These walls provided a way for people to express their religious or political beliefs, as well as a way for someone to send an encouraging message to a stranger. After exiting the mysterious bathroom, I ordered a mug of my favorite tea and sat down with my roommates at a crowded wooden table. The warmth of the tea flooded my body, and I dreaded going back outside into the cold, windy air. I enjoyed my unique experience at Kafe Kerouac, and I definitely would recommend going there if one wants to deviate from the usual Starbuck’s routine.