Picture this: a fresh, crisp blanket of snow covers the ground under your feet as you walk to class, and you hear your boots crunch over the snow as you take each subsequent step. Snow is sprinkling over you as you are sipping on some hot coffee to perk you up on this chilly morning. The campus is quiet and serene, as if it’s just waking up for the day. This may seem like an extreme cliche, but I absolutely love winter, and I especially love winter in Columbus.
Albeit, there can sometimes be a negative vibe associated with the winter season as finals and end-of-semester project deadlines seem to sneak up out of nowhere. However, amidst the hustle and bustle of studying for final exams, there are so many activities to take part in for those well deserved study breaks.
Every year in November, the College of Pharmacy hosts its Annual Chili Cook-Off, a charity event where proceeds benefit the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio. (Plug: Charitable Pharmacy is a wonderful place to get your community service hours, and students will often complete rotations and residencies there!) Student organizations, alumni and faculty bring crockpots full of their best chili recipes to battle it out and see whose is best. There are also fantastic items available at the silent auction – this year one of the items were two tickets to a home OSU game with pretty phenomenal seats!
Being from Toledo, one of my favorite holiday traditions was going to the Toledo Zoo with my family to see the Lights Before Christmas. It is very similar to Wild Lights, the wonderful light display at the Columbus Zoo! Last year, after our first semester of classes, a few pharmacy friends and I bundled up and went to the Columbus Zoo to see the lights and celebrate the end of finals week. It was fun to walk around, hot coffee in hand, and look at the twinkling lights draped against the darkness of the night sky (and relax)!
One of my favorite hobbies is to curl up with a good book, and it seems that winter is no better time to get lost in a novel. With hundreds of books scattered around my apartment, I still can’t help but to acquire more – most notably from The Book Loft, located in German Village. It is one of the most unique places I have ever been, where every nook and cranny of the building is hiding books of every genre and interest. (They have great sales and discounts, too, which is definitely a plus!) It’s a great place to spend an afternoon perusing the shelves and finding a text that captures your attention.
Columbus has so many terrific restaurants and different types of cuisine; there is no doubt that you can find warm, delicious comfort food! A few of my favorite places are Mozart’s Cafe, Katalina’s, Schmidt’s, Press Grill, Hyde Park, Forno, AAB and Sweet Carrot. No matter what you’re in the mood for, there are options for everyone!
As final exams draw near, stop to enjoy some of the wonderful things that Columbus has to offer! You won’t be disappointed!