Even though we live only a few hours away, I rarely go (back home) to Ohio. It's a matter of feeling like I have the time to make the short drive, but nonetheless, there is no excuse.
I'm ashamed to say that my effort to visit Columbus, Ohio this week was 100% work-related. It’s sad, but I felt like an outsider in this place I claim as my own! It's familiar but strange at the same time. I feel the same way every time I visit home in Westlake.
Even though I had less than 24 hours in the great state of Ohio, I made each one count and had a blast. Why don't we do this more often?
Fellow Ohio Staters, are you ready for this? 'Cause this place has changed a lot! For all others, well, I’m going to take you on a running tour of OSU (not to be confused with "Ohio" or "OU" please!) and show you a glimpse what my college life was like.
Let’s go!
I arrived late in the day after a visit in Richmond, IN.
Gotta love the sign on the giant blue arch that crosses I-70 (borrowed picture). I didn’t attempt a photo while driving – that would be unsafe. ;)
Down the newish part of the Olentangy River Path and a few hundred feet from The Shoe, THIS is why Ohio State is home to over 56,000 students… Morrill and Lincoln Tower. While totally inconvenient to get to anywhere else on campus, if you’re on the East side, you get a kickin view over the stadium on football Saturdays.
View of the stadium, ball fields, and RPAC from the side of the medical campus. This was all under construction when I left!
I have no idea what else is in this building besides Mirror Lake Cafe, open LATE! It was a long walk from North Campus but worth it for the ridic tasty toasted sandwiches. Ohio State buildings are pretty on this side of campus! They’re apparently not without ghost stories, though.
Mirror Lake. On the Thursday night before the Michigan game, picture this entire area buzzing with thousands of half-naked and mostly hammered college kids jumping into the lake (in late November). It’s Titanic-cold, and a true Michigan week tradition. Oh, the things we do in the name of rivalry!
By day, I liked to take breaks between class/group meetings to eat and feed the ducks here. :)
The Oval is finally open again! Btown peeps, picture Dunn Meadow but about 8 times larger. When I was running through here, in a short stretch, I witnessed: tightrope walkers, a drum circle, and a countless number of people passing through. The Oval’s the central point that divides North & South Campus. During the day, there’s usually a guy standing on a wooden box preach-singing to anyone who will listen. His wife sits next to him in a lawn chair and knits.
Why is it called The Oval? Here’s the aerial view…
The library looks AWESOME. I don’t even recognize it!!
From the library, the Long Walk. According to tradition (?), take Long Walk from the OSU seal (below) to
the statue (above) holding hands with your loved one, and you’ll be together
forever.
It’s named the “Long Walk” for a reason :)
Yep, South Campus dorms are still there…
The Union. If you visit Ohio State (again), go inside. Mind = blown. It is so nice. This is the new meeting spot for the current OSU Run Club.
Public transit and IU Bus Service, take note! A-mazing. These signs would also be good for lost visitors and freshmen. ;)
Neika, this pic’s for you--- UDF! United Dairy Farmers is a gas station (usuallly) that also serves ice cream. We spent a LOT of Friday nights walking down the street to get milkshakes. It was dangerously within 2 blocks of our apartment.
Compared to B-town, Columbus just has that more urban feel. It’s more noticeable now than before (i.e., I’m still not running after dark), mostly because Bloomington doesn’t have any streets this wide or busy. Oh yeah – and what you see below (corner of Woodruff & High) is usually the beginning of the stretch where you’d see the rapping bum, whose rhymes always ended with “Help is on the way.”
May he rest in peace.
Check out our street on Frambes, the reason I can parallel park like a champ….PLENTY of practice. Street parking spots are worth their space in gold around here. <2 feet of clearance? Not a problem.
This is me being a total creeper and taking a picture of our lovely ghet-to apartment at 88 E. Frambes. My room was on the top floor, second in from the street. I usually slept/woke to the sounds of a) glass breaking in the alley; b) arguments/fights/muggings in the alley; or c) the sound of police choppers with searchlights overhead.
Neika- The vertical blinds we installed are still hanging!
And since we’re revisiting places I lived, here’s Houck House, my engineering dorm from freshman year. Private bathrooms and air conditioning? Totally reasons to make being an engineering major worthwhile! (True story)
I consider this a place I lived also – Baker Systems (the Industrial Systems & Welding Engineering Building). Yep, nothing new there. Tons of construction going on from the street to the corner, so no traffic was really moving through here. For campus being under construction for 50% of the time I was at Ohio State, I can’t figure out how this place is still under major construction.
At this point on my run, I was looking for at least 6 miles and came out to around 4.5. I doubled back to see some of the stuff I thought I might’ve missed, so here’s a more detailed look at some more sights around campus. William Oxley – this dude now lives inside the new library! I think every school has a bust whose nose you rub for good luck. Or just ‘cause to be creepy.
Want to see the inside of the new library? I was speechless. There is a museum-like exhibit area inside the front door, all polished stone floors, glass staircases… For a second, I thought I was inside the Boston Public Library. This place is NICE. (now)
Walking outside the library and looking North, Independence Hall. (It’s a replica building of what Ohio State University used to look like back in the day).
Crossing 15th street from Wexner, High Street has totally cleaned up. New restaurants, new bars, it’s like a brand new High Street! Apparently nearly all of the go-to bars have been renamed. For example: Four Kegs is now called The O Patio. Ehh…the jury’s still out on that. Diet Coke tastes the same no matter where you get it.
Another view of the Union from High Street and South Campus Gateway (bars, restaurants, shops, ice cream, books) across the street:
Like I said, Ohio State is just an urban campus (IU? Definitely Ohio State’s suburban counterpart). Alleys like this are everywhere… just don’t walk through them at night by yourself and you’re good.
Best. Pizza. Ever. Adriatico’s is right on 12th and possibly one of the only on-campus restaurants that aren’t owned by OSU. You’re looking at 7-8 pounds of my freshman 15!
The wonderful thing about Ohio State is that it’s not a college town in the sense that it’s the only thing in town. Columbus is made up of a number of cool little neighborhoods like the Short North, German Village (go to Schmidt’s for the best sauerkraut & cream puffs in the world), and Arena District. Here’s another glimpse of a neighborhood right off of campus, Victorian Village. Some of the houses are really well kept, while others need some TLC. They’re beautiful. It’s strange to think that these lovelies are hidden just feet from the middle of the city!
A little tree-lined city street in Victorian Village. See? It’s not all alleys and scary-ness in Cbus.
Back to the run…
I headed South on 5th past Battelle and back onto the Olentangy Trail. Views:
Then, I took the trail back toward my car and past the towers and past the stadium by way of the RPAC.
Even when only half of this place was open, I believe it was officially the largest college student rec facility in the country. I heard they were putting in an indoor driving range. I took ice skating and archery in college (but ran out of time for pistol) – those buildings are nearby but not attached. The pool area in the RPAC is enormous… including a hot tub large enough to fit over 25 people.
I ran down past the stadium.
It’s so beautiful!! It brings a tear to my eye.
I suspect that repeats around this stadium would be closer to 1 full mile. IU’s stadium is exactly 800m.
I miss football Saturdays. Sigh.
Annnd the Lane Ave bridge and more of the Olentangy Trail. When I got back to the car, I was at exactly 7.5 miles. Perfect!
You know I can’t post without talking about food… my favorite place, a Cameron Mitchell restaurant on Olentangy River Rd- Cap City Diner. Best comfort food ever!! The chocolate cake is about 2-3 times bigger than one you’ll find at a typical restaurant. Order the blue cheese potato chips. Entrees – like the meatloaf - are amazing. You can’t choose a bad item off of this menu!
Think less greasy-spoon and more upscale diner. I have this thing about not eating at sit-down restaurants by myself…so it’s carry-out orders for me. I got the salmon.
And the MAIN reason I ate here (see? enormous):
Hotel breakfast = free! Smoothie, home-made granola, eggs & gruyere, fresh fruit, and fresh-squeezed OJ. Concierge lounge is where it’s at. The volume and variety of food in this breakfast gave me a stomach ache, but it was worth it.
And last but not least, I’ll leave you with some Ohio State traditions (mostly centered around football, of course)
1) The Script Ohio. It’s sacred. Performed by the OSU marching band before home games, it’s one of the biggest honors to dot the “i” in Ohio (always done by a senior sousaphone player).
2) The O-H-I-O, a gameday tradition.
Ahh Ohio… I’ll be back.
You successfully made extremely homesick. I need to go back to visit ASAP.
ReplyDeleteYes - mission accomplished! I say it's time for another reunion, in Cbus this time. The time there is never long enough...
DeleteAWESOME!!!!!!
ReplyDelete