Columbus Ohio

| tralev | columbus |

Growing up in Cincinnati, two hours south of Columbus, I’ve been to Columbus many times. I’ve never traveled there with any specific intent to get a feel for the city, so this was one of my favorite trips because I learned so much about the state that I called home for so many years.

The added benefit of going somewhere so close to home is that my parents were able to join me on this trip and we had a great time discovering our state capital.

[caption id=“attachment_362” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”]Mom and Dad with the Columbus Skyline in the background. Mom and Dad with the Columbus Skyline in the background. Copyright © 2017 Lev Lazinskiy for Tralev.[/caption]

Trip Dates

Sep 3 - 5

How We Got There

In my quest to get Mosaic status on Jet Blue, I made the completely convoluted journey from San Francisco to Boston, to Cleveland and then took a greyhound bus from Cleveland down to Columbus.

The most interesting part of this journey was learning that Cleveland has a robust subway system. Who knew?

On the way back, I had some pretty tight connections and the bus was running late. I ended up flying from Columbus Airport to Boston to catch my ride home back to San Francisco. Lesson learned; a travel itinerary involving a layover and a greyhound bus is a very bad idea.

How We Got Around

My parents drove up from Cincinnati and we got around the city using their car and walking. Sadly, like most cities in the midwest the public transit system in Columbus is lacking and its difficult to get around without a car.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at the majestic Hotel Leveque, which is a part of the Autograph Collection.

What We Did

I arrived on Sunday afternoon and met my parents at the Greyhound bus station. We checked into the hotel, explored the capitol grounds a bit and got a late lunch at a fancy Italian restaurant called de Novo. In the park nearby a Beatles tribute band serenaded us with short snippets of classic songs during their sound check. We spent the rest of the day walking around Scioto Mile park.

The next day we went to the Short North neighborhood and had Po’ Boys for lunch at a New Orleans themed restaurant called Da LeVee. Most restaurants in the area were closed due to the holiday. We explored some nearby parks and then went to the Franklin Park Conservatory where we spent most of the rest of the day. We ended the day at the Book Loft of German Village where we explored rooms filled to the ceiling with books. We parted ways at this point since my parents had to work the next day.

On my last day in Columbus, I made sure to go inside of the Capitol building. After grabbing a quick lunch I made my way back to the greyhound station and after waiting around for a while for my bus to arrive, I panicked and headed to the airport to fly to Boston so that I would not miss my return flight to San Francisco.

What Was The Fuss

I wish I had spent more time in Columbus. It is a wonderful city with a ton of history that I was delighted to rediscover during this trip. There is a thriving art scene, unique architecture, wonderful museums, and beautiful parks. Some events, like the Ohio State Fair, only happen once a year but are well worth the visit. I always loved Ohio and this trip reminded me of all the reasons why.

 

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