When you think of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Columbus, one place that easily stands out is the northwest suburb of Dublin. They take Irish pride to a whole new level all year long. In Dublin, “Irish is an attitude,” and their St. Patrick’s Day Celebration , held this Saturday, is no exception.
It all begins with a big Lion’s Club Pancake Breakfast from 7-11 a.m. at Sells Middle School, located at 150 West Bridge St. Adult admission is $6, children under 12 are $4.
Then, Dublin’s annual parade, expected to draw 20,000 spectators this year, begins at 11 a.m. It will start at the Metro Center and make its way east along Bridge Street through Historic Dublin - you can check out a map here . The parade features bands, floats, clowns, St. Patrick himself, leprechauns and all-things-green.
The community will also be filled with Irish-themed activities that would be fun to share with family or friends. Here are some ideas, all of them taking place on March 13:
Irish Tasting event with live music - Whole Foods Market. 12-2 p.m. (3670 W. Dublin-Granville Rd.)
Irish tea & scones with writer Cindy Thomson, author of Brigid of Ireland - TehKu Tea Company. 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (55 S. High St.)
Performance by the Celtic Band Mythica - The Brazenhead Irish Pub. 4-7 pm (56 N. High St.)
Chocolate Guinness cupcakes and St. Pat’s decorated treats - Sugar, Inc. 11 a.m.–6 p.m. (36 N. High St.)
The American Cancer Society Blarney Hop - The Shoppes at River Ridge. 12-4 p.m. (6436 Riverside Drive)
Click here for more St. Patrick’s Day Celebration info provided by the City of Dublin.
If you haven’t heard about Columbus Neighborhoods, I highly recommend that you get acquainted. WOSU Public Media describes it like this:
"To celebrate Columbus’s bicentennial, WOSU Public Media is undertaking the production of Columbus Neighborhoods, a series of hour-long documentaries including extensive online resources about the city’s historic neighborhoods. It will feature a comprehensive series of documentaries, an innovative web component, community storytelling events, and classroom components that will be one of the most visible and memorable projects associated with the observance of the city’s bicentennial."
If you ask me, this is one very impressive project. I love that we now have a unique way to get to know Columbus’ rich history. Two things to check out right away:
1. The Columbus Neighborhoods Web site . It just launched this week, and it offers users an opportunity to share their own Columbus neighborhood story. You can upload photos, audio and video, launch discussions, and explore the uploads of others.
2. The upcoming series of Columbus Neighborhoods documentaries. Take a peek at the video trailer:
Six neighborhoods will be featured in their own hour long documentaries, and the Short North Arts District is first up. Local friends: Tune in on Monday, March 8 when it will air on WOSU TV at 8 p.m. (channel guide here ).
I attended the Short North documentary premiere last night at the Arena Grand, and found myself taken in by the story. Notable figures of Columbus past are highlighted along with various areas of the neighborhood, and local residents and historians share their knowledge. Discover what was happening here when The Ohio State University was that "new" university to the north, how the Short North got its name, what and where Flytown was, the story of the "Circus House" and more. Cool side note: the documentary’s soundtrack features Columbus bands.
Mark your calendar to dine out March 8-14, when the 40 locally owned restaurants of Dine Originals Columbus will offer 7 days of original menus .
Aside from being delicious, Dine Originals Week menus are specially priced at $10.10, $20.10 or $30.10. A portion of the proceeds will support the education programs of Local Matters , a Central Ohio nonprofit that works to make local, healthy food accessible to everyone in our community.
Reservations are strongly encouraged, so go on and make one. Or two. Three?
There is no better time to support the local food scene and visit an old favorite or try something new.
A giveaway! Win a $50 Dine Originals Columbus gift certificate
To celebrate Dine Originals Week, we have a $50 gift certificate to give away to one lucky reader. It’s redeemable at any Dine Originals Columbus restaurant.
To enter, comment on this post and list at least one Dine Originals Columbus restaurant that you plan to visit during Dine Originals Week.
You can check out the full roster of Dine Originals Week menus here . If you’re familiar with Columbus restaurants, I think you’ll agree that this is an amazing lineup of some of Central Ohio’s best fare.
You must comment by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26 . After that time, we’ll select one random commenter to win.
UPDATE: The entry period has ended. Congratulations to our winner, Cory (#21)!
Calling all Columbus-loving friends! To help you keep tabs on dining, playing, shopping and staying in Columbus, we’ve added some new features to our blog and the @ExpCols Twitter profile. Here’s the lowdown:
Our blog now has a page called Columbus Conversation . Here, you’ll find links to the latest posts across the Web - news articles, reviews, blog posts, videos and more. If it’s a recent link about a place to dine, play, shop or stay in Columbus, chances are good that you’ll see it there.
To stay up to date on what’s new to the page, click here to subscribe - updates can be sent your RSS reader or to your email inbox (you’ll never receive more than one email a day, and sometimes less).
We have a couple of new widgets that you can use to share links about Columbus on your own blog or Web site:
Columbus Conversation widget: Features the links you see on the Columbus Conversation page I mentioned above.
Columbus Events Calendar widget: Features links to upcoming events and things to do in Columbus (the links are pulled from the Columbus Events Calendar ).
You’ll find both widgets here . Click over to check them out and grab the code for installing them on your own corner of the Web.
If you’re a Twitter user, you’ve probably noticed that they launched a lists feature back in November. If you click here , you’ll find all of the Experience Columbus Twitter lists:
Give any of the above lists a follow, and you’ll have an easy way to check in on the current dining, playing, shopping, and staying scene on Twitter.
And as always, you can connect with experiencing Columbus here, too:
Facebook : Where we post updates and send special offers to fans.
Flickr Group : Where amateur and professional photographers across the Web share their shots of Columbus.
YouTube : Where you can watch over a dozen videos about the Columbus experience.
FriendFeed : Where you can catch many of our updates in one place.
Do you have…
Questions or suggestions?
A blog we should be watching for posts that cover places to dine, play, shop or stay in Columbus (and therefore, links we might share on the Columbus Conversation page)?
A Twitter account that belongs on one of our lists?
Please let us know. Leave a comment or send a tweet to @ExpCols . We’d be glad to hear from you.
As an avid sushi lover, I recently went to Sushi Rock on the Cap at Union Station to see how they compare to other sushi places in Columbus. The result was pleasantly surprising!
If I had to use one word to sum up the atmosphere, it would be “sexy”. With red lighting and sleek interior, the atmosphere is hip and would be a fabulous place to take a date. I tried a few things from the menu (I tried to order things different than the normal handrolls), and my favorite by far was Mr. Kim’s Special. This art-on-a-plate sushi was nothing like I had ever had before. Somehow Chef Kim blended tuna, kiwi, pineapple (and a few other ingredients) together in a crispy shell for a mouthful of indulgence in every bite. I would get this again in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone.
Sushi Rock also has happy hour specials. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, you can get $4 Maki rolls, $4 martinis, $4 house wines, $2 domestic beer and $3 import beers - great deals for trying Sushi Rock on a budget.
Ah yes, Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and you have to find something to do with that special someone. I thought I’d share my plan and expand on one of the Valentine’s Day ideas Scott shared earlier , because Opera Columbus has covered me for part of the weekend. I’ll be attending the opening performance of Romeo & Juliet at the Ohio Theatre with my girlfriend. Performances take place Friday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available here .
Tip: I was able to get my tickets on the cheap. As Opera Columbus shared on their Facebook page , if you use code FANS when buying your tickets, you’ll get a 20% discount.
And I’ll leave you with a fun fact - the leads, Jonathan Boyd and Malinda Haslett, are a real life married couple. Brian Banion (Friar Lawrence) and Elise DesChamps (Stephano) are also a married couple. Love will certainly be in the air on stage.
Opera Columbus presents
Romeo & Juliet Photo: GroovyDoodle Photography
Wondering how to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Columbus? Below you’ll find ideas for singles, couples and families. Everything listed here is happening on Feb. 14 unless otherwise noted.
Entertainment
Ballet Met presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream , a comedic ballet based on the Shakespeare classic. Performances are at the Capitol Theatre, February 5-14. Tickets start at $25.
Opera Columbus presents one of the world’s most famous love stories, Romeo & Juliet . Performances are at the Ohio Theatre, February 12-14 . Tickets are $27.50-$102.50.
From 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, BoMA is hosting The Rose Party - a night filled with music, dinner and dancing. There will be a buffet dinner, introductory dance class, a dance CD giveaway, and a professional dance show. Tickets are $20 or $25 at the door. VIP tickets are $35 or $40 at the door.
Today’s post is written by Kristin Marks, a.k.a. cBus Mom . She writes a blog by the same name , which she created to offer suggestions and reviews of kid-friendly activities in Central Ohio. She also writes for Ohio Moms Blog and is a monthly contributor to Columbus Underground .
Here, she shares her experience at the Columbus Children’s Theatre , the award winning professional theater that has been entertaining families for over 40 years.
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Columbus Children’s Theatre: Engaging, fun and affordable
By Kristin Marks, cBus Mom
I recently went with a friend and three little girls to see Rapunzel at Columbus Children’s Theatre . We got the girls gussied up in their finest princess frocks and spent the afternoon enjoying the theater.
I have to admit, I was a bit nervous because the girls were not quite 4 years old (theater gives that as a suggested viewing age) and I worried that their attention spans would get lost in the middle, but that was not the case. Aside from a short game of musical laps, the girls did great at their first theatrical performance.
I think the elements the actors used to command audience participation helped keep the attention of little ones. The play was engaging and fun for the children because not only were the characters entertaining, but the children got to participate.
At the start of the show the audience was prompted to make certain noises or hand gestures when the witch came on stage. Each time the witch came out we all said in a scary voice "ooooohhh," and immediately there was giggling from kids - they loved being part of the production. Also, many times throughout the play there were chase scenes where an actor would run into the audience and sit in an empty seat. Read the rest of this entry »
Restaurant Week Columbus was last week, and I was presented with the difficult decision of selecting a restaurant from the list of enticing three-course deals. There was one restaurant on the list that I’ve always heard great things about, but hadn’t yet tried: G. Michael’s Bistro & Bar . I made my decision and quickly made my reservation. And I was not disappointed.
When I walked into the restaurant located in historic German Village , I thought the décor could be described as classic and contemporary, but the exposed brick walls gave it a comfortable and homey feel. It was early Friday evening, and the restaurant and bar were considerably busy and buzzing with conversations and laughter. We were immediately seated and greeted by our server.
I made my dinner selections from the Restaurant Week menu, but I browsed the regular menu and was impressed. It was much like their décor: contemporary in terms of their sophisticated seafood and unique pairings, but comfortable in regards to items like as grits and southern-fried chicken.
My first course from the Restaurant Week menu was their house salad made with poached pears, spiced pecans and gorgonzola vinaigrette, which was sweet and extremely fresh. My main course was seared scallops with braised short ribs, which I thought was the perfect example of a more refined food item (the scallops) paired with, in my opinion, the ultimate comfort meal (meat, potatoes and green beans). For dessert, I selected a delicious trio of one of Columbus’ favorite desserts: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams . The entire meal and experience was incredibly satisfying.
If you’d like to experience a similar three-course meal for $30, check out G. Michael’s on Monday nights (menu selections change each week).
To sum it all up: my expectations for G. Michael’s Bistro & Bar were high, but they were definitely met. Great environment, great service and great food. If you’re looking for a place where elegance meets comfort, I highly recommend it.
If you only had 24 hours to spend in Columbus, what would you do? This was a hard question for me to answer, but I’ve come up with a list of must sees and must dos that I feel will leave any visitor with an experience uniquely Columbus.
I’m sharing these ideas in a three part series - the first post is geared to families, the next to the business traveler, and finally, a post to help a local decide what to do with visiting friends or family.
Here’s part three of three, with suggestions geared to residents looking to entertain visiting friends or family.
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We all have friends and family come to visit us. And inevitably we all get asked the question, “So, what are we going to do while in town?” Check out the following ideas for a fun Columbus experience and give your visitors a better sense of why you call Columbus home.
Where to Eat
My favorite place to take family and friends to eat in Columbus is Tasi Cafe . Located just behind High Street, Tasi’s offers freshly prepared comfort food with a unique flair. The casual atmosphere makes it a favorite of locals, and the menu offers breakfast, lunch and dinner options.
The Refectory is an AAA Four Diamond award winner, offering contemporary American cuisine and classic French cuisine. The restaurant’s location is unique - it’s inside of an old church, and the atmosphere has a rustic feel. Also, they have an amazing wine cellar with over 700 selections.
No matter what your visitors’ tastes, they are sure to find something they like at the North Market . Central Ohio’s historic public market since 1876 and located between the Short North and Arena District, it features fresh and prepared foods, and authentic ethnic cuisine. Read the rest of this entry »
