I had the chance to spend a week visiting the home folk before I head out on my next adventure. Besides seeing family, I got to see all the new things happening around Columbus.
There’s a new farmer’s market in Dublin, Ohio in “New Town”, or Bridgepark. The area is very cool and has the feel of being downtown, while being located in the suburbs. There are restaurants, shops, and a favorite bar called Pins Mechanical and 16-Bit arcade, where you can find duck bowling and old time video game machines. The market has a great mix of vegetable, pastries, and all sorts of other treasures!
A Day as a Tourist Downtown
I got to spend one day as a tourist in my hometown, walking all throughout downtown. We saw the new areas along the Scioto River and visited the revitalized Short North district.
I got a chance to ride the electric autonomous shuttle that is being tested along the Scioto. The shuttle is small, but functioned well. There is a similar shuttle that will be going into a local neighborhood that is a food desert to help with access to services.
The entire effort is being coordinated by Smart Columbus, which is helping oversee the transportation grant that Columbus recently won. They are the organization that brought the shuttle we rode in to Columbus. They are also bringing the digital boards pictured above to Columbus City streets. These boards can help you find restaurants, things to do, and even a place to sleep if you are facing homelessness.
The walk along the Scioto River (near COSI) has brought a lot of new green space to Columbus. There is a music trail with many different percussion instruments, a playground, and benches and swings.
The Short North has many new shops and restaurants that take advantage of its central location on High Street. There are food halls, boutique stores, and a new candy shop called Rocket Fizz. Some of the original shops are still there like Big Fun, a store that is more action figure museum than shop.
That night we went on an Uptown Ghost tour in my hometown of Westerville. We were sad to find out that the ghost stories were not very factual and did not share some of the well known stories of hauntings. Hopefully in the future there is a tour that can tell the history of a town that was once the center of the prohibition movement and people passed through on their way to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
Researching with One Ear Closed 