So, Emily is starting Grad School in August...in Bloomington, IL. Which means that after living in and around Central Ohio for going on 26 years, we'll be packing our backs and heading west for good.

So what awesome stuff have I missed since living in Columbus for so many years? I've had a Fish Boat, love ComFest, been to Piece of Cake and Pistacia Vera, North Market, etc.

What bars should we check out before we go? We love Planks and O'Reilly's. What shops must we visit? What parks are amazing? What hidden nooks and crannies are "Absolute Musts" to check out in the next 3 months?

Thanks!

Tell me you've had a Jeni's Root Beer Float.

You know, we've only had straight ice cream there. I've been meaning to have one of their ice cream sandwiches, but I guess we'll give a float a chance as well

thurman burger

Done and done.

I used to live on Whittier at Mohawk and we made many a trip to Planks and Thurmans

alana's - cheese sampler, w/ some old red wine.

a good between-meal thing on the patio when it's warm enough.

and

"yeah, me too." coffee in clintonville

I've heard of the virtues of Alana's, but Yeah Me Too is new to me (although, after I read I do remember driving by this place a few times.)

Do you know if they roast the beans in House at YMT? I've only recently figured out the correct coffe:water ratio for my coffee pot and I'd love to try something a little better than Folgers :-p

They gyro shoppe on Henderson Rd. Seriously, it's tacky looking but I defy anyone to show me a better gyro for the buck in town.

LOVE that place Coydog. We actually live right down the street. I just wish they took credit cards. It was quite a shock having to use the scary little ATM machine to pay for our lunch!

Wow, thanks for that Elroy! I've been to a few of those places (Akai Hana used to be Restaurant Japan, and is probably the best Sushi place in the city). And my old stomping grounds are the West Broad area right near 270 (years of growing up in London and making the trip down rt 40 into the city...)

I was unaware that O'Reillys had good burgers. I just know that THEY (not Char Bar) have the best Bloody Mary's in the city . Seeing as that's Emily and I's bar, we'll have to get a burger next time we're in there

*prints*

*edit*

Also, interesting factoid about the corn: The artist who made it is Malcolm Cochran, OSU Sculpture Professor and it's proper name is, "Field of Corn (with Osage Orange)" (the trees on the west side of the field are Osage Orange trees)

my newest true-love in columbus is banana-bean cafe on whittier. bananas-foster-sourdough-french-toast. sweet potato creme brulle. coffee rubbed steak, nice cuban/floridian/jamacian fusion. amazing brunch. the ONLY thing that'll have me out of bed before 2 on a sunday.

no prob! a coupla qualifications:
don't go to tropical bistro (if they're closed that's a mad bummer) if you have anything to do for the rest of the day, 'cause yer gonna wanna have 4 or 5 (best drink evar). o'reilly's best = the pepper burger. marino's isn't exactly good, it's just a cool place and cheap and 400x better than arthur treacher's or (BLECCH) long john's. + their fish stew is killer. and they have a coupla all-you-can-eat days.

*i also suggest you go back in time and visit touchdown arcade, ozoner video, and captain's record store next to the old singin' dog. and catch greenhorn at stache's. i think they're playing with spiderfoot.

What's the price range at The Banana Bean Cafe? The menu looks fucking awesome, but no prices.

a couple of bucks more than i wish it was, but never, ever NOT worth the cost. me & the girl usually end up in the 35-45 dollar range, with either an appetizer or a couple of desserts.

I personally love the Thurber house tour, but it helps to be a fan of his writing. Allows you to picture the entire town racing past his front door on The Day the Dam Broke.

Did you ever get an omlette at the German Village Coffee Shop? When Mr. Duffy and I lived in GV, we used to go there every Saturday. We've only gone a few times in the two years since we left GV, but they still remember our orders.