Traveling without Skee is still a little depressing and no I'm not over it but it felt like she was here with me beyond just heckling me on instagram with all her recommendations for the city that is apparently exclusively referred to as Cbus for Ohioans??
Cafes and Coffee:
Fox in the Hole
I was recommended Fox in the Hole pretty consistently by everyone I knew who'd been to Columbus, so of course I had to give it a whirl. Or rather, a wait. That's probably my fault for trekking out from Short North's High St. proper to the more suburban neighborhood the restaurant claims as home at the inadvisable time of Eleven AM on a Sunday. I found myself idling in the cold, damp humid morning with a crowd of eclectic twenty-somethings with colored hair to match their Doc Marten's. On a related note, I've never seen so many riotous hair colors as I have in Columbus.
Anyway the food and coffee was definitely worth the wait but only because I could snag a seat at the bar overlooking the kitchens. The fighting over tables was starting to get a bit nasty at that point - it's first come first serve and not a lot of space. It's likely less competitive when they have their generous outdoor area available when it's not gloomy and near-freezing outside.
Roaming Goat Coffee
I mean if you've got a coffee shop called Roaming Goat I can't imagine why no one would ever glance at your storefront and say, 'yeah, I'll pass'. Incidentally though I did accidentally walk past it like three times in my bid to check it out. It was a much more relaxed vibe than Fox in the Hole - which was more restaurant than cafe, at least at the hour I visited - with some solo customers deeply engaged in their laptops, and others convalescing on the couches. The barista recommended the Honey Latte to me, which was exactly up my alley. This feels like a place that fills up pretty quickly in busier hours with it's convenient location smack in the heart of Short North.
Morning Ritual
I'm saving the best (or at least my favorite) for last.
I found this place as I had made the possibly ill-advised decision to walk from Short North to German Village to visit The Book Loft, of which I knew next to nothing about besides its name and location and (presumable) opening hours. I'd gotten past State Building when I'd realized a) the coffee I'd drank earlier at Roaming Goat was making itself known in my bladder with a vengeance and b) my phone was dying from too much Pokemon GO. I did a hasty google search and found the area to be something of a deadzone for coffee shops that weren't Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts - at least in comparison to the Short North region - and actually open for the weekends. Morning Ritual was one of the only few that wouldn't have me backtracking north, so I crossed my fingers and hoped for favorable odds for a wall outlet and a passable bathroom.
At first I was skeptical of this place, because the storefront was rather unassuming. It was attached to a larger sports-pub like restaurant as a little serving counter with a 'ring the bell for service' note taped onto the shuttered window. Luckily I noticed there was a counter on the inside as well, and walked in to ask the hostess waiting at the stand if it was alright to sit inside and order coffee. She said I could sit wherever, pointing to a little corner lounge opposite the restaurant. What a hidden gem she'd given me!
It was just a single room, but very well appointed with excellent use of space. The idea of having just as many chairs as wall outlets shouldn't seem as novel as it is, yet I was nearly moved to designer-bliss when I found ample places to plug in all my devices. There was a regrettable lack of Pokestops in the area, but that was probably for the best as my poor phone needed a rest. The mood of the place was incredibly relaxed, with most of the other patrons plugged into their headphones and scrolling on their laptops. I probably could have lingered for hours if I wasn't deadset on getting to German Village. And, indeed, there was also a bathroom. An incredible bathroom. With mannequins and a full-length mirror and mouthwash of all things. A true gem indeed.
Cool Buildings and Places
German Village
Definitely worth the walk (or cab drive if you're not dead set on hatching some eggs in Pokemon).
The highlight of this charming neighborhood is their iconic private bookstore The Book Loft. The bookstore features 32 unique rooms in a boggling configuration that will have you wondering if you're on some kind of Scoobie-Do Mystery Tour. That's half the fun though, but it really is so maze-like they give you a map upon entry. There is also, rather conveniently, a Stauff's Coffee Roasters directly next door with a lovely garden patio area if you want to immediately dive into your purchased books with a coffee in hand.
There's also plenty of cute gift shops to peruse while you wander the cobblestone streets and take in the gorgeous homes. The Red Stable and Tiki Botanicals were two I had my eye on, but unfortunately by the time I emerged from the abyss of the bookstore were close to closing.
Downtown Area:
The Bricker & Eckler Law Firm building, formerly the Old Post Office and Courthouse - this is according to the Pokemon GO stop anyway, but they're usually surprisingly well informed. Either way this building was stunning and rather unassumingly squished at the corner end of the State Building square.
I wish I could tell you like, these columns are roman-inspired neoclassical and the cathedral points are classic gothic style but I haven't taken an art history class in years and I failed them all anyway so yeah idk but man does it look great.
The other super cool building that had me stopping and taking photos like an unashamed tourist was the Leveque Tower; I was in awe, and then I was apoplectic. Don't get me wrong, staying in Short North was probably the right move had I any inclination towards drinking inadvisable amounts of alcohol and partying until the early hours of the morning but since I'd rather be in bed by nine most of the charm of Short North was likely lost on me. In which case, I should have stayed in the downtown area in the super posh hotel within this historical building that also happens to be part of Marriott's Autograph Collection. Like, just slay me now. If I'm ever in Columbus again I know exactly where I'm staying.
