You’ve read and enjoyed (or not) my posts on walking around Cincy.  Here’s “the treatment” for Columbus, a brief road trip to Cow Town.

 

I usually don’t travel far for live music, even though I’m a fan, and almost never go out on weekdays, but I made an exception for a certain singer-songwriter I recently discovered. He was performing on the worst night of the week, Monday, at a place in Columbus I never heard of.  So, something different since so much of life has become different over the past year.

 

I got a room at the overpriced but nice Hampton Inn across from the Convention Center, then drove north to scope out the venue and do a little shopping at the Wexner Store.

 

The Wex and Points North

 

Wexner Store was interesting (and expensive) as usual.  But I know I can use my UD and WSU community borrower cards and get a lot of these books (but not journals) via Ohiolink.  Seems the place is now moving to computer sales (Apple products) and maybe scaling back what they have available in print and DVD and bric-a-brac.  Never was a big fan of museum store bric-a-brac so the attraction of the Wex was the print media.  With the Wex there seems to be an emphasis on Dutch urban design and architecture but seeing more of the Asian stuff out, too.  Did get a book on urban regeneration  schemes for dying European textile cities (somewhat relevant to Ohio)..

 

Then I scoped out the venue, which was the Rumba bar somewhere north and east of OSU.  On Summit just south of Hudson.  One thing I notice is that Summit (inbound) and parallel 4th (outbound) are the best way to travel north of downtown, avoiding the congested High Street corridor. 

 

Driving through this area one realizes that if weren’t for OSU, state government, and the big white collar sector Columbus would be just another dreary, shabby, Midwestern shit-town, since that is what this area looked like, a bit like Dayton, really.  Unlike Dayton there seemed to be more businesses, less vacancy, in the little business corners and strips that appear along 4th & Summit and the cross streets like Hudson.

 

The party line on Columbus is that it was never the industrial city like others in Ohio, but there is plenty of evidence of an industrial past visible off 4th (Jeffery works) and Summit, particularly the old industrial  loft buildings (akin to Dayton’s DELCO plant) visible from that long viaduct south into downtown.  Columbus really does seem the big city coming into downtown across that viaduct, especially at night.

 

”Bloo Danoo” and Back Downtown

 

Rumba was pretty far north for me, beyond my usual Columbus range. Parked on a side street about a block or two from the venue and walked over.  Some of the bar backs were carrying out stuff and I asked about times, and one volunteered a place to eat, the “Bloo Danoo” on High.  So I worked my way down the side streets to high, but no Bloo Danoo.  Maybe they meant the Blue Danube?  Shabby but maybe good food?  Went in.  No service.  No signs about seating yourself or anything like that.  Mostly a big bar with lots of booths and seating.  Nearly empty.  Barmaid and I guess the waiter standing in the back talking and eyeing the room.  Sit down and hang up coat.  Thumb through free weekly.  Still no service.  No acknowledgement that I’m there. Eventually the barmaid returns to the bar.  I walk over to her and ask her if I have to ask for service.  She looks a bit pissed and says the waiter will be right with me.  I said “forget it” and walk out.

 

So, back to the Short North but via Summit since it seemed a fast mover compared to the congested High Street (this was around rush hour).

 

Monday Evening in the Short North

 

I figure I can eat in the Short North.  Garaged the car and walked over to the Hilton to get some postcards, and passed some places on High.  I figure I can walk north on High and find a coffee house to write the postcards before dinner.  So I do. Noting the changes in retail, how places that used to be there, that I and my late partner went to over the years, are gone.  Places like a certain gay-friendly coffee house, the gay bookstore, Kukalas, etc.  In fact I don’t see much in the way of coffee houses.  Then I realize I didn’t bring a pen, so stop in a UDF to get a cheap Bic.  I ask the clerk where can I find a coffee shop.  Clerk says check out Travonna, a few blocks to the north, that he’s been there and it’s OK.  So I do, and it was worth the walk.  Nice laid-back indy coffee shop (& gallery) of which we have way too few of in Dayton (closest is Ohio Coffee Company).  And they served the coffee in a real mug or cup, not the paper version.  Just a generally good vibe going down at Travonna.

 

On the way back (walking the west side of High this time) I notice more places, but maybe more upscale, one that reminded me of a place in Clifton in Louisville…a café more than a coffee shop.

 

Plenty of places to eat, even on a Monday evening (unlike Dayton), but I kept on thinking about this Italian place I saw on my quick walk to the Hyatt, very close to my hotel.  But then I see this place right in my hotel building.  Nearly empty.  Menu looked interesting but do I want a full course meal? No.  But sort of wish I went.  Forest themed menu items.  Oak leaf salad?  Did I read that right?

 

Martini

 

Instead I go to Martini, the place I saw on my way to the Hyatt.  Despite the name Martini isn’t a martini bar, though it has a big bar in the front of the house.  The place is hopping with a business/yuppie clientele, men in coats, etc.  The interior is fabulous and very modern.  This is the kind of place that makes you realize how cheap and half-ass they do things in Dayton, because no expense was spared in the interior design (in terms of quality of design).

 

And the wait staff was totally professional and put-together (waiters in suits).  Food? Italian, obviously.  I was looking for light repast and am partial to antipasto so had their antipasto with bread on the side. Wasn’t expecting much but this was quite good, good mix.  I usually don’t like figs but these were dee-lish.  The waitress said the bread (crisp bread with the antipasto + the side) was from a bakery in Grandview.  Bread is usually a low quality giveaway in Dayton but here it was excellent. 

 

Columbus must be like Louisville, with a competitive restaurant scene driving higher quality.

 

After that, back to the hotel, then get the car out of hock to drive north again.  Got to the Rumba around 8:20, 8:25.  Look inside and it’s pretty empty.  Figure I have some time to kill so decide to walk the neighborhood.

 

Walking Hudson & High

 

The little commercial district here seems to be seeing some hipster bleed-over from High.  I see one of those scooter places is next door to Rumba.  I walk west on Hudson toward High.  I notice that the houses in this area are mostly doubles and also some of those Columbus-style row house blocks.  I guess this was a blue-collar area (or low level clerical workers), not student housing, since it was built before OSU became ESU (Enormous State University).  Now I think its part of the student ghetto, or the edge of it.  The area was run-down and shabby.  One double was half-occupied.  The unoccupied half had an overgrown lawn while the occupied half lawn was nicely cut.  Funny.

 

Walk past Indianola (another business corner) and past an old school. Reach High and wonder about this intersection, if it was more built-up at one time.  Though I notice they have a new “urban Taco Bell” on one corner (built right to the sidewalk).

 

Walking north on High I note the two tall late 19th Century (?) commercial blocks on the west side of High.  I wonder about those.  This neighborhood doesn’t seem that old compared to those buildings.  Was this a little town at one time?  Or had Columbus expanded this far north by the turn of the century?  Or am I mis-dating those buildings and they are  really early 20th century?  No matter.  Seems like this is a pretty active area, still has a neighborhood hardware and drug store (a bit like Knowlton Corner/Northside in Cincy).  Also the usual joints, “Cluck-U” chicken carryout (from the 1960s? Chicken carryout was a fad back then), Ledo’s tavern, other taverns, pizza joints, etc.  But time to walk back.

 

I notice Hudson has an upslope as I was working up a little sweat walking uphill from High.  I guess the land here is dropping down to the Olentangy.

 

Rumba

 

Returning to Rumba it’s already full-up, standing room only.  I guess the place fills fast.  And the music started promptly at 9, too.  Good.  Staff was excellent, two personable bar maids running bar with efficiency and a smile.  Local beer was on tap so I tried “Columbus” brand (good draft) and “Elevator” (which was awful).  The place was smaller than I thought, not quite a dive bar, but close.  Original bart on the walls and a small stage area with white Christmas lights on the ceiling.  Old wood back back bar. Cozy, friendly, crowed was younger than I expected (or I’m older than I realize), but a few graybeards like yers truely, too.  Interesting to see the fan base here.  The oldest couple turned out to be the aunt and uncle of the headliner.

 

Opener was sort of a house band (apparently a trio that was a duo tonight).  Named “Cow town Review” or something, who apparently play here every Monday. Stood through this set but eventually I did find a seat at the intermission. What’s interesting is that this crowd really knew who they were coming for because nearly all moved closer to the small stage when the main act came out. The very appreciative audience, intimate space, and intense headliner made for a special night.  The headliner, Joe Pug (from Chicago and North Carolina) didn’t disappoint, provided a good set, sounds as good or better than his recordings (which is sometimes not the case with live music).  We did a sing-along chorus (we all knew the words) on “Speak Plainly Dianna”.  He did some new songs, too.  The audience brought him back for an encore. Closed out around midnight, I think. 

 

Probably the thing I found most notable about this show, aside from the excellent performance, was the college-age fans.  I’d think this singer-songwriter style (performer with guitar, harmonica, voice, and some good tunes/songs) was passé for people in their 20s or younger, that generation being more into hip-hop or other stuff (as one can tell from the music thread here at UO).  But no, still interest out there in this type of popular music, at least in Columbus among some younger folk.

 

Return to Dayton

 

Then, back to the car and hotel via Summit.  Morning: light breakfast and a gloomy morning drive back to Dayton, with things getting gloomier the closer I got. 

Nice write up.  Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the post Jeffery. I tried to find your earlier post on walking around Cincy and had no luck. Can you provide us with a link?