Columbus, OH

Tonight, head down to the Arena district, where the Dispatch Ice Haus will host the Columbus Destroyers welcome home party after Arena Bowl XXI.

The players, Bruiser the mascot and the Bombshell cheerleaders will be there to meet and greet the fans; head coach Doug Kay is also scheduled to make a speech.

Dispatch Ice Haus
Nationwide Arena
7:30

Overall it’s a quiet weekend in Columbus, so this weekend lets take a short road trip . . .

Head north to Lexington and take in the largest swap meet in the country at Vintage Motorcycle Days, located at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
All Weekend

Head East to the Pickerington Violet Festival. Have some thrills on the midway, enjoy some great arts & crafts or watch Eddy Money perform live.
All Weekend.

Head South to the Lancaster Festival. Enjoy a world class music and arts festival, capped off this year with a concert by Jo Dee Messina.
Ending Saturday Night After the Concert.

The Ohio Historical Center is currently hosting the traveling Smithsonian exhibit, First Ladies: Political Role, Public Image.

The exhibit takes an honoring and sometimes poignant look at our nation’s first ladies.

Besides this amazing exhibit, the society also has it’s time tested standards. Exhibits on native Ohioans, wildlife in the Midwest and of course, the mastodon skeleton are all there for you to view.

In my opinion, this is an excellent place to take older children and pre-teens.

The Ohio Historical Center
1982 Velma Ave.
Columbus, Ohio

Just over ten years ago, the City Center Mall was the place to shop in Columbus. With exclusive stores like Gucci and Henri Bendel and great anchor stores like Lazarus and Jacobson’s, the City Center offered things no other shopping center in the area offered.

Then, a trip to the City Center was something to look forward to. Christmastime was done up there like nowhere else around and summertime brought trips just to visit Everything But Water.

Now, sadly, the City Center probably gets the bulk of it’s revenue from it’s parking lots. The hours are shorter, a testament to the lack of traffic. Empty storefronts abound and the Lazarus and Jacobson’s stores are long gone.

I know this is just the result of capitalism. I have no problem with capitalism; as a matter of fact my retirement probably depends on it. Newer and bigger malls and outdoor shopping centers have come into town. Tuttle, Polaris and Easton have all done their part to wipe out City Center (heck, at least City Center is still standing, Northland Mall, the busiest mall in Columbus through the 80s is now an empty parking lot). The mess of traffic congestion downtown doesn’t help either.

But I still yearn for the City Center. I miss the days when it was a much of a destination as it was a shopping center. I miss making a “special trip” just to go shopping there. Dressing up to go Christmas shopping, watching the animatronics that beautifully dressed the Lazarus windows and waiting to work my way through Tudor Town, first to see Santa myself and then later watching my own son sit on his lap.

I miss taking a summer day and escaping the heat while having lunch at the Boulevard Grill, trying on what turned out to be my favorite summer dress at Guess and looking jealously at $100 a stem crystal at Gucci.

I hear there is a small group wanting to change Ohio law. They want to turn the City Center into a casino. I think of it and I know it would be perfect. I doubt it will ever happen. But when I think of a casino, ballroom, hotel, revived shopping and great restaurants moving back to the City Center, oh I can just picture exactly where I would put them. I know it will probably never happen–but I can dream . . .

Continuing my entries on the “wilder” side of Columbus, this is what I know about the Exotic Pearl.

The Exotic Pearl is located on the far east side of Columbus on South Hamilton Rd. This is another of the former Weber clubs, so if you know where the Platinum Fox used to be, then you know exactly where I am talking about.

The name would suggest that you would find ladies of the exotic variety here. For example beautiful Asian girls or exotic African ladies. But nope, the girls here look pretty much the same as the girls at every other gentleman’s club in Columbus. And don’t expect to see too terribly many of them right now. Due to a recent management turnover, there aren’t anywhere near the number of girls working on any given night as a club this size should handle.

As for the interior, this is a well-kept club. The decor is very Vegas like and reminds me a little of Cheetah’s.

The service here really depends on who you get. Management has forced new and seasoned bartenders to utilize a new inventory control system. So expect your drinks to be poured exactly to standard. While it sounds good, it really makes everything take longer and means you won’t be getting particularly stiff drinks unless you request and pay for a double. As a result, if your drink isn’t as strong as you like, please take it out on management as the poor waitstaff is stuck with this system whether they like it or not.

The one shining star here is a tall blond bartender by the name of Marishka. When we were there, Marishka seemed to be answering everyone else’s questions, including a fellow who claimed to be management. Yet she still managed to get drinks out and carry on decent conversation with the customers in her area. If you go to the Exotic Pearl, be sure to ask where Marishka is working and try to sit in her section.

To get to the Exotic Pearl, take I 70 to the Hamilton Rd. exit. Turn south onto Hamilton Rd. The Exotic Pearl is about 1/2 mile up on the left, before the Wild Man’s Leather ‘N Lace Shopping Center.

I have looked and thus far cannot find a website for them.

There is plenty of free parking. Security does walk the lot several times a night, but I would suggest parking under a light, since this is not the safest part of town.

Friday night at Barnes & Noble and other bookstores all over Columbus, Harry Potter fans waited, wallets-and-wands at the ready, for the final installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

“Wall-to-wall people” is how the manager of the nearby Pickerington Barnes and Noble described the event. “It started early and they were here all night.” He went on to tell me that he felt the event was a great success, with a well planned evening and suprisingly organized and ‘calm while happy’ revelers and no negative suprises. When asked about the sales numbers for the night, he simply smiled and said, “Huge.”

This past weekend marks the last time Harry Potter fans, many in full wizarding attire, will unite in their excitement over the release of a Potter novel. Though the franchise has been huge, possibly the most successful in history, J. K. Rowling has made it clear that she intends to write no more Harry Potter novels, stating that “Harry’s story comes to a definite end.”

I am somewhat saddened that this is the last time Harry Potter will cause such a ruckus around Columbus’ bookstores. Thankfully though, two more films are certain to make an equally huge impact at our theaters.

If you are a Harry Potter fan, tonight head to any of the Columbus area’s Barnes & Noble locations, where they will be holding Potter events all evening, culminating with the ceremonial opening of the boxes at one minute past midnight. (And let’s all do J.K. Rowling proud and leave the spoilers alone.)

Or, if hanging out with the wizarding folk isn’t your thing. How about heading over to the Columbus Zoo, where the Columbus Jazz Orchestra will be performing in the JazZoo Music Series.

American Idol fans can head over to the lawn of Chemical Abstracts Saturday night, when Clay Aiken will be performing.

And of course in the city of festivals, what would the weekend be without a trip to the riverfront? The Jazz and Rib Fest caps off this weekend with music and great grub Friday through Sunday.

Beyond being a shopping center and “farmers market” of sorts over the summer, the North Market is a cultural experience in itself. This is the kind of place where I imagine downtown dwelling yuppie DINKs shopping for all their organic fruits and vegetables and wild caught salmon.

Not that that’s a bad thing. As a matter of fact, I think it’s wonderful.

In the North Market you can pick up some local wines, baklava that has been freshly made, gourmet popcorn and kosher meals to go. If you want to buy fresh fish from someone who knows about fish, and not somebody who has to be called away from a meat grinder to package your order, try The Fish Guys at the North Market. You can get fresh flowers from Market Blooms or pick up some amazing chocolates from Pure Imagination, an independent chocolatier.

And the North Market sponsors fun events all summer. Saturday after our bubble tea experience, my ‘little’ sisters and I stumbled upon a wine tasting going on here and spent the late afternoon tasting wines from all over Ohio.

For Directions to the North Market, click HERE. Keep in mind, like most places in this area you do have to pay to park.

For a list of Merchants, click HERE.

Saturday after the Midwest Haunters’ Convention, my lovely sisters and I headed down High street to the Pochi Bubble Tea Station.

Photo Joe Koshollek - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online

Now, they had tea, but what we had were more like smoothies.

Bubble tea is a drink; at the bottom of the drink you get your choice of “bubbles.” The bubbles though are little extras in the bottom of the cup, not air pockets that rise through the drink. They might also be called pearls; it depends on where you get your tea.

I had coco gel, which is coconut, not cocoa. My sisters had the boba, which is a small brown ball made from cassava. To me, the coco gel was kind of a nuisance, but not bad. It tasted like unsweetened coconut Jell-o that had been left to set for too long. It was in little squares that were sucked up through the extra-wide straw. I thought the coco gel bubbles kind of made it a pain to drink what was otherwise a really good pineapple smoothie.

I tried my sister’s boba. She had gotten the strawberry-kiwi smoothie with boba. Now, I didn’t like that at all. The balls are about the size of a penny gumball. They are warm in the bottom of the cold drink. To me they had the flavor and texture of a warm, flavorless gummy bear. Not my favorite I must say. But, I think it’s probably an acquired taste.

My “little” sister liked it about as much as I did, but our “baby” sister was sucking happily away and seemed to be enjoying every little boba ball as they came up her straw. She on the other hand is a recently graduated college student who enjoys all things Asian.

Besides the boba and gel, you could also get tapioca in your tea-hmmmm.

I must say I was in the minority. Several people came through. The place was doing a pretty brisk business regardless of what I thought. They offer food there as well, but to be honest, I really didn’t study the menu.

So, if you are in the High St. area and you’re feeling a little adventurous, head to Pochi and try some bubble tea. I can’t promise you’ll love it, but I can promise you won’t forget it.

Smoothies start at $3.00

Pochi Tea Station
2060 N. High St.
Columbus, Oh 43201

Continuing my “series” on Ohio’s Amusement Parks . . .

CEDAR POINT

If Geauga Lake is Ohio’s little known gem, then Cedar Point would be our Crown Jewel.

Located on the shore of Lake Erie in Sandusky, Cedar Point is the best theme/amusement park in the world. No, you don’t have to take my word for it. Just ask the folks at Amusement Today, Coaster Grotto and American Coaster Enthusiasts, to name just a few. The Travel Channel and the Discovery Channel with their Top 10 shows will be happy to fill you in on that as well.

No, there are no fairies, ducks or mice to be seen here. What makes Cedar Point the best theme park around is the fact that they focus on the meat and potatoes of amusement parks–the thrill rides.

When it comes to thrills, Cedar Point also recognizes that the coaster is king. Occasionally a new non-coaster thrill ride comes in, but you can bet at any given time the folks at Cedar Point are planning a new coaster to shake, rattle and roll you! This is why Cedar Point proudly and accurately proclaims itself to be the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World.”

From the historic Blue Streak to the new Maverick, Cedar Point’s coasters are certain to leave you breathless.

Add to that the fact that the Magnum XL-200 and Millennium Force consistently battle it out to land at the top of every Theme Park publication’s list of best steel coasters in the world, and you’ve got the perfect destination for tens of thousands of thrill seekers from across the country.

Unlike Kings Island and Geauga Lake, which both have a central tower, Cedar Point has another coaster. You can see the Top Thrill Dragster from all over the park. (Heck, this thing is so big I’d be surprised if you couldn’t see if from Canada.) At 420 ft. Top Thrill Dragster is the second tallest coaster in the world, topped only by Six Flags’ Kingda Ka. I don’t know about you, but I have a sneaking suspicion Six Flags simply waited for Cedar Point to spend the time and money to work out all the kinks on this incredible design, then they simply came in and added a couple of feet to steal the world record out from under Cedar Point.

Top Thrill Dragster-Cedar Fair Promotional Photo

Kingda Ka-Six Flags Promotional Photo

Cedar Point is also the home of Soak City, another water park. Soak City is huge, which I guess accounts for the fact that there is a separate admission for this park. (Unlike King’s Island and Geauga Lake, which both include the water park in the regular admission.) You can easily spend the entire day here. My suggestion is that you make your Cedar Point trip at least a two day. I know people who spend four days here minimum–two for Cedar Point, one for Soak City and one on the Lake Erie Beach.

For an unusual thrill, try my favorite Cedar Point ride. No, it’s not a coaster, though I do love those. It is Cedar Downs Racing Derby. Yes, it’s a carousel. But, I promise you, it’s like no other carousel you have ever tried. You will actually need to hold on to your horses as you and your companions race around the “track.” The horses are 4 across. The ride spins at an amazing pace for a carousel. You must be 48″ tall to ride and in the end–one of you wins!

The accommodations at Cedar Point are excellent and hotels in the entire area are accustomed to catering to Cedar Point visitors.

Prices

As with Kings’ Island, if you are going to go more than once in a season, it is best to buy a season pass. With a season pass you can attend all the Cedar Fair parks as well, so Kings’ Island and places like Kansas City’s Worlds of Fun are all available to you.

Adult $ 41.95
Junior (under 48″) & Senior (over 62 years) $ 11.95

There are special two-day and two-park passes, as well as other discounts available. See the website for details.

Directions

Click HERE for mapquest directions from Columbus.

First of all I’d like to apologize to my readers for the lack of my traditional “What to Do This Weekend in Columbus” post on Friday. Personal emergency kept me from the computer pretty much all day.

I will finish my Summer Fun, Ohio Style posts tomorrow with a review of Cedar Point.

On Saturday however, I got the chance to attend the trade show of the Midwest Haunter’s Convention. I’m a big fan of Halloween, (meaning no offense to those of you who are not,) and thought it would be fun to check it out.

The convention is pretty small, but judging from the lack of extra space on the trade show floor, I’m willing to wager that it is growing at a rate that will kick it out of the Doubletree within a year or two.

The convention’s main sponsor and exhibitor is Scareparts, a company that makes horribly realistic “zombie” mannequins among other things.

For the commercial venture or the serious home haunter, the convention offers seminars on effective haunting, acting and even the business side of haunted houses.

There was a big makeup contest, so fearsome creatures were all around. There was also a “Beauty” Pageant at the evening costume party. I didn’t stay for that, but courtesy of the MHC website, this is last year’s winner.

I had a lot of fun talking to the different exhibitors, including one gentleman fron Sinister Scents, who was selling smells for your haunt. Want to convince haunt goers the grave in front of them is freshly turned earth even though you are really on the third floor of an old office building? He’s got a smell for that.

This post inspires me to leave you with some words from the immortal Emily Dickinson~

“One need not be a chamber, to be haunted.”

Until next year, Happy Haunting!

Today, let’s discuss Ohio’s little known gem, Geauga Lake and Wildwater Kingdom.

This former Six Flags park in Aurora used to be an independent 3 part park consisting of a Sea World, amusement park and a water park which was added later. Each park had its own separate identity and admission fee.

In 2001 the three portions were purchased and revamped by Six Flags. Six Flags combined them and called it Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. The sad thing here is that Ohio lost its Sea World in the exchange. While a lot of the other animals stayed, the flagship animals of Sea World were transferred to other Sea World parks.

In 2004 Six Flags sold Worlds of Adventure to the Cedar Fair company, which has expanded rapidly in the last decade. Cedar Fair changed the name of the park back to Geauga Lake and has made continuous improvements since the purchase.

OK, enough history lesson!

The centerpiece of the park is now the Skyscraper. Geauga Lake’s answer to King’s Island’s Eiffel Tower, this ride gently lifts guests up to the top of the spire as the carriage gently turns giving the guests a 360 degree view of the park. Because it can be seen from the entire park and is easy to reach, the Skyscraper is a great meeting place for those times you want to split up and meet later.

For thrills, coasters like the Thunderhawk and Dominator fit the bill, as well as the flipping, spinning Texas Twister.

Or, for the kids, take a walk over to Happy Harbor or the Kidworks Playzone where Snoopy spends his days and kid size thrills abound.

Don’t forget your swimsuit as well, Wildwater Kingdom is included in your admission price. And with wet thrills like Thunder Falls, you won’t want to miss it.

TICKETS

Of Ohio’s three currently open major amusement parks, Geauga Lake is the obvious bargain.

$26.95 adults
$11.95 juniors and seniors

DIRECTIONS

From Columbus, take I 71 North to 271 North toward Erie, PA. From 271, take the number 23 Exit (OH-14 / BROADWAY AVE / FORBES RD) and follow the signs.

Geauga Lake is the major attraction in these parts, so if you get lost, anyone local can get you back on track.

As promised, today’s post is about the amusement parks of Ohio. Because I love to give lots of information, let’s just do the first two today.

WYANDOT LAKE

Wyandot Lake was recently aquired by the Columbus Zoo (one of the very finest zoos in the country by the way), and is currently under renovation. Which means that the former Six Flags location is going to be bigger and better than ever next year, but unfortunately also means there is no 2007 season, as the park is undergoing some major improvements that simply couldn’t be accomplished in time to open this spring. Be on the lookout for a new park with a new name in this Columbus (Powell) location in Spring of 2008.

KINGS ISLAND

This is probably the best family amusement park in Ohio. Nickelodeon Universe is a virtual mecca for kids. But mom and dad needn’t be bored because the rides in this area are not just for kids. If your child is getting tired of the carosel, try Avatar: the Airbender, Runaway Reptar, the Fairly Odd Coaster or The Wild Thornberry’s River Adventure for some suprisingly great big kid/little kid fun.

If you are ready to try some more grown up amusements, head for my personal favorite-The Beast. After 30 years, this is still the longest wooden coaster in the world. An amazing ride that lasts so long they literally take you up not one, but two huge hills to propel you through it. In my opinion, this is the best roller coaster in the world.

If you have older family members along, have them try Top Gun; this coaster has all the thrills of a traditional ride, but the suspended rider system and no loops mean it’s a comfortable, non-jarring ride.

There are plenty of other thrill rides as well, including some non-coaster thrills like the Delirium and Drop Zone. If you need to beat the heat, try Whitewater Canyon or grab your suit and head over to Boomerang Bay, it’s all included in your Kings Island ticket price.

The centerpiece and symbol of Kings Island is the Eiffel Tower. Ask Ohioans what the first thing they think of is when they see this Parisian icon and you’ll be suprised how many are not thinking about anything French. The tower is a 1/3 scale replica of the original. At one time it was the tallest thing in the park, but is now towered over by rides like Son of Beast. It is still easily seen from all over the park though, and its central location makes it a great meeting place. You can also take a ride to the top for a scenic view.

While you are there, don’t forget to check Timberwolf, Kings Island’s outdoor ampitheater, which hosts top acts all summer. Take in a show or grab some grub, the amenities here are great for an amusement park. Among other services, they even have doggy daycare for your best friend!

You can also stay in style; accomodations near the park are tip-top, including the official accomodations of Kings Island, an indoor waterpark resort called Great Wolf Lodge.

Directions

From Columbus, take I-71 S toward Cincinatti. You will start seeing the signs for Kings Island after about an hour and a half, assuming you drive the speed limit. Take the Kings Mills exit and follow the crowd.

Prices

As with mose amusement parks, admission is pretty steep. If you are going to visit more than once in a season I highly recommend season tickets.

Front Gate Admission Prices

Adult Admission
(ages 3-61; 48 inches and taller) $44.95
Junior /Senior Admission
(ages 3 & up; under 48” tall / ages 62 & up) $29.95
Children 2 and under are FREE!

Ohio is the ‘funnest’ state in the nation.

I know, you are thinking, “‘Funnest’, is that even a word?” Well, technically I should probably say ‘most fun’ but I like ‘funnest,’ so we’ll use that–OK?

Anyway, Ohio is the funnest state in the nation.
We have the funnest people.

If we don’t have the funnest people, how do you expalin the four, I said four amusement parks in a state this size?

Don’t say tourism, because besides the handful of Kentucky folks that make their way to King’s Island, and the trickle of people from Michigan who get to Cedar Point every year, the people at our amusement parks are from Ohio.

How do I know? I look at the license plates. Ohio, Ohio, Ohio, Ohio, Ohio, hmmm . . . Florida, that’s wierd, Ohio, Ohio, Ohio–you get the picture.

Now I know all about the mess of amusements in Southern California and Florida. But those are surviving on the tourists and always have. Geauga Lake thrives on Ohioans! And besides, Southern California and Florida go year round . . . our amusement parks shut down at the end of October and don’t reopen until late spring . . . and we can hardly wait to get in.

If that’s not enough to convince you, we also have the IX center in Cleveland, which hosts an indoor amusement park every spring, our state fair competes annually with Texas for the title of Nation’s Largest and heck . . . we’ve got the world’s biggest picnic basket too.

So, want to shake, rattle and roll like an Ohioan? Check in tomorrow as I tell you about our amusement parks.

For a city that is cold most of the year, Columbus makes good use of its fair weather months. Ohioans are avid concert-goers and we have several open air concert venues within easy driving distance of downtown.

On the far north side, just inside Delaware Co. you’ll find Germain Amphitheater. If you hear locals talking about Polaris Amphitheater this is the same place. The name was changed to Germain (a local auto dealer) in the name of corporate sponsorship a few years ago.

Germain has both lawn and pavillion seating. Lawn is fine if you are just there for kicks, but if you really like the band or performer, pay the extra $10 or so for pavillion. It’s hard to get a good view from the lawn and to me it’s just not the same watching on a big screen. I mean, I can buy a DVD and see most concert tours on a screen in my living room for about the cost of a ticket, so I’d rather see the acts up close thank you.

Germain is very well maintained and in general the staff is very polite.

Food and drinks are of course rediculously priced, but that is normal for concert venues.

Parking is often free, but not always, check your ticket to be sure.

It is easy to find Germain on concert nights. Cars are backed up all the way to the freeway an hour or so before the show. To get there grab I71 north out of town. Polaris Parkway is the first exit past 270.

Check www.germainconcerts.com for tickets and to see who is playing.