Two young companies have been awarded a year’s free rent downtown following the conclusion of an inaugural small business plan competition. KickStart Columbus, spearheaded by several local economic development agencies and community groups, said City Paws Home Health and Seven Studios are winners of $26,000 prize packages, which includes rent on a South Third Street storefront near the Columbus Commons. City Paws, owned by Dr. Lauren Holtvoigt, provides in-home veterinary care for cats and dogs. Seven Studios is a life coaching, yoga and wellness center run by former 40 Under 40 honoree Julie Wilkes.

The Short North has its Gallery Hop. And next month, Gay Street will have its Moonlight Market. The new Saturday-night retail event is scheduled to be held from 6 to 11 p.m. April 13, and on the second Saturday of each month through September. The market is aimed at bringing the public to Gay Street between N. High and 3rd streets to shop, eat and mingle. Both bricks-and-mortar businesses and vendors from other areas of Downtown will sell their wares in a party atmosphere that will include live music and illuminated building projections.

Spring will bring two new dining options for Columbus Commons visitors. Mikey’s Late Night Slice plans a permanent location at the Downtown park, and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams plans a seasonal shop there. Mikey Sorboro hopes to open his sixth Late Night Slice store at the former Burgers, Dogs and Fries location on the Commons by April 15. Jeni’s will begin scooping ice cream during events at the Commons, starting with the April 27 Earth Day Columbus celebration, said owner Jeni Britton Bauer.

Columbus is the city everybody has heard of but few people know much about. Overshadowed by Cleveland and Cincinnati during much of its first 200 years, Ohio's capital city and its 11-county region are finally enjoying the national limelight, popping up regularly on "Best" lists, naming the country's best hospitals, safest cities, most-wired cities and the best for business opportunities, tech jobs and working mothers, to name but a few.

Lost in the Maze of Reason, trapped in the Cavern of Perseverance, my kids were treasure hunters trying to unlock the Observatory of Knowledge. They cracked their code while I solved another: discovering a family-friendly spring-break trip that doesn't break the bank. We spent part of the recent Presidents Day weekend re-exploring Columbus, especially COSI, the city's terrific and massive science-themed playground, where a new exhibit on brainteasers and mazes kept us entertained for hours. Not every family can afford a flight to Florida; not every parent can take a week off at the end of March. But a weekend trip to Columbus? Or four days in Washington, D.C.? That's definitely doable. Read on for our ready-made itineraries, perfect for spring break -- and beyond.

Thanks to billions in investment and years of work by both the public and private sectors, Ohio’s three largest cities each are seeing a Downtown renaissance that is bringing new vitality to the urban core, with benefits that ripple throughout the cities. The “Three Cs” — Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus — collectively have invested some $10 billion in Downtown development. The effect is “an overnight sensation 30 years in the making,” in the words of Edward Hill, dean of Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. Each city now has strong demand for Downtown housing from those who want to be close to entertainment and leisure options; the new residents in turn attract more local restaurants and retailers. Office vacancies also have begun to decline. In some cases, major new office buildings are being built for the first time in years. In Cincinnati, ground was just broken on a new mixed-use, $100 million development on a long-vacant site in the heart of the Queen City’s downtown that was once planned to be used for a Nordstrom’s department store.

Euclid Avenue was the spark in Cleveland, as a bus rapid-transit system ignited development along the important Downtown artery once lined with so many mansions it was known as Millionaires’ Row. The rebirth of downtown Cincinnati started with Fountain Square and in Over-the-Rhine, a historic neighborhood filled with stately but crumbling homes. In Columbus, the Arena District rose on the blighted site of a long-closed prison. This started a wave of development that has spread south, to the river and the land formerly occupied by the failed City Center mall. Now, after many years and a combined investment of about $10 billion, Ohio’s three largest cities are enjoying downtown booms that have added residents, jobs, economic impact and vibrancy.

Area businesses will soon receive a kick-start to success in the first ever KickStart competition, a unique collaboration involving the Columbus City Council, Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI), the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District, Capitol South and other community partners. KickStart is a business plan competition that will award up to three winners various prizes related to business development. Prizes include free store space along a busy downtown Columbus corridor and other support services designed to grow small business.

Soon after he moved Downtown in 2005, Justin Crockett began scouting locations for the used-record store that was in the maybe-one-day stage. And, no matter where or how far he wandered, the E. Gay Street corridor between N. High and 3rd streets beckoned. “You could feel the energy growing along Gay Street,” said Crockett, who lives a couple of blocks away. “This is ground zero of the Downtown comeback.”

Downtown living wasn’t considered a “Columbus thing” a decade or two ago. While the nation’s largest, most expensive-to-live-in cities saw urban pioneers move into struggling neighborhoods out of necessity as they were squeezed out of other areas, Columbus mainly built out, not up, from the heart of the city.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, particularly Downtown, where thousands gathered last night to watch the city come to life — and light. The Scioto Mile and Columbus Commons are shimmering in their holiday finery of hundreds of thousands of sparkling lights after Grand Illumination ceremonies.

Columbus C.E.O. Magazine features Guy Worley, C.E.O./President of Columbus Downtown Development Corporation and Capitol South. The cover story highlights CDDC/Capitol South's efforts to revitalize Downtown through three game-changing projects: the Lazarus Building, Scioto Mile and Columbus Commons.

Columbus is adding 120 parking meters along both sides of High Street between Goodale Street and Mound Street downtown.The city’s Department of Public Service plans to begin installation Oct. 15 of the smart meters, which accept credit and debit cards as well as coins. It expects the project to be completed in early 2013.

Guy Worley, who has helped direct numerous civic projects Downtown, is being recognized by the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at Ohio State University as its outstanding alumnus of the year.

These days, instead of rolling up the sidewalks after businesses close at 5 p.m., the city is figuring out ways to roll out the welcome mat — picking up foot traffic at night and on weekends with an increasing number of bars, restaurants, shows and other entertainment, outdoor activities and more.

The venue has changed, but the game is the same. The Columbus Symphony will usher in its 29th season of Picnic With the Pops with a pair of inaugural concerts at the Columbus Commons Downtown. Three Dog Night will open the series Friday evening with the symphony; the Temptations will join the orchestra on Saturday.

Downtown Columbus is fast becoming one of the city’s best places to enjoy the outdoors. What once was a dead zone on weekends and evenings has become a spectacle of concerts, kickball games, carousel rides and al fresco dining. There’s seemingly something for everyone—birders, foodies, extreme sports enthusiasts, energetic children.

A small stretch of South Fourth Street will be growing a little more vibrant this summer as The El Camino Inn prepares to open their doors. The venue is under the same management as next door neighbor Little Palace (as well as The Rossi and Club 185) and will feature taco-truck style tacos served up indoors.

With Mayor Michael B. Coleman determined to see the Downtown riverfront transformed and a major developer ready to invest $50 million in apartments and shops next to Columbus Commons, those who envision an ever-better Downtown have had a banner week of good news.

An Atlanta developer has signed on for a $50 million project to build apartments and retail space along the High Street side of the Columbus Commons park downtown.