Right Now Downtown

GOOGLE FOR EXERCISE

Google is an essential part of a healthy day.  It allows for endless hours of mental exercise engaged in VIA (Very Important Activities) such as viewing satellite photos of rooftops at Broad & High.

Google also promotes physical activity.  That map function does more than find the way to Grandma’s house: it can measure the miles for a walking path.  For that matter, Google measures cubits, football fields and light years.

Before the summer heat hits, take a hike downtown on one of these three paths, measurements courtesy of Google.

1.  POWER HOUR
C’mon.  There’s nothing like the power of a glistening gold bulldozer ripping up a raft of pavement.  Those big construction trucks are a total turn-on and can viewed up-close on this path:  Start at Broad & High.  Travel south to Rich, west to Front then back to home base on Broad Street again.  One lap around the construction zones is .87 miles (or 1.47992e light years).  That’s ten minutes in comfortable shoes at a brisk pace.

2.  EAT ON YOUR FEET
This one’s for the foodies.  From the same High & Broad starting point.  Travel north on High, east on Gay, south on Third and then back west on Broad.  In a mere half-mile, you’ll pass the Peanut Shoppe (appetizers), Cafe Brioso (coffee), Due Amici (pasta), Tip Top (pie), and Cafe Lola (sandwiches).  Eat like a linebacker:  the path is equal to over six football fields, almost half a mile.

3.  AN ARK OF ART
The downtown has an art scene too.  This hike seems lengthy, but it’s just a shade over two miles.  Starting at Broad & High again, take Broad Street east to N. Washington Avenue, passing by the Columbus Museum of Art.  Head north to Gay Street, then west past CCAD, and north on Cleveland Avenue down into Columbus State Community College, home of the world’s most aggressive giant angular statues.  Turn back west on Mt. Vernon, traveling past the architecturally odd building that houses Flat Iron, then come back on High to home base.  That’d be 6589 Persian cubits.

Or map your own downtown walking tour at http://maps.google.com/maps.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 8:18 am and is filed under Downtown Columbus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.