Right Now Downtown

THANKFUL MANNERS

A good guest never arrives at a party empty handed.

If ever there was a fundamental law from the etiquette police, it’d be that one.  Even if your host is named “Mom”, it’s just gracious and grown-up to offer a small token of appreciation for the effort it takes to host a big turkey dinner.

And yes, the Winter Pearl Market has you covered.  Come down to Broad Street (20 E. Broad Street) immediately (Tuesday, 10:30 am – 2 pm) to pick up a very cool, locally made gift of goodie for Thanksgiving.

Honestly, you won’t need a gift guide or advice.  The moment you walk inside the winter market, you’re surrounded with darling things.  It’s a giant maze of wonder.

You might pause for a moment at the collection of ceramics by local artist Nicki Strouss.  Her coffee mugs require close inspection.  No ordinary vessels, the grips on these cups are ergonomically angled to suit the way humans really hold mugs.

Or maybe a crazy bag made from recycled fabrics?  Ethel Jayne Originals takes textiles like rugs and shower curtains and gives them a new life as very edgy satchels for gals AND guys.

Bottle stoppers made from old doorknobs and outdoor faucets can be found at IKC design.

A duct tape pen?  Hand-painted slate?  You really need to stop in to see this stuff.  These goods can’t be found at Walmart.

Of course, edible gifts abound too: pumpkin pies, breads and muffins… and fresh fare from our farmers.  Or perhaps an extra-special olive oil from The Olive Orchard for the gourmand in the kitchen?

We’re thankful to have Pearl Market downtown!

Once again this fall, Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts  coordinated the Toiletry Donation Drive, from October 14 – November 6.  This drive, in it’s 3rd year, is an effort to help the local downtown homeless shelters prepare for the winter months.  Homeless shelters enter a winter “overflow” mode from October through April, during which they accept all who come to their door and in turn are stretched beyond their capacity to provide a warm and safe environment for the homeless.

Through the Toiletry Donation Drive, Capital Crossroads and Discovery SIDs are able to provide much needed supplies to the downtown homeless shelters and help them get through the winter “overflow” months.  Requests were sent to the downtown workforce throughout the SID, requesting donations of unopened travel-sized toiletries, such as shampoo, conditionar, bars of soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, shaving cream and lotion, as well as packaged undergarments, such as undershirts, socks and underwear.  Donation drop boxes were set up throughout the SID, and all items will be donated to Faith Mission, Friends of the Homeless and Engagement Center at Maryhaven before Thanksgiving.

Thanks to the generosity of those living and working in both the Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts, more than 260 pounds of soap, 270 pounds of shampoo, and 115 pounds of lotion, along with many other items, will be donated.  Capital Crossroads has long encouraged the generous souls of downtown to “Put Your Change Where You Can Make One”; that is, to give money and support to organizations helping the homeless rather than giving change to panhandlers downtown.  This drive is another example of a great way to facilitate change.

Our thanks to the following SID members who provided a donation drop-off location:  LeVeque Tower, Key Bank Building, Bricker & Eckler, Huntington Bank, Huntington Plaza, 85 Marconi Boulevard, 57 E. Main Street, 326 S. High Street, 22 E. Gay Street, 15 E. Gay Street, 140 E. Town Street, Capitol Square Office Tower, Lazarus Building, One Columbus, Fifth Third Center, The Columbus Dispatch, The Motorists Insurance Group, Seneca Apartments, Midland Building, OEA, and State Auto.

APP-ATTACK

These days, there’s an “app” to organize your parties, and an “app” to pay your bills.  There’s even an “app” to help you walk your dog.

Downtown Columbus has a FREE application that works with ANY phone… and this app can run a power washer, remove graffiti and provide you with a safety escort.

Simply dial 614.228.5718 and connect to a Clean and Safe Ambassador.  Our Ambassadors (better known as the “team-in-green”) are ready to help you solve all kinds of problems.  You might see them on the streets picking up litter.  You might also see them working with an outreach team to help a homeless person.  You’ll see them doing lots of things – but you won’t ever see them standing still.

While this “app” works from any sort of phone, you can also connect to our Ambassadors online.  Just go to our homepage at downtowncolumbus.com and click on the grey bar in the upper right-hand corner.  It’ll take you straight to our online Service Request Form.

Best yet, this “app” is a neighborhood exclusive; you won’t find the team-in-green any other place in town.  Working together, downtown keeps getting better and better.

To learn more about the “green team” and Capital Crossroads, join us for our 2009 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 18 at 4pm in the Atrium at the Statehouse. It’s open and free to the public!

Columbus Dispatch to readers: “Get out of the car.”  In a November 14 editorial that sounded like an intervention with an alcoholic, the Dispatch commented on a report by the National Complete Streets Coalition that advocated a required use of federal transportation funds to accommodate pedestrians, bicycles, and users of public transit.

The Dispatch did not support federal requirements for such accommodations.  It did, however, launch into a 15-column-inch editorial about the problems created by automobile dependency.

“People are forced to climb into their cars to take care of their fundamental needs, including commutes to work, school and grocery.  They once visited on front porches and walked to the nearby downtown or neighborhood shop.  Now they drive to a big-box retailer located in a strip mall, where even the parking lots are pedestrian hazards.”

The editorial links auto-dependency on a breakdown in neighborhood cohesion, recreation and healthy activities.  It also notes the connection between the obesity epidemic and sedentary lifestyles of the motoring public.

The editorial begs a question.  When will we stop subsidizing this lifestyle?

We have a Winter Pearl Market, so not surprisingly, we have a Winter Pearl Market Moment.  Check out this video to get a sneak peek at the new indoor market at 20 E. Broad Street and meet market vendor, Take Ten Body Therapy.

Pearl Market Moment: Inside the Winter Market! from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.

APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION

Do an Internet search on “Columbus Zoo and Aquarium”: 40,300 results.

Search on “Columbus Topiary Park”: 1,210 results.

Now try these words, “City Center Demolition”…

61,100 results.

Yep, we like to watch demolition.  Who knew that the dismantling of City Center would become a major tourist attraction for downtown Columbus?  People flock into the core of the city just to gawk at the giant hole; the big rumbling construction equipment brings out the destructive kid in all of us.

They’ve got the view from the outside, but we’ve got an all-access-pass: a video view of the demolition from the inside and out (and an aerial perspective too).  It’s all courtesy of Amy Taylor, she’s Chief Officer of Operations for the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation/Capitol South – and she’s got all the details on the destruction…

Inside 43215: Behind the scenes at the demolition of City Center from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.

Hey taxpayers!  Let’s reward Dublin for bad planning.  The Columbus Dispatch reported on Sunday that the city applied for $9.6 million in federal and state funds as a down payment on a $145 million interchange at Rt. 33 and I-270.

Why?  To fix congestion problems created by Dublin when it allowed 1,000 businesses with 34,000 employees to locate, helter-skelter, on the Rt. 33 corridor west of I-270.  This scatter approach to development is inaccessible by foot and bicycle, unserviceable by transit, and makes carpooling virtually impossible.  It requires a personal vehicle to go to the bathroom.

Here is the ongoing lesson for communities from the State of Ohio:  If you encourage the most unsustainable, auto-dependent, climate-changing sprawl and create your own congestion problems, you, too, can get rewarded with hundreds of millions of dollars!

So let’s enable Dublin to continue spewing Taco Bells and WalMarts all the way to Marysville!  But we had better begin saving out money because any improvement to this interchange will only bring us more congestion.

DANIELA’S DOWNTOWN HOMECOMING

Caffe Daniela’s spelling makes more sense than it looks.  It is still tempting to point out that spell check really prefers “Cafe” to Caffe.”  And the newest eatery at Broad and High is a cafe… but it’s a cafe with caffe.

As it turns out, caffe is Italian for “coffee”, a most necessary part of any productive person’s diet.  Caffe Daniela serves the drink in its most loveable forms.

The cafe’s most loveable items, though, might not be the java.  The coffee has serious competition from an array of fresh Italian fare – including divine pasta dishes like Alfredo and lasagna.  Run by the Milano family, they are now in the second generation of Italian eateries in Columbus.  And downtown’s is the second location of Caffe Daniela itself.  The first was born in Worthington.

While there’s nothing wrong with downtown Worthington (it’s provincial with lots of nice people and businesses)… it’s not like the real downtown.  It’s not the very center of the city, with skyscrapers and art and people of all sorts and sizes.  Daniela’s owner, Joe Milano, understands the magic, “I am overjoyed in being downtown and seeing what it has come from – and where it may go.”

Maybe that’s why more businesses that start in the outlying areas are coming home to the city’s core.  Polaris’ Sugardaddy’s Sumptuous Sweeties is setting up shop downtown too.  We’ve still got room for more… Who’s next?

Columbus could take some inspiration from Lucy the Elephant in Margate City, New Jersey.  Lucy is a 128-year-old, six-story building that has served as a real estate office, summer home, and tavern.  She draws thousands of visitors each year and helps to put Margate “on the map.”

Imagine the visual impact of the Santa Maria dry docked at Rich and High or Nationwide and Neil.  It would certainly draw more visitors than it does hidden in the Scioto River at Battelle Park.  The Santa Maria would make a great Columbus gift shop.

If it were dry docked next to COSI, it could be an added attraction for COSI visitors.  Sell it to Chris Corso or Rajesh Lahoti and see what they can do with it.  Or park it at the Columbus Health Department to create a display about scurvy to freak kids into eating their fruits and vegetables.

Columbus may not have a six-story pachyderm, but the Santa Maria has great potential.