Right Now Downtown

DOWNTOWN VIDEO AWARDS

The week between Christmas and New Year’s can be breathtakingly slow.  We thought we’d liven things up; consider these remarkable things seen-and-heard downtown in 2009.  There ought to be awards for this…

1.  The Happiness Award
Cleve Ricksecker is a happy man.  Inside of thirty-four seconds, he says, “Happy” four times.

Pearl Market Moment with Cleve from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.

2.  The Artist That Most Looks Like Another Artist Award
If Adam Brouillette had a twirly mustache, he’d be a ringer for Salvador Dali.  But even sans mustache, Brouilette’s  Independents’ Day was an indie art masterpiece.

Inside 43215: Independents Day from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.

3.  Best Confessional Award
Ok, ok, we must admit, we’d break our diet too for Sugardaddy’s.  We never saw this guy after his disclosure; guess the Weight Watcher Police caught up with him. 

Pearl Market Moment: Sugardaddies from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.

4.  Best Choreography and Costume Award
We hope he wins it next year too.

Pearl Market Moment: Who needs Broadway? from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.

5.  Star of Tomorrow Award
Damon Ruff is on his way.  Who else could inspire 368 viewers to watch him shine shoes?  (He’s at his Gay Street store, Shine Me Up).

Inside 43215: Shine me up from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.

6.  Most Popular Prize
We knew it; our bloodthirsty audience just wants to see demolition and destruction.  This video broke all our records for viewership: 1,052 clicks on the City Center coming down.

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

Your turn to reflect on the video awards… Kanye, any comments?

Do you have observations about city life in Columbus you want to share?  Are there things you think are positive, funny or infuriating?  Consider a contribution to “In Search of a City.”

Submit your proposed guest blog to jcricksecker@sidservices.com.  Blogs should be 150 to 180 words.

Although we are not afraid of a little controversy, we reserve the right to reject blogs that are hateful or “over the top.”  If we need to edit a submission, we will email the edited blog to you for your review.

Join the conversation.  We would love to hear from you.

LAST SUPPER

You know what happens next week?  That’s right; the New Year’s Diet starts.  Given the fact that celery-city is right around the corner, it’s time to eat all the downtown goodies before the calendar turns and the calorie cops come calling…

1.  Try Fried Plantains.  Plantain Cafe (77 E. Gay Street) offers the starchy banana in three different forms.  The most decadent would be the Mariquitas, which are thinly sliced, fried up and teamed with a snappy mojo.

2.  Speaking of fried things, head to Jack’s for a good fix of classic crinkle cut French Fries.  Remember, ketchup counts as a vegetable!

3.  And for those who have not yet experienced the joy of crunchy fried pepperoni chips, it’s time to try The Jury Room (22 E. Mound Street).

4.  Alfredo Alfredo Alfredo: it’s been on the no-no list for ten years.  Get your fix at Caffe Daniela (17 S. High Street) with pasta and a generous dose of the creamy stuff.

5.  Put a little south in your mouth with Flatiron’s Fried Oyster Po-Boy (129 E. Nationwide Blvd.).  Not only are those velvety bits fried, they’re teamed with remoulade (that’s Cajun Mayo)!

6.  And for dessert?  Baklava at Dirty Frank’s (248 S. Fourth Street) – you wouldn’t think a hot dog joint would sell the best baklava in town, but it’s true.  Delicate, buttery and oh-so-sweet… as for the hot dogs, you’ll find a virtuous veggie version that will work just fine next month with the New Year’s Diet.

Still hungry for more?  Sugardaddy’s Sumptuous Sweeties opens its doors on Gay Street later in January.  It’s a delicious way to end the New Year’s Diet!

At a recent Columbus Metropolitan Club evening forum on the future of Columbus, I asked panelist Michael Wilkos to describe Columbus in the year 2020.  He gave a startling answer that, upon reflection, made perfect sense.

Wilkos stated that the older, pre-1955 areas of Columbus that constitute the Columbus City School District would become considerably more affluent because of inward migration by young professionals in search of urban order, transportation options, and proximity to jobs and services.

By contrast, Michael painted a bleak picture of many Columbus neighborhoods built after 1955.  Many of these neighborhoods lack much semblance of planning, charm or walkability.  It is these neighborhoods, according to Wilkos, where increasing concentrations of poverty will be found.  Even now, you can see clear evidence of their decline by driving along commercial corridors such as Hamilton Road or Brice Road.

Absent a “game changer” such as high gasoline prices or a fundamental shift in how the region invests in public infrastructure, wealth will be increasingly concentrated in the center city and outlying counties with vast swaths of poverty in between.  This 2020 picture is not a pretty one.

THE “GREAT AND POWERFUL” SID

Remember that scene in The Wizard of Oz when Toto pulls the cord and the secret of the Great and Powerful Oz is revealed?  This week we’re pulling back the curtain on Right Now Downtown.  Yes, there are some someones behind the curtain of this publication: the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District.

Capital Crossroads, which is voluntarily funded by property owners within the downtown district, performs a wide array of services all intended to improve the quality of life downtown.  Right Now Downtown is just one small part of what we do.

In November Capital Crossroads held its Annual Meeting, during which we reported on the state of the SID, made some big announcements, and presented some awards.  If you didn’t make it to the Annual Meeting, never fear.  We have our blog.

We’ve posted a ten-minute video summarizing the Annual Meeting and our accomplishments from 2009, featuring Cleve Ricksecker, Kacey Campbell and Lisa Defendiefer.

Downtown: A Year in Review from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.

During the Annual Meeting we also recognize people and companies for outstanding service, for aesthetic contribution to downtown, for outstanding achievement, and our outstanding ambassador of the year.  To read about our award winners, visit our blog post.

And if you want to see more highlights from Pearl Market, the Capitol Square Kickball League and Downtown LIVE, don’t miss the rich photo galleries on Flickr.

Columbus City Schools continues to receive recognition for the high quality of its instruction.  U.S. News and World Report ranked 12 City high schools as among the top 9% of high schools nationally.  The publication also listed Columbus Alternative High School as a top International Baccalaureate school, the only school in the state of Ohio to receive this top listing.

The 20 and 30 somethings who have bought into urban living should be relieved to know that they can have babies and stay in the City Schools without facing child abuse charges.  In fact, their kids may receive the best education in central Ohio.

Unfortunately, the local media continue to portray the Columbus City Schools as a failing district that struggles to maintain order and educate its pupils.  This simplistic coverage does not acknowledge the role of poverty in the District’s performance or its many high achieving schools.

Most schools tend to struggle with overwhelming concentrations of poverty.  City schools that maintain middle class enrollment, however, tend to perform as well or better than their suburban counterparts.  Together, these schools enroll more than three times the student population of Upper Arlington.

CAPITAL CROSSROADS SID ANNUAL AWARDS

Each year at its Annual Meeting in November, Capital Crossroads recognizes people and companies in a variety of categories.  Listed below are the winners in each category, including Ambassador of the Year, Outstanding Service, Aesthetic Contribution and Outstanding Achievement.

Marissa Ingram was awarded Ambassador of the Year, for her outstanding work and her wide range of experience and skills.  As an ambassador since 2002, Ingram has served in a variety of capacities and has a detailed knowledge of downtown which makes her a valuable asset as an ambassador and as a trainer for other ambassadors.

The SID’s Award for Outstanding Aesthetic Contribution recognizes a project in the past year which adds to the beauty, street life, energy, brightness and attractiveness of downtown.    The 2009 honoree is the new restaurant, Barrio Tapas Lounge.  In addition to being a great restaurant, the project humanizes an intersection that was lifeless.  The restaurant’s windows open, allowing the energy of the restaurant to spill out onto the sidewalks; they also offer sidewalk dining.  Jeff Mathes and Sam Horner accepted the award for their outstanding aesthetic contribution.

The Outstanding Service Award recognizes the public or private sector entity that makes a significant contribution to downtown.  The first-time winner of this award is Ric Rossetti of the Public Service Department.  As the man who runs the Public Service Department permit office, he is on the front lines every time someone needs a permit to work or place something in the public right of way.  Ric handles this demanding job with patience and grace, always providing responsive and excellent customer service.

A second award for Outstanding Service in 2009 was presented to the Columbus Downtown Dog Park Association, whose four founding members, Janet Berry, Suzanne DeWoody, Mary Jane Gerhardstein and Liz Leahy, shared a passion and commitment for dogs and for downtown.  They started with a mission to establish an off-leash dog exercise area close to urban housing, and this year with support from the City, the first Downtown Columbus Dog Park opened at the corner of Fourth and Spring streets.  The group continues their work and hopes to open additional dog parks downtown.

The final award presented was that for Outstanding Achievement for an accomplishment by a property owner, city division, tenant or civic organization that deserved special recognition.  This year that accomplishment was a real home run: the Huntington Ball Park.  This wonderful facility debuted in the spring, enhancing the Arena District and drawing more visitors to that growing area of our city.  Capital Crossroads isn’t the only organization to recognize this outstanding amenity.  Baseballparks.com named Huntington Ball Park the ballpark of the year, beating out the new parks opened by both the Yankees and the Mets.  The award was presented to the Franklin County Commissioners at a meeting in early December.

THE PERSNICKETY LIST

Sure, it’s time for peace on earth and goodwill toward men; AND goodwill toward women… and all that other stuff.

It’s also time to make a list.  Downtowncolumbus.com has a list: a persnickety list.  It’s a little collection of things we fussy, nitpicky downtown-lovers would like in our stockings…

1.  Diamond studded lids for El Arepazo’s bottles of green sauce.  While a rubber band and kitchen wrap gets the job done, the insanely addictive stuff is worth of a high end topper.

2.  Speaking of high end, how about an Eggs Benedict with truffle oil and foie gras?  Would be an excellent in-house offering to team with Cafe Brioso’s gourmand-pleasing coffee.  Heck, even and egg sandwich would feel special when teamed with their magical morning brew.

3.  The Statehouse needs some sturdy, all-weather Astroturf.  It’d be maintenance-free (saving taxpayer dollars) and strong enough to support the roughest match of kickball.

4.  For The Jury Room, we wish for a bottomless bowl of their bean-free chili.

5.  For the rest of us, we wish for free parking downtown.  Yes, we believe in holiday miracles.

Jingle Bells… Free Fridays has a very nice ring, don’t you agree?

Downtown is apparently home to a lot of smart, creative people.  I was relieved to pick up the November 27 issue of Business First and read that downtown has the highest concentration of creative employers in central Ohio.

Intuitively, I have assumed for several years that the downtown zip code, 43215, included a concentration of people in the fields of media, marketing, architecture and design.  This zip code includes a portion of the Short North, German Village and the Brewery District.  After all, why would a creative professional want to work near a highway interchange and a Chuck E. Cheese?

In central Ohio, however, one can never overestimate how much value people place on free parking.  Most people would seemingly give up any semblance of urban order or stimulation to avoid riding a bus, biking, paying for parking, or walking to work.

Interestingly, the zip code with the highest concentration of creative employees is 43202, Clintonville, where one can get urban order and free parking!  There is a place in central Ohio where you can have your cake and eat it too.

EXTRAORDINARY ENTERTAINMENT

December is the magical month in these parts.  Thanks to Daylight Savings, it gets dark early – so downtown’s glow combined with holiday lights makes the scene sparkle.  The air is crisp and it feels like something special has arrived.

This year, there are all kinds of after-hours opportunities to experience the magic.  Oh, you’ve already heard about BalletMet’s Nutcracker?  We love it too.  And there’s much more…

How’d you like to sing the Messiah with the choir?  Yes, really – it’s okay to sing at ProMusica’s Messiah (And More) Side-by-Side Sing Along on December 11 at the Southern Theatre.  There’s no better way to be literally engulfed by the sights and sounds of the season.

Rock and Roll more your style?  An old school Christmas Rock N’Roll Spectacular is set for the Capitol Theatre on December 12.

For a little mental exercise, Available Light Theatre brings XMAS to the stage from December 10 – 13.  It’s a new take on A Christmas Carol, re-designed to be a modern reminder of the original message.  XMAS is locally written and produced and will be performed at the Columbus Performing Arts Center (549 Franklin Ave.).

For the child in all of us, COSI is hosting A Day of Make-Believe on December 5.  Classic toys are the focus of attention, along with storytelling, puppet-making and a special appearance from BalletMet’s Nutcracker.  A few weeks later, December 18 – 19, look for COSI’s massive holiday train display, courtesy of a collaborative effort from several Ohio model railroad teams. 

Downtown IS home for the holidays!