Everyone likes to be heard, right? Occasionally, our readers write and send along some perspective of their own, and we pass it along to our Right Now Downtown subscribers. Ashley Chaney has something to say about COTA. You might be surprised.
Date night on the COTA bus? To our friends’ shock and disbelief, my husband and I enjoy taking the COTA. We live in Grandview and like to explore other parts of the city. On a random Tuesday night we’ll seek out restaurant specials and head to High Street. It’s simple. We’ll catch the #5 at 6:47p.m. and by 7p.m. we’re on High Street in the Short North. We don’t have to worry about parking and we don’t have to talk about who’s driving. The complicated part is finding a night when we’re both free, but once that’s taken care of, we prefer public transportation.
Several times a week I take that same #5 bus to work downtown. When I take public transportation, I feel like I’m in a big city. I enjoy the extra 20 minutes to read a book, and that five-minute walk to my office helps wake me up in more ways than one.
Sometimes there are even perks, like when I was surprised to find out I rode the bus on Car-Free Day. When I stopped by for my morning coffee at Café Brioso, I received a discount and a thank you from the staff.
Try it out for yourself. You may find it’s fun to plan your route and also easy to navigate around our great city.
Leaves turn; fall breezes blow in cool temperatures. It’s time to pull out the ladle, crackers and eat some Zoup! Find out what the new restaurant, Zoup!, will be serving up to keep you warm and cozy through the chilly months headed our way.
Zoup! will open Thursday, November 10in the Huntington Center and will offer more than 100 kinds of soup. Twelve varieties will rotate on the menu daily including at least one low-fat, vegetarian, dairy-free and spicy.
“We visited a Zoup! in Cleveland and were instantly impressed,” said franchise owner Denis Barboza. “Our son is a picky eater and he loved the food, too. It was some of the best soup we’d ever had.”
Each order is served with a big hunk of freshly baked bread, and just in case soup is not your style, Zoup! also makes some great salads and sandwiches. Is your stomach rumbling yet?
Keep an eye out because we’ll offer a Blue Plate Special in Right Now Downtown to let you know when they open their doors in just a few weeks. Don’t forget, you’ll find them in the Huntington Center, 41 S. High Street, Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Word is Chicken Pot Pie and Lobster Bisque are the crowd faves so keep that in mind when you head over.
What is bloody and gruesome and hysterically funny? Go ahead; we dare you to see what CATCO has in store for you.
There’s blood, lots of blood, so don’t wear your Sunday’s best. The cast of Evil Dead The Musicalis proud of the fact that the splatter zone reaches two thirds of the audience. The watermelon-smashing Gallagher would be impressed, and what’s a zombie scene without some blood?
For the faint of heart, seats are available in a splatter-free zone. The important thing to remember is you need to get your tickets now to see the hilarious battle between good and evil as five college kids on spring break at a remote cabin encounter zombies out for blood.
The show runs through October 31 at Studio Two Theatre at the Vern Riffe Center with a special Halloween show planned for closing night – CATCO wants the audience to come in costume for this performance. Dracula might even usher you to your seat.
“Evil Dead The Musical is Gallagher meets Dracula,” said Steven C. Anderson, Artistic Director of CATCO Phoenix. “It pushes theatre-goers over the brink of hysterical hysteria, and we are thrilled to bring this show back to central Ohio just in time for Halloween.”
Tell us your funniest Halloween memory, and you’ll be entered to win two free tickets to the show. And, CATACO is offering Right Now Downtown subscribers a special deal: $10 off the purchase price of tickets if you enter the word CABIN in the promotion field when you purchase your tickets online.
The days are getting chilly, but you still have time to stock up on fruits and veggies and other great stuff, right downtown. Come on down to Pearl Market and see plenty in full bloom and harvest ready.
The 2011 season wraps up at the end of the month, so plan now to shop every Tuesday and Friday while farmers and merchants are still in Pearl and Lynn Alleys. If you tell us what you’ve enjoyed the most this year or what you would like to see in Pearl Market next season, you’ll be entered to win 30.00 in Pearl Market tokens (they spend just like cash!).
Having a hard time narrowing it down? Take a peek here to see some of your choices. And enter a comment below by Friday, October 7 for a chance to win.
There’s a new girl in town who promises to give you the jolt you need to get through the recent rainy days, a long morning meeting, or even a late afternoon stroll through the park. Find out what Java Jan has in store for you.
Java Jan, aka. Jan Antauer, perfected her barista skills a couple years ago when she opened a coffee shop in Dublin, but she was ready to expand and what better place to be than right downtown? You can find Java Jan brewing a gourmet blend near Columbus Commons at 175 on the Park (Third and Town).
“Columbus Commons is a great asset to Downtown, and our location is a real hot spot,” said Jan. “We offer a little bit of everything, and our daily specials will keep people coming back.”
She’s right. Of course, there is coffee, great coffee, but she also serves up some yummilicious sweet treats and fabulous meal options. Just in time for her fall opening is the pumpkin latte, which has been wildly popular. Coupled with one of the giant freshly baked cookies, you might just forget about the rain for a while.
Java Jan also offers a nice selection of grab-and-go breakfast and lunch options, or if you have a little extra time, take a seat inside or at the outdoor patio while you watch the action at Columbus Commons or even surf the net with free Wi-Fi.
Don’t let the rainy days keep you cloistered indoors – Java Jan is here to perk you up.
Summer is fading fast, but we have an idea how to keep the summer time fun going even as the nights grow longer and temperatures fall.
Dodge, dip, dive into Downtown Dodgeball. Yep, grab the balls before the guy across the center line does and pummel your way to fun. Did you know that the National Amateur Dodgeball Association has a swanky tournament and the grand prize is $10,000? Downtown Dodgeball might be the perfect training ground.
Whether you have a team of underdogs or vie to call yourself The Champion of Champions, shoot into action with Downtown Dodgeball.
A team must have a minimum of six people, but bring a posse and dodge past the competition. Team Registration is $250, and there will be two eight-week sessions, each including a championship. Deadline to register for the first session is Friday, October 28. For more information or to download the registration form, waiver and rules, click here.
Fourth of July was months ago, but there’s no typo when we say save the date for Independents’ Day.
The fourth annual Independents’ Day lights up Cbus to celebrate entrepreneurial spirit and all things independent on Saturday, September 17 from noon to midnight at Gay Street and Pearl Alley.
Bring your inner artist and add your own creative touch at the live mural painting that will take shape during the festival. And, if you work up an appetite, Dine Originals has you covered with plenty of good eats. Keep your eyes peeled – you might even see a food truck or two.
Music, art, great food, but the blast continues with clowns, fortune tellers, magicians and crafters set up throughout the festival. Dance in Columbus will offer improvisational, contemporary, jazz and guerrilla performances, as well as creative movement experiences for children.
You really can get something for nothing, a whole lot of something as a matter of fact. If you show up at 20 E. Broad Street this Friday, September 9 between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., you will see what we’re talking about. But wait, isn’t that a vacant building? Maybe, but if you stop by, you can get a complimentary lunch and learn some cool things to prevent crime, maybe even stop it in its tracks.
Capital Crossroads SID and Columbus Division of Police are teaming up for a state-of-the-art crime prevention reception. You will learn tons of stuff, but best yet, we want you to bring your loot like GPS units, laptops, iPods and bikes to register the valuables with Report it, a nifty inventory tracking system. While you’re there, you will learn cool tips about how to prevent crime.
“Citywide there are about 13,000 car break-ins every year,” said Lisa Defendiefer, Capital Crossroads Safety Coordinator. “It’s the most common crime that occurs and often can be prevented.”
It’s the good guys v. bad guys, and we’re going to give you the information aka. ammunition you need to help keep you from becoming a victim. Downtown Columbus is a safe place to hang, but it’s always good to be prepared, and just to show you how good we really are, we are throwing in a complimentary lunch from Café Napolitana. We’re also raffling off a CAPA gift certificate. Heck, we’ve upped the ante to lunch and a show. What more can you ask?
If you have any questions, just give Lisa Defendiefer a call at 645-5064 or go to downtowncolumbus.com.
Hurry, you’re running out of time to nab early registration for Pointless Pursuit (the price increases on September 1). Pointless what?
Pointless Pursuit is an urban adventure scavenger hunt that propels contestants from the OSU campus on down through the Brewery District in a one-day, action-packed extravaganza offering a trifecta of fun, teamwork and problem-solving. This year racers will gather on Sunday, September 11.
Two-person teams receive a passport of clues directing them to quirky challenges, which test their creativity, mental and physical adeptness, and, don’t forget, sense of humor. It’s all in the name of fun, but there are some cool prizes at the finish line for those folks coming out on top. If you don’t think you can walk off with first place, that’s ok, but arrive in your most creatively coiffed costume because they’re handing out prizes for that too.
“I originally came up with the idea because I’m a huge fan of the TV show Amazing Race,” said event organizer Kristen Warren of The Warren Agency. “I learned about other urban adventure races and had a feeling the people of Columbus would embrace the concept.”
Boy, have they. Last year, the second year of the race, participation doubled, and this year the group has more than tripled the numbers they had at the same time last year. This year’s race benefits The Crawford Crew, an organization working to eliminate cervical cancer through research and education.
To find more information about Pointless Pursuit, visit them on the web at www.pointlesspursuit.com.
Lots of cultures feast on some kind of combo of bread dough and sauce, maybe even a little bit of cheese. It’s average, common, perhaps even elemental, but there is nothing ordinary about the new kid in town. Daniel Lunsford opened Element Pizza at 250 North 3rd Street. Take a look at what he’s cookin’ and then make your way over to sample it for yourself. You are in for a treat of monumental proportions.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE!
SERVING UP ZOUP!
What is bloody and gruesome and hysterically funny? Go ahead; we dare you to see what CATCO has in store for you.
RAINY DAY PERK-YOU-UP
GRAB A BALL – HAVE A BALL
EXPLOSION OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
THE GOOD GUYS DO WIN
POINTLESS TO RACE TO THE FINISH?