Right Now Downtown

I got a taste of suburban commuting last week when I took two of my kids to camp near State Route 315 and Bethel Road.  The 7:30 am trip from the Short North to camp was easy because the trip was a “reverse commute” against incoming traffic.  My return toward downtown at 8:00 am, however, was hellacious.

Traffic kept stopping on 315 for no apparent reason.  When traffic moved, people tailgated me, cut in front of me for no apparent reason, honked and traded hand gestures.  I cursed so loudly for most of the trip that my dog cowered in the back seat.

The Short North looked really good to me as I ditched my car and began walking to work.  The experience made me wonder why people choose to subject themselves to expressway commuting.  Columbus, Grandview, Bexley, Upper Arlington and other communities have many safe, beautiful and affordable neighborhoods with great transit, bicycle and car access to downtown.  Why would someone choose to subject themselves to such a horrible experience?

I would love to go dancing in The Bottoms.  For that matter, I would enjoy telling people that I lived in The Bottoms.

What is The Bottoms?  It is the former name for Franklinton.  It is the name used for well over a century for the area between downtown and the Hilltop.  At about the time folks in the near north side began embracing the name “Short North,” people in The Bottoms decided that their name carried too many negative connotations and began calling their neighborhood Franklinton.

“Short North,” a term used by police and taxicab companies to describe the area between downtown and The Ohio State University, had terrible connotations in the early 1980s.  “Short North” meant prostitution, drug dealing and abandoned buildings.  It was, however, authentic, and it ultimately became cachet.

“Franklinton” is not a bad name for a neighborhood.  But it cannot compete with “The Bottoms” for authenticity.  “The Bottoms” is exotic, mysterious and appealing.

Where would you rather go dancing?

On May 7, Alive published a terrific section entitled, “What Columbus Needs.”  A response to the question, “What’s the one thing that should be done to improve the city’s future?” caught my attention.  It read, “Parking in the Short North - lack of it sometimes causes me to go elsewhere.”

I have news for this commentator.  The Short North will never solve its parking problem.

That’s not to say the neighborhood won’t add some parking spaces.  The Ibiza project includes public parking.  On-street parking policies will probably change to increase availability.  A few hundred additional parking spaces, however, will quickly fill, and the Alive commentator will continue a frustrating search for parking in a neighborhood that generally refuses to accommodate cars.  That’s OK.

People visit the Short North precisely because of its density.  An attempt to accommodate demand for parking would diminish this essential quality.  The built environment in the Short North is designed for walking, transit, bicycles and taxicabs.  Perhaps it is time to begin using them.

Like many people in Columbus, I struggle with the tension between staying in Columbus and moving to a city that better accommodates my lifestyle.  Portland, Oregon, for example, appeals to me because it is a Columbus-size city that has made radically different choices than central Ohio for more than 30 years.  The result is a compact, transit-oriented city with a healthy core and vibrant downtown.

Columbus, however, offers something far more special: the opportunity to make a difference.  For a person with an entrepreneurial spirit, Columbus is a gold mine, whether one channels that spirit into business ownership, advocacy or community organizing.

In Columbus, entrepreneurs are heroes.  Witness Liz Lessner (Betty’s Family of Restaurants); Pete Scantland (Orange Barrel Media); John Angelo (Short North Business Association); Adam Brouillette (Couchfire Collective), to name a few.  Someone who might go unnoticed in Portland can be a meaningful agent for change in Columbus.

Portland may have its act together.  But tell me another city besides Columbus where, if you are competent, hard working and imaginative, people think you are a genius.

Five miles of High Street offers one of the best walks in the United States.  On High Street or within a “stone’s throw” of High Street between German Village and the University District are 20 movie screens; more than 30 live performance venues and dance clubs; 4,000 hotel rooms; 300 restaurants; 200 retail stores and boutiques; and 40 art galleries.

The area includes four city parks, a developing riverfront park system, and an NHL arena.  There is a baseball park, a public market, and three farmers markets.  Six historic districts line this stretch of High Street, as well as the historic Ohio Statehouse, three historic theatres, and two historic parks.  The walk would take you past the country’s largest university campus and the Wexner Center.

High Street offers Gallery Hop, ComFest, the Columbus Marathon, Greek Festival, Gay Pride Parade, and a host of other events, races and parades.  You can sit at outdoor cafes, listen to street musicians, browse in bookstores, and easily hail a cab.

There are some gaps to be filled, for sure.  But if you work or live downtown, you are in the middle of a very special place.

BUCK UP BUTTERCUP

Where did this panic come from?  Who, exactly, said that there would be no kickball on the Statehouse lawn?  The sky is not falling.  There will be kickball, and it is still welcome on the Statehouse lawn…

One night a week.

Which might not be all bad.  Even if the League has to schedule all its games on one night.  We’ve got a proud downtown kickball history to celebrate:

We Brought It to Columbus
Okay, kickball was allegedly invented during WWII by American GI’s, but downtown Columbus made it cool.  What started as an urban phenomenon has now spread to Grandview, Clintonville, the Short North, Gahanna, and beyond.

It’s Infectious
Players don’t need to be all-star athletes, just good sports.  In fact, over the years, we’ve grown to host 32 spirited teams.

It’s Brainy
There’s a good dose of creativity at work too.  Last year’s team names included the punny Kickin’ Some Hine and some downright bawdy names.  And we are ever hopeful that the New Kicks on the Block perform better than their musical counterpart.

So let’s keep the momentum, let’s keep the ball rollin’.  Real world kickball is way better than Wii, any day!

For more kickball info, click here.

My dentist is located on East Whittier Street near Jaeger.  Twice a year, like clockwork, I get my teeth cleaned and checked, and I walk through German Village on my way to the appointment.  Each time, I am stunned at how beautiful German Village is.

I live in the Short North, to be precise Victorian Village.  I don’t get off the farm much.  Most of my life happens on foot or COTA between Ohio State University and downtown.

To be sure, the Short North has some pretty places, for example, Neil Avenue and the Circles.  But it has quite a bit of grit as well.  Dennison Avenue has God-awful-looking high tension electric lines, and the whole neighborhood has quite a bit of property that is “rough around the edges,” including my own house.

German Village, on the other hand, seems flawless.  As a die-hard, 29-year resident of Victorian Village who thinks the world revolves around the Short North and downtown, I must admit that a walk through German Village is a humbling experience.