Columbus Ohio real estate

Columbus Ohio -The Haunted Ship

The haunted ship is of course the Santa Maria at Halloweeen time.  According to the Santa Maria website:

"The Haunted ship is held October 29. 30 and Oct. 31 from 7-10 PM"

The Santa Maria website says:

"Once a year the Santa Maria, a full size replica of Christopher Columbus’ flagship serving as a history museum, turns into a Pirate Ship."

Or two, maybe three times a year if it will get people aboard...we went to see the Santa Maria on Talk Like a Pirate Day in September... I believe the 2009 calendar had pirate weekends in the spring. I say milk this pirate thing as long as you can Santa Maria if it is helping you get people into the history museum  floating on the east bank of the Scioto River in downtown Columbus. 

One of the pirates told us in September that the poor soul in the cage was named Becky....  you can not see her here in this picture.

Columbus Ohio - Halloween

Columbus Ohio Trick or Treat 2009

Columbus Scare-A-Torium

More about Central Ohio Events and Attractions:

Columbus Ohio - The Santa Maria

Talk Like a Pirate Day 2009

Columbus Ohio - Columbus Day 2009

The events "in honor of Christopher Columbus"  in Columbus Ohio  today include: 

11 a.m. wreath-laying ceremony at the Santa Maria  - downtown Columbus
12 noon re-dedication of Columbus Day memorial plaque at the Italian Cultural Center, next to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church - Italian Village, Columbus
7  p.m  Rock Mill Park in Fairfield County - Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio and Columbus State Community College discussion of  Native American views of Columbus Day

In Columbus Ohio for a Columbus Day Parade?  -  You missed it!

Many of those who work in downtown Columbus have the day off... because it is Columbus Day.  There has not been a Columbus Day Parade downtown for years.  There has been a parade on Sunday as part of the Columbus Italian Festival for the past three years.  I went to the parade yesterday.  Short but sweet.

Columbus Ohio - Columbus Day 2009 - celebrating the city of  Columbus

Experience Columbus Days continues through today with reduced admissions at many Columbus and Central Ohio venues and discounts at Central Ohio restaurants.  Columbus Ohio - Why do we celebrate Columbus Day?

Columbus Day 2009 - Celebrating Columbus Ohio

Experience Columbus Days -  through October 12 - today Columbus Day!

50% off Central Ohio events like The Santa Maria, The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, COSI and more

25% off at many Central Ohio Restaurants

The Columbus Italian Festival was October 9, 10, 11 2009 the 30th annual Columbus Italian Festival

It's over.  The weekend event was rescheduled to coincide with Experience Columbus Weekend three years ago.

Columbus Calendar of Events - October 2009

Miss the 2009 parade?  2009 Columbus Italian Festival?  Put October 2010 on your calendar!

Happy Columbus Day 2009 - Columbus Ohio!

The photograph is the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Ohio.

Columbus Ohio the Santa Maria has been parked on the Scioto River since 1992. 

I visited the Santa Maria in September 2009.  I don't have any kids... 

I visited the Santa Maria on Talk Like a Pirate Day 2009 in September.

The Santa Maria in Columbus Ohio is the most authentic replica of Christopher Columbus's ship in the world.

How do I know that?  A sign at the Columbus "floating" museum in downtown Columbus told me so.  I believe the Santa Maria website (link above ) does too.  Yep

"Make your plans now to visit the world's most authentic, museum-quality replica of Christopher Columbus' flagship."

The real Santa Maria

The Santa Maria was not a very big ship.  It is hard to imagine it crossing the ocean.  It is hard to imagine what life on the ship was like... with all those other people.  Our tour guides  and the "pirates"  on board the Santa Maria on Talk Like a Pirate Day did a good job of giving an idea of what life on Columbus ship would have been like... and also life on a pirate ship, since it was Talk Like a Pirate Day.  The man dressed up as the ships surgeon showed us surgical tools of Columbus day and later when pirates sailed the high seas.  Our tour guide on the Santa Maria shared the story of everyday life on a ship in days gone by, eating, sleeping, bodily functions... there is a replica of 1492 "toilet paper"  but I'll save that story for another day.

Columbus Ohio the Santa Maria

According to the Santa Maria website this authentic representation is less than 1000 100* feet long. The Santa Maria website says:

"THE WORLD WAS FOREVER CHANGED when, in 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail searching for a direct trade route to the Indies. Carrying him was the Santa Maria, a 98-foot wooden "nao", or typical cargo ship."

We visited the cargo hold on the Santa Maria...  heard stories of what cargo would have been down there in Columbus day and what else would have been down there... scary...  It is amazing how little cargo the Santa Maria held. 

The Santa Maria was board by pirates on 'Talk Like a Pirate Day' in September 2009 despite a lot of canon fire.

Loud canon fire...

There was sword play, gun play and loss of life aboard the Santa Maria that day... all re-enacted of course.  Do you see the dead man on the deck in my photo?

Columbus Ohio from the Santa Maria

Columbus Ohio is just one city in the US named for Christopher Columbus.   Columbus Ohio is the biggest Columbus in the world.

Until October each year, I seldom remember that the Columbus in Columbus Ohio is in honor of a man who sailed the Atlantic Ocean back in the 15th century and found the Carribean Islands and thought he was in India. 

We were lucky the day we went to downtown Columbus to visit the Santa Maria in September because we had a 6 year old visiting who LOVES pirates.  There was lots more to do downtown between Via Colori and Independent's Day.  There was more going on across the river at Genoa Park that September weekend.  There was Water Fire Friday and Saturday that weeekend.

Columbus Ohio's downtown is alive.

Week in and week out... downtown Columbus there are things to do.

Talk Like a Pirate Day 2009

Columbus is "cool"  for kids

Experience Columbus Days - Columbus Ohio Why do we celebrate Columbus Days October 2009

Still coming up in October 2009 on the Santa Maria? 

The Haunted Ship.  According to the Santa Maria website: "The Haunted ship is held October 29. 30 and Oct. 31 from 7-10 PM."

* Thanks to Jon Zolsky for emailing me I have a typo... one too many 0 in the size.  Tiny, tiny, tiny ship.

Will Columbus Commons be Columbus Ohio's equivalent of New York's Central Park?  Green space in the city...

Today's Columbus Dispatch article "Goodbye City Center" by Mike Pramik and Marla Matzer Rose says farewell to City Center the downtown mall: 

"A Downtown gem when it opened in 1989, the forlorn mall will be torn down by summer. The city wants to develop the land as a park, ringed by housing, restaurants, shops and offices -- all to be completed in five to 10 years."

and Hello to Columbus Commons:

"The city has dubbed the $165 million project Columbus Commons. It is seeking federal stimulus money to pay for the mall demolition and development of the park, which city officials expect to start this summer and complete within 18 months. The remainder of the project will take shape over the next five to 10 years, as the market dictates."

While I have always lived on the far north side of Columbus, when I moved to Columbus in 1990 my favorite place to shop was City Center before Tuttle, Polaris and Easton were built.

I was surprised by the news.

Downtown Columbus is a nice place to visit

The Arena Grand Theater in Columbus is at 175 W Nationwide Blvd,  Columbus, Ohio 43215 their website says:

"Grand Movies.

Grand Experiences.

Welcome to the top movie theatre in Columbus, Ohio, according to readers of Columbus Monthly!"

The "Popcorn Sculpture" here was commissioned by either Real Living or Real Living HER (HER Realtors at the time?, Real Living in Central Ohio) the summer we had corn sculptures on the streets of Columbus.  The "Popcorn Sculpture"  was in front of the Arena Grand Theater... I have always thought it was a clever scupture for a movie theater in a corny way.

Disclaimer: I've never seen a movie at The Arena Grand Theater in The Arena District ...with Rave at Polaris and Marcus at Crosswoods so close, I don't go downtown to see a movie.  We have not gone to Lennox Center in years... but I have free tickets to a movie at AMC...  Dublin Village, Lennox Center or Easton. 

I went into the Arena Grand Theater one cold New Years Eve at First Night Columbus.  The fireworks were in the Arena District.  The Arena Grand gave us hot chocolate while we huddled in their lobby. It must have been one of those cold years for First Night Columbus.  I believe it was the year we went to a Blue Jackets game before First Night Columbus. We parked at the Arena, then we walked to Capitol Square for First Night Columbus so the fireworks were on the way back to the car anyway.  That was a cold New Years Eve in Columbus.

Top theater in Columbus huh?  Once the lights go out and the movie starts can you really tell the difference from one theater to another? 

The Arena Grand Theatre has a restauarant.

I will have to stop to see a movie sometime when I have to be downtown for something else to see if I can see why it is the "top movie theater in Columbus Ohio according to readers of Columbus Monthly.  The "Popcorn Sculpture" is now housed at 77 E. Nationwide Blvd. Columbus Ohio, the Real Living HER Administrative Office and Real Living Corporate Office.

For me The Arena District is one of those areas that's "a nice place to visit...."  I live and work in the far north part of the City of Columbus in the Worthington area... I work primarily in the Worthington, Westerville, Polaris, Lewis Center, Powell, Dublin, North Columbus area.  It is great that people all over Central Ohio have areas like The Arena Disctrict to play in. 

Have you heard the expression "It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there"?  I live and work in the far, far north reaches of the City of Columbus... north of Worthington, north of 270. When I think of lots of neighborhoods in Central Ohio I think "It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there" sometimes because I could not afford to live there... There is anything wrong with the areas, but just because I live and work where I live and work.  One great place to visit for me is the Arena District. 

The Arena District is a great place to play, Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets is in the Arena District, of course.   The Columbus Destroyers, an Arena Football League Team also plays at the Nationwide Arena.

Huntington Park will be opening in Spring 2009 as the home of the Columbus Clippers, the top Cleveland Indians farm team.  Huntington Park will be on the corner of Neil Ave. and Nationwide Ave.

More to do in The Arena District in Downtown Columbus:

The Arena Grand Theatre

Lifestyle Communities Pavilion

The Arena District is restaurants, special events and more...

If you want to live in the Arena District there are condos there too.  Wouldn't it be fun to be close to all the action? I'm glad there is The Arena District for those of us who live out north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west to visit. The Arena District is one of Central Ohio's greatest playgrounds.

Today in the Columbus Dispatch... an article about City Center the downtown Columbus mall that the city wrestled away from the company that was mismanaging the mall a year ago.

When I moved to Central Ohio in 1990 I loved City Center.  I lived in northwest Columbus just inside 270 and tried Northland and Westland and for me the only place to shop in Columbus was City Center.... I am not much of a mall shopper anymore... I was at Macy's at Polaris last night but did not make it out into the mall from the department store.  

In May I went downtown for the Real Living Convention (Momentum 2008)  for an oversold continuing education class the first day, paid for valet parking and spent the morning roaming around downtown Columbus killing time. I did a little shopping in the museum shop at the Statehouse.  I bought some things at a CVS.  I thought it was odd that Real Living would invite people from all over the US to a conference in a downtown with no shopping but they pulled it off. 

I go downtown for Red, White and Boom, usually First Night Columbus (I skipped it in 2007) and a few other events. I occasionally go to COSI... I go to the Short North occasionally for a Gallery Hop.  I showed homes in the German Village area earlier this year.  I live and work on the far north-side of Columbus, Worthington, Polaris, Westerville.... north outer-belt.

I walked through the mall a couple of times in 2007.  There is a list in the Columbus Dispatch article of who the remaining tenants are.  Fast food, a Dollar Store....

There is housing in Downtown Columbus now... and there's more housing in urban areas contiguous to downtown than there has been in decades. It's just ironic that there is no shopping to speak of in downtown Columbus.  There will be something at City Center in the future... The Columbus Dipatch article says:

"A major factor in the mall's decline was the opening of several suburban retail developments. Georgetown Co., the developer of the most successful of these -- Easton Town Center -- has been brought in on the City Center revamp."