Columbus Ohio real estate

Claddagh Irish Pub is at Polaris in Southern Delaware County.

Despite my name and heritage... I am not a big "Irish" food fan.  What can I say? I like Mexican and Indian food...  Don't get me wrong.  I love corned beef and cabbage. I love salmon.  I love potatoes.   I love Irish whiskey... I have never really enjoyed any of the Columbus "Irish" restaurants.  I have NOT been to Ireland though either.

I love the look of Claddagh Irish Pub.  If I was a big drinker it looks like a lively bar.   Claddagh Irish Pub says of  itself "We present an authentic “pub house” experience to our guests based on the “craic” of Ireland – a fun, friendly and exuberant atmosphere."

Claddagh Irish Pub is a chain like many of the restaurants in the Polaris area.  There is also a Claddagh Irish Pub downtown on Front St.  The Polaris,  Claddagh Irish Pub is at 8745 Sancus Blvd, Columbus, Ohio 43240.

We ate at Claddagh Irish Pub for the second time Saturday.  I believe the first time we ate at Claddagh was during the summer of 2009... actually no it was late summer or early fall because we were there on an OSU game day but we got there after the game but before the dinner crowd arrived in their OSU clothing.  We walked in and were seated instantly.  There was a lively group at the bar as I recall.

Late January 2010 we were not as lucky.  We had to wait for a table. That's a good sign on a Saturday night though isn't it?  A few years ago it was that way everywhere in the Polaris area. You had to wait for a table.  Hopefully it will be that way again in the future. Soon?

Claddagh was our second choice.  Our first choice another "chain" in the Polaris area the parking lot was so crowded we did not even go in to see how long the wait was.

Claddagh Irish Pub was mobbed too.  The parking lot was full.   The hostess said it would be a twenty minute wait. She was right on the money.  However we almost left because a couple of tables that were seated with menus,  got up and walked out because no one ever came back to take their orders.  What's the point of waiting for a table if no one waits on you?  We talked about leaving.  Next up?  Waffle House would have been our next try (ooooh not my choice... not that I don't love Waffle House...) but we stuck it out at Claddagh Irish Pub on Saturday evening.

Jessie who waited on us did a great job, so we were glad we were seated in her section. We were right next to a fireplace. It was the same table we were seated at on our first visit. Not right next to the bar but within earshot. Probably the whole restaurant is.

Traditional or authentic Irish fare

The Claddagh Irish Pub website says: "We take great pride in providing our guests with excellent quality products and service. Our recipes are prepared on the premises, using only the finest ingredients."

I ordered the corned beef and cabbage.   Traditional huh? Or maybe authentic. The carrots and potatoes were wonderful.   The cabbage was cold and tasteless and they served me a big hunk of the cabbage core. I did not eat the cabbage core. I love cabbage.  I don't eat the core.  Does anyone eat the core of a cabbage? Maybe that is authentic.

The corned beef was OK.  It was sliced thin, more something for sandwiches than traditional corned beef and cabbage.

The first time we ate at Claddagh Irish Pub at Polaris I had the Brian Boru Salad, a better choice. 

Authentic “pub house” experience

Claddagh Irish Pub is loud. Or maybe it was just exuberance.   The guy at the bar who kept yelling "Mother _ _ _ _ _"  was annoying. The two families with small children  in our section had left by the time he felt the need to tell his loud group of friends over and over about some "Mother _ _ _ _ _" 

Perhaps that was part of the authenticity. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Photo credit our dinners were not pretty enough to photograph and we drank soft drinks so this photo is from Flickr: Photo by Jeff Kubina.  The photo "Beer" was taken in Cincinnati Ohio.

"Busted" by security at Polaris Fashion Place 

"Unauthorized scavenger hunts or unauthorized photography"

No I was not conducting a scavenger hunt authorized or unauthorized at Polaris Fashion Place Mall.   I was taking photos.  The very polite  security manager said no one can take photos for security reasons.  To paraphrase, his next remark... they can't just restrict the terrorist from taking photos, therefor they must restrict everyone from taking photos.  

I did not see it posted anywhere at Polaris (I was outside in the Lifestyle Center not in the enclosed mall) but I do find it online after being told.

I was taking photos of the fountain, a restaurant that is opening soon, a sculpture.... Boy I have lots of previously taken pictures to delete... a sculpture in the banner of my ActiveRain blog needs the far left obliterated. 

I decided the pictures are there, they have been there.  They are NOW pixelated, except the banner.

Polaris Fashion Place was the Columbus mall that was targeted by terrorists... or that's the way I remember it.  Seems others remember it as Easton or Tuttle....

Even before that ...  The Polaris Fashion Place Mall which opened in October 2001 was linked to terror. A Columbus Business First article quoted the Manager of the Kaufman's store  that we did not have to succumb to terror... shop!  How a $10 bar of soap strikes a blow to terror by Dan Crawford and Kathy Showalter of Business First-Columbus  | September 28, 2001 |

"The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the United States' subsequent march toward a war on global terrorism haven't stymied retailers' plans to be ready for the opening of the 1.5 million-square-foot Polaris Fashion Place on Oct. 25."

The manager of the Kaufman's Department Store at Polaris Fashion Place when it opened in 2001 is quoted in the Columbus Business First article. Kaufman's is gone, in it's place the Lifestyle Center on the southeast corner, where I was told I could not take photographs.  The department store manager is quoted:

"The more we can keep our life normal, the better we are," said Pedicini. "We have deadlines to meet. As much as possible, we're meeting those to get ready to open."

The $10 bar of soap is a reference to another store that was in Polaris Fashion Place mall in 2001 when it opened.  Luxury soap would save us from terrorism. 

Normal.

I've pixelated previous Polaris Fashion Place post's pictures for their protection: 

Polaris makes the Wall Street Journal

Polaris let's do lunch Friday

Polaris Lifestyle Center

What's New at Polaris

Wordle created with  Wordle.net

Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Worthington

 

 

 

Columbus based Glimcher Realty is willing to sell it's best malls including Polaris Fashion Place to raise capital according to the Wall Street Journal.  Or sell stakes in the malls.  Or sell stakes in at least the two other malls, the way the Wall Stree Journal article reads... The other two malles in Portland Oregon and Tampa Florida...they want to sell stakes in the mall. 

Polaris?

Wall Street Journal - "Glimcher Shops it's Malls" says of the three malls Glimcher wants to sell :

"The properties are among the best in Glimcher's portfolio, with Lloyd Center logging sales per square foot of $379 last year and WestShore registering $422. Lloyd Center has a $129 million mortgage coming due 2013. WestShore's $91.5 million mortgage matures in 2012. And Polaris's $39.3 million mortgage matures in 2010."

The way I understood it listening to the news on TV this morning Glimcher is trying to sell stakes in Polaris Fashion Place too.  Maybe I need to read the Columbus Dispatch!

The Polaris Fashion Place mall in Southern Delaware County opened in 2001.   October 2001? The photo above is the Lifestyle center on the east end of Polaris Fashion Place.  It was redeveloped and is a work in progress.  The majority of the Polaris Fashion Place Mall is a traditional shopping mall.

More posts about Polaris:

Polaris Let's Do Lunch

What's New at Polaris

"Polaris with the top down "

Polaris Lifestyle Center

Edit 8/3/2009 Polaris has a rule against taking photos.

 

Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Worthington

What's New on the Polaris Fashion Place Mall

It starts this Friday...May 29, 2009  music in the Lifestyle center at Polaris Fashion Place (the southeast end of the mall, the open area where Kauffman's used to be.) The indoor outdoor part of the mall.  Let's Do Lunch is  outside...11:30 to 1:00 bring a brown bag or buy lunch at The Pub or the Cheesecake Factory and listen to "Fortune Duo" the performance is described as "guitar and vibes."

For future Friday performers check out the mall website www.PolarisFashionPlace.com "Let's Do Lunch" is every Friday.

More about Polaris Fashion Place

What's New at Polaris

"Polaris with the top down "

Polaris Lifestyle Center

View Larger Map

not just too far... "Lewis Center is too dang far to drive for a brownie."

Is a Columbus blog slamming Lewis Center?

"Lewis Center is too dang far to drive to buy a brownie.  Even if the brownies are fresh-baked daily.  Even if the Lewis Center bakery is the very first match on Google when you enter "gourmet brownies."

Nope turns out they are only saying nice things about Sugardaddy's  in 43215 Downtown Dish.  Turns out the Columbus blog is saying the Lewis Center's bakeries brownies are available in downtown Columbus now...

The downtown Columbus blog is right Google recognizes Sugardaddy as number one over and over for the search  "gourmet brownies."

Sugardaddy's Sumptious Sweeties

Who knew the best brownies in the country according to many are in Central Ohio....  

Who knew they were right up the road just off Polaris Parkway - Sugardaddy's is right next door to Kennet's... 1329 Cameron Ave, Lewis Center 43035. Nest door to Kenneths...

dang it.. it seems the food network knew (Just who is the food network? A mafia of foodies..)

dang it ... it seems Ellen Degeneres knew...

 

Gee I kinda like "dang"  

Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Worthington

There is a new sculpture in the the "Lifestyle Center" at Polaris.  An obelisk?  An obelisk with a star on top.

The "Lifestyle Center"  is the "Eastonish" part on the south-east end of the Polaris.  We went and walked around outside  last Sunday for a little bit. This is the part of the mall where there used to be a Kaufmann's Department Store.  The Cheese Cake Factory has been open in the "Lifestyle Center" since last fall along with the new Barnes and Nobles ...(Barnes and Noble  used to be in the Polaris Town Center across Polaris Parkway.)   Other stores in the Lifestyle Center include a Motherhood Maternity, a Buckeye Corner (previously at Polaris Town Center too?)  Godfrey's a men's store that moved to the Polaris Lifestyle Center from Worthington Square recently. 

The Pub is open, we have not been there yet... we have not been to the Cheesecake Factory yet.

Benihana is opening this week.  We walked in... the door was open... a nice man came and told us they were not open yet.  

There is another building going in between Benihanas and Godfrey's, the furthest east point of the Lifestyle Center. It looks like that is the last building that will fit.  The final building?  It will be east  of the fountain.  I wish the diagrams for the mall on the Polaris Fashion Place Website were updated to show the Lifestyle Center, where the sculpture is, where the fountain is, where the new and relocated stores are. Looking at the diagram on the malls website today, it looks like the Kaufmann's building is still there still there but showing empty, no name on the building. 

There are store fronts that are not yet open in the Polaris Fashion Place Lifestyle Center, room for more fun places.

The only two stores we went into were Schakolad Chocolate Factory and Barnes and Noble.  We were the only ones in Schakolad but Barnes and Noble was hopping. 

I can't wait for spring...

Last fall - Polaris Lifestyle Center

Edit 8/3/9 I found it it is against the rules to take photos at Polaris...  Mea Culpa!

The sky is gray... it is cooler... It felt more like fall this morning in Central Ohio... 

Rain?

Are those blue and green roofs?  Driving through the intersection of Lazelle  and Sancus a friend pointed out the colorful patchwork of roof tarps on the Polaris Crossing apartments, just south-west of the intersection.  Every building of the rental complex seemed to have a tarp...the remains of the September 14, 2008 storm that hit Central Ohio.

Bad shingles?  Shoddy roofing?  Are "dimensional shingles" that much heavier... the roofs on the businesses on the northwest corner really all have flat roofs with the dimensional shingles on the front for show... The roofs on Polaris Crossing are not "dimensional" roofing shingles, they are "3 tab shingles" as they say in the business...  The roofs on the Carriage Oaks Condominiums just south of Polaris Crossing are "3 tab shingles" too.  We saw a tarp in Carriage Oaks from Sancus Blvd.  Many of the homes in Worthington Highlands have  "dimensional shingles" driving around there are tarps there too.  There's a house in Worthington Highlands you can see from Sancus Road that needs a tarp in the worst way...

It's not like the Easter hail storm that hit Central Ohio one year... as far as being a boon to the roofing business in Central Ohio and an opportunity for "storm chasers" from outside of Central Ohio (even from other states.)  Many roofs in Central Ohio just need some repair work...some shingles after the September 2008 windstorm.  The roofers signs are popping up on front lawns of homes but here's one big job for some roofing contractor.

This corner of the world is just south of the Delaware County border (Polaris is in Delaware County) in Franklin County.

 

Designer Shoe Warehouse is based in Central Ohio.   There are three stores in Columbus, Northwest (Filene's Basement and DSW combined) Easton and Polaris. 

I have heard the Polaris DSW store is the largest DSW store in the country.  Truth or fiction?  Who cares! It's minutes away from me. Not that I am a big shoe buyer. I can appreciate a large selection of shoes though.

Polaris
DSW - Polaris Fashion Square
1200 Polaris Parkway
Columbus, OH 43240
614-854-0994
Sun 11am-6pm, Mon-Sat 10am-9pm

Map - 1200 Polaris Fashion Square

Compliments of Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Columbus and Central Ohio real estate

The real reason I did a double take when I noticed the United States Post Office on the corner of Lyra Drive and Polaris Parkway is that I have never before seen a United States Post Office with a beer drive through.

Polaris Area - Columbus Ohio 43240

See for yourself... Parked behind the Post Office a matching Beer Drive - Thru.  How is that for progressive?  Postage stamps and a 6 Pack of PBR?

 

Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Columbus and Central Ohio Real estate

I was wondering where the Polaris Area Post Office was recently...

I was at the Wendy's at Polaris (map)   when I noticed a post office across the street.  I took a couple of photos of the Post Office...  because it was kind of puzzling to me... that it was there in plain sight... in an area, I am pretty familiar with but I had never noticed it.

I tried looking up officially if the Post Office I saw on Polaris Parkway was THE Post Office for Columbus Ohio 43240, or if what is described as a "Contract Unit" on the sign was something else... it is in a gas station / Tim Horton's /  little store full of Buckeye stuff and more. 

Map - United States Post Office Contract Unit ZIP - 43240

I was not sure what "Contract Unit" means on the sign.  I tried looking it up on the official USPS site, no luck. 

I was able to find this on Wikipedia:

"A contract postal unit (or CPU), a station or branch operated by a contractor, typically in a store or other place of business."

If you ever want to see the greatest map for looking at where a ZIP code is check out USPS ZIP  Code Map, which offers this disclaimer: 

"The USPS considers zip codes to be delivery routes instead of areas. There may be differences between this depiction and actual zip code mailing address.  Point zip codes (PO Box, single buildings, etc.) may not be depicted as areas but should still be displayed near their proper locations. This is the most accurate free USPS zip code map available online! 41,533 zip code locations. "

I still love that site for looking at where Central Ohio ZIP codes are. 

Want to know more about the Polaris Area?  The 43240 ZIP code?  Here's the scoop:

 

 

 

Columbus Ohio 43240 is in Delaware County. The ZIP code is the Polaris Area. It is nestled between the 43035 ZIP code which is Lewis Center and the 43085 ZIP code which is Worthington. ,

Compliments of Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Columbus and Central Ohio real estate

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This post was written by Maureen McCabe of Real Living HER

For information on Franklin and Delaware County communities including Clintonville, Columbus, Dublin, Gahanna, Grandview Heights,  Hilliard, Lewis Center,  New Albany, North Columbus,  Powell,  Upper Arlington, Westerville and Worthington 

Contact 614.388.8249

Website: MaureenMcCabe.com

Search Central Ohio homes

email: MaureenatMaureenMcCabe.com   @

 

Central Ohio real estate market news:

Discover Columbus OH - Columbus and Central Ohio

Worthington Old and News - Worthington real estate

Subscription by email is in the upper right hand corner just below the blogs header.

All information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction.  The information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice.  Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.