Resident.

Hello from this room, three blocks from one lake (and a few more than that from the other) on my new street!

To catch you all up on the latest happenings of this relocation, our movers came and packed and hauled everything away at the end of last week.
The pups and the James drove off last Saturday.
I made the 8.5 hour trek up on Monday.

Nearly one week later and I've already trained and officially started at a new (part-time, awesome) job. I clearly do not like to relax.

But yes, I'm doing just fine. We've ridden our bikes along the lake and through our new neighborhood. Our dogs have adjusted just fine. And I have met an eerie amount of Ohioans so far.

Look what else I found nearby to help ease the transition, though the local frozen dairy treats are to die for, naturally:

Anyway, just wanted you to know I'm alive and starting a new hobby as a pen-pal.

Miss some of you and pleased to meet the others, 

L.

Badgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadger

While I was in Wisconsin, we spent a decent amount of time near the Capitol and in the university area.

The only thing that I will say about the University of Wisconsin and the Badgers in this post is:
We will be attending the Buckeyes v Badgers game in Madison in November.
I will be wearing a block O.

Moving on: The off-campus area is nice. It's a little bit cozier than OSU's. Nearly every shop, bar or cafe has their own reserved patio space beyond their front sidewalks.
I don't foresee spending a lot of time in this area once the fall classes begin and the students file in, but it seems very calm during the summer session. State Street has your campus area staples such as Starbucks, Jimmy John's, Urban Outfitters, collegiate gear shops, ethnic foods, etc. Typical :)

I was most charmed by the Wisconsin Union Terrace. Pitchers of craft beer (New Belgium! and New Glarus, notably) while sitting out on the lake. Pure bliss. I certainly did not feel like I was on university property.

The Terrace also has outdoor movies during the summer nights, live music and other events. Solid little gathering place.

A Couple of Neighborhoods Over...

One of the reasons I'm excited to move to Madison has nothing to do with Wisconsin at all. And I might be stretching it a bit when I say I'm very much looking forward to living in a distant suburb of Chicago, IL (okay, big stretch).

Chicago is only about 2.5 hours away by car. During my Madison visit, I planned out a megabus trip into the city. I departed from UW and arrived in downtown Chicago in just 3 hours and for $1. I bought two return trips at different times (just in case) for a whopping total of $7. During the weekdays, there are about 11 trips to Chicago from Madison each day. Weekends are a little bit more costly and less frequent, but I'm a huge believer in the Megabus.

James and I have always loved Chicago. The dining, entertainment, craft beer, public transit, sports: I'm very excited to have this at the cost of a 5 hour round trip.

I definitely encourage our Ohio friends to meet up with us in Chicago. Our friend Brandie has already planned her trip to Madison through Chicago and scored a ticket from CMH to Midway flying Southwest at a great price. If our schedules and pups will allow it, we will go to into the city whenever we can. So keep that in mind, ok? :)

Another big bonus: One of my dearest friends lives in Bucktown and I'm thrilled to share a time zone with her again!

New (to me) Glarus Brewing Company

What do James and I do often and well? Beer.

Most of our travels involve beer (read: beercation) so it’s no surprise that the first full day of my Madison trip involved visiting a Wisconsin brewery.

Not exactly in Madison (but close) is New Glarus Brewing Company located in New Glarus, Wisconsin, which is a Swiss settlement.

Renowned among craft beer lovers outside of the state as a rare and delicious thing, New Glarus distributes exclusively in Wisconsin due to production demands. The brewery has a lineup of beers for every palate, from the crisp and hop forward Moon Man, the fruity Wisconsin Belgian Red made with Door County cherries and the easy & ubiquitous (in WI anyway) Spotted Cow. They also brew a variety of specialties and seasonals throughout the year.

We headed over to the brewery on a hot Sunday afternoon. The drive in from Madison consists of 30 miles of verdant, scenic farmland. After driving up a winding hill and passing a trolley and cyclists, we approached a very new building in the styling of a simple Swiss chateau and entered through the gift shop. The public areas consist of the shop, a tasting room and an outdoor area where guests can play corn hole, picnic and relax with an ale. A self-guided tour of the brewery is also open to the public, which I recommend once you have a full Spotted Cow in hand.

Admission is free and tastings are generously inexpensive. A small branded souvenir glass and three tastings are just $3.50. For a full serving and beautiful branded glassware for you to keep, pay just $6. Refilling your glass is just $3.

After spending a bit of time at the brewery and tasting all there was to offer, we headed into town with the coupon book that came with the tasting. In it is a voucher for a free New Glarus beer at nearly any bar in town. The village is quaint and touristy with plenty of restaurants and shops where you can grab some Wisconsin cheese or ice cream. I opted for an ice cream cone but I dropped it so that was a massive failure.

In sum: the beers are delicious, the trip over is affordable, the brewery is pristine and the grounds are breathtaking. And we will take you there.

Moo-ving.

Long time no see, old blog.

Well, I fell in love with Columbus but after a great eight year run, it's time to pack up and hit the road.

On August 13, I'm officially relocating to Madison, Wisconsin.

Last week I spent some time in Madison and elsewhere around the upper midwest and I'm feeling very optimistic about things. I've been so impressed.

First, let's visualize. Geographically, the downtown area is located on an isthmus between two of the larger lakes:

View Larger Map

 Being surrounded by water is a very peaceful way to live.

We are moving to a little area known as Williamson-Marquette (or "Willy"). In Columbus-speak, this would equate to probably Clintonville with an even better walk score. It's a quick bike ride from the Capitol (and the famed Saturday farmer's market) and in the midst of cafes, grocery co-ops, restaurants, etc. and we will be 3 short blocks from Lake Monona (and not a whole many more blocks from Lake Mendota-- c'mon, it's an isthmus).

Luckily for us and the dogs, our new place has a back yard shared among the four units in our building. We have an entire floor to ourselves with three bedrooms and a generous amount of living space. I'm already in love with the mature trees, abundance of sidewalks, bike lanes and architecture.

So stick with me while I love my New 'Hood. I'll try to keep up this time, documenting the various aspects of Madison (and other areas I visit in Wisconsin) as a means to keep in touch with you fine folks and to review local joints.


Prior to my move, expect a few posts from my adventures last week: we dined out at some decent restaurants like Merchant, Cooper's and Lazy Jane's, toured New Glarus (the brewery and the town!), and enjoyed relaxing on the lake.

I'll miss you all (well, most of you) very much but just because I'm moving north doesn't mean I cannot be visited ;)

Stauf's

Oh, the place of blind dates, homework, cramming for exams, discussing existentialism, free wireless internet... oh, and coffee.

Stauf's in located on Grandview Ave. next to Jeni's. It's in the same family as Cup O' Joe and Mo Joe Lounge. (In college I went to the Lennox and Clintonville Cup O' Joe locations a lot to study and have bagels.)

Right now I'm sipping on a pumpkin latte. A friend of mine swears up and down that they have the worst cup of coffee in town, and I dilute mine with half and half or drink tea anyway, but it's not really about the coffee.

It boils down to internet and lots of tables. They have plenty of outside seating as well. Parking is never an issue. They are open later than a lot of other free wifi places (until 11 or midnight most nights). I have also had the pleasure of running in to people that I don't mind running in to.

I'm actually posting from Stauf's right now because I have more work to get done than I can think of. I don't operate well on tasks at home because things like the Pup or chores distract me. And to be honest, the only reason I've blogged for the first time in months is because, well, I'm here and I'd rather not do work.

Anyway, think local: http://www.staufs.com/content.aspx?page=grandviewstore

Super Sorry!

I'm so sorry! I have been so swamped with summer classes and work, I keep neglecting to update my local findings.

So here is a promise: I will soon update about the restaurant where I've been working, the Betty's family of restaurants and a music spot or two.

Stay tuned!

Holy cow!

One of my favorite products that is produced and found in Ohio is Snowville Creamery Milk. The dairy farm is just 100 miles from Columbus, in Pomeroy, Ohio.

(But I would also like to take this time to mention a heavenly delicious yogurt that I enjoy from Traders Point Creamery.)

I first discovered Snowville Milk at Whole Foods. I am a nonfat milk kind of girl, but Snowville's is creamier and richer, not watery like some nonfats. I currently have SC's 2% in my fridge, and boy, eating cereal is like having dessert with this stuff! (Then again, I am not used to having 2%).

You can purchase Snowville's milks at Whole Foods, North Market's Greener Grocer and select Giant Eagle and Kroger stores (their website has a complete list of locations). At $3.19 a carton, it's actually cheaper than its neighboring organic milks (even store brand!). Although Snowville is not technically organic, it's pretty awesome and better for you (it contains higher levels of ultra-healthy Omega-3s). To quote SC:

We believe milk is perfect when it comes from the cow so we process it as little as necessary. We do not homogenize so the cream naturally rises to the top. In addition, we pasteurize at the lowest legal temperature, resulting in milk that tastes sweet, clean and delicious.

I mentioned before that Snowville is used in the creation of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams! A lot of folks I know already enjoy their amazing products. I think I need to pick up one of their tees, lawd knows I sing their praises enough! I'm such a huge fan of what they do.

Traders Point Creamery

Although this creamery is located near Indianapolis, it's close enough for me to consider it local. As pictured above, you can find Traders Point Creamery yogurts near Snowville Creamery milks at Whole Foods.

Packaged in recyclable glass bottles, Traders Point Eurpoean-style yogurts are so thick, creamy, flavorful and come from grass-fed cows. I enjoy the wild berry flavor.

Yeah, it is a bit pricey, but I highly recommend that you indulge yourself in a bottle of this sweet, sweet ambrosia if you come across it.

oh yeah!

I forgot to mention that I got my SBB card in the mail!!

The Small Business Beanstalk, at TheSBB.com, allows you to register for a free discount card to use at a variety of local businesses in Columbus. They have a great list of participating establishments and the discounts you can receive. Many include getting 10% off of food purchases at restaurants such as Due Amici, Barrio and Haiku. Free cover at Bristol Bar on Fridays and Saturdays? Yes, please!

Bonus: Word on the Tweet is that The SBB has teamed up with North Market! Heckyes.

PS Shout out to Diana for cluing me into SBB!

I'm in love

Yesterday I decided to hoof it the couple of blocks to High Street and explore the Short North on foot while on the hunt for a restaurant job. And that's when I fell even more deeply in love with my neighborhood. I saw familiar faces, folks greet one another, there are countless small businesses (FYI most of them are closed on Mondays!) and I can't wait to explore some more.

I did stop in to Magnolia Thunderpussy and I picked up the self-titled by Broken Bells which is awesome. It's a collab between the frontman of the Shins and Danger Mouse.

Anyway, Magnolia is great and with record stores not doing so hot, I encourage you to patronize this local shop on High St. next to Skully's.

My Daily Bread

Today I discovered an amazing bread:

It's a little pricey, but it's a two pound loaf and one of the things I really love about it is that it's sliced thin, unlike a lot of artisan breads that don't seem sandwich appropriate in thickness.

The Ten Grain variety I purchased is amazing and delicious and I can't stop eating it. I made a sandwich just so I could eat it. Then I toasted a slice (or two) and slathered on some Nutella. (That's it, no more carbs for me today.) It's the right amount of sweet and grainy but without being crunchy. And oh it toasts beautifully.

Daily Bread Bakery is out of Reynoldsburg and sells breads and pastries to both Whole Foods in the area. Also, they bake without egg or dairy (at least according to one review and the label on my loaf), in case food allergies or veganism are concerns.

But I can't wait to scramble up a big ol' pile of cage-free eggs from Holistic Acres (Ashland) atop some Daily toast.

Whole Foods Finds

One of the reasons that I've fallen madly in love with Whole Foods (I go to the one in Dublin, generally) is because they very proudly carry and display products from this region! I'll try and share with you often the products that I've found.

I'm trying to be conscious and choose local when given the choice (and if it's not too much more in price).

La Gras is a really great and moderately priced pasta sauce from Bedford, Ohio. I enjoy the Spicy Marinara but they also carry other varieties such as garlic and mushroom.

Changes

Yesterday I ran around Whole Foods in Dublin and took a bunch of pictures of local products that I'm excited to share here when I have a moment... I'm moving!

GOODBYE, 'BURBS.

Local Favorite: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Trying to think of all of my favorite things that are native to Columbus has been very difficult! The list is extensive. The top thing that comes to mind is a constant obsession of mine: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams .

Jeni's is local to Columbus and can be found in the North Market, Grandview, the Short North, Bexley and Dublin. They create exotic (and often seasonal) flavors that use ingredients from Ohio and responsible ingredients from everywhere else. They incorporate one of my favorite products: milk from Snowville Creamery (I'll get into that in another post!)

My favorite flavor is Gravel Road. (It's Salty Caramel with nuts.) I'm a big fan of sweet and salty, chunky and nutty ice cream flavors. I also enjoy Smoked Chocolate, Honey Vanilla and Bourbon Buttered Pecan.

My near-fanaticism over Jeni's has led to my over-tweeting to and about @Jenisicecreams.

I'm such a sucker for a duo in a cup and have even walked in a blizzard to get to the Grandview location for a fix! You can find a pint in my freezer on occasion, though they don't last too long.

Explore the website for a list of flavors, locations and to read more about Jeni's.

Thinking Locally In Columbus, Ohio

My recent forays into becoming a greener me have led me to explore what it means to think locally and become an educated locavore.

I'll post some of my favorite brands, restaurants, markets and small businesses as well as links to local resources.

I have many inspirations to thank for my heightened interest in becoming a more integrated member of my community. Organizations such as the Small Business Beanstalk and local-matters.org encourage Ohioans to choose local options for food and business. You might have also noticed the slogan "Think Globally, Act Locally" popping up more frequently (I believe even the "Welcome to Gahanna" sign boasts these words).

I am sensing that on the coat tails of the ever-growing green and organic movements is this notion of sustainability and localism. "Locavore" was the Oxford English Dictionary's 2007 word of the year. So yeah, it's been around for a few years, but I think it's expanding more and more.

There is a lot to understand with localism and stick with me while I explore it more and try to implement it in my life!