Columbus Travel Forum

Hey VT community I have some curiosity about this midwestern neighbor of mine. I have a few questions...

Since when is posh shopping Victoria's Secret and Bath&Body Works?

Are these not in every shopping mall? I can't think of anything more mundane than Bath&Body. What about Coach, BCBG, Bebe, Saks 5th Ave. etc.

And for anyone to refer to JC Penney as anything remotely related to posh is a crime against high fashion, America, and the english language. I find it down right offensive. Come on I have a sense of humor.

What is it like for young singles to live in Ohio?
In St. Louis there is not a lot of cultural or social activity going on that is not family oriented. For singles here it is church, the bars, or the health club. What about there?

I enjoyed my time in Columbus... the downtown area was fun.... the college atmosphere is in full stride... and then their upgraded mall outside of town had some nice restaurants for a past college age singles group.

What about those of you that live there?
I am particularly interested in the scene for past college age single life.
Shopping, Social Activities, Cost of Living, Culture, Music, Food, and any other cool stuff.

I lived in Columbus for 3 years. In comparison to St. Louis, I would say that the social activities are similar. There is not a lot of outdoor activities besides golf or football since Columbus is basically surrounded by flat farmland. It is about a 2 hour drive to Lake Erie for boating or swimming. It is also about 2 hours to the mountains of West Virginia for skiing. It is a very cheap place to live though.

Okay for a real answer to your question now
Columbus is a different and very diverse city. Unlike many other Midwestern cities, Columbus doesn't have restricted borders, therefor expanding and not being totally blocked in by suburbs. Columbus "boomed" much later than say Cleveland. Therefore you wouldn’t compare Columbus to say St.Louis but more of a cross between Austin and Phoenix with still a little more east coast flare. As far as "nice shopping" new stores and restaurants are always coming. The end of the 90's was the start of Columbus really attracting high end retail. H&M is coming to Columbus, Saks Fith Avenue is 5 minutes from my parents house. Nordstrom choose Columbus over Pittsburgh, Cincinnati (for obvious reasons) and many other Midwest cities to open their new store. The economy is diverse and the city is unusually expansive and sprawling. While the cities greatest growth is post world war two, the urban areas of Columbus are much healthier than say St. Louis. Everywhere you look there are people my age young, vibrant, and looking for a good time.

continued from above

The young population is spread out throughout the whole city but in the urban core (where i live) there’s the largest university in the county (Ohio State) which as you can imagine works as a pump bringing new life to the city every year. At one time 50,000 plus students attend the university. Near downtown there’s the Short North an artsy/gay/upscale shopping district. There’s diverse urban neighborhoods such as German Village, Victorian Village, Italian Village. All of the old, maintained, and full of young people. Downtown is has some clubs and activities but is mostly still home just daily businesses. Recently there is a new surge of tons of lofts and apartments booming in downtown and all around. Columbus went for Kerry this election by a margin of 5 percent (this says a lot when your in Ohio) People are more open-minded in most parts of the city. Right now im on my lap top at 3am on a Sunday at a hooka bar cafe with immigrants from the middle east. Columbus has a unique style that attracts many young people to stay in the city. There's a lot of bohemian establishments in the city. In the summer there’s some "hemp" festivals and other activities. I can go out on a weeknight or weekend and find good events. For bands and concerts the city doesn’t only attract main headliners, but has a big underground scene for rock and alternative bands. I've seen a lot of bands that only play Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, in this overall region.If you’re young Columbus is a lot of fun. Its not the type of place that always has everything in your face so you still have to go sometimes seek some things out on your own. Columbus isn't always as known as the older midwest cities but is honestly a step ahead and way more progessive than Indi, Cincinnat, Cleveland, Pittsburgh. So if your asking for what its like to live in the rest of ohio, lets just say I wouldn't.