Viewing entries tagged Ohio
By Will McGough
Will McGough
I could tell you a few things: I'm a writer, I live in Santa Barbara, and I'm an
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| Wednesday, 14 November 2012
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I couldn’t really believe it myself, but there I was in Ohio in the beginning of November, and politics were the last thing on my mind. In the rural county of Hocking Hills, a land of limited cell reception and winding forest roads, Romney and Obama's automated "will you please just vote for me already" phone calls would have needed a bloodhound to track me down amongst the tall pines. The election is an important thing, for sure, but to be honest I couldn't have been happier to step out of the crossfire without taking one side or the other.
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Hiking near Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills.
Despite what the name would suggest, there are no great changes in elevation in Hocking Hills. While it's not flat as far as the eye can see, describing the area as hilly would be close to an overstatement when you're evaluating it based on adventure travel standards. Ohio is not the west, but that is not to say it doesn't have a few solid options for losing yourself in the outdoors. It's actually a great place for those who want a full dosage of the wilderness without having to carry their clothes on their back - most of its gems are highly accessible, perfect weekend getaways for those living in Columbus (1 hr ), Cleveland (3 hrs), Cincinnati (3hrs), and Pittsburgh (3 hrs).
While I never associated Ohio with a paved landscape, glaciers actually took a large toll on the area. The best example of this is found in Hocking Hills State Park, known for its glacier-carved, historically-smothered sunken valleys. The headline attraction, Old Man's Cave, is supposedly haunted by a man and his two dogs who lived and died in the cave in the late 1700s (the man was found dead by a group of men passing through and is buried somewhere in the vicinity). At night, visitors and park rangers have reported hearing barking dogs, only to arrive at the cave and find nothing.
Ash Cave - a larger, more dramatic cave in the State Park - is also apparently one of the most haunted places in the area, with reports of loud "drumming" heard throughout the night. I say apparently here and supposedly above because, as I explain here, ghosts don't seem to want anything to do with me. The cave is beautiful, though, and the largest in Ohio.
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Hiking near Ash Cave in Hocking Hills.
Zip-lining, kayaking, and caving are all other options for visitors to the area. You can fly superman-stylewith Hocking Hills Canopy Tours (my friend Kristen of Hopscotch the Globe is going to be making a video that will include this ride, so I'll be sure to pass it along when it comes out for a visual), paddle down the Hocking River with the Canoe Livery , or take a scenic flight for an aerial view of the inspiring colors, caves, and waterfalls.
For lodging, I was invited to stay at the Inn at Cedar Falls. While the first thing you come across on their website is that they have free Wifi, don't get the message twisted - a stay at the Inn is a damn-good escape (awful cell phone reception, which I enjoyed). They just added a spa cabin and you have the option of staying in a private cabin or a single-room in a lodge. Its location a few miles from Cedar Falls and a five-minute drive from Hocking Hills State Park puts you right in the thick of it.
One thing I would highly recommend would be to plan this trip for late September through mid-October, when the fall colors are at their peak. We caught the tail end of it all - the winds from Sandy sort of spoiled it - but the potential was beyond evident.
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Hiking near Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills.
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Hiking near Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills.
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Hiking near Ash Cave in Hocking Hills.
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Zip-lining in Hocking Hills.
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Zip-lining in Hocking Hills.
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Zip-lining in Hocking Hills.
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Kayaking in Hocking Hills.
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Scenic flight over Hocking Hills.
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Kayaking near Hocking Hills.
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Last of the fall scenery near Hocking Hills.
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Caving near Hocking Hills.
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Hiking near Old Man's Cave.
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Hiking near Old Man's Cave.
By Will McGough
Will McGough
I could tell you a few things: I'm a writer, I live in Santa Barbara, and I'm an
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| Wednesday, 08 August 2012
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When I entered the neighborhood known as German Village just south of downtown Columbus, the first thing I noticed was the colonial feel, the abundance of brick that made up the houses and sidewalks.
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Berry pie at Harvest Pizzeria.
There's no grass, but small green trees separate the red-brick sidewalks from the cast-iron fences on one side and the gray-brick street on the other. On the sides of the streets I could see white-rock carriage steps, a reminder of early days when the houses would all have horses tied out in front.
The name results from its settlement by German immigrants during the 19th century, very much in the same way they settled the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati. It's a great part of the city to walk in, very peaceful and very suburban, with an average home price of $377,000, several of which are over $1 million. No surprise, the clientele of this area has drawn some of Columbus' best restaurants to the neighborhood. Here are a few places I would recommend, all of which are on board with the farm-to-fork movement:
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Margarita pizza at Harvest.
Harvest Pizzeria and Curio: There is so much mediocre pizza out there, but most of us don't care because pizza is pizza, and even when it isn't great, it's still good. Many of the gems you'll find in big cities don't offer comfortable seating, and the suburban establishments are typically more focused on delivery and high-quantity production than detailed construction. Harvest Pizza excels in both areas: They made great thin-crust pizza, and they recently unveiled an old-fashioned cocktail bar called Curio.
There aren't many places you can eat pizza and sip speakeasy cocktails - I sampled pieces of Margarita, mushroom, and double-bacon pizza while enjoying a Hickory Stick Bourbon drink with Fernet Branca, vermouth, bitters, and liquid smoke. Decorated with throwback items such as a large, gold and old cash register, suspended top hats, and bartenders who meticulously mix drinks, this is easily the most unique pizza joint I've stumbled upon in recent memory. Be sure to check it out for a happy hour that leads into dinner, and save room for the dessert. Two recommendations: The Butterscotch Budino (it's like a butterscotch pudding with caramel sauce, creme fraiche, toasted hazelnuts, vanilla-scented Maldon sea salt) or the pie of the day, made by none other than the owner's mother (seriously, see photo).
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Jumbo scallops at G Michaels.
Photo courtesy G Michaels.
G. Michaels: It's "restaurant week" every week at G. Michaels in German Village, the chef offering a 3-course meal every Monday for $30. We were treated to a five-course tasting menu paired with the beers from Rockmill Brewery, sampling the scallops with wilted arugula, corn, and mushrooms, salmon with blue-cheese potato gratin and a caramelized-onion sauce, shrimp and grits, bacon-wrapped venison, and a vanilla-infused Panna Cotta with melons and gorgonzola.
I'm a big fan of tasting menus as they give a good perspective and overview of what the chef and the restaurant have to offer. It puts the pressure on to exceed over the "course" of the meal - not just one dish - and G. Michaels impressed with its wide range of well-executed concepts. I thought the blue-cheese potato gratin was a delicious twist and perfect compliment to the sweetness of the caramelized onions, and the gorgonzola with the melons and Panna Cotta was a sneaky/brilliant way to construct the sweet/salt/savory combo that we all crave in a fruit/cheese pairing.
Skillet: The menu is constantly changing at this popular weekend brunch spot, always seasonally driven and dependent upon "what comes through the door that morning," Chef Kevin Caskey explained. Do not hesitate if you see the blackberry pancakes on the menu - I found the fruit to be sweet enough that many bites did not need syrup. Next time I think I'm going to try the Smoked Duck Quesadilla if they have it: Shredded smoked duck and blistered sweet vidalias folded into a grilled tortilla with queso chihuahua, chile verde, and toasted pepitas served with charro beans.
They don't take reservations, so get there early on Saturday or Sunday (open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.) for large portions of "rustic urban food" served up in a small venue. Caskey describes his food as ingredient driven, simple, and never complicated, and I found a quote that I love about the food at Skillet: It is deceptively simple, like the painting on the wall that everyone thinks they can paint... until they try.
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Dining area/bar at G Michaels. Photo courtesy G Michaels.
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The streets of German Village, Columbus.
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German Village, Columbus.
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German Village, Columbus.
By Will McGough
Will McGough
I could tell you a few things: I'm a writer, I live in Santa Barbara, and I'm an
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| Tuesday, 07 August 2012
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We (travel writers) are so focused on what is good for outsiders coming in that I think sometimes we lose sight of how important certain developments are for those that actually live in the place we’re exploring. I was invited to Columbus to give my thoughts on the food scene – to talk about it in terms of travel – but I think I’m going to put that on hold for a moment, take a step back. One of my main inspirations and reasons for travel is to see the way in which other people choose to live their lives, and I think this is a good time for a quick reflection.
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Columbus celebrated its 200th birthday this year.
I think sometimes cities and countries are so focused on trying to attract big, broad business that they forget to embrace the personalities of their residents.
Unfortunately, most people are vacationers, not travelers, and familiar names are a welcome sight. Take a majority of the world’s cruise-ship ports, Times Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, or Inner Harbor, for example. Tourists will find things to entertain themselves and you can have a good time in these locations, but they are far from an accurate depiction of local personality, far from why residents opt to live in each respective city.
My advice to Columbus (and other cities in similar up-and-coming situations without established tourism) would be to be selfish first and foremost, focus on things about which your people are passionate. If you build something with charm and personality that is a reflection of your residents, travelers such as myself will be attracted to that culture. While developing an area with chain restaurants and brands recognizable to outsiders might bring short-term success and higher profits, being true to local products/personality is what will generate growth and inspire from within. Most importantly and above all else, it will generatea great city as opposed to a great place to spend a few days.
During my time in Columbus, I found those in the business of booze to more than understand this concept. We visited Brother’s Drake in celebration of National Mead Day on Saturday (it’s always the first Saturday in August). Mead is a beverage similar to wine made from water, honey, and spices, and its consumption/production dates back to 7000 BC (that's a long time ago, man).
Owner Oron Benary explained how he plans to keep the business local, and he isn’t afraid to express his disdain for big business’ obsession with the bottom line. He’s focused on earning a livable wage via his craft, he said, not maximizing profit. Other beliefs: Employees should be paid living wage, not minimum, and he believes the pollution produced in shipping something from out of the country is worth no break in price, no increase in profits. The fruits of a local product (both the mead itself and the profit from its sales) that is produced by local labor and ingredients should stay local, he said.
In a world full of corporate structures and classrooms that teach the youth that the bottom line is king, I found this mindset to be refreshing. And whereas it’s often cheaper for businesses to buy new rather than reuse assets, I was happy to observe the strong connection between the local businesses in Columbus. There are tons of examples: Middle West Spirits ages whiskey in oak barrels, then sends the empties to Rockmill Brewery to cask-age their tripel; Rockmill Brewery sends beer to Jeni’s to make ice cream flavors; Brother’s Drake refuses to ship out of Columbus, not even to Cincinnati or Cleveland.
As it was in Detroit and Cincinnati, a rebuilding Columbus is an excellent place for entrepreneurs. To reuse a quote from my trip to Detroit that I believe applies here, you can’t afford to be a struggling start-up long in cities like New York, D.C., or Los Angeles, but you can in cities that are currently getting their swagger back.
Here are a few companies to check out when you find yourself thirsty in Columbus:
Watershed Distillery: I told you that I had a nice time playing drinking games and sampling some damn-good gin. Read up here if you haven’t yet, and look for it behind the bar in the mid-west.
Middle West Spirits: The OYO label consists of whiskeys and vodkas, the latter of an unfiltered variety. We did a side-by-side tasting of OYO vodka and Grey Goose during my visit, highlighting the difference between a vodka that's been filtered and one that has not (filtering the vodka removes a lot of the character from the grains and gives it a broader appeal, and the point of the tasting was to show the two different styles). Middle West believes (rightfully so) that unfiltered vodka carries the taste of the region's grain. In this case, Ohio's comes through rather pleasantly, and although I love Grey Goose, I dig the concept of the local vodkas representing the bite of the local soil.
Rockmill Brewery: The story behind Saison, or the farmhouse ale, is that it was invented by Belgian farmers who realized that an ale is easy to produce and store, as well as an excellent calorie provider/motivator for workers out in the field. Rockmill carries on this tradition today with a tasty version of its own, but my favorite was the cask-aged tripel that grows old in a whiskey barrel from Middle West Spirits. I put a bottle in my checked bag and, despite some concern, it made it safe and sound, sin explosion.
The scoop on the Columbus dining scene is on the way.
By Will McGough
Will McGough
I could tell you a few things: I'm a writer, I live in Santa Barbara, and I'm an
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| Thursday, 02 August 2012
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I'm in route from Denver to Columbus to meet up with some foodies and travel writers, the group of us descending upon the city for a culinary-themed weekend to conduct some investigative reporting.
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Columbus skyline courtesy of Rod Berry and Experience Columbus.
Columbus claims it has become a terrific food town - a proclamation that I will admit comes as a surprise to me, as I’m sure it does to many of you. I’ve asked around and there seems to be a buzz brewing, though, the town’s restaurants drawing favorable reviews from fellow travel writers in addition to the woman currently sitting next to me on the plane (who is a frequent visitor).
It just goes to show how important it is to always keep an open mind, to be willing to forgo your expectations and previously held notions, to venture into the unknown in order to discover treasures of travel of which you were previously unaware.
Quick historical perspective: The largest city in Ohio turned 200 this past February, although Columbus is a baby when you stack it against other cities in America. St. Augustine in Florida, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States, was founded almost 300 years before Columbus in 1565 (Jamestown and Santa Fe come in at #2 with founding dates of 1607).
I confirmed yesterday that I’ll be headed back to Colorado later this month to do a few stories on the abundance of microbreweries popping up all over the state, but for now, adios Denver. The feast will begin tonight in Columbus, stay tuned.
By Will McGough
Will McGough
I could tell you a few things: I'm a writer, I live in Santa Barbara, and I'm an
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| Wednesday, 18 July 2012
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Sometimes it's not necessarily the information you retain but rather the perspective you gain that determines the impact of a museum visit.
I knew a lot of the information presented at theUnderground Railroad Freedom Center before I went. I knew about the Declaration of Independence and I knew that the founding fathers were slave owners, but I'd never thought deeply about the true hypocrisy of our break from Britian. That's not me throwing stones, that's unfortunately the facts forming the reality of the situation:
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, a wealthy slave owner from Virginia, the Declaration of Independence is largely an indictment of the King of England, listing the ways Britain had oppressed American colonists. The purpose was to justify the Revolution against English Rule.
While essentially a political document, the Declaration was tied to the problem of slavery in a number of ways. The Declaration proclaimed that “all men are created equal” and that they had the right to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” This language, while intended to justify American Independence from Britain, could also have justified slaves revolting against their masters. This surely was not the intention of slaveholder Jefferson.
Ironically, it was the proclamations of equality above from Jefferson (who died in 1806) that ultimately undermined the morality of slavery during the Civil War in 1865. After the release of the Declaration in 1776, English writer Samuel Johnson wondered: How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes?
Another thing that's crazy: This all didn't happen that long ago. We are still feeling the affects of slavery on some level in the racial divide that we see today. And although not in its tradition form, an exhibit at the Freedom Center points out that slavery itself still exists in 2012. In 2009, there were 43 human trafficking prosecutions in the United States, split evenly between labor and sex trafficking.
I suppose I shouldn't be entirely pessimistic, given the fact that "stationmasters" helped slaves to escape and hid them wherever they could - in houses, barns, and sheds. Some even made "false bottoms" on their wagons in order to transport people out of slavery. There are always going to be people in this world who are out for their own good, but there are always going to be those who wish no harm upon others, who treat others the way they wish to be treated. My hope is that we are able to get some of the latter into positions of decision making as we go forward into the future.
I suppose that little rant was my way of saying I enjoyed the exhibits of the Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati - it seemed to get my wheels turning. Be sure to check it out if you're in the area or passing through town. With all the writing I've done and all the writing I've yet to do, I could not imagine being remembered for saying something so insane. See the photos below.
Photos from the Underground Railroad Freedom Center:
By Will McGough
Will McGough
I could tell you a few things: I'm a writer, I live in Santa Barbara, and I'm an
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| Tuesday, 17 July 2012
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I had been to Cincinnati twice before, but both visits surrounded the fact that I am a fan of the city's baseball team, the Reds.
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View of downtown Cincinnati from the Carew Building.
I attended the 2006 Opening Day game when President George Bush threw out the first pitch, and I also swung through town in June of 2009 for the Civil Rights Game (a game for which Obama declined an invitation to throw out the first pitch). I didn't spend any time downtown except for the game in either occasion. I don't think I considered the city dangerous, although I will admit I hadn't really heard of a reason to poke around.
Cincy has been plagued by the riots for over a decade, the Queen City assumed to be armed and dangerous by tourists. And I've got to be honest: I can't really blame them. Read up on the history of what happened, at least the general tensions that surrounded the situation. It's pretty disturbing what was going on at the time, and the ensuing uncertainty of trust between police and residents cast a dark cloud of crime over the city for the next decade. People left the downtown area, moving out into the suburbs and leaving the bars, restaurants, and shops to crumble. The three or four million dollars worth of damage that occurred in the few days of rioting was nothing compared to the stain it left on Cincinnati's image and what it would mean for the near future.
I don't say all that to dwell on the past, I say it because I believe the backstory to be important in appreciating the city that stands today. At the risk of sounding dramatic, it's like watching a person turn his life around. Once down, Cincinnati has worked hard to restore its neighborhoods and has put a lot of time, energy, and cash into some impressive urban redevelopment. The progress is evident, without a doubt. The chicken and egg restoration - the quandary of needing residents to attract businesses versus the need for businesses to attract residents - is finally beginning to result in a mutual trust as buildings are refurbished and apartments are renovated.
Proof of Cincinnati's resurgence is evident in its recent hosting of the World Choir Games, a ten-day competition that is considered the "Olympics of choral music." Close to sixty countries were represented at the Games, the venues and hotels of downtown putting up people from all around the world. I think that speaks very largely about the city - its ability to once again draw international events to its infrastructure.
Here are a few other sights and sounds from my two-day stay in the Queen City:
Cincinnati's Infamous Neighborhood, Over the Rhine (OTR): A canal that once ran through Cincinnati reminded German immigrants of the Rhine River in their homeland, prompting them to refer to the area north of the canal as "Over the Rhine." That canal no longer exists, but the name still sticks with the neighborhood today. OTR harbors the majority of the city's art organizations and, according to the OTR Foundation, is comparable both in size and architectural significance to New Orleans’ French Quarter and the historic districts of Charleston and Savannah.
It's also one of the main hubs for nightlife in the city, the section you want to find yourself on a weekend night. Check out the row of bars and restaurants on Vine Street between Central Parkway (the street that was paved above where the canal used to be) and 14th. Neon's Unplugged at Goetz and 12th is good spot as well, a comfortable, open-spaced backyard type hangout with an outdoor barbecue and a bocce ball court to settle who pays for the next drink.
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Washington Park graphic promoting the park's new music-driven focus.
Washington Park: Located in OTR beside Music Hall and featuring a classical music hall of fame, Wash Park recently reopened after undergoing a $48 million renovation and installing a technology that allows visitors to select classical music via a mobile app to be broadcast over the park's sound system. The technology does not exist in any other park in the nation, and the new fountain in the park's center "reacts and dances" to the tempo of the music, most certainly to the delight of the kids cooling off on a summer day.
"We saw the potential to bring what happens inside the hall outdoors, to make the concert experience part of the public space," American Classical Music Hall of Fame Executive Director Nina Perlove told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The goal of the renovations, which also included a playground, dog park, and small concert venue, was to reestablish the park as both a community cornerstone and a social space for families.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at the downtown area as well as some more of the art and cultural aspects of Cincinnati, including thoughts on my visit to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
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Washington Park fountain.
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The new fountain at Washington Park in Cincinnati.
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Washington Park fountain at night.
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Music Hall as seen from Washington Park in Cincinnati.
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Outline of the OTR neighborhood in Cincinnati.
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