my one night stand: the caper does columbus

You can judge me all you want, but sometimes a girl gets antsy and needs some excitement in her life.  That is precisely why the boyf and I hopped in the car and drove to Columbus for the night.  I'm sorry Cleveland, it's not you it's me.  I just needed a break to clear my head and see somewhere new.  

Our affair began with a craving for Mexican food.  It was so fun to visit the restaurant (chain) where the boyf and I first met 5+ years ago and the restaurant that gave us the love of working in restaurants.  The food was awesome and it tasted just as great as I remember.  If you ever visit an On The Border, be sure to get a Borderita (tall margarita pictured) and if you want a little something extra, get it with Chambord on top. Yum!

I want one of these bad boys right now!

After filling ourselves with all of our favorite menu items, we decided to drive downtown (our original plan was to hike Hocking Hills State Park, but the margaritas "ruined" that plan).  With directions from our great bartender, we made our way to downtown Columbus and into German Village.  After driving around there for a bit we found our way to Short North.  Short North is a great little arts district with great shopping, drinking and eating.  One reason I was excited to visit Columbus was to get my hands on (read: mouth around) some Jeni's Ice Cream.  I quickly found the storefront on High St. and would have gotten on the long line out the door if it weren't for my Mexican food baby in my stomach.  I was scared that I wouldn't get to try the delicious and crazy flavors Jeni's has to offer, but then the brilliant boyf noted that they are open until 11pm! Crisis averted; tantrum not thrown. Consider yourself lucky Columbus! 

Can you smell the waffle cones and sweet cream through the screen? Yeah neither can I, but wouldn't that be awesome?!

As we made our way up and down High St., we popped in and out of many of the interesting shops and boutiques.  I noticed how dog-friendly the community seemed to be, as there were many a four-legged friend sitting beneath outdoor diners and jogging on leashes.  Upon entering the very cool Collier West, we were greeted by this sassy, li'l guy:

He was definitely the boss of me and everyone else in the store.  I let him sniff my toes and then he let me look around.  Collier West has so many cool housewares and decorations and everywhere I turned I saw something I (couldn't afford) wanted to buy.

 
After visiting a few more shops (including a few more with canine proprietors) we decided we were going to find a hotel and make a plan for the evening.  After some chillaxin' in the Comfort Inn, we decided to grab a drink and a late night snack back in Short North.  Since we didn't know where we could get late night eats I turned to trusty Twitter and asked if anyone knew of any cool spots.  Almost immediately, a few of my tweeps answered with some great ideas!  High St. in Short North is definitely the pace to be for a night out.  Although I was tired from a long day of copious eating and drinking and found the loud, drunk people taking their requisite Facebook photos to be more than I could handle, I could see how High St. would be fun if I weren't such a lame-o.

After a great night's sleep we decided since we hadn't eaten in 12 hours that we'd better get our asses in front of a menu.  I was still hell bent on getting some Jeni's and had been tweeting back in forth with whomever runs their twitter and decided to get some at North Market.  We parked the car and walked in to the market only to find the vendors still setting up.  Since we had 45 minutes to kill we decided to grab a brunchy bite at Betty's. We spotted Betty's from across the street and started to cross ust as they opened their doors and about 20 hungover people stampeded the poor server.  I was impressed by how easily the server managed all 10 tables at once.  Since we were too early for "mimosas" the boyf got a beer and I got the world's biggest Diet Coke.  We ordered the breakfast nachos (with scrambled eggs on them)  and a side order of hash browns.  While we waited for our food, we looked around at all of the cool Vargas-y inspired decor.  Girl power!  

Inside Betty's: hungry hangovers

What did we do after polishing off the nachos? Head to the North Marlet for more food of course!  If you haven't been to the market, it is Columbus' answer to our very own West Side Market, with more prepared food.  From the BBQ to the Indian food, I was overwhelmed by the selection.  After taking a lap I positioned myself in front of the Jeni's stall mulling over my decision.  I knew I wanted to try the cantaloupe sorbet and when the very helpful and knowledgeable dude behind the counter told me the half container in the case was all that was left of it, I immediately ordered some! I also decided to take 6 pints home! Who am I? After careful deliberation, I chose: Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Cherry, Salty Caramel, Black Coffee, Cucumber, Honeydew & Cayenne, Maker's Mark Bourbon & Pecan, and Honey Vanilla Bean.  Sweet Jesus these ice creams are good! 

Yum.

Devouring my cantaloupe sorbet.

After the market, we packet up the car and headed back to the 216.  even though it was a short trip, it was just what the doctor ordered.  I had a one night stand with Columbus and will definitely do it again when I need a break from Cleveland.  I hope you understand, Cleve-o; hey, it's not like I went on Casual Encounters on craigslist.  I think you're great, but need to see other cities to keep things fresh.

I highly recommend a trip to Columbus (don't forget your cooler!).  Where would you recommend an overnight trip?

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