Columbus Indiana

Culombus, INDIANA?

Yes, that's right... I'm not talking about Columbus, Ohio. Just little old Columbus Indiana. It's a shopping mecca to some (with a couple huge outlet malls around, an antique mall, etc... etc....) and an architectual wonder to many.

It's a quaint little southern Indiana town great for a quiet getaway, and it's a short drive from Indianapolis or Bloomington if you want to get a little loud. It's a town that is full of surprises and Stephen and I enjoyed a nice little road trip there last weekend. Feel free to check out a few pics we took while we were there.

How did this happen?

How did a farming and milling town in the middle of nowhere become such a center for architecture? Here's the word, from teh city's website:

"Modern Columbus is defined by a series of events that began in 1942 when the First Christian Church dedicated its new building. Designed by the Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen as a break with traditional Romanesque and gothic structures, the building heralded the beginning of modern architecture in Columbus.
The next step towards modern architecture occurred in 1954 with the construction of Irwin Union Bank, designed by Eero Saarinen. With the construction of Schmitt Elementary School in 1957 and in support of the concept that the built environment is crucial to a quality community, the Cummins Engine Foundation offered to pay the architect’s fee for any new school that was designed by an architect selected from a list supplied by the Foundation. Later, they expanded the program to include a variety of public buildings. Other companies and church congregations also decided to seek architects who would add to the community’s quality of design. Names like Eero Saarinen, Harry Weese, Richard Meier, and I.M. Pei led the American Institute of Architects to rank Columbus sixth in a list that included Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington, DC, for architectural innovation and design. "

See the Columbus site for info on local festivals, Art, and more.

Smile! :)

The happy road-trippers pause for a pic in front of one of several local fountains.

Something Old, Something New...

Columbus blends the classic with the modern at every turn, including the large and lovely city park, complete with lake. Shown here are two very different types of tunnels, the walk-through metal spectacle of two odd-shaped panels of screen curving in towards eachother, and the classic covered bridge.

Sculptures in the Visitor's center:

Some great things I missed

I failed to do my homework before the trip and missed out on Zaharako's Confectionery and the Irwin Gardens. Don't repeat my mistake!

Chaos1 by Swiss sculptor, Jean Tinguely

Oh, how I love this sculpture.... let me count the ways.
I freakin' LOVE this thing. It's so textural and strong and alive! The massive work towers near the main entrance of the Commons Mall. It was made the year I was born, 1974. Its mechanical, complex, aesthetic and kinetic presence is magical at a stand still, but the parts whirr and twist, one part then another, slowly... you must have patience. Don't expect it to all take off every hour on the hour. It's called chaos for a reason. I waited a long time, hoping to see on of the balls catch onto the chain that sets it up for a great spinning, turning, rolling fall back into line for another ride, but it didn't happen while I waited. Maybe next time. The locals say that throwing coins in the water below may persuade it to show off, but it showed us no favors that day.
more info

A&W

What a cute little A&W restaurant. I had to snap a pic.

Robert A.M. Stern

Who would have guessed that the same architect chosen for the Disney Animation Building would also design the regional hospital in some nowhere town in Southern Indiana? I had to take a picture of the display at the Columbus, Indiana, visitor's center to prove it. Weird, eh?

I.M. Pei and Partners

Would you beleive that the architects of the Louve in Paris also designed the Columbus, IN, town Library? Yeah... I had to read it three times to beleive it too, and I still found myself looking around for a candid camera.

Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates

Yes,

The architect of this dramatic landmark in Paris, France, also designed the Columbus Engine Company Building (the one referred to in a lower post as "the building that never ends"), as was shown in these flip-photo cards at the visitor's center.

Captivated

Columbus is known for it's captivating architecture in an unexpected location, but to take that phrase literally we see that even the jail is decked out in style. I felt a little weird walking up to the prison gates to snap photos, but the building, with its big white dome, just deserved a photo.
If you have to be locked down, you might as well be trapped in style.

Fine Dining in Columbus, IN

I didn't have a chance to eat at Divino, but I drooled over the menu posted in the window for a while. The dishes sounded like the divine meals I had in Italy. I'm guessing this place would have the attention to detail that any refined tongue craves. I may drive back just for dinner and drive home afterwards. If you're looking for a great meal, I'd recommend checking this place out. Let me know how it goes. It was right on the main drag through downtown, near all the shops and such. You might have a walk around the old part of town and stop here for the grand finish.

I also didn't get a chance to check out the food at Smith's Row, but I did snap this photo of it. Track down their website for more info. It sounds like a great place for a romantic dinner. Fine dining and a tempting menu, with style. It's a shame I didn't get to eat at either of these places, but perhaps next time. Columbus is more about architecture than dining, at least from what you read online, but the great places are there.
We did eat at Johnny Carinos (the others were closed on Sunday). It's a chain, but the food is really excellent. I didn't bother snapping a photo of that one.

The Building that never ends

One building, as far as the eye can see. This massive bit of architecture covered blocks. We drove around it looking for an end somewhere. In many areas it had huge concrete columns leading to dramatic trellis work. Vines covered the building as well as the trellis. It was a strange meeting of the classic with the modern.

After driving around the entire building, we finally got a good view of the massive inner courtyard from one side. From this vantage, we discovered that the massive creation wrapped around this three-story brick building and it's large courtyard, complete with fountain.

The building, we later learned, is the corporate office for an engine company. In the first picture you can faintly see the large engine-sculpture at the entrance, under the huge concrete vine trellis.

The Bridge on 46

This bridge, on 46 between our hotel and downtown Columbus, is similar to the arch bridge, but instead of one smooth arch with cables beneath it, this one has a steep upside-down V with cables reaching out to both sides of it. It's pretty cool.

The View

This suspension bridge looks cooler from dead on, rather than this side view, but this is the view of the bridge as seen from our hotel window.

Game Room, Holiday Inn

The hotel game room looked promising, but the airhockey table wasn't working right. There wasn't enough air blowing to let the puck slide right. The motorcycle game was ok, but I preferred the pacman and trivia games at The Buzz.

Holiday Inn Columbus

The Columbus, Indiana, Holiday Inn is not what one expects of a Holiday Inn. I would have more pictures of it, but my camera went caput before I had the chance for a final snap-a-thon. Here, you see Stephen waiting at the elevator with me. The little garden-like area behind him is overlooked by the 6 floors to his right, in the "tower section". The end rooms have little indoor private balconies.

This hotel has an english-style pub that I would have loved to take some pictures of, but be warned... it is closed saturdays and sundays. (how criminal of them!) This hotel has hallways done up as olde-town streets, with little shops along them, an old mill by the pool (the saunas are in the mill-house). The indoor pool is in an abnormal, wavy shape, like a natural lake, and water for it flows in over a stone creek (complete with footbridge). The hot tub was great, by the way. Look through here for some pictures of the pool aread. There is also a scenic paved bike path that runs behind the hotel and on into town.

It's truly impressive for a Holiday Inn, although I might like to stay in the Columbus Inn if I ever go again. It's in the renovated old town hall in downtown Columbus, perfect for taking off from the hotel on foot if you like. But, the Holiday Inn is worth a stay, for certain. Whatever you do, though, DO NOT EAT IN THE HOLIDAY INN RESTAURANT!!! I've had better food in retirement home cafeterias. It's some of the worst food I've ever had at a restaurant, yet they charged prices more fitting for high-class fine dining.

If you want a great meal, try Johnny Corino's near the corner of 10th and Marr. It's an italian chain, but for a chain the food is surprisingly good. I had the Sirloin with gorgonzola cream sauce and rosemary potatoes with a little glass of cecchi chianti and enjoyed it imensely. The tiramisu was divine, as tiramisu always is.

If you want some beer-action, I didn't get to check out any local pubs but did hit one small bar. It's called The Buzz. Ask a local where it is. You wont see it from the main roads, most likely. It's a simple dive sandwiched between a church and a Veterenarians office, sporting pizza-dive type tables and an old-school sit-down pacman game. But, they had thirty-some beers on tap, I beleive, and others in bottles. If you get a hankerin for something other than domestic swill, this place will have you covered.

6 months

As of September 20th, it will have been six months since Stephen and I had our first date. It wasn't supposed to be a date, just lunch. We had chinese food and tiramisu. But, it ended up being a date. I wasn't ready to date again and I held back a lot emotionally, but for some reason he waited for me.
We had known eachother for many, many years before that lunch/date, but that day changed things, so I wanted to do something in honor of our mini-versary.
A little road-trip seemed in order. Not too far, just to someplace fun to stay for a day or two. Columbus is only an hour and a half or so away, so the place was set. We moved the trip up to the weekend before our miniversary, but same difference.
We saw some cool architecture, had some good food, swam in a neat pool, and enjoyed walking around a new town.
Happy miniversary. :)