Topiary Park

This lovely park is situated in the heart of downtown Columbus. Topiary Park is its popular name but the official name is Old Deaf School Park. The topiary garden, installed in the 1980s, represents Georges Seurat's famous painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Ile de la Grande Jatte". Also near the park, although we didn't see them, are the city's central library and museum of art.

Old Deaf School

As we were entering Topiary Park we couldn't help noticing this impressive building. It was originally built in 1899 as a school for the deaf; today it's a private Catholic high school.

double Columbus

What were the odds of being in Columbus, OH on Columbus Day? It certainly wasn't anything we planned. My first thought was that it was Indigenous People's Day, but then I remembered... Then there was the strange experience of wondering if a person could be pro-Columbus, OH but anti-Christopher Columbus? In any case since parking in an unfamiliar city can be a royal pain, this was quite a welcome surprise.

great-grandparental home

 

Sometimes - but not often - you locate the house where your great-grandparents lived over a century ago, and the current owner very kindly gives you a tour of the house (which he restored beautifully).

Stauf's Coffee, part 2

Upon investigation, my wife did have photos of the interior of this unique coffee house - a former Presbyterian church with stained glass and high ceilings.

Stauf's Coffee

This Columbus, OH coffee chain has a branch in an old Presbyterian church. It's located on Neil Avenue in the vicinity of Victorian Village and Ohio State University. The 1905 structure was vacant for decades until Stauf's breathed new life into it in 2019. The solemn atmosphere is popular with college students who fill the large space with their laptops and study guides. It's possible my wife has photos of the interior.

streets of Columbus, part 2

 

The combination of vegetation, murals and decent architecture made this neighborhood around our bed & breakfast - the Short North Arts District - very walkable and very agreeable.