State capital of Ohio, the buckeye state and the heart of it all
Columbus, Ohio lies on the Scioto River right in the centre of the state of Ohio. Founded in 1812, it was purpose built as the state capital. The city has about the same population as Glasgow, but is much more spread out. Named after Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (although I suspect he never visited), its modern-day credentials include being the home of Wendy’s fast food chain, and Les Wexner, owner of Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch. It is also the birthplace of Jack Nicklaus, for whom the ring road is ceremoniously named. And for the uninitiated, a buckeye is what we Brits would call a conker.
I had vaguely heard of Columbus before heading over in summer 2001, but having spent three months living and working there it quickly became one of my favourite places in the USA. I stayed on Ohio State University campus and worked in a microbrewery restaurant as a waiter. My time in Columbus was one of my favourite summers as a student, I met so many new people and everybody was really nice and welcoming. Although we get lots of American TV in Britain it really doesn’t give a good impression of Americans themselves – I realised I did not know as much about America as I had thought, and I was surprised that so many people had never met anybody Scottish before, so it was a great opportunity to learn about each other’s cultures.
The view of downtown Columbus, taken from the Scioto River. LeVeque Tower in the centre has stood proud since 1927, with the rest of the skyline being constructed from the 1970s onwards.
The Capitol building at Broad and High, Columbus. It is very loosely based on the US Capitol in Washington DC, on a much smaller scale.
A replica of the Santa Maria sailing ship, famously commanded by Christopher Columbus himself, was built for the quincentenary celebrations of the discovery of the new world in 1992. Sadly she has an uncertain future since the redevelopment of the riverside in 2014.
Huntington Center and Vern Riffe State Office tower face Capitol Square. This was one of my first night-time photography attempts with my newly purchased 1.3MP digital camera.
Again the Huntington Center, creating an interesting shot with the much older block in front. Huntington was my bank during the time I stayed in Ohio, although I was recommended National City. Despite the modernity of bank skyscrapers, American banking systems themselves remain perpetually archaic.
The War Memorial in downtown. I got the idea for this shot when I saw a similar postcard for sale. Come to think of it, I could have just taken a picture of the postcard – but that wouldn’t be right.
The Nationwide Arena, ice rink and concert hall. The artist formerly known as Prince, intermediately the Symbol and subsequently simply “The Artist”…was playing here the same day I wandered in for a look. It was interesting being there with everything set up for a concert, yet with no people at all to be seen. The me of 2016 onwards wishes I’d got a ticket!
A night shot down the road from where I worked, a view I was very familiar with as I waited for the bus home. The distant tower is one of the Nationwide offices, the same company who own the arena.
Ohio State University is one of the largest in the country, with over 50,000 students in 2001 while I was there. Despite the Mershon Auditorium looking like it’s out in the cornfields of Ohio in this shot, it is in fact on North High Street.
Orton Hall is one of the older parts of OSU, with its turreted tower frequently appearing in promotional articles about the University.
This is where it all happens at OSU, the Oval. Like most American colleges, OSU has excellent sports facilities, including one of the world’s largest stadiums for its American Football team (the Shoe), and even its own power station and hospital.
The Wexner Centre for the arts is on OSU campus, and has an interesting steel frame surrounding it, which made for a cool picture.
This tree in the Oval kept giving me the evil eye. I did my best to ignore it.
A very learned looking scholar studying by Mirror Lake on OSU Campus. With a bit more sunshine, I think this picture would look good in a prospectus.
This is an interesting shot, I don’t quite know what to make of it, it is a little ironic. There were quite a lot of homeless people on the streets in downtown, as with many cities I have visited in the USA.
This is the house I lived in for two months during the summer, on OSU campus. I was sharing with 8 students all about my age, and it was a lot of fun. I experienced student life just as an American does, quite different from back in Scotland.
As shabby as my house looked, the neighbourhood was in places quite upscale, and hosted several fraternity and sorority houses too – this one for Delta Omega Kappa.
The historic Ohio Theatre sits at the south side of Capitol Square, and has hosted many famous names over the years, including Doris Day at the particular time I passed by. Originally built as a movie palace, it was saved from demolition in 1969.
Barley’s Brew Pub was where I seeked out gainful employment for most of the summer. Located in the Short North district across from the convention centre, it was clear that Columbus’s craft beer scene was on the up. From what I can tell, the area has boomed in the years since my time, and now even hosts a BrewDog all the way from Aberdeen.
Created 2001 | Updated 2023
SnapHappyRoss 