Hello, Columbus

Wardrobes ready for Ohio

Here we are, our first full day back in Columbus -- or, if you'd rather, C-bus (a nickname I love) or Cowtown (one I hate).

It's a city Paul and I both know well. Paul moved from northeast Ohio to a town on the west side of Columbus before he even started school. I was born and raised two and a half hours away in rural northwest Ohio, but moved to Columbus for college. Paul and I met when we were both students at Ohio State.

We were married in 2003 and spent the next four years on Columbus's west side before moving to New York. And now we're back!

Columbus is often overlooked as a destination in its own right. That's a mistake. Don't get me wrong -- no matter how much I love the city, I still wouldn't recommend that anyone plan a two-week getaway there. But you could easily fill up a long weekend exploring historic German Village, the Short North arts district, the excellent park system and the Ohio State campus. Columbus also has a restaurant scene that seems to be gathering an increasing amount of attention, and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams has earned raves -- as well as a James Beard award for owner Jeni Britton Bauer.

In addition, Columbus offers an art museum, children's museum, botanical garden and a famous zoo, thanks to former director Jack Hanna. As for sports, there's one team to rule them all: Ohio State, specifically football. But Columbus is also home to professional soccer and hockey teams, as well as a minor league baseball team.

Even I was surprised to learn that Columbus is actually the 15th largest city in the country. With around 800,000 residents, it ranks just below San Francisco and above popular destinations like Boston, Seattle, Denver and Washington, D.C., according to Wikipedia.

I could go on and on -- about how I'm looking forward to attending the monthly Gallery Hops again, or how Columbus was named the most intelligent city in America earlier this year, for example. But there's plenty of time to get into all of that, and lots more.