Around Columbus

Saturday, August 8, 2015
In downtown Columbus there is a beautiful little Topiary Garden designed around this picture

Unfortunately some bad weather has affected the growth on some of the topiarys but you can still "see" this picture below

This is one of the ladies sitting down with her bonnet on

And a couple with their child and dog

For some reason the boats in the water don't show so well in this picture partially because much of the greenery especially on the sail boats has died away but this is another angle on that part

The flower plantings were pretty too

Nearby was the state capital building

with a veteran's memorial wall at each end including a flowers and fountain.

Rather than a listing of those who lost their lives the wall contains a variety of letters sent giving a more personal sense of the emotions of war and those involved in it.

We were too early to get an official tour so wandered the building with a printed guide. We entered at the "basement" level which gave a feeling of being in vaults with a variety of display cases about the history of the building itself and the state.

On the first floor we found a couple of open rooms memorializing the ladies who've been involved in the politics of the state as well as one for blacks and their participation.  Large oil paintings were on walls for well known historical figures from Ohio like the Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison.  This is one of Perry's victory on Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

In the rotunda is this memorial to the soldier's who fought in the Civil War as well as to Lincoln.

with this explanation

As capital buildings go, this one was not nearly as impressive as others we've visited as we've traveled this summer.  It doesn't have much of a dome - in fact what there is can't even be seen in the outside picture I took.  But it did have this domed ceiling over the rotunda room

Actually this former Federal District Court House and Post Office built in 1887 which is now a law firm was a far more impressive building. It was in the next block from the capital.

Being from Michigan, we consider Ohio State University to be our arch rivals so we decided to check out the campus to see what it was like.  It reminded me a great deal of Wayne State University in the midst of Detroit.  A campus created around old homes and buildings sometimes removing them to created campus type buildings and sometimes including them as a part of the campus.  The surrounding area was very much old city residences and businesses.  Ken had to get his picture by their sign

And we enjoyed lunch at the Panera's on the corner of this entrance to the campus.

We'll just have to come back another time to see more of the city and visit our niece and her family.