Today's blog post about the 2015 Summit location, Columbus, OH, comes to us from Liz Herman.
When STC announced the location of the 2015 Technical Communication Summit, there were mixed reactions. Columbus, Ohio. “What? Where?” people asked. I get it. I only discovered Columbus, Ohio when I traveled to the city for a job interview with Battelle last year. I was hired for the job and, although I am located in Battelle’s Arlington, Virginia office, I have spent a good amount of time traveling to Battelle’s Columbus-based headquarters over the past year. I can tell you that I have been pleasantly surprised by Columbus. I asked some Battelle colleagues working there to share what they find interesting and unique about Columbus.
When you consider registering for the 2015 Summit, and I hope that you do register, please give Columbus a chance! Arts
- Wexner Center, Columbus Museum of Art
- Thurber House, 77 Jefferson Avenue; where James Thurber lived; among other accomplishments, he wrote for The New Yorker for many years.
Family Attractions
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
- COSI (Center of Science and Industry)
- Leather Lips Yacht Club Sailboat Races (Sundays in the summer)
Good Eats
- German Village (Schmidt’s Sausage Haus); south of downtown
- Stauf’s on Grandview Avenue; local coffee roaster and grinder with upwards of 30 different coffees and teas
Music
- Easy to find live music in the Arena District, Short North, and Campus areas of Columbus; check outdoor shows at the LC Pavilion on Neil Avenue; see also Woodlands, Palace Theatre, Great Southern Theater, and the Jazz Arts Group
- You can also enjoy Chamber Music Columbus, Central Ohio Bluegrass, and the Columbus Blues Alliance
Shopping Areas
- Polaris, Easton, OSU Gateway, Lane Avenue
Sports
- Home of The Ohio State Buckeyes; The Ohio State University is the third largest public university campus in the US with a 2013-2014 enrollment of 57,466 students.
- Blue Jackets Hockey: The blue jackets were not named after the Shawnee War Chief Blue Jacket, but after the blue jackets worn by Union soldiers in the Civil War. Many of the jackets were manufactured in Columbus.
- Crew: Columbus Crew SC is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in Major League Soccer. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception.
- Clippers: The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians
Some additional interesting/quirky facts:
- Columbus is home to the headquarters of both Wendy’s and White Castle
- O. Henry (William Sydney Porter, 1862-1910) wrote 14 of his stories while serving time at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, which used to be on the site of the present Arena District, at the corner of Neil and Spring Streets.
- U.S. 40, which bisects the city running east-west, is regarded as something of a linguistic dividing line between the northern/New England/Connecticut dialect and the southern/Appalachian dialect.
- The March 2014 National Geographic has a fascinating world map showing the concentration of IP addresses per populated place. Columbus, Ohio, is listed as the “Location [in North America] with largest concentration of IP addresses [per continent].” The other listed locations are Bogota, London, Tokyo, Pretoria, and Melbourne. Columbus is in pretty good company.
Registration is open for the 2015 Summit, so be sure to register today! 