Finishing Columbus (6/16/2015)

We set out with a plan this morning to return to the German Village and take the CBUS (free bus ride) on its route through the Brewery District, Arena District, Victorian Village, Italian Village, Short North, and the German Village.  We didn't remember how to get to the bus stop (near the Kroger store for parking), so we stopped back by the Visitors Center and got directions, got parked, and boarded the bus.  It wasn't as exciting as it sounded, and although it wasn't raining when we left our cars, it started up again before the first stop we decided to get off at, and 3 of us had left our umbrellas in the car. 

Our first stop (fellow bus rider's recommendation) was in the Arena District at Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League.  The arena wasn't open, and sharing our little umbrellas didn't work very well either.

There were a lot of bars and eateries in this area, but it was only 11:30, so we weren't ready to eat.  We mostly just wanted to stay dry.  We worked out way back to the bus stop and got back on.  Our next stop (bus driver's recommendation) was on the way back, again in the Arena District, at the North Market. 

We expected something similar to a flea market, but it was more of an ethnic deli/food court atmosphere. 
"The current 36 merchants are a mixture of delis, bakeries, pastry shops, ethnic food restaurants, specialty goods stores, and produce stands."  We were there right at the lunch hour, and it was very busy.  It was similar to the 2nd Street Market we had visited in Dayton.  We were holding out for a German restaurant in the German Village, so we didn't buy anything here, but there were a lot of people who did.

Joe was in the market for a new umbrella, even though he was one of the three who remembered to get them out of the car (he said if an ant sneezed, his umbrella turned upside down), but we didn't find one there.  So we headed back out to the next bus stop, got back to the cars, and headed to Schmidt's Sausage Haus Restaurant.  This was more what we had in mind yesterday when we ended up in a deli.

We had to wait a few minutes while they set up a table for six -- so we had to stand right in front of the dessert counter!!!

They served authentic German food, and the waitresses wore German costume dresses.  The business started in 1886.  "Inside smooth wood floors, stall-like booths, rough paneling and old brick walls make a beautiful setting for the numerous original paintings of famous German Village artists."  

We enjoyed our meal here (no room for dessert), then ventured back out into the German Village to our last two stops.  The first was Helen Winnemore's, the oldest contemporary craft store in the U.S., and it was moved to German Village in the 1960s. 

There was beautiful pieces of artwork and crafts here, from artists all over the country.  The first item Marilyn picked up was made by a couple in Cornville, Arizona!  There were lots of very unique, beautiful pieces here, but nothing any of us felt we could afford.

We moved on to our last stop, the Golden Hobby Shop.  Here was 2 floors of items handcrafted  by Central Ohio seniors.  They had all kinds of things, from beautiful quilts, bird houses, to baby clothes, doll furniture, wooden side tables, scarves, and on and on.  And it was very reasonably priced -- the seniors sell their wares here on consignment.  There were several things that caught my eye, as well as the rest of our group.  I particularly thought this bowling bug and butterfly would fit into Dorothy and Arnie's yard.

Joe has become interest in gourd birdhouses on this trip, and he found two here that he decided to take back to Arizona.  Here's one of them.

Other items that appealed to me were:

Chalk Board/Magnetic Board

They just had cool stuff.  Joe and I were so glad we didn't miss this shop, and that we had saved it for last.

We had one other site on our agenda, Frank Fetch Park, but it had gotten late on us and we still wanted to make a stop at Costco, so we had to omit that stop.  Mazie, Joe and I stopped at Costco, and the others went on back to the RV.  The weather had cleared, and it was a pleasant evening, but we were all too tired to do anything.  We walked a lot today!  But I think we are all ready to move on to Canton tomorrow.