I'm Moving to Ohio

[Cirque du So-What]

I have accepted a position with a company in Zanesville, Ohio (~50 mi. east of Columbus on I-70), and aside from a three-day visit earlier this month, I'm completely unfamiliar with the area.

I'm appealing to all DUers with knowledge of the area to weigh in with hints, tips & local lore. You may include Columbus in your replies, since I expect to be spending a lot of time there for both business and pleasure.

Thanks in advance :hi:

[LynneSin]

1. You might want to try this in the lounge - plenty of Ohio DUers in there

:D

[Cirque du So-What]

4. Will do, LynneSin

I wanted to give my query a test run in GD beforehand.

[Teaser]

2. Gonna be a dental floss tycoon?

.

[Cirque du So-What]

7. Ummm...that's Montana

I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of
Dental Floss

Raisin' it up
Waxen it down
In a little white box
That I can sell uptown

By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
But I'd be raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss

Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss

Well I just might grow me some bees
But I'd leave the sweet stuff
To somebody else . . . but then, on the other hand I would

Keep the wax
'N melt it down
Pluck some Floss
'N swish it aroun'

I'd have me a crop
An' it'd be on top (that's why I'm movin' to Montana)

Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon (yes I am)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a mennil-toss flykune

I'm pluckin' the ol'
Dennil Floss
That's growin' on the prairie
Pluckin' the floss!
I plucked all day an' all nite an' all
Afternoon . . .

I'm ridin' a small tiny hoss
(His name is MIGHTY LITTLE)
He's a good hoss
Even though
He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
Any way

I'm pluckin' the ol'
Dennil Floss
Even if you think it is a little silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks

I'm gonna find me a horse
Just about this big,
An' ride him all along the border line

With a
Pair of heavy-duty
Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand
Every other wrangler would say
I was mighty grand

By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
But I'd be raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss

Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss

Well I might
Ride along the border
With my tweezers gleamin'
In the moon-lighty night

And then I'd
Get a cuppa cawfee
'N give my foot a push . . .
Just me 'n the pygmy pony
Over by the Dennil Floss Bush

'N then I might just
Jump back on
An' ride
Like a cowboy
Into the dawn to Montana

Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)

-Frank Zappa (on his musical bum Over-Nite Sensation)

[Teaser]

45. You sayin

that dental floss only grows in Montana?

[Cirque du So-What]

52. No, but that's where all the dental floss tycoons are N/T

[knitter4democracy]

3. Zanesville's nice.

:)

Hubby and I went to Mount Vernon for college, so I know Westerville and the west side better. There are good restaurants in Zanesville, though, and not far from there. I remember a vegan restaurant in Columbus that was good, but I can't remember the name. I'll see if I can find the link.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. I may choose to live in the Newark / Heath area instead of Zanesville

it's ~25-30 miles to where I work, it's closer to metro Columbus, and my college-age son is making the trip & will likely attend Ohio State in Newark.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

26. I would recommend Newark. It's a lot nicer to look at than Zanesville. No

offense to anyone.

[L. Coyote]

42. Newark was once the world's largest earthwork. See the remnants, world's largest

geometric earthwork still at near 3,000 feet. Was several square miles before the Euro-Americans invaded the Ohio Nations and stole their territory.

Newark Circle = http://jqjacobs.net/archaeo/newark.html

Newark Octagon = http://jqjacobs.net/archaeo/octagon.html

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

43. Interesting, I didn't know that. Thanks for the links. n/t

[knitter4democracy]

34. I had a friend in college from Newark.

She said there were bad parts of town, so I'd ask around before finding a place to live. I did my student teaching in Johnstown, not far from there. Interesting place, but I wouldn't recommend it, really.

[Ezlivin]

5. Don't wear anything but OSU colors or you'll have a hard time.

And when modern life gets to you, there's always the Amish.

My wife grew up in a little town just to the east of Wooster, Ohio. I didn't even know the Amish existed until I met her. Now I feel so English.

[Cirque du So-What]

12. I'm no stranger to the Amish

I lived in northern Indiana for several years in an area with lots of Amish folks. The names of towns with large Amish populations - Nappanee and Shipshewana - fairly rolled off the tongue.

[Lorien]

50. Was it Wadsworth? Kidron?

My mother grew up in Wadsworth. Now a lot of the Amish farms up there are being bought up by developers. Sad.

[mod mom]

8. I worked a Kerry Rally there.

I live in Cols (transplant form chicago) but have been there for the Kerry Rally (I travelled around Ohio as a volunteer). There is a beautiful old downtown, but otherwise, can't provide much info.

Welcome to Ohio :hi:

[madinmaryland]

9. I grew up about 75 miles NW of Columbus.

Not a whole lot to do there.

[unpossibles]

10. Columbus is a pretty decent city

there is a ton of variety, as far as subcultures, people, interests and things to do. I lived there for about 18 years, and while it had some annoyingly Midwestern small-c conservative moments, it's not a bad city.

My few experiences with Zanesville are not as flattering, but at least it's not far. I'm sure there are cool people and things to do there, but... you'd have to find them I guess.

Welcome to Ohio! When I moved to Cinci from Columbus, everyone warned me how Conservative it is down here, which to me means they just need more folks like us. Here's to trying to tip the scales.

[Lorien]

51. Columbus was very liberal in the 70s

when I was a kid. I remember that I never even met a republican until my senior year in High School. My, how times have changed!

[unpossibles]

55. it still is fairly liberal

at least in the neighborhoods that I love. Now with a lot of the new 'burb construction it's gotten more conservative, but still not as badly as Cinci.

[teenagebambam]

11. Grew up in Columbus

Went to College near Zanesville (Muskingum) and have pleasant memories of both. Columbus seemed very Mayberry-esque when I was growing up, but now has come of age and seems very vibrant, arts-friendly, respectful of others, etc (my sister still lives there). Also the real estate is still affordable.

I also used to love the drive between Zanesville and Columbus, which takes you through Heath/Newark, cause it's really beautiful countryside. Once you're East of Columbus there's lots of rolling farmland. East of Zanesville you start to get into Conservative Kookland, but the countryside is still gorgeous and there are some great State Parks out that way. (Salt Fork springs immediately to mind).

[Cirque du So-What]

15. I was concerned about this part

East of Zanesville you start to get into Conservative Kookland...

I was glad to find out that Zanesville wasn't quite the peckerwood's paradise I had imagined.

[Lorien]

47. Born and raised; I also grew up in Columbus ( the Clintonville neighborhood)

I lived there from the mid 1960's to the late 1980's. I still visit, as friends and family are still in town. Check out the Short North near downtown for Art galleries and bistros (Martini's restaurant is very good). The gallery hop happens once a month-not sure of the day, though.Be sure to stop in to the Riley and Hawk glass galleries; the stuff there will take your breath away. My dad lived in German Village, which is also near downtown. It's a historic German community where most buildings date from the 1880s. Lindy's, the Mohawk and Thurmanns are great places to eat, along with the original Max & Erma's. Check out The Book Loft for a HUGE selection of books and cards.

Near the Short North is another historic neighborhood; Victorian Village. The homes are amazing. Check local calendars for events in the area.

Downtown there's also the Ohio Theater; a late Victorian masterpiece in it's own right. Catching a show there is something special.

Columbus is home to some excellent Art Festivals. The Riverwalk art festival in the summer is amazing, and the Winterfair Art festival offers many wonderful items from master artists and craftsmen that are the perfect American made alternatives for Christmas gift giving.

Like biking? There are some good trails at Whetstone Park. Blacklick and Sharon woods offer a little light hiking. For something more, head South to Hocking hills and Old Man's Cave.

I'll probably think of more soon, but those are some of the first things to come to mind.

[Kolesar]

13. You are going to do double back flips of ecstacy when you see Hocking Hills State Park

It's about an hour from there. It's that nice; it really is. :bounce:

[Lorien]

48. It is indeed! I spent summers in summer camp down there

though I hear that's it's getting more crowded now. Back in the 1970s you could spend most of a day around Old Man's cave and never see another soul.

[madmom]

14. Lived in Columbus as a youth, if you're into nature be sure to visit

the Old Man's Cave area it's south of you but it's pretty nice, also in Leo (a little further west) they have Indian petroglyph's another area not far from you but in West Virginia (Point Pleasant) is the area of the Moth man Prophecies. It's part of what we call the "other Ohio" because here in nw Ohio we are ignored by the powers that be in Columbus (at least we were when the repukes ruled here)We're finally starting to see some government financing (infrastructure mainly) go Strickland!!!!!

[Botany]

16. Stuff

Zanesville over all is very red. Lots of anti gay, jew, educated people,
and black feelings around there. God, Guns, Guts, and monster pick ups
have a big following

Deer Hunting is big. (no problem there .... I Deer hunt)

The Democratic party used to be real strong there .... unions & coal mines ...
not so much now.

Athens, OH is not to be missed. Very Liberal and stuff to do.

S.E. and Eastern Ohio has many great parks and outdoor areas.
Conkles Hollow and some of the surrounding parks are great.

German Village, the Short North, Worthington and many good restaurants
make Columbus worth visiting. La Casita 1355 Bethel Rd Columbus, OH 43220
has good Mexican Food & Yannis Greek Restaurant 6196 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH 43231
is real good and not too expensive.

Cleveland, OH has some great museums.



Zanesville biggest thing .... The Y Bridge

[peace13]

17. Check out Granville , it's in your 25-30 mile range.

We have an active peace group that gathers at the corner twice a week to remind folks that there is a war going on. Good place to visit if it's too far from work. Send me a message if you need more info. peace, Kim

[Ohio Joe]

18. Sweet

We can always use more Dems here, way too many freakin repugs. I moved here about 7 years ago from MA and the lack of liberals was a big culture shock.


My favorite restaurant so far is Anna's, a greek place on Sawmill, right next to Hard rd. just north of Columbus.

I've lived in NJ, NY, CT and MA before living here and the best warning I can give is be carefull on the roads, walking and driving. I've never heard of so many hit-n-runs (and I refuse to call it a hit skip)anywhere else I've lived. I've also never seen so many bad drivers. If you think someone has the potential to do something stupid, they probably will.

ummm, thats all I can think of off the top of my head but feel free to PM me if you want to now anything specific.

WELCOME :hi:

[jebediah]

23. Oh, yea. Forgot the drivers.

Lousy drivers. You'll see someone going over 100 mph on 270. After the first snow or freeze you'll see people act like they never drove on ice in their life. I can recall 6 accidents I personally witnessed in 13 years.

You know, it sounds like a silly exaggeration, but dems da facts.

[knitter4democracy]

36. Or you'll pass them going the speed limit like they're standing still.

Yeah. Crazy place to drive.

[knitter4democracy]

35. Oh, and people will stop in the middle of the road for no reason.

Used to happen to me all the time, especially driving country roads between Mt. Vernon and Johnstown. We'd be going along, I wouldn't be tailgating, and then they'd scream to a full stop in the middle of the road (not pull off or anything). A few minutes later, they'd drive on. No animals, no fishing around like they'd dropped something, no cell phone. Just stop. Darndest thing. I've never had that happen to me anywhere else we've lived since.

[jebediah]

19. Lived in Columbus for 13 years...

Blue Nile Restaurant for excellent Ethiopian food.

German Village just south of Downtown is worth a couple of strolls. The Book Loft down there is a great used book resource. It's a long maze of rooms on multiple floors.

The Gallery Hop in the Short North can be fun if you like the art scene.

Be sure to check out Columbus Alive for small music venues around town.

Hocking Hills is amazing. Plan many weekends. Be careful in the Old Man's Cave area if there's a lot of rain. I almost slipped into the Devil's Bathtub on a slippery day. That could've been the end of me.

http://images.google.com/images?q=hocking+hills&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

If you like ice cream, go to Graeters.

http://www.graeters.com/

I enjoyed a tour of "The Wilds" near Zanesville. Weird to see African wildlife roaming free in Ohio.

Don't bother looking for the neighborhood from the tv series Family Ties... actually, Morgan Spurlock rented an apartment there on his show when he tried to live on minimum wage for a while. It's a rough area.


Of course, I haven't been there in 7 years now, so I might be giving outdated info.

[mod mom]

21. I prefer Jeni's for ice cream (North Market, Short North, Grandview and soon

in Bexley)

Slate Run in Canal Winchester (east side of Columbus outside of 270) has a great historic farm that both kids and adults love.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

24. Jeni's got a great shop. I knew her in college, cool person. n/t

[Lorien]

49. Agreed, except for a couple of things

The Book Loft sells new books-a lot of the are closeouts, but none are used. For used books, try Karen Wickliff's in Clintonville North of OSU.

The Keatons of Family Ties were supposed to have lived between Beechwood and Worthington (according to the producers), which now is a pretty upscale section of town.

[UnyieldingHierophant]

20. Just remember...OSU sux!

[rucky]

38. Are you trying to get him killed? n/t

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

22. I worked in Zanesville in an architecture firm. I commuted from Columbus every day.

This was from October 2004 to October 2005. The job was a good opportunity but I hated the place. i think it was one of the things that made me leave Ohio altogether for Chicago. But to each his own. You might end up loving the place. It just wasn't for me.

Funny thing is my boss was president os some kind of Bush Cheney 2004 organization.

[mod mom]

28. funny I recall an architecture firm w a */cheney sign in the window near the Kerry

Rally (outside the courthouse). It stood out to me because 1. my husband is an architect and 2. most architects are dems (Al Gore and RFK Jr were keynotes at recent AIA conventions). Maybe this was the firm you worked at.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

30. Ours was North of downtown in a pretty wide open area by Maple road.

The only person in our office who voted for kerry other than myself was the receptionist. Her son was in Iraq at the time.

[mod mom]

31. scary. I haven't ever known a Republican architect. Maybe it's the water.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

37. Me neither, so check this out. Our building was divided in 2. My side was the

architecture firm. The other was a law firm. That's right a bunch of trial lawyers and parlegals all right wing.

I actually got along with my coworkers. That's the first time it's happened between me and republicans. but their ideas were pretty toxic.

[lame54]

25. Your vote won't count

http://www.topplebush.com/books_other_elections.shtml

[galileo3000]

27. State Motto

A friend of mine in Boardman, Ohio (Near Youngstown) often said that the state mottow should be "bring something to do."

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

29. LOL. I can relate to that. n/t

[madinmaryland]

32. Hey! There are plenty of cows waiting to be tipped!

[Orsino]

33. I'm sorry you're giving up your vote...

...but best wishes for a safe move!

[rucky]

39. You're going to need one of these:

[L. Coyote]

40. Tons of foreclosure homes cheap in some areas.

[riqster]

41. Watch I-70 near Brownsville/Gratiot in wet or snow

Those 'seven hills' are accident magnets in poor weather. National Road is a nicer commute.

Plus, they have the "Buckeye InTRAnational Airport" next to the dragstrip.

[Cirque du So-What]

44. Kick for the evening crowd

and thanks to everyone for their helpful responses.

As a side note, I've signed up for the e-mail newsletter from Drinking Liberally, Columbus chapter. It meets the first Thursday of each month at Byrne's Pub from 6:30 PM onward. I won't be able to make the one on December 6th, but perhaps I'll be there on January 3rd. Cheers!

[ellie]

46. Hey! I live in Ohio,

but in northwest Ohio. I know nothing about Zanesville, but we have a democratic governor in Ted Strickland and half of our senators are democratic: Sherrod Brown! Welcome to the Buckeye state!

Oh, an Columbus is a blast!

[OzarkDem]

53. Some have called it

the asshole of the universe.

Others refer to it as the laboratory for bad government.

Its getting better, though.

[Liberal In Texas]

54. Sorry to hear that. But you could have ended up in Omaha.

or Texas.

Count your blessings.

:-)

[kurth]

56. No kidding

Ohio is nicer to look at than half of the other states. Just ignore the smokestacks.