Day 3: Columbus, OH – “Ohio is defined by its nice people, NOT its drivers”

Another great day in Columbus! We woke up early and went to a power yoga class in downtown Columbus that was the most intense yoga class we have ever been to - but it was incredible! We left completely soaked in sweat but feeling like we could conquer the world. After coming home and regrouping, we ventured outside of the city center to Mitchell berry patch for some fresh raspberries and edamame. We came away with some pretty good loot.

After we came home, we took Caitlin and Mike’s dog Riley to a beautiful park right down the street from Caitlin’s. We spent about three hours laying out on a quilt analyzing dog breeds and chatting with strangers in the park. We gave away a few postcards – one to a man who said he worked at every TGI Fridays from Ohio to LA (really?) and another man who mentioned he had a dog in a wheelchair (hmmm…).

That night, we headed out for – a shocking twist! – MORE ice cream! This time we chose Greater’s, a more traditional ice cream parlor known for their monstrously large chocolate chunks. We gave away a record NINE postcards at Graeter’s, mainly because the boy working behind the counter asked us for extras, and proceeded to hand them out to customers around the store. Needless to say, we got several snickers and stares, but we also seemed to make some people’s days. As we left Graeter’s, we overheard people talking about some of the questions we put on the back of some of our cards, so we’re hoping to definitely get those back. On the way to the car, we also ducked inside a closing café and gave a postcard to one of the waiters with a nose ring the size of a small Frisbee.

Observations

-We saw Columbus’s (and probably Ohio’s, and potentially the world’s) largest shadow projection of Jesus. Nothing like a little nudge from the big guy upstairs every time you go on 71 south.

- We tried bread ends from a local deli, hoping to channel the gastronomic miracle that is Bread Ends and House Dressing from Take-It-Away in Charlottesville. Sadly, these didn’t quite stack up… but keep trying, Ohio. We have faith in you.

- After literally drooling for a good half hour in this AMAZING athletic clothing store called Lulu Lemon, we spent a good half hour later in the afternoon justifying all the reasons why spending $98 on a pair of polyester pants (Ashley is convinced they are made of little bits of magic, but Meredyth is pretty sure its just some variation of plastic) wasn’t completely insane, but rather absolutely justified, and potentially the best idea any of us had had in a long time.

Miles to go: 3,504

Total Post Cards Given Out: 21

Post Cards Received: 0

States Traveled: VA, MD, WV, PA, OH