Downtown Living

Rob and I moved into our third-floor condo on Front St. in January of 2006. It's in the Arena District just south of Nationwide Arena. Before we moved in, I thought we'd give downtown living a try for a couple years even though I wasn't sure how I would like it. Well it turns out I love it. It's nice being able to walk to dinner, Blue Jackets games, the Arena Grand movie theater, Goodale Park, concerts at the LC, hockey games at the Ice Haus and of course, the bars. Now we never need a designated driver.

The other thing I like about living downtown is the people watching. Rob and I like to guess what event is going on at the arena based on our observations of the people walking by. Cowboy hats mean it's a country concert or rodeo, hockey jerseys obviously mean a Jackets game, lots of overweight middle-aged women are a good indication there's a Longaberger basket convention or a god event, little kids = Disney on Ice.

When we first moved in, the units below us were still under construction. One night, I was sitting on our terrace late at night when I saw a drunk couple stumbling down the street. They were clearly lost and looking for a place for the girl to pee. They chose a dirt pile next to our building. The guy convinced the girl that it was a hidden spot, and she dropped her pants. At that point, I laughed. Out loud. They both looked up, and the girl looked completely mortified. The guy waved, and I waved back.

A few weekends ago, the Race for the Cure took place downtown. We watched from our terrace as 37,000 people ran/walked by in support of breast cancer research. The first few runners passed us within 15 minutes from the start of the race. Within 20 minutes the street was packed from curb to curb with runners. They were followed by the walkers, many with dogs or baby strollers. It was really incredible to see.

Anyway, downtown is where it's at.