The Ohio State University

Recently we had a little family get together in Columbus, Ohio to see where my niece and nephew attend college.  Alex is a junior and Richie is a freshman, and they love the school.  After a weekend there, I can understand why.

Beautiful red brick college campus with Columbus in the background

The campus sprawls for miles and miles and is absolutely beautiful.  It is one of the largest colleges in the country in both student population and campus size.  There are over 40,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs, and the city of Columbus has a population of over 1 million people.









Unfortunately the weather wasn't very cooperative with rain, sleet and snow, but we made the best of it.
Alex's friend Brian gave us an amazing driving tour of the campus, and Brian and Richie then gave a walking tour of the Rec Center and the Library.  Here's  a quick glimpse of what we saw:

Central campus

Library "quiet room"

Floors of books

Nephews Richie and Dane hanging in library

Mike and nephew Adam in library

The multi-floor Rec Center with a walking track on the top floor

And of course we had to visit the bookstore, where hats were all the rage...

And we enjoyed lots of laughter, food, drink and OF COURSE NCAA basketball..

Angie, Peggy and Gary watching basketball

Eric and Adam watching the game

Peggy, George, Mom and Pam at the hotel

Pam, Brian and Alex at breakfast

Mike, George, Richie and Pam at breakfast

On Sunday everyone headed back home, but Mike and I took advantage of a sunny day and checked out the antiques in Columbus.  And our final stop before leaving town was lunch at "Melt".  They specialize in grilled cheese sandwiches, and they have been featured on the Travel Channel and awarded one the 21 best sandwich shops in the country.  The sandwiches were amazing. Mike tried the "Philly steak" grilled cheese, and I had the basic "Kindergarten" grilled cheese.  

Undoubtedly the best grilled cheese ever, and the decor was fun too...

And why not decorate for all seasons?

So if you are looking for a Midwest travel weekend, I would suggest you head to Columbus.  And definitely eat at "The Melt".

Diane