Unique Columbus Ohio: Seeking the Local

Many midwest cities have a numbing sameness. Columbus, Ohio stands out.

Columbus, the state capital, may be the most fashionable midwestern city. The home of L Brands, which includes the Limited, Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, the city attracts lots of designers. In the Short North Arts District, I found local boutiques with highly fashionable clothes, shoes and jewelry.

Food is also a focus in the city. There are beer, distillery and coffee shop trails that encourage visitors to patronize local establishments. And get a free t-shirt.

Even my hotel, Hotel LeVeque, emphasized this local mentality. The minibar had a craft bottled cocktail from Watershed Distillery.

The minibar goes local

Hotel LeVeque's sumptuous lobby

The hotel's restaurant, The Keep, uses Watershed Distillery's gin for a barrel aged Negroni. It makes use of many local products: the bourbon, rye, apple brandy, and bitters are all local. You might think you were in a bar in Brooklyn.

Local coffee shop

Although Hotel LeVeque has a chain coffee shop in the lobby, I did check out a fantastic local place, The Fox in the Snow Cafe. The latte was perfect, and the latte art on point. The sublime egg sandwich was made on house baked bread, with arugula. And the biscuits would please a Nashville purist.

Perfection: the egg sandwich at The Fox in the Snow

Taking home a bit of CBus

Concocting a candle at The Candle Lab

I made a candle at The Candle Lab. You choose a few scents, see what goes together, and create a custom candle. Cleverly, the candle takes a couple of hours to set, giving you time to shop the local boutiques and art galleries. Or have a meal or drinks at Service Bar. This restaurant is attached to another local distillery, Middle West Spirits.

Barrel aged Negroni at The Keep

Note: I was a guest of Experience Columbus, which covered my travel expenses.

All Aboard: Driving the Chevy Traverse around New York

Does it seem odd to drive to a train show?

Holiday train show at the New York Botanical Garden

Well, the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden is a bit of a misnomer. The annual show, in residence for two months, has plenty of model trains. But it also has models of houses and structures around NYC.

We particularly liked the Coney Island section and the area devoted to Lower Manhattan. When you see the show with older kids, you examine the buildings more closely. We were saddened by how many of them had been knocked down.

The glorious Beaux Arts Penn Station was there, rendered in bark, leaves and twigs. At least the building's demise led to an outcry and to the formation of the NYC Landmarks Law.

Spreading out in the Chevy Traverse

Second row comfort, and light pouring in through oversized windows

I was surprised that the 3 row Traverse is considered a midsize SUV. We found it quite roomy, with captains seats in the second row and a full size third row. There was plenty of floor space for an overgrown dog as well.

Behind the third row there was a large cargo area. We drove to Thanksgiving in it, instead of squeezing into our small sedan, and had tons of room for the cakes, pies and sides I was supplying.

Button on lower right reveals a secret compartment

The Traverse gets only 18 mpg in the city, 27 o the highway. But considering that we drove our friends, who were going to take a second car, w saved a ton of gas. If you are just driving yourself around, this may not be the ideal vehicle.

We didn't get to put the AWD to the test. You switch into this as needed. But considering I had the SUV a week after a snowstorm paralyzed the New York region, with cars spinning off the road, this is an important feature.

Note: Chevrolet loaned me the Traverse. I was not otherwise compensated.

Fit for Foodies: Holiday Gift Guide

A 'shot' of peanut butter from Pic's

Have a foodie you need to shop for? Try these holiday gifts

A gift that isn't nuts

Peanut butter is essential to a vegetarian or vegan diet. [sorry if you are allergic]. We usually have three or four different peanut butters at hand. A creamy for me, crunchy for the kids. Both natural. And another natural that is thinner and better suited to baking. Sometimes we have a specialty pb: spicy, or mixed with chocolate.

GoSili reusable travel mugs

Now there's another brand to consider. Pic's Really Good Peanut Butter, from New Zealand, could be your all around peanut butter. Pic's shines in savory dishes, like an African ground nut stew with tomatoes and sweet potatoes. It has a subtle, very fresh taste that goes well in cooking.

Pic's has both salted and unsalted varieties, smooth or crunchy. And it is just peanuts and salt. It is non GMO verified and about $12 a 16 ounce jar.

A cheese plate with Polaner fruit spread

And if you are giving gifts to a traveler, the 'peanut butter slug' is ideal. You can put these in a stocking, or pair a few with crackers.

A honey of a gift

Local Hive has raw and unfiltered honey in 16 varieties. The honey is made throughout the country, so you can buy honey that is local to your area, or try a honey from a different region. Each varietal has its own flavor profile. Local Hive, from Rice's Honey, is also kosher. One pound jars are $5.99- $7.49

And sweet alternative

If you want to avoid added cane sugar, Polaner Fruit & Maple is sweetened with maple syrup. These fruit spreads come in strawberry, peach, raspberry and blueberry. The peach pairs well on a cheese plate, since it is less sweet than most jams. The gluten free and kosher jams also have no high fructose corn syrup.

[Try it paired with Pic's peanut better for a real treat!] An 8 ounce jar is $3.99

Drinks on the Go

Reusable coffee cups may be great for the environment, but they are often difficult to clean. GoSili has a dishwasher safe silicone cup that is reinforced with stainless steel. The cups stay cool to the touch and they are lightweight. They also fit easily in stroller or car cup holders.

If your coffee (or tea) gets cold, you can pop it in the microwave. The 16 ounce mug, in teal, gray or (millennial) pink is $15 at Target.