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.