www.mattmunson.com

January, 2009

My first travel story of 2009, and boy was it a doozy! Don't get me wrong, the Columbus area of Ohio is really nice. But this particular week they were enjoying what meteorologists lovingly refer to as "Arctic Blasts", which is essentially really cold air coming down from Canada. During my stay, the average temperature was below zero. Some days, it was well below.

In my efforts to "go native", I chose to walk to and from the office every day. It was only about a mile from the hotel, and it seemed like fun. Some mornings, the recorded temperature was -14 degrees F. That is cold!

I thought this was a good one. You know how Barnes & Noble always has little places to sit outside, so that you can enjoy your Starbucks while reading a book or something? Well, I think that would be pretty tough on THIS set of furniture.

Columbus, and perhaps Ohio in general, is REALLY big on college football. So much so that they have an entire store dedicated to team branded products. It's called the Buckeye Corner. I went inside and poked around. In LA, we have the Lakers, and I suppose there are people who are dedicated to them, but I've never seen a store dedicated to their products. Maybe I just don't get out enough.

Here's my hotel. It's the Hilton in Easton. So technically, I was staying in Easton, Ohio. But it's really close to Columbus.

Here is the giant winter jacket I picked up on my second day in Ohio. Good thing there was an Eddie Bauer store just outside of the hotel. Down jackets are fun! This thing made the stay (and the walks to the office) a lot more tolerable. In fact, it was totally fun. Reminded me of when I was a kid living in Illinios.

Speaking of living in Illinios, one thing that I have not done since then is slip on the ice. Well, I managed to update the record on this trip. After my first night, there was a big snow, and I guess it covered up a patch of ice on the sidewalk. I haven't navigated frozen sidewalks as an adult, so this was all news to me. Consequently, I took a spill, and then took a photo to commemorate the occasion. No injuries, just a lot of fun.

I connected with a friend in Ohio who demanded that I go to a local sweet spot, where they have all kinds of crazy ice cream concoctions. I had the Carrot cake ice cream, which was indeed quite good. Better than ColdStone??? The verdict is still out on that one.

The lovely Easton Mall, again, just outside my hotel. There is a giant shopping center there, of which this indoor mall is only a small part. Very cosmopolitain!

The morning after a big snow, I thought this was an interesting site. Tons of snow piled up on plants. Who knew??

No trip would be complete without a little geeking out. This is a tiny portion of the collection of my pal Gino, who is clearly into Star Wars stuff. The guy on the right was not featured in any Star Wars movies.

	I thought this was a good one. You know how Barnes & Noble always has little places to sit outside, so that you can enjoy your Starbucks while reading a book or something? Well, I think that would be pretty tough on THIS set of furniture.		Columbus, and perhaps Ohio in general, is REALLY big on college football. So much so that they have an entire store dedicated to team branded products. It's called the Buckeye Corner. I went inside and poked around. In LA, we have the Lakers, and I suppose there are people who are dedicated to them, but I've never seen a store dedicated to their products. Maybe I just don't get out enough.
	Here's my hotel. It's the Hilton in Easton. So technically, I was staying in Easton, Ohio. But it's really close to Columbus.		Here is the giant winter jacket I picked up on my second day in Ohio. Good thing there was an Eddie Bauer store just outside of the hotel. Down jackets are fun! This thing made the stay (and the walks to the office) a lot more tolerable. In fact, it was totally fun. Reminded me of when I was a kid living in Illinios.
	Speaking of living in Illinios, one thing that I have not done since then is slip on the ice. Well, I managed to update the record on this trip. After my first night, there was a big snow, and I guess it covered up a patch of ice on the sidewalk. I haven't navigated frozen sidewalks as an adult, so this was all news to me. Consequently, I took a spill, and then took a photo to commemorate the occasion. No injuries, just a lot of fun.		I connected with a friend in Ohio who demanded that I go to a local sweet spot, where they have all kinds of crazy ice cream concoctions. I had the Carrot cake ice cream, which was indeed quite good. Better than ColdStone??? The verdict is still out on that one.
	The lovely Easton Mall, again, just outside my hotel. There is a giant shopping center there, of which this indoor mall is only a small part. Very cosmopolitain!		The morning after a big snow, I thought this was an interesting site. Tons of snow piled up on plants. Who knew??
	No trip would be complete without a little geeking out. This is a tiny portion of the collection of my pal Gino, who is clearly into Star Wars stuff. The guy on the right was not featured in any Star Wars movies.