Girl Meets City: Columbus, Georgia

Update: October 29, 2024- This is still one of the highest read pieces on this site, almost ten years later! It is my hope to get back to Columbus at least by the anniversary of this post, but this time with my kids for a whole other perspective.

– Molly

Original Post: March 21, 2015

UPDATE: Thank you, people of Columbus, and everyone else who has read, shared, and loved this article. I’m so overwhelmed with all the lovely feedback. Y’all have made these past few days the highest read EVER in the three years this site has been up and going. I’m so happy that y’all feel like I have done your city, your home, justice. 

There will be an additional post on the new website I’m working for, The Southern Weekend, with more of my interview with 11th and Bay owner Mike Harrell. This website is owned by Raycom Media, who also owns your local ABC affiliate: WTVM. 

Make no mistake- I will be back soon, Columbus, and I can’t wait to meet so many of you face to face. If you see me, please introduce yourselves! I would love to meet so many of y’all face to face.

– Molly

Have you ever left a place, a city, a destination, and felt almost like you were in pain? I feel that way whenever I leave a place, and I felt it when I left Columbus. It’s that same feeling when you’re falling in love with someone, that amazing, euphoric, punch drunk feeling. But let me start from the beginning.

With Girl Meets City: Savannah (click here) I had the amazing Melody Munn to serve as my tour guide to Savannah, letting me know all of the best places to feature in a one day piece- she also served as my photographer that day. In Girl Meets City: Dublin (click here) I had not only my photographer, Gillian, but also Rebecca from their CVB assisting me. With Girl Meets City: Athens, Georgia  I had the ever amazing Jen Tello from Flirt Fashion serving as my guide- and again my photographer, Gillian.

Girl Meets City: New York, New York Part One (click here) I had myself to serve as my own photographer but also my lovely friend Carrie Howland to serve as my guide- and even I knew better than to think I could cover everything amazing about New York in one trip- thus the “part one” title.

However, when setting out for Columbus my schedule just so happened to work out that I could not find a photographer to come with me, so I resigned myself to doing this one somewhat alone. And then while doing some research on Columbus, I came across the Uptown Columbus website and spoke to Elizabeth Hurst- who was able to give me a list of places to check out. And while I did not have an official photographer with me, I did end up finding a friend to show me around on one of my nights in town.

So, without further ado, I bring to you…..

My first stop had to be The Blue Door Boutique. I’m not going to even lie to y’all- I made sure I looked super cute on my way in there with my Spanx leather pants, my super soft white tunic from Rumor, and my fabulous pink coat from Flirt. See, the thing is, when you’re a fashion blogger you have to dress the part. Otherwise when you go in to a business and say “hey I’m going to feature y’all on my website” people will think you aren’t the real deal.

I was also a little bit concerned how the experience would go, I’ve been to The Blue Door a few times but not often. And a Google reviewer said that the girls weren’t friendly. I don’t feature places here that aren’t friendly and that I wouldn’t recommend. However I’m happy to say that Laura walked right up to me and asked if she could help me and if I was looking for anything in particular. And not in a pushy sales way, and she didn’t just walk behind the counter and start texting when I told her I was just looking either.

I did eventually tell the girls what I was doing, after all, the camera kind of gives it away. I have to say, I was really happy to see that the quality of items was better than I expected. Yes, I’ve ordered items online but it doesn’t give you a true feeling of what the store itself is like. A lot of times, these boutiques with thousands of online followers (over a million Facebook “likes” in the case of The Blue Door) don’t have fantastic quality items. Not the case here.

I had, somewhat, resigned myself to not doing any shopping with on this trip. I need to do a serious closet purge! But I did get a lovely statement necklace, which I generally stay away from because so so many of them look like the bubble necklaces that I hate so much. But this necklace won me over!

Next I headed next door to Pursona. I had interviewed their owner, Angie, early on in the life of this website. About three years ago. Much to my surprise- she remembered me! Y’all there is nothing more gratifying as a writer than people who remember working with you, especially since she and I had done the interview over email and we had not actually met one another.

I also came away with my first pair of combat boots, I have been eyeing this trend for a little while now and just couldn’t find any that I loved. These, I loved. And…. they were on sale. Under $30 y’all. #happygirl #happydance #whycantiuseemoticonshere

Next I would head to downtown Columbus- which is actually referred to as Uptown Columbus. Uptown Columbus is also the name of a non-profit agency working to revitalize their downtown area. I’ve heard quite a bit about Columbus, mostly about their Riverwalk- and honestly, with a little bit of doubt. How cool could a riverwalk really be? Besides, I had gotten in to it with a reporter, Chuck Williams, from the Columbus Ledge-Enquirer once when he had slammed Middle Georgia in an op-ed about Little League and why wasn’t it in Columbus. At the time, I had challenged him to come to Middle Georgia and find 10 cool thing about our area and I would do the same in Columbus. The challenge was never taken up, and it was before my Girl Meets City series, so…. yeah. Anyways, so I can get back on track, I’ll address more about the Riverwalk later and how it blew me away. Needless to say, my doubt is gone.

But you can’t really appreciate the Riverwalk until you first walk along Broadway downtown. Columbus has the whole thing happening here, amazing shops, great food, and something that I really think is unique: public art on every corner. And in between every corner. On the walls. With sculptures. Painted trash cans. I think it says a lot about a city when they so clearly care about making every space pretty. It’s something that feeds the eyes and the soul.

Being the daughter, and granddaughter of artists- and the occasional painter myself- I find this incredibly interesting. I’m not sure who commission this or got it going but kudos to them.

I also discovered that Columbus is called The Fountain City, I’m going to guess this is due to the numerous fountains stretching from downtown all the way through their Historic District- along Broadway.

It would be in Uptown Columbus that I would step in to The Posh Peach, a lovely little boutique which Elizabeth would later tell me used to be a wig shop. The owners would completely renovate the space, exposing lovely original architectural details that were hidden underneath tiles.

My resolution not to shop would be broken here as well. Good job, Molly.

Next I would take a coffee break- surprise! It was my first one of the day! Usually I’m about three cups in by now. Iron Bank Coffee is a super cool spot, built in- did you guess it?- an old bank.

They have awesome coffee drinks here as well as sandwiches, luckily for me because I was starving by this point in time. And seriously in need of some caffeine.

From here, it was time to check in to my hotel and take a break before the rest of the evening. There are three lodging places in Columbus that I would recommend: the Pound House Inn, a lovely little B&B, the downtown Marriott, and the Courtyard Marriott in Phenix City across the river. In my case, I waited too long to book my hotel and Pound House and the downtown Marriott were booked- so I ended up across the river. I have to say, it was more convenient than I expected it to be. There’s a pedestrian bridge which is really pretty to take you right in to downtown or you can drive over the 13th Street bridge and you’re right where you need to be. Also, Heather was super sweet at the front desk when my GPS got me lost for a little bit.

Once checked in, I would meet my friend at Social: a downtown taco place complete with rooftop bar. I liked the fact that I could watch the basketball games and live tweet for my new job without having to sit at the bar- although I do generally like to sit at the bar when going out. What can I say? I like to observe- which is lucky for y’all. Anyways, I was quite pleased with my tacos, although it would be nice if you could mix and match the different kinds. No, I didn’t get photos, I was afraid it would be rude to my guest.

I imagine we would have continued to their upstairs rooftop bar, but it was kind of rainy so my friend brought me to The Loft- a great place for live music and cocktails. It was a little bit crowded but I managed to find a seat at the bar after we checked out the band for a little bit. This place clearly pays homage to music, with framed guitars above the sliding panel doors, separating those at the bar from others at small tables in front of the band. I liked that the panel doors would be opened later for those where we were to hear the band a little bit later.

From there it was off the the No Shame Theater, in the Springer Opera House. It was once we were here that I really appreciated the proximity of Columbus State University and their theatre arts department, based in downtown Columbus. Because it was pretty much all students up there performing, as best as I could tell. I didn’t take pictures here simply out of fear that someone might call me out and make fun of me. No thank you, I do not care to be the target of a college student practicing standup comedy.

I honestly am impressed that such a venue is available, anyone can sign up at the door and admission is only $5. And there are clearly some people who have quite the following, one young lady named Taylor Leigh had a rowdy welcoming when she got on stage.

Sidebar: The Springer Opera House is the State Theater of Georgia. It operated as a major theatre venue from it’s opening in 1871 until the stock market crash of 1929. In 1964 it was slated for destruction, and luckily a group of civic minded citizens in Columbus would work to save it.

At this point, it was a somewhat late evening, and I knew the next day was going to be jam packed so off to bed I went.

The next morning was the Color Me Rad race in Uptown Columbus (note: you’ll notice I will sometimes refer to downtown Columbus as either downtown or Uptown, they are indeed one and the same).

I was not signed up to participate, clearly given my activities the evening before, but I was prepared for it to be busy. But… not prepared enough. After driving around, I found parking and made my way to 11th and Bay to interview chef and owner Mike Harrell.

I’ve conducted many interviews over the years, and many lately with different chefs and restaurateurs. But never have I met someone whose interview literally brought me to tears, until this time. Mike Harrell credit his wife, Heather, so much during our interview. He said “she inspired it all…. she saw what it was going to look like”.

It’s pretty clear all the way from the name of the restaurant, 11th and Bay: Southern Table, to the decor to the menu that the South has had a huge influence on the Harrell’s and their restaurant. I asked Mike where this influence came from, and he told me a story about how the artist who decorated the restaurant had taken photos of WC Bradley farm- but also found a photo of his mother in a chef’s hat teaching a class of kindergarteners how to cook. His mother’s cooking was a central part of his life growing up.

He also gives credit to his wife, Heather, and her background growing up as a Macon girl having a huge influence on their restaurant. And her saying, “picture Sunday afternoon, big family get together, big table out in the middle of the backyard, all the girls are helping mom… dads are out drinking beer…. and then it’s time to eat. That’s it.”

And Heather would say: “And the one thing we are going to bring back that we have lost is true Southern hospitality.”

Mike said, my wife and I said we wanted to put on our menu “pull up a chair and stay a while”.

After our interview, I walked up the street to check out some more downtown shopping. I had no idea how many restaurants and shops there were in Uptown Columbus!

And, apparently, Pi Day is a thing in downtown Columbus. Elizabeth told me that Your Pie would be celebrating Pi Day with specials. It was so packed that I didn’t have quite enough time to wait in line- but it looked amazing. But I noticed a few other places were running Pi Day specials as well, like the place where I was going zip lining would offer a second zip line person in your group for only $3.14. I think that’s a pretty cool idea, and educational as well.

I was directed to Maltitude by my friends at The Peach State Ale Trail and got to take advantage of my Ambassadors Pass to pick up some beer for said friends at the Peach State Ale Trail. It’s also nice to see another craft beer option popping up in the state, and it was kind of cool that the owners were aware of the laws passed in my own hometown of Macon, Georgia which allow pints to be poured in growler spots as well.

I do always love to see independent bookstores, and this one happens to also have vinyl records. (Roger Riddle I almost called you to see if there were any that you wanted!)

And then it was time for a coffee break! Luckily, Fountain City Coffee also has really good sandwiches. I don’t know what I would do if coffee shops didn’t also carry food. I might really have to get that coffee/caffeine IV drip that I keep threatening.

coffee coffee coffee…..

As best as my research shows, Columbus also has the only urban river rafting course in at least the Southeastern United States- if not in the whole country. Either way, I did not go rafting but I did participate in the Blue Heron Adventure course at Whitewater Express. Elizabeth at Uptown Columbus only told me I was going zip lining, which I was pretty stoked for, I’m not going to lie. But when I got to the counter, they said “oh she’s ‘full adventure'”. Hmmm….. ok. Didn’t know what that meant yet.

But I stepped outside and immediately made friends with Dominic Bryant and Janae Carey, who would later introduce me to their other friends: Chelsea Brown, Jocelaine Smith, Darnell Smith, Megan Baggs, and Kaitlyn Baggs.

This is also one of those instances in which being the travel writer- at least for that moment- may or may not have worked in my favor. ” Travel writer goes first!!!!” Was what they said once we climbed the tower. ” You get to do the Ranger Jump.” What is a ranger jump, you might ask?

A ranger jump, as I told my friend Carrie later, is like a 500 foot high trust fall. ” You know- a trust fall- the last time I did one of those was during my sorority pledge retreat and my knees buckled and I almost for real fell down.” ” OH- you mean like that thing from Mean Girls?!” ” Yes- that’s what it’s like! But like, 500 feet up in the air.” Note: I’m not sure if it was really 500 feet, I can’t find info about it on their website. But still. It felt like it might as well as been a thousand miles.

Yeah. Anyways. So I hate trust falls. But…. I was up there. First to go and all, and DJ- that’s the name of the guy helping me- gets me all strapped in and says, ” ok, can you do this?” It’s simple, right? Lean back like you’re in a chair, hang on to the rope, and jump- being sure to push off if you look like you will hit to pole. Except you’re looking way down on to the ground and I have a slight fear of falling. Why didn’t I get a cocktail while I was at 11th and Bay?! Everyone is watching….

But, sure enough, I did it. Scared the bejesus out of me for about the first two seconds, and then I somehow got all turned around so I didn’t do the push off the pole with my feet like I was supposed to. But I landed safely on my behind. Not as graceful as I would have liked, but I was alive. And it was fun.

Now I get to climb back up the tower and get ready for the zip lining. This was the awesome part. Flying 1,200 feet at nearly 40 miles per hour over the Chattahoochee River- heck yes. And then a ropes course and zip lining another 400 feet? Yes. So much yes. AND my new friend Dominic made a video of it all!

But this is where you can really appreciate the Riverwalk, seeing it from the Alabama side of the river. It’s just massive and has multiple levels to walk on. I truly didn’t appreciate it until I saw the businesses along Broadway and Front avenues along with what it looks like on the other side.

The zip line experience is definitely the best way, at least so far that I’ve experienced, to fully take in the river and the Riverwalk. Also, thank you DJ, Kevin, Toad, and everyone- sorry! I know I forgot some names! Even the fake ones. Y’all were amazing and kept us laughing. And as DJ told me later while we walked, their unique use of humor during the zip lines can sometimes assist with the fear some people might initially have. Kudos to them.

Afterwards, I had just enough time after that to run back to the hotel room, shower, and go to 11th and Bay for dinner. Being a true observational journalist, I situated myself alone at the bar so I could absorb it all. In these moments I like to think of myself as like a fly on the wall, taking it all in. And also in this case, eating and drinking it all.

I would substitute my normal glass of wine with a signature cocktail: the Carolina Mule. It’s a twist on the classic Moscow Mule, but served with Virgil Cane ginger-infused bourbon. #whaaaaaatttttttt

After my drink order, out came these amazing biscuits and apple butter. Probably could have eaten my entire weight in those, but you know, I had to actually order a few courses.

Choosing between the Southern Caprese and Chicken & Waffles appetizers was truly difficult. Ordinarily, I would have gone for the caprese, because I love tomatoes. Theirs consists of grilled green tomatoes, house made fried Pimento cheese, basil peach jam, creme fraische and sriracha. WHAT. Sweet everything that is holy….

But I went for the Chicken & Waffles because, honestly it’s something I see everywhere and I kind of tend to give it the side eye because of that. But these were special, I just knew they would be: buttermilk fried chicken tenders, orange spice sweet potato waffle, whipped sriracha butter, and maple syrup.

To say the Chicken & Waffles didn’t disappoint would not be doing them justice. I don’t even know how exactly to convey to y’all just how awesome they were. I had to restrain myself so that I could actually eat what all else I had ordered.

The entree. How does one pick between the Pemberton Pork Chop, the Shrimp N’ Grits N’ Belly N’ Bits, and everything else?! With a prayer, closed eye, and pointing on the menu, that’s how. Luckily for me, happy chance brought me the 11th And Bay Filet: a 21 day aged woodfire grilled 8 ounce filet, craft brown ale gastrique, white truffle fries, and vegetable of the day.

So, here’s a little tip for all y’all about how to order a filet, or any meat that requires a temperature request. Always go with the chef’s choice. They know what they’re doing. There was a time when I would not have known better and said something like “Well Done!” and probably sent, well, a steak knife figuratively right through the heart of the chef. Anyways. This was amazing.

And then there was more. So much more. I was told I would be sampling multiple sides. The Smoked Gouda Mac n Cheese. The Collards. The Black Rice Risotto. Ok I mean, let’s talk about these. It absolutely was painful to me that I physically was incapable of eating it all right then and there. But it’s ok y’all trust me, I damn sure walked out of there with some of everything. I looked like I had gone grocery shopping for a small country. The collards are apple cider braised with pork belly bits- I should probably also mention right about now that I got to meet Executive Chef, Phil McCoy, and he was kind enough to come out and explain a lot of the dishes to me and also give some personal recommendations. But I wasn’t the only one getting that kind of treatment, owners Mike and Heather were milling about the restaurant. Talking to various patrons, laughing with them, and visiting. This might also be a good time to mention that it turns out I know Heather’s brother from back in my college restaurant employment days- and Mike and Heather both spent time in Macon: Heather is from there, and Mike worked there.

But back to the food.

So anyone who wasn’t totally deprived as a child is already aware that mac n cheese is amazing, but can someone explain to me how smoked gouda makes it SO MUCH BETTER?! And these collards are some of the few that I actually enjoyed. Also…Black Rice Risotto. I will have to make the nearly 2 hour drive back to Columbus just for that.

Oh but wait- I’m not done yet. Next was dessert.

Honey Cornbread Pudding: sweet cornbread, pecans, honey, dried blueberries, vanilla bean ice cream and butter-bourbon sauce. And then they paired it with the Duchesse de Bourgogne, a Flemish red ale beer. Guys, I just sincerely am at a loss for words. I’ve had a lot of really good food across the South- and the experience here tops them all.

It goes beyond just the amazing food, it’s something in the soul of the restaurant. You can tell that everyone here truly lives by their motto of “pull up a chair and stay awhile”. It’s incredibly refreshing.

Before I left, Heather, Phil, and Mike each said to make sure I said goodbye before I left. I feel good knowing that I left here with not just future contacts for another story, but people I can truly call friends. And I can’t wait to visit them in their home again.

Upon leaving, I went ahead and drove on back to my hotel room. I had a whole bag full of food that I didn’t want to waste, and I had to get back to do some work. The streets were alive with people and music, and I can only imagine how much busier it gets once their free concerts start back on Friday nights and with their songwriters series.

Columbus, color me impressed.

The next day, I would pack up and get my car ready for the journey home. But not before walking around some more, getting coffee at Iron Bank again, and driving through their historic district- literally a straight shot out of downtown.

And yet, I still wasn’t able to make it to all of the places I wanted to go to. I wanted to check out this cigar shop I heard about, Montbella’s, and The Black Cow. There were even some boutiques that I discovered on Sunday while I was walking around.

And I’m still floored at the variety and abundance of the public art in downtown Columbus. And I still need to make it to SO many places.

I discovered a lot of really cool things about Columbus, but some of them were rather intangible. Like the fact that people in Columbus will stop while driving for you to cross the street- even if they have the right of way. Anywhere else you might see annoyed drivers, but not here. It’s a slightly slower pace for a slightly larger city. Life seems just a tad slower here, but still with a certain cosmopolitan charm.

Just as I started to ask in this post- do you know what it feels like to fall in love? For it to be almost painful because the feeling is just so damn euphoric? That’s how I feel whenever I leave a town. Because the amazing thing about this project of mine is that I find something unique about each place that leaves me saying ” I could live here” and ” when do I get to come back? I just can’t wait!” Columbus is no exception. I have left a part of my soul in each place I’ve journeyed to with this project, and I’m so excited to return.

Love to all y’all,

Molly

A HUGE thank you to each of the people and businesses who made this post possible, please visit their sites and show your appreciation:

Uptown Columbus

11th and Bay: Southern Table

Blue Heron Adventures/Whitewater Express

The Blue Door Boutique

Pursona

Iron Bank Coffee

Fountain City Coffee

Maltitude

Courtyard Marriott Phenix City

Historic Columbus

The Posh Peach

No Shame Theater, Springer Opera House

The Social Fresh Taqueria

The Loft

Your Pie

Judy Bugs Books