Quick Trip to Columbus, Ohio

I go to New York every few months to visit family and friends. I almost always fly, but my friend Lynn suggest she drive back with me and spend some time in Illinois.

I had recently received an invite to check out the new Hotel LeVeque in Columbus, Ohio, and decided it was a perfect place to stop.

Hotel LeVeque, part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, was opened in the Leveque Lincoln Tower in downtown Columbus.

The history of the 100-year-old building has been preserved, and even improved since the opening added additional artwork to the marbled historic building.

We arrived late in the evening. The hotel does not have a full restaurant open yet, but we decided to check out The Keep Liquor Bar.

It’s a very welcoming area, with leather couches and soft lighting. It has delicate touches with go perfectly with the hotel’s décor.

They don’t have a full menu, but the bar menu was inviting. 

We decided to share the Watermelon Goat Cheese Arugula Salad, a cheese charcuterie plate, and burrata with tomatoes.

The dishes were all fresh and delicious, and went perfectly with a glass of Sauvion Vouvray from Loire, a very light white wine with just a hint of sweetness.

We were pretty tired and headed up to our room at Hotel LeVeque right after we ate. It was quite luxurious, but also equipped with modern touches, such as the outlets by the bed and the television ready to sync with our cell phones for live streaming.

The beds were also extremely comfortable and we slept quite well, with a “starry night display” on the ceiling.

In the morning, we enjoyed the hotel’s European style breakfast buffet, which included eggs, pastries, bagels, oatmeal, and fresh fruit.

We took some time to look around before heading over to Bicentennial Park and lunch at Milestone 229.

The park has an open, modern feel, with plenty of fountains for kids to cool off on hot days. It was especially hot when we were there and a few grownups were also enjoying the chance to cool off.

The drink menus at Milestone 229 was very interesting and included a lot of local spirits, wine, and beer.

It seemed like a relaxing day to enjoy one before lunch and two caught my eye:

Royal Peach, with Crown Royal Vanilla , peach syrup, and Peach Schnapps, and 229 Cosmo, a blend of Pineapple Infused Finlandia Vodka, Cointreau (Use code DRIZLYFIVE to save $5 with these links at Drizly liquor delivery) , cranberry juice, and lime.

The warm pretzel bread with house made whole grain butter was a perfect starter with the cocktails.

For an entrée, I had Try the Baked Vegetable Croquette with Baba Ghanoush.

It sounded unique and wonderful, and it was.

Lynn had the roasted chicken with side of macaroni and cheese, which she really enjoyed.

After lunch, we hit the road and headed to one of my favorite stores, the Eddie Bauer Warehouse. 

I happen to come across this place about 10 years ago and I always stop when I am in Columbus.

The bargains are unbelievable, with specials every day, in addition to the 30-50% off on everything, every day.

On this day, the deal was $12.99 for all dresses, which originally cost up to $100.

Lynn bought me a couple of birthday presents, as well as a few things for herself, and we hit the road. 

We had a bought six hours to go before we were in Champaign.