Indy In Threes: Oldskool, Old School, and just Plain Old

Silken banners and windsocks made for a colorful display at this
impromptu art exhibit near the Fountain Square area of Indy

Founded in 1820, Indianapolis isn't too much younger than its fellow capital city of Columbus, which was established in 1812. In other words, Indy has its share of the old.

But in this second of four Indianapolis-related blogposts, the meaning of old is stretched out a bit, from the oldskool (a sleek, modern eatery that has earned "Best of" honors) to the old school (a former facility to treat mentally ill patients turned museum) to the just plain ol' old (antiques in an antique building.)

Brews and 'Ques Deluxe: Weekend in Butler County (Pt. 2)

(As noted in my previous post, our trip to Butler County was sponsored by the Butler County Visitors Bureau. Our immense thanks go to them for hosting us; all opinions on the places we visited are ours alone.)

A statue of Alexander Hamilton straddles High Street in downtown Hamilton

We are already fans of the Marriott hotel chain from our previous travel experiences: we have found their service to be solid and their beds uniformly comfortable across all brands. The Butler County Visitors Bureau put us up in their Courtyard location in downtown Hamilton for the weekend, and this experience turned out to be as good as any others we've had with them.

Added bonuses include this hotel's central location for all things Butler County as well as its location right across the street from Municipal Brew Works, a place we detailed in this previous blogpost. We took our trip one week before their first anniversary celebration, but if our down moment visits during our stay are any indication (lots of foot traffic and solid brews across the board), they'll have plenty more anniversaries to celebrate.

Brews and 'Ques: A Wooly Good Day in Coshocton

Two faded advertisements fight for the notice of passers-by
on the side of this downtown Coshocton building

It turns out the modestly-sized town of Coshocton, where the Walhonding and Tuscawaras Rivers merge into the Muskingum, at its largest was never more than 15,000 people in population. Despite its size, this town has brought forth a few surprises from within its borders, including being the birthplace of the modern promotional company  (Novelty Advertising Company was the first) as well as the birthplace of Steve Earle's favorite stalk-ee in alt-country artist Lydia Loveless.

So on a recent weekend with the urge to roam a bit and some time had passed since our last Brews and 'Ques venture, we decided it was time to pay this part of Ohio a visit for the first time ever.

Brews and Ques: A Trip to the Heart Of Ohio

Our last antique venture led us to this bottle from Schlee & Son Brewery,
which made its home in Columbus' historic Brewery District

Our next pairing of 'Ques and Brews wasn't an option in prior years, mainly because the Brews pairing wasn't in existence. However, give credit to the ever growing Ohio craft beer industry - as noted in this Columbus Business First article, nearly 70 breweries were added to the Buckeye State roster in 2017 alone to push the total number statewide to nearly 260. While the brewery in this pairing was actually a Class of 2016 member, our recent visit was our first chance to pair an old with a new favorite.

Wine Country in Recovery: When You Can Beat 'Em, Cooperate 'Em to Death (Pt. 2)

Charlie Brown dons the hockey gear near Santa Rosa's
Redwood Empire Ice Arena. Creator of Charlie Brown, Charles Schulz,
grew up in Minnesota and became a huge hockey fan.

Before continuing with our travels with Santa Rosa, I did want to mention perhaps the number one attraction in Santa Rosa. The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center (which thankfully escape the wildfire's wrath) wasn't in the cards for a visit this time, as my spouse and I have visited here several times. However, if you're at all a fan of comics and especially a fan of the Peanuts gang, this museum is pretty much a must see if you're in the area.

Wine Country In Recovery: Popping Into Petaluma

The historic McNear Building in downtown Petaluma, California

A mini-tour of the Bay Area has become a bit of a tradition during our holiday-time family visits  has become something of a tradition for us. Initially, we had been aiming for more southern portions of the region, an area we had not visited in earnest since late 2015. However, when the news of the tragic fires that struck the wine country areas of Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma Counties ran through our news feeds in October, we figured we needed to lend the region a helping hand with our tourist dollars this holiday season and altered our plans.

We've always kept an eye out for this kind of assistance since my spouse and I have been traveling together as a couple: my travels to move to the Buckeye State included a trip into Joplin, Missouri, about a half-year after a devastating EF5 tornado tore through the town's center. And from all we've read, the biggest issue in this highly tourism-centric region of the country is simply letting know that the area is open for business.

Sounds good enough for us. Our little mini-journey to get that word out started in Sonoma County in Petaluma, a town of 60,000 known historically for its egg industry and long-time former home of the World's Wristwrestling Championships.

'Ques and Brews: Viva Antiques! (Tallmadge, OH)/Madcap Brewing (Kent, OH)

With our journey into the Kent area for the first time, we figured we had to throw in a little bit of our favorite pastimes in antique- and craft beer-seeking into our journey. With plenty of fuel for the journey provided by the fun and kitschy joint that is Mike's Place (the subject of my last blogpost), we first dropped by into nearby Tallmadge for a visit to Viva Vintage!

Recently relocated from Cuyahoga Falls, the listed address for Viva Vintage is slightly deceiving (while it may be post office correct, it's almost better if you plug in neighboring Wire Wizards into your GPS system if you drop by for a visit.) 

The vintage silver Christmas tree outside was a good sign for this place's potential, and really it didn't disappoint for the size.  In a way, the size and decor reminded me of some of the vintage shops lining High Street to either side of North Broadway: just a little of everything organized in a relatively neat manner.

Brews and 'Ques: Rhubarb in the Midwest Pickin' Out Brews

The "World's Largest Rhubarb" lies in Aledo, IL, the self-proclaimed
"Rhubarb Capital of the World" and annual Aledo Rhubarb Festival

I had started a new series of "'Brews and 'Ques" blogposts (link to the original post here) that highlighted some of the favorite antique store and craft beer/brewery pairings that we've encountered during our travels. Well, it didn't seem right to not test out that combo during our recent vacation road trip, and as it turned out, this one included something of a famous one, especially if you're a History Channel fan.

Brews and 'Ques: Our Favorite Buckeye State Combos (Vol. 1)

This staircase found at Van Wert's Years Ago Antique Mall pretty
is a primer why shopping for the old-school is always so cool

I generally try to stay away from lists on my blog posts, but there's really no good reason for this, because lists can be quite useful for picking up potential destinations and things to do on our travels. Also, it's not like I haven't used the list format before, as noted by Ale Trail Series of posts that I've undertaken twice now.

Combining antique hunting and brewery hopping has turned into one of our favorite past times over the last several years, and I've had a couple people ask me about what antique shops we've liked, or have suggested a couple shops to check out.  With that in mind, I thought I'd toss out a select list of favorite antique stores that we've visited in our travels as well as some suggested destinations to slake that thirst afterward.

Antiques and Brews: From The Tee Box to The Pulpit

Downtown Defiance, Ohio, named for the historic Fort Defiance
and home to the similarly named Fort Defiance Antiques shop.

If this summer is any indication, my spouse and I have confirmed our blood types as AB, as in Antiques and Breweries. Our last trip took us into north-northwest Ohio into Mercer County, where antique hunting led us to drop by places like Tailspin Brewing in Coldwater and Moeller Brew Barn in Maria Stein. Other recent jaunts have taken us into Cambridge (where we stopped at Southside Brewing) and down to Lancaster and Logan, with a finishing duo of Little Fish Brewing and Jackie O's in Athens.

This lovely combination has again led to another fun road trip to explore both, as we wandered into even farther up into true Northwest Ohio, starting at the tee box and finishing up at the pulpit.

West Side Story: Tailspin Brewing and Moeller Brew Barn

Once a former major port along the Miami-Erie Canal, the town of
Delphos in western Ohio is a much quieter destination these days

Perhaps one of the more underrated inspirations behind our travels (and, by default, this blog) has been our increasing pursuit of antiques and any far-flung shops we can find. As we've discovered, Ohio has plenty of fun such shops scattered within its borders, and that fact has in the past couple months taken us to both sides of the Columbus metro on Interstate 70 (Dayton/Springfield and Cambridge) and to the southeast along US 33 (Lancaster, Logan and Athens.)

Well, similar to our I-70 travels, we decided US 33 was worth a drive up to the northwest side of the state with antique stores in Delphos and Van Wert turning out to be pleasing looks into days gone by. We've also found nothing quite closes out a day of antique-seeking like a few good brews, and these travels allowed us to visit two of the more remote of Ohio's ever-growing collection of craft breweries.

Pickers and Peanuts - A Venture into Vintage at the Peanut Shoppe

As the years have gone by, my spouse and I have gone quite a bit away from so-called "appointment television" routine. However, a few shows still make it into a semi-regular viewing rotation, including the History Channel's "American Pickers." For us, the combination of catching a glimpse into the history of a region or familiar brand product, plus the give-and-take between the hosts of the show (Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz, and Danielle Colby Cushman) and those who collect the memorabilia, make this an appealing way to spend an hour or two per week.

On Monday's season's opening episode, the pair traveled to Springfield, Missouri, and visited Don Johnson, a man with a gigantic stash of collectibles (over four warehouses worth, according to this Springfield News-Leader article detailing the filming.) The climax of their pick involved a vintage 1920s-era peanut roaster featuring one of the most recognizable advertising mascots ever: Mr. Peanut of Planters Peanut fame. As the negotiation played out (Frank did eventually bite at $13,000, despite some alterations to the mechanism), it was implied that only twenty of these vintage machines were left in the whole country.

Of course, this exchange caught our attention immediately - as residents of this fair city, we had had several encounters with what seemed to be a similar machine at one of downtown's long time businesses, The Peanut Shoppe (detailed at this blogpost written earlier this year.)  I was curious to find out the truth, and I figured the best spot to go was straight to the source.

Appalachian Adventures (Pt. 1): All About The Serpentine Fire

This year's house purchase put a bit of a damper over our usual typically epic summer travels; cash that would've went for that journey was instead put toward some needed house maintenance. We even shelved our traditional wedding anniversary excursion, though we did make up for that with an excellent dining experience at Delaware's Veritas Tavern.  So by the time this month rolled around, the itch to get out and explore had hit us fully and we decided to take on relatively short-distance (our last trip saw us road tripping all the way to Colorado) but still eagerly anticipated sojourn through the mostly unexplored (for us) Appalachian region of Ohio and West Virginia.

We seemingly can't travel to lands to the south without stopping by
a favorite of ours: German Village's Kolache Republic

We started with what has become our traditional jumping off point for journeys southward: the tasty pastries at one of our longtime favorites (German Village's Kolache Republic). Of course, the kolaches proved to be as appetizing as ever; they even gave us a chocolate kolache on the house as we packed our Cafe Brioso coffees for the road trip ahead.

Since making time was not really an issue on this excursion, we traveled with the intent of taking as many back roads as possible. Thus, after a few miles on I-71, we hopped onto US 62 for a slow leisurely journey toward southern portions of the state. As it turned out, the lunch hour more or less coincided with our arrival into the quaint town of Hillsboro, the county seat of Highland County. We figured this would be a perfect time to grab some eats as well as discover what this town of roughly 6,600 people had to offer its visitors.

Birthplace of famed cartoonist Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon), Hillsboro offered up a relatively simple but fairly elegant Federal-styled county courthouse, an assortment of various monuments, and a small collection of antique shops (including one housed in what is touted as "Ohio's Oldest Pharmacy") to keep us entertained. A first of two tips by a local shopkeeper led us on an unexpected side trip to the old Times Gazette building in the south of downtown, where a gentleman specializing in estate sales had his collection of recent finds for viewing and purchasing had his building open for visitors. Numerous intriguing items (many from the state of Kentucky) caught our eyes, including a beautiful oak box containing both family and media-printed recipes. Alas, the oak box and its trove of possible culinary treasures was a bit too much for our pocketbooks, but we wouldn't mind dropping by this store again (they are open to the public the first non-holiday weekend of each month) if we pass through the area again.

Hillsboro will probably never be known for haute cuisine, but the shopkeeper's second tip satisfied our lunch cravings quite nicely with a more down to earth option. 24 Exchange Deli, Pizza and Sweet Shoppe, part of a unique combo of consignment shop and eatery, offers the visitor a plethora of movie and TV related wall posters (a general sci-fi theme was evident, as well as the works of the peerless Don Knotts), Amish pastries (including some monstrously-sized donuts and long johns) and a deli and pizza menu of the usual suspects. Our sandwiches were perfectly tasty, with plenty of kraut and thick-sliced corned beef on my Reuben and a satisfying Chicken Salad for my spouse.

Our featured destination this afternoon was The Serpent Mound, lying in the northern reaches of Ohio's Adams County and touted to be the world's largest serpent-shaped effigy in the world. We started at the museum, where we got a taste of the mound's purpose, the conflicting debate about the mound's origins (attributed at varying times to the Adena, Hopewell and Fort Ancient Native American cultures), as well as other historical artifacts and information about the indigenous cultures who resided in these parts of Ohio. The short video documentary in the main display area proved to be quite helpful in spelling this out and is worth a view if you ever visit.

Another feature touched on at the museum became quite evident as we walked out and surveyed the ancient structure itself: its head, tail and even the peak of its curves are lined up perfectly with numerous astronomical events such as the summer solstice. At ground level, wooden signs scattered around the pathway which circumnavigates the perimeter of the mound allowed us to match up sections of the structure with specific events.

An elevated metal viewing platform (not recommended for acrophobic individuals) gave us a much better perspective of the mound's elegant curves and overall structure from above. There were few visitors at the site on this off-season day of early autumn, leaving us by our lonesome at this heightened vista, with only the sounds of nature to serenade us as we peered down at this serpentine construct and pondered hows and whys that went into its being.

We encountered other scattered Adena-attributed effigy mounds on site; while they were nowhere near as picturesque as their serpentine cousin, it reinforced in our minds how important this area of Ohio's was to past indigenous cultures. Also, a Buckeye Trail sign reminded us that one need not travel out-of-state to a mountain range to take on a hiking challenge through picturesque countrysides.

Kolache Republic
730 S. High Street (German Village/Brewery District)
Columbus, OH 43206
(614) 928-3151
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24 Exchange Deli, Pizza and Sweet Shoppe
142 West Main Street
Hillsboro, OH 45133

(937) 402-4282
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Serpent Mound State Memorial
Park Hours: Open Daily Year Round, 9 AM - dusk
Museum Hours: Variable (please consult the Ohio History Connection website for more details)
3850 State Route 73
Peebles, OH 45660
(800) 752-2757
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Biking and Brunching: South of Lane

This year, Mrs. 614orty-Niner and I finally dove in and made a small investment in some new bicycles. We had come across each other's paths as a result of another fitness activity as avid runners. These days, with our different schedules, run paces and other commitments, we figured biking would be a terrific way to be active together. In addition, the Columbus metro area continues to grow more bicycle-friendly, with a fairly solid bike infrastructure in place as well as more improvements on the way. These improvements include the recent $1.25 million dollar grant to the new CoGo Bike Share program from Medical Mutual and the soon-to-be-completed connector that will make the Alum Creek trail continuous from Westerville to the Blacklick Creek Trail to the south.

One of the additional bonuses, other than the calories burned in the biking, is the opportunity to bike to various eateries around the area for a tasty breakfast or brunch together. On one recent jaunt, we decided to revisit a little tony place in Upper Arlington that combines antiques and scrumptious breakfasts: South of Lane.

Like the first time we visited, South of Lane is absolutely suited for bicyclists cruising in on a bike, or families from the neighborhood toting their kids and/or dogs alongside due to its outdoor seating (indoor seating is also available for those who desire it.) We found all these aspects on our this visit, along with other slices of the local Upper Arlington population on this stopover, just like we had on our first meal here. Also similar to the first visit, the interior's unique blend of displayed antiques, patron seating, and open kitchen (the view of which seems to make you hungrier as you wait in line to order your food) appeared not to have changed too much either.

The kitchen is visible to all in this cozy interior

The menu had some new additions since we had last visited but for the most part is concentrated on a few select variants on waffles, french toast and omelets for breakfast (additional items like salads, sandwiches and soups are available for lunch.) One constant we again appreciated was their continued use of Thunderkiss Coffee Roasters to make their java. As we had just put in a good solid workout already and Thunderkiss' iced coffee is some of the best in the area, it was a no-doubter what we were ordering for our morning caffeine.

Mrs. 614orty-Niner ordered something that I had ordered on the first visit: the PB2 is a homemade waffle sprinkled with powdered sugar, folded over peanut butter and bacon, with strawberries for garnish. Like me, the Mrs. found this seemingly simple production completely tasty and filling.

The PB2 - no words needed for this delicious creation

As much as I enjoyed the PB2 on my first visit, the Mrs. "won" the menu battle that time when she ordered absolutely delectable coconut french toast. As that was not on the menu this time, I went with a newer offering: the bourbon pecan french toast.

Oh, my! Look at those pecans...

This round went to me in terms of menu selection. This french toast, surrounded by chunks of pecans, laced with a caramelly bourbon flavor, and garnished with bananas, tasted like decadence...and it came with bacon to boot! It actually came with a flask of syrup, which was completely unneeded; I gladly donated to the Mrs. so she could add some additional maple sweetness to her plate.

Our service was a little on the slow side on both visits for entirely different reasons (the first visit was simple bad timing with a large group of bicyclists arriving just before we got there, while this visit was a case of the restaurant being short-staffed.) But this is the type of place where you really don't seem to mind slow service so much. South of Lane is the type of place that almost invites you to ease back, slow down, take in the environs and enjoy your surrounding company.

On this visit, one precocious young lad easily wiled away the wait time by providing all the outdoor patrons a neat little display of wonderment. He shuffled back and forth between his family's dog and a neighbor's mutt, pointing out to his parents and to everyone else, to his complete amazement, that dogs could actually be different in so many ways.

South of Lane is just a little different too...and that is a good thing.

South of Lane
1987 Guilford Rd (Google Maps)
Upper Arlington, OH
(614) 586-2233
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