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. OSU STATISTICS . COLUMBUS . CAMPUS .
. LIVING . FOOD & DRINK . STUFF TO DO .

Activities
There's a slew of places to go and things to do in Columbus, although most of the time you end up sitting around complaining about how boring it is. Below is a listing of just a few places to visit and things to do.

Shopping
Lennox Shopping Centre - The Lennox was the place to go before the Gateway was built. It features an AMC theater, Don Pablo's, Champp's, Johnny Rocket's, Bath & Body Works, Famous Footwear, Staples, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, generic beauty salon and men's wear stores and most importantly a Target. The Lennox is just off of campus and is within walking distance from all of the dorms. It is closest to The Towers. Most students choose to ride the COTA 84 bus, as it has two stops right in the plaza near the theater and the target.
The movie theater on the Lennox is possibly the most popular one for OSU students as it has 24 showing rooms and always shows the newest (and occasionally the oldest) movies. It offers a student discount that's still ridiculously expensive.

The Campus Gateway - Newly added, the Campus Gateway is a two-block area on the edge of south campus where they've put in a number of bars, eateries, an EB Games and the largest Barnes & Noble in the Midwest (we're fairly positive that 70% of it is just OSU gift shop stuff, though). There are a number of small businesses open in the Gateway, including a petite women's clothing store, an organic soap shop, an organic vegetable grocery and a Caribou Coffee cafe.
The Gateway also has the cheapest ($5 with buckID) and nicest theaters, but since the theater only has 5 showing rooms and their selection is usually less mainstream and more obscure (The Notorious Betty Page, Thank You for Smoking, Transamerica, etc), it's not as popular as the Lennox.

Urban Outfitters - There's an urban outfitters on campus in the middle of high street. You can find clothes and overpriced toys for your dorm including glittery books with karma sutra sex positions and "authentic" Japanese futon made of shiny blue fabric.

Tuttle Crossing Mall - Tuttle Crossing is a 45 minute bus ride from campus, but a 10 minute drive. It's a normal mall with pretty much all the regular "mall" stores. Roughly 3 minutes from Tuttle Crossing is a dollar theater that has a 25 cent Tuesday deal. It's a great place to go and spend a dollar.

Easton - Easton is a giant mall complex located past Morse Road (which is possibly the most dangerous road to drive on in Columbus). It's far from campus, so most people only go when they really need to and if they have their own car, but it's a really nice place. Everything is decorated so that it looks like a town from the 1940s or 50s--even the mall cops have vintage police cars, and there's a trolly that takes you all over for a fee. The majority of Easton's stores are outside, but there is a central mall area with a theater and a GameWorks--a giant sports bar/arcade, the perfect place to take Dad and the kids when mom needs some shopping time.
Easton is a fairly expensive place, but is slightly less expensive than...

Polaris Fashion Place - Is a small mall with some very expensive, very ritzy stores, including a Saks. Polaris also has a movie theater.

City Center Mall - A small mall in the center of downtown Columbus. It's not that exciting.

On The Weekend
This is stuff that goes beyond "shopping" and "eating". It may just combine the two, though.

The Short North - The short north is a hub of activity, especially for the homosexual community, with a number of gay bars and "gay cafes" and a "gay bookstore" right on high street (There's also a Torso, if you're familiar with Queer as Folk, which I am not, but my friends squeal when they hear that there's a torso in Columbus). It's a very nice mile-long strip on high street with many stores specializing in all sorts of things (antique furniture, vintage clothes, strange shoes, futons and couches, whatever!). The first weekend of every month is Gallery Hop.
Gallery Hop is a very popular event that takes place in the short north: it's when all the art galleries open their doors in the evenings and allow visitors to come in and see new, featured work by new artists. It's always very busy

The Zoo - The Columbus Zoo is a fair distance from campus, but the school offers free night trips for OSU students and staff only. It's fairly big, and has lots of big areas with exotic animals that are, as with most zoos, almost always sleeping.

Wyandotte Lake - An outdoor water theme park located next to The Columbus Zoo. It's only open seasonally in the summer.