Nelsonville, Ohio

2005-10-27T11:18:00.000-04:00

Nelsonville is a town on U.S. 33 headed toward Columbus that most Ohio University students pass by without a thought. But beyond what you can see from the street as you pass through town is a lot of cool things to see and do. It just takes a few minutes to find out there's more there than it seems.

There is a beautiful town square that is known for its historic 1950s looks that has made it onto a number of Hollywood movies.

Here is a picture of some other historic Nelsonville town square buildings including the First National Bank building.

Nelsonville also has a number of impressive murals such as this one depicting the town square.
This mural is on the Rocky Shoes and Boots building. Rocky was a major employer in Nelsonville and now has its outlet store there.

This is a picture of Rhapsody, a restaurant associated with the culinary arts program at Hocking College in Nelsonville. All the food is prepared by students.

Finally, a picture just outside of the college at the end of the bike trail from Athens to Nelsonville. In the distance is a train coming down the tracks.

2005-10-11T01:42:00.000-04:00

Coffeehouses in Uptown Athens
It was a cold Sunday afternoon in Athens, Ohio-- The perfect time for nice hot cup of coffee.

For the best cup o' joe this side of Seattle, we walked down Court Street, the main drag in this quaint college town housing Ohio University. We peeked down side streets, examined the racks of obscure board games in these establishments and smelled the aroma of the Arabica bean in search of the perfect place to sit down and perk up.

We start off at The Donkey (17 W. Washington St. just off Court St.). The newest coffeehouse in town is the most popular. It features a relaxed atmosphere, live music on the weekends and, as all coffee shops featured here, offers a free Wi-Fi wireless Internet connection for patrons with laptops. It's a funky place that attracts the perusers of prose as well as the pierced punk rocker. It's unassuming and undeniably cool.

Visitors can have a nice iced coffee, a cup of exotic herbal tea or savor a refreshing smoothie. The coffee shop was started by Chris and Angie Pyle. They started The Donkey as a way to "glorify God through running a business," Chris said. For years the two headed the Christian group The Navigators on campus and still attend services at Central United Methodist Church. But by no means does the coffeehouse cater only to Christians. No matter what your faith, you can visit The Donkey for some fine java and socializing.

Next, we head to Brenen's (38 S. Court St.), a cozy, well-lit coffee shop down Court Street near the movie theater. It features a wide assortment of coffee, tea and pastries as well as sandwiches. This chain coffeehouse with locations around Ohio has a clean, well-polished look--a perfect place to talk over business deals over a nice steaming cup of cafe mocha. It's closer to the heart of campus and is next the College Book Store, making it a great place to commisserate over the high cost of textbooks.

The bright yellow and burnt sienna of the interior will certainly lift your mood after a poor showing on your biology test. Go ahead and have a second slice of cheesecake or a large Pumpkin Pecan Latte. You deserve it!

Next we come on down to Perk's (49 S. Court St.), the coffeeshop modeled after the java hangout in the smash NBC sitcom Friends. You can almost see Phoebe, Ross, Joey and the bunch talking about their fabulous misadventures here.

Perk's has a number of perks not offered at other coffee establishments, such as the sale of cigars (just for purchase, not for smoking on premises!) and a roastery for its own beans. Talk about fresh!

Finally, we come to one of OU's oldest coffee establishments, The Front Room. In the basement of Baker Center (Union St. south of Court St.), it's an easy stop for your fix of real Starbucks coffee.

Live acoustic acts are a mainstay and you can't get any closer to campus than being in an actual campus building. You can get everything from Tazo teas to a quick hit of Red Bull. Drink up!

Steve's Blog

Nelsonville, Ohio