The north side of Columbus often gets a bad rep because, well, it's the north side of Columbus. Growing up somewhere other than a suburb seems to give people the idea that you didn't have a great experience growing up. For me at least, this is far from the truth. Growing up on the north side of Columbus teaches you that there is more to the city than just shopping malls and new housing developments and exposes you to several other hidden gems (hello, Clown Cone) that I am glad to have grown up around. Here's my list of things you know to be true if you grew up on the north side of Columbus.
1. You're used to the confused look people give you when you answer "What part of Columbus are you from?" with "Just Columbus."
This is something I encountered probably once a day when I got to college and met other people from Ohio or other people who were familiar with the Columbus area. No, I'm not from Westerville, Worthington, Clintonville, Upper Arlington, Hilliard, Dublin, Gahanna or Powell. Just Columbus.
2. But you're also only 15 minutes away from those suburbs at any given time.
The north side of Columbus is the ideal location if you want to be close to... pretty much anything. With 270 you can get to any suburb within 15-20 minutes, and you're equally close to campus, the Short North, downtown, Easton and Polaris.
3. Clown Cone is your hidden gem.
I mean yes, the clowns everywhere are arguably very scary, but I think everyone who grew up on the north end of Columbus can agree that this is the best place to get ice cream in central Ohio.
4. "Northern Lights" isn't just a phenomenon found on the North and South Poles.
It's also where you go shopping, bowling and can find the infamous Clown Cone.
5. You played a sport at Woodward Park as a child.
Whether it was basketball, soccer or tee-ball, chances are you spent some time at the Woodward Park Rec Center as a child.
6. You also spent a lot of time at the North YMCA as a child.
As a child taking swim lessons or as an adult lifting or playing basketball, everyone from the north side of Columbus has spent time at the North Y. This is a fact.
7. You always have to drive to more than one McDonald's to find one with a working ice cream machine.
I have a lineup of three different McDonald's drive-throughs within a two-mile radius to drive to when I hear the dreaded "Our ice cream machine is broken" at my McDonald's. You get used to it.
8. Skate Zone 71 was the coolest place to hang out.
Other than the occasional Friday Night Meltdown at the Easton Chiller, Skate Zone 71 (RIP Wow, its former name) was THE place to spend your Friday or Saturday nights. If you didn't have your birthday party at Skate Zone in elementary school, did you even grow up on the north side of Columbus?
9. The Dairy Queen at Tamarack Circle reopening was the best thing to happen to you.
After a six-month hiatus in 2008, the Dairy Queen at Tamarack Circle reopening in 2009 was arguably the best thing to happen to summers on the north side of Columbus.
10. Even though you'll always hate Morse Road, you still love the north side of Columbus
There's a lot to not like about the awful traffic on Morse Road and the pedestrians who constantly walk into the road when you're clearly driving there. But even when you hate Morse Road, you still love where you grew up.
The ice cream machines at our McDonald's may not be the best, Skate Zone may not be the coolest place to hang out now (I still think it is) and the North Y might not be the greatest tourist attraction in Columbus, but you can't not love the north side of Columbus if you grew up here.
