Our mantra has suddenly become the following: “Another weekend, another hostel.” This was only recently busted by the fact that we will no longer be traveling to Indianapolis next weekend. But there’s much crazier news than that in the works… Don’t worry, we’ll get there.

Instead of Tom and myself flying solo (or as a pair, duh) on this trip, we invited our long-time roommate Joey. Oh, hey Joseph (and Tom):

A five-hour drive from Grand Rapids to Columbus filled with irreparably scratched CDs and an ass-ton of farmland left all three of us extremely bored and antsy for what was in store in this new city. Little did the three of us know what Columbus and Mat (the owner of the Wayfaring Buckeye) had in store for us.

Like most Michiganders, the three of us felt like traitors across enemy lines. Though none of us are major sports fans (and thus could care less about the rivalry between UofM and OSU), we found ourselves lambasting most things we saw in Ohio with our words and snickers. Sorry Ohio, you’re just not as great as Michigan. We figured we had to get it all out before we started meeting people in Columbus anyways so that’s exactly what we did.

Once in Columbus though, we were in OSU territory. The hatred against Ann Arbor was apparent. Despite this, the city fit us like a glove.

Once we got to the Wayfaring Buckeye, we met Mat: 

That photo was taken around 1 a.m. (this means we clicked extremely well).

So, we get to the hostel, Mat opens the door, introduces himself, another individual (Jeremy!), and his dog Ziggy:

The hostel is a duplex that both Mat and Jeremy live in. There are a dozen or more beds here with two gendered dorms, a mixed dorm, and a private room. The basement has a bar and some rec room stuff (either pool table/foosball/both). The backyard has a few parking spots and a motha-truckin’ jacuzzi!!! Yes, we spent time in it later that night—don’t you fret, we would never neglect the chance to relax in a hot tub.

Before giving us a splendid tour of the hostel and the city of Columbus (seriously Mat, that tour was the best tour any of us have ever received), we dropped our stuff off in our room and found this on our door:

We also went and got a bite to eat while Mat went grocery shopping. He pointed us in the direction of a party store with a Columbian taco truck/trailer in its parking lot. Obviously the food was some of the best we’ve had (in regards to tacos):

Looks like we’re sitting on tires but the joke’s on you, they’re basically milk crates. The place was vegetarian-friendly and a delicious mess… What more could we have asked for?

Around 6 or 7, the four of us went out to eat and started our journey through the nightlife of Columbus. We got food at the Blue Danube (aka the Dube). The ceiling tiles there were enthralling (not something I think I’ve ever said about an establishment) and they had Atwater’s Vanilla Java Porter in bottles. ‘Nuff said.

Bars were then hit en masse. Mat showed the three of us to a brewery (North High Brewing) where we got a tour from Gavin, the owner. We also went to the Library, Brothers Drake Meadery, Bernie’s (below some bank), some bar where we ordered “something strong and fruity,” and then wrapped the night up in a cab back to the hostel. After that, we sat in the hot tub for a few hours before going to sleep around 5 a.m. Apparently Columbians know how to have a good time.

Here’s a few pics from North High, Bernie’s, and that bar where we ordered fruitastic drankz:

We also hit some place where I went to the bathroom in the ladies’ room (it was a one-person room, so don’t freak out). At the same place, Tom and Mat (not Matt) duked it out in a serious match of Battleship. Tom annihilated Mat for an impressive victory. I would have destroyed both of them.

The next morning, we had some of the best breakfasts we’ve ever had. Mine was a kimchi scramble. The hot sauce was to die for and I managed to sneak some home. I now have people here who can vouch for the glory that is that hot sauce. Thank you, Skillet. You (and your hot sauce) are brilliant. We left soon after, traveling back to our humble home in Grand Rapids, now in love with not only our city but Columbus as well.

The trip can be summed up like this: Columbus, you have melted our cold, Michigan hearts. You are an island oasis in the middle of the void that is Ohio. Goodbye for now:

An important detail of the weekend has slipped my mind (for the first time this week): During our stay, Mat threw out a crazy offer. His current employee Jeremy is leaving the position at the beginning of May and Mat needs a replacement. Guess who might soon be moving to Columbus for a few months to gain some valuable experience for the future? Me.

Welp. That’s it for this post, folks. If you’d like to see some more photos from our trip to Columbus, check out our Facebook album right here.

On that note, we’ll really wrap it up with the best piece of graffiti we saw in all of Columbus: