March 2008 Issue
Coco's Bistro
Harvest grilled pork chop and horseradish crab cakes Here’s a little gastronomic quiz: If you saw broiled peaches on a menu — “peach halves stuffed with walnut bleu cheese stuffing, then oven broiled and drizzled with zinfandel reduction” — would you consider it an appetizer or a dessert? At Coco’s Bistro, it’s the former — a slightly topsy-turvy choice that ought to suggest the zest and creativity at work in this relatively new addition to fine-dining opt... Help! is Here
Lennon's guitar is on exhibit at the Rock Hall George Harrison's ski boots The "Help!" exhibit includes photographs shot on location. Teens scream at the movie's 1965 premiere and theater posters The Beatles’ second motion picture, “Help!” is known for its zany comedy filled with James Bond-like costumes and capers, memorable songs and big-screen close-ups of the most famous pop combo the world has ever known. But beneath all the silliness lay a sobering reality, as described by J... Man of Letters
If only there was a demand for all the art projects we were assigned back in high school. Those pencil sketches of people that wound up looking like glorified stick figures, those lopsided clay sculptures that a kindergartner could have shaped from Play-Doh –– we could make a very comfortable living churning out inadequate work. Fortunately, artists like Justin Schaefer are around to provide a reality check, and to prove that there is, in fact, a market for art inspired by the right assignme... |
A Sense of Spring
A collective sigh of relief can be heard across Ohio every year as March rolls around. This year, March 20 signals the arrival of spring, and with it, the promise of longer, sunnier days. Spring is a time of renewal: snow melts, flowers bloom, people spend less time indoors and more time in their yards, enjoying the scent of freshly cut grass. Plants and people awaken from a prolonged slumber. Craig Travis, Ph.D., a psychologist with Mount Carmel Family Medicine Residency in Columbus, sees it happen eve... Life in Full Bloom
Passersby often pause to admire the historic West Akron garden’s daylilies, which tumble over a 93-year-old roadside stone wall. They stop, in awe of the mature Norway spruce and the pastel-colored perennials thriving in its shade. Yet, for 58-year gardening veteran Joyce Marting, it’s the more subtle daily surprises that bring her the greatest joy from her garden. One morning, it was a promising bleeding heart emerging voluntarily from seeds that had fallen between the cracks of the stone pa... Taste of the Season
As winter slowly melts away, along with our urges for the hearty casseroles and substantial stews that got us through it, we crave flavors that taste greener, lighter and fresher — flavors that reflect our favorite things about the spring season. For Chef Patrick McCafferty, chef/owner of Slims restaurant in Cincinnati, one ingredient stands out in this category. “Spring means watercress to me,” says McCafferty, who grows the pungent and peppery-tasting leafy green in his greenhouse, j... |
In Character
Heather Faur steps out of her car and strides purposefully through the twilight toward a two-story stone home on the grounds of Hale Farm & Village, a 19th-century outdoor living-history museum in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Akron. The increasing darkness makes it difficult to navigate the field and stand of trees between the house and two-lane road. But the 28-year-old walks as if her way was lit by a blazing sun in a cloudless sky. “It’s going to get a lot darker before it gets ... Poetical Place
Mention you’re heading to Spring Grove Cemetery and some people might assume you’re fulfilling a familial duty or indulging a ghoulish bent. But insiders suspect you’re a fan of history, horticulture or architecture, off to delve into one of America’s richest multi-faceted National Historic Landmarks. At Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, there are genealogies to trace, National Champion trees to admire and mausoleums to photograph. Each turn along the 35 miles of looping roadw... Ready for College
Mary Beth Ray, 19, of Westerville, had some attractive choices when it came to selecting a college two years ago. A 2006 graduate of Columbus Academy, Ray is now a sophomore majoring in Spanish and psychology at Case Western Reserve University. She plans to attend medical school after completing her undergraduate degree. “I was wait-listed at Harvard, and I also got accepted to Washington University in St. Louis,” she says. “I chose Case because they offered me a fantastic scholarship,... |
A Night to Remember
Chain hotels are perfectly fine for business trips, when close proximity to Starbucks and a high-speed Internet connection feels like a necessity. But when traveling for pleasure, we at Ohio Magazine seek out the hidden gems that offer something out of the ordinary. For like-minded travelers out there –– for whom an adventurous stay is just as important as cozy accommodations –– we’ve compiled 10 of the most interesting, unusual and downright quirky places to spend the nigh... A Night to Remember - At Boulders Edge Tipi Retreat
At Boulders Edge Tipi Retreat Rockbridge Sleeping like movie stars Kevin Costner and Tom Cruise sounds pretty good to us –– even if that does mean nodding off in the great outdoors. Which is why fans of “Dances With Wolves” and “The Last Samurai” should check out the authentic, Sioux-style tipis –– made by the same company that supplied those hit movies –– courtesy of At Boulders Edge in the scenic, southeast Ohio town of Rockbridge. The... A Night to Remember - Belamere Suites
Belamere Suites Perrysburg Ohio’s lodging pool is a crowded place: In researching this article, we hounded local tourism offices and scoured Web sites and visitor’s guides, searching for those properties that offer something you simply can’t get anywhere else. Which is why Belamere Suites, an over-the-top boutique hotel in Perrysburg, easily made the cut. Sure, the place promises opulence: The suites have private entrances and personal garages, and the Presidential Suite even fe... A Night to Remember - Frank Lloyd Wright's Louis Penfield House
Frank Lloyd Wright's Louis Penfield House Willoughby “Most people comment on how intimate the contact is with the surroundings,” says Paul Penfield of his boyhood home, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian structure in Willoughby. Built by his parents in the early 1950s, Penfield House is the only Wright-designed house in the state that opens its massive doors –– most of which are 8 feet high and 22 inches wide, designed to accommodate Penfield’s father, who ... A Night to Remember - Gypsy Wagons at Ravenwood Castle
The Gypsy Wagons at Ravenwood Castle New Plymouth Fifteen years ago, Jim and Sue Maxwell made their mark on the lodging world by building a Norman-style castle in an unlikely spot: the woods of rural Vinton County. Of course, you can’t have a castle without a kingdom, so the couple has since added a candy-colored medieval village and five fairy tale-inspired cottages. But our favorite additions to the campus are the two cheery gypsy wagons stationed in the woods across from the castle’... A Night to Remember - Landoll's Mohican Castle
Landoll’s Mohican Castle Loudonville As it turns out, Vinton County is far from the only spot in Ohio where a couple were suddenly inspired to construct a castle in the woods. But while it was the charming gypsy wagons that caught our eye at Ravenswood Castle, at Landoll’s Mohican Castle in Loudonville, it was the luxurious accommodations and romantic accents that swept us off our feet. Travelers know something special is in store before they even reach their destination: Owners Jim and Mart... A Night to Remember - Smoke House Ranch
Smoke Rise Ranch Glouster John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” If you think you have a little of the Duke in you –– and if time spent cattle driving, team penning and cow cutting is your idea of paradise, then the answer is “yes” –– you might be ready for a few days of bringing out your inner cowboy at this working ranch amid the rolling hills of Athens County. The Semingsons are lifelong ranchers, w... A Night to Remember - The Caboose at Steep Woods
The Caboose at Steep Woods South Bloomingville It’s a train-obsessed Ohioan’s ultimate fantasy. Between the trees, travelers can easily spot the big, red Caboose at Steep Woods from winding and wooded St. Rte. 56. But we have to admit, the anticipation of spending the night in such a fun little spot had our excitement level jumping every time we glimpsed a flash of scarlet or ruby along the way. The destination is a fully converted railroad caboose, complete with a kitchenette (includ... A Night to Remember - The Golden Lamb Inn
The Golden Lamb Inn Lebanon Here today, gone tomorrow, is a phrase that could never apply to southwest Ohio’s Golden Lamb. Established in 1803, it’s Ohio’s oldest inn and the most historically significant place to sleep in the entire state. In its 200-plus years, the Golden Lamb has hosted a dozen presidents, from John Quincy Adams to George W. Bush, and countless other famous notables, including Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. Lest anyone forget the establishment’s storie... A Night to Remember - The Sturgis House
The Sturgis House East Liverpool Most visitors to East Liverpool are pottery lovers, eager to find vestiges of the crockery manufacturers that once lined the landscape. But in 1934, it was the FBI that was in hot pursuit in this Ohio River town. Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd –– that period’s public enemy No. 1 –– was on the run in the region; he was eventually gunned down by authorities on a farm north of town. But the outlaw earned an eternal place i... A Night to Remember - Vernon Manor Hotel
Vernon Manor Hotel Cincinnati The heyday of Beatlemania may have ended long ago, but the names John, Paul, George and Ringo still send shivers up plenty of Ohioans’ spines. If you went ape when you saw them on “The Ed Sullivan Show” (or would have, if you’d been born), get a little closer to the Fab Four with a night in the Beatles Suite at Cincinnati’s 84-year-old Vernon Manor Hotel. The hotel, modeled after a stately English manor, allows guests to sleep in the same room ... Dream Destinations
While you can’t just type some random coordinates into your GPS to plot your dream vacation, it’s a sure bet you’ll find it somewhere along the Carolina coast. Whatever your point of view, there are many points to view along the Carolina shore. For some, that dream vacation may be capped by a dive in the shipwreck-laden waters along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. For others, it might be sealed watching bottlenose dolphins break the water’s surface off Hilton Head Island. O... Northern Cincinnati: All for Fun and Fun For All!
With more opportunities for fun than you can fit in one trip, the Queen City is an ideal family vacation spot, and the hotels and accommodations of Northern Cincinnati are the perfect hosts. Book your stay at one of Northern Cincinnati’s comfortable chains, historic inns, luxury hotels or waterpark lodges, and you’ll be just minutes from the all of area’s best attractions. Hear the roar of the crowd at Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds, or feel the thrill of the oce... Still on Track
It’s a scene that plays out every day at Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. First-timers amble up to the oversized doors, yank hard on the tubular handles and march toward the information kiosk. They take a few more steps and then, suddenly, they freeze. Craning their necks, they gawk up 106 feet to the top of the rotunda –– and take a vertiginous moment to steady themselves beneath the bright yellow half-dome, the world’s largest when it was built in 1933 (only the Sydn... Their Old Kentucky Home
Poetry from the Past Dale Ann Bradley’s clear mountain soprano rings out as a bittersweet love letter to her childhood. It was, Bradley, 43, describes, a lot like a lyric from the Dolly Parton song, “In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad).” “We were up a holler in Bell County with nothing,” she says. “But although we were poor in cash, we were rich in love.” The daughter of a Primitive Baptist minister who worked in the mines, Bradley didn’t have easy ... Wish You Were Here
The New Concord log cabin birthplace of William Rainey Harper, first president of the University of Chicago, is typical of the treatment of these pioneer dwellings. Though log buildings were nearly always sided over, when converted to historic house museums, the siding is invariably stripped off, perpetuating the myth of the humble log cabin origins of many of our ancestors. Because of their unaltered glimpse of early-20th-century life, real photo postcards are very collectible. In this view of B... |
Ann Richens
AGE: 60 PERSONAL: Born in Dublin, Ireland, she began studying Irish dance at age 7. Richens now lives in Dayton with husband Jack, a retired aerospace engineer. WHY SHE CAME TO THE U.S.: “Looking for a rich man,” she jokes. Actually, she took a job at the Irish Embassy in Washington. She taught dance in the D.C. area, and opened a school in Dayton in 1968. She and former student and world champion John Timm opened another location in Dublin, Ohio, in the 1990s. TEACHING ... Critical Condition
As John Boyd watched the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina unfold on his TV screen in 2005, his thoughts turned to those whose lives depended on the medication that had washed away with everything else they owned. “Here you had people who just lost their house or a loved one. Understandably, medicine was the last thing on their minds,” Boyd says. “Not to mention the fact that many were in shock and weren’t in a position to recall the list of pills they take or when they had last tak... In the Spirit
Except for the brown eyes, Mary Ann Winkowski looks nothing like Hollywood actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. But that doesn’t stop the occasional case of mistaken identity that the North Royalton resident encounters during her paranormal investigations. For more than 50 years, Winkowski has used her ghost-busting talent to, as she says, help spirits find their way to the Other Side. Four years ago, that ability caught the attention of CBS programmers who created the hit show “Ghost Whisperer,... Places of the Heart
My wife and I have had nine homes — a term which, of course, includes apartments — during our marriage. Prior to that, I had four homes and she had two. You do the math: The point is that we are not unaccustomed to moving. Yet each home, even those where the stay was relatively short, has a distinctive place in our history. Each home evokes a sentiment all its own. I bring this up because Jeffrey Hammond’s “My Ohio” column this month strikes at the heart of how we feel abou... Scripted For You
Who would dot the ‘i’? For generations of fans, that was the biggest surprise as the Ohio State marching band performed its legendary Script Ohio, an integrated series of maneuvers in which musicians spell out the name of our state during football games. Now, a 17-year-old has expanded the script into an e-enterprise that may well fund her own college career. It started with a laugh around the dinner table. “We said it would be such a joke on our friends,” Kristin Wood rec... Time for Change
When a devastating fire tore through downtown Wauseon last year, Stas Legenza wanted to help with rebuilding efforts –– especially since his favorite eatery, Doc Holliday’s western-themed steakhouse, was one of six businesses destroyed by the flames. So he dragged a card table to the end of his driveway, put up a sign and asked passersby to donate to the cause. Stas also canvassed his Dover Drive neighborhood and called upon his classmates to add to the burgeoning coffers. In little ov... |
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