Important Info NOT in the Ohio State New Student Handbook...

You've settled in...the first few weeks of classes are behind you...you've overspent your food allowance for the quarter...and you really want to get out of the dorm.

Relax! Columbus has so much to offer to Ohio State students and a lot of it is very close to campus. You can find some of the best pizza in the city and locally owned coffee shops that really ARE better than Starbucks. That student ID? It does more than get you access to a student ticket for the Ohio State football games.

Although my kids didn't actually go to Ohio State (yet!), they've both spent quite a bit of their adult lives living and embracing the Ohio State campus life. I've put together a few helpful tips every new Ohio State student should be aware of...

New Ohio State University Students: What You Should Know

The Buckeyes and Good Beer...

The vacation season is over!

Personally, I think we've got it pretty good in Columbus. We've got a great NCAA football program (no matter how hard Mark May tries to argue against it!) and Columbus has a lot of options for beer geeks.

You know the ones - we like real beer. We like something that isn't mass produced by the billions of bottles. We want our beer to stand up and kick our ass! We want flavor, we want richness and we want it all the time.

I'm a beer geek and a Buckeye fan and I know I'm not alone. Two local places have the perfect setting for people like me - great beer and lots of TVs to catch all the action on Buckeye football Saturdays: Barley's Smokehouse & Brewpub and The Winking Lizard on Bethel Road. My Lizard preference swings on the patio, because the Crosswoods location is definitely closer to home. Although there's not a lot of street traffic in the Crosswoods area, you can't see the traffic at all at the Bethel Road location.

Here - my humble opinion as to the Best Craft Beer Bars for Buckeyes Fans!

Wikimedia Commons Public Domain: Binksternet

Ohio State Football Fever!!

As I look at my Weatherbug, the temperature is an incredible 53 degrees! That's football weather! My friend Sheri mentioned on Facebook that she had to wear a sweatshirt the other morning while she was taking a walk - yes, it's football weather and that means it's time for Ohio State fans to head to Lane Avenue.

We generally watch the games at home a lot of reasons. Our own incredible food - including the man's should-be-world-famous Wings! No chance of a DUI! Free parking! Comfy seats in front of a TV we can actually hear!

But, even at my age, I do like to head down to Lane Avenue once every season - without a game ticket! - to take in the Skull Session and the memories of a long tradition. The crowds aren't as large as they used to be and the REAL Hineygate is no more, but I still see a lot of people well-over college age drinking not-quite-cold-enough overpriced beer and celebrating a Buckeyes game!

Take a walk back in time...make one trip to Lane Avenue this season to celebrate the Ohio State Buckeyes!

Football Saturdays on Lane Avenue

Skull Session before the 2009 Ohio State-Navy Game. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons and is in the Public Domain.