The last neighborhood I lived in before moving farther north is Clintonville, the nothernmost urban neighborhood in Columbus. Here's the main drag in South Clintonville (the better half) which has a good variety of retail and some dining options. There's not much in the way of nightlife here and your best bet is probably off High at Studio 35 were you can watch a movie and grab a pint at the bar and some pizza made next door. This part of Clintonville is the funky, fun side of the neighborhood as opposed to the stuffy, more suburban area up north.
MAP
The number of cyclists out was surprising. Here's a video of me driving my bike on this 35MPH road. It's not hard at all, I swear. Currently there are sharrows in the right lanes.
https://www.youtube.com/v/3PP2OHYlpfA
Welcome: we have strip malls. Trust me, it gets better, but this is the chasm that severs Clintonville and Old North Columbus.
O'Reilly's was my go-to neighborhood bar/pub: good food too.
Went here with a friend one night and while I didn't get sick I felt disgusting from all the greasy food I ate.
Same friend insists I get the sausage pizza here: it's made with homemade sausage and quickly made clear why they've stuck around for decades.
The place to go for chicken feet, live frogs, and durians.
Urban infill.
This closed and is now Vienna Ice Cafe.
To the left of that car wash is a pet wash.
Great coffeeshop.
Not crazy about the Hummer. *Update* Slated to become a vegan lunch spot: City Beet.
Another reason Columbus is the vegetarian/vegan capital of Ohio.
Just a reminder that we have hills. Not big hills, but hills nonetheless.
Bars are a rarity here; most of Clintonville is dry.
Density: what Clintonville needs. This development burnt down in the winter but rose like a phoenix.
Many people were sad when this diner closed. They've since reopened.
Another friend of mine swears by this place when it comes to BBQ.
Ghost ad. Can only make out "Clintonville".
Whole World is, I think, the oldest vegetarian restaurant/bakery in the city.
A rather popular thrift store.
Sushi from a deli?
Seagull Bags is great. Apparently, their messenger bags are big in Japan.
The building in the middle was the Clifton Theater: that and the building to the left were torn down about 2 years ago and is still an empty dirt lot.
The roundabout which isn't going forward would have required demolition of the building on the corner.
North of North Broadway it gets much too sprawly. You best just turn 'round and go back where ya came from.