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FeedUpfront: Heart of Columbus
A note from Columbus Monthly's new editor, Kristen Schmidt
PHOTO BY TESSA BERG
HELLO THERE.
I’m delighted that one of the city’s most flavorful burgers graces the cover of my first issue at Columbus Monthly. My very first meal in Columbus was at Skillet; my future colleagues knew exactly what they were doing by giving me an enviable tour de food in my 30-hour visit. Subsequent stops on that trip—including Pistacia Vera and Basi Italia—have become officially designated happy places. It’s also true I may have had Jeni’s on my mind when I took the offer to be editor at Columbus Alive in April 2011. (Daily access to that stuff? Where do I sign?)
If Columbus entered my heart through its formidable food scene, it planted deep roots there through you, the people who call this city home. On that first visit, I wandered in and out of shops in the Short North, overhearing conversations among shopkeepers and customers—several of whom also seemed to be friends and neighbors. It made me nostalgic for the pre-building-boom days of my suburban Chicago hometown, when downtown streets were lined with mom-and-pop shops and I knew by name customers at the bookstore where I worked as a teenager.
I might have dismissed the familiarity among those Short North shoppers as a fluke, except I kept hearing those conversations after moving here, and I still hear them today. Columbus struck me from the start as a sophisticated, vibrant big city with the heart of a small town. It’s a potent mix, and it has captured me completely. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share its stories with you in Columbus Monthly.
We’ll dive head-first into the people, places and happenings that are the pulse of Columbus, and we’ll take straight-on looks at the tough challenges we face as a city. There will be shopping and burgers and theater, sure, but we’ll also give you the in-depth reporting on issues that you won’t find in quite the same way anywhere else. Our goal is to spark conversations and to show you new ways to experience Columbus in full.
Let’s start chatting now—drop me a line with suggestions and ideas. Can’t wait to hear from you.
Kristen Schmidt
kschmidt@columbusmonthly.com
Twitter: @MonthlyEditor
