🍴 Conde Nast Says Columbus Is A Top Food City (Duh!)

Plus: 🔥 German Village’s Most Famous Statue Was Set On Fire

Author

Chelsea Wiley
December 02, 2025

Sponsored by Columbus Recreation and Parks Department ☃️
Celebrate the season at WinterFest Columbus! Join us at Bicentennial Park for a cozy winter escape filled with live music, craft brews, festive cocktails, and top-notch food trucks. Free admission, family-friendly, and outdoor winter fun for all! Click here for more info!

Hello, Tuesday! Chelsea here.

Did anyone else wake up this morning, look out the window, and immediately feel unprepared for the snow? Because same. Columbus got a little overnight snowburst, and honestly, it’s putting us in a cozy, comfort-food kind of mood. Which brings us to today’s feature: apparently the rest of the country has finally figured out what we’ve known all along, that Columbus can cook. Condé Nast Traveler dropped its new Readers’ Choice Awards, and let’s just say our city showed up hungry.

🔥 German Village’s Most Famous Statue Was Set On Fire
Schiller Park’s Umbrella Girl had a rough November: first a paint dump, then someone set her on fire, torching her iconic holiday coat. Here's what happened and what’s next for the much-loved statue.

🌡️ Where to Find Warming Shelters in Columbus This Winter
If you or anyone you know needs a safe place to warm up this winter, please don’t hesitate to visit one of the warming centers around the city. There’s already a decent number of centers open and more will be added to the list in January.

Headlines 📰 

🏘️ The city’s latest zoning update would replace dozens of neighborhood maps with one unified land use plan, and not everyone is on board. Several area commissions say they need more time to understand how the change will shape growth in their communities. (WOSU)

😍 The Morgan House in Dublin turns into a full-on holiday wonderland every winter, and the crowds prove it. The food is solid, but the atmosphere and four floors of festive shopping are what keep the waitlist packed. (Axios Columbus)

👶 The Child Care Cred Program is here, and it’s supposed to make child care more affordable while helping kids succeed down the line. Economists like the idea, though a few point out the funding and rules may limit its impact. (Ohio Capital Journal)

🌨️ Weather: 33 and mostly cloudy, with snow showers before 7 a.m.

Sponsored by Short North Stage 🎭
Get ready to groove down the Yellow Brick Road with The Wiz, a bold, brassy, and family-friendly take on The Wizard of Oz! Follow Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion as they face witches, flying monkeys, and a wizard who’s more smoke and mirrors than magic. With electrifying songs like “Ease on Down the Road” and Dorothy’s heartfelt “Home,” this PG-rated production will have you clapping, cheering, and dancing in the aisles. Showtimes run through December 28, 2025, at the Garden Theatre MainStage. For tickets and more info, please click here

Coming Up 📆

🎵 12/2: Straight No Chaser: Holiday Road
🎶 12/2: The Happy Fits
🎸 12/3: All Them Witches
🏒 12/4: Blue Jackets vs. Detroit Red Wings
🎪 12/4: A Magical Cirque Christmas
🎷 12/4-12/7: Columbus Jazz Orchestra: Home for the Holidays
🎭 12/4-12/7: The Wiz
🍸 12/5: Night Shift at The Pizzuti
🤣 12/5: Ben Schwartz & Friends
🎭 12/5: Broadway Rave
🎄 12/5-12/6: Grove City Christmas Celebration Weekend
✨ 12/5-12/6: Wander Nights at Wanderlights
🎭 12/5-12/7: Mr. Scrooge
🦸‍♀️ 12/5-12/7: GalaxyCon Columbus
🎻 12/5-12/7: Holiday Pops
🩰 12/6: Wonderment
🎸 12/6: RAIN – A Beatles Christmas Tribute
🎵 12/6: An Acoustic Christmas with Over the Rhine
🎶 12/7: CAPA Community Creates: Songwriting with Chrissy Turner
🌴 12/7: December Community Day at Franklin Park Conservatory
✨ 12/7: Village Lights

Today's Photo 🤳

Instagram Post

❄️ What’s your favorite Columbus neighborhood in the snow? I love the way all of the brick looks when it’s snowy in German Village!

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- Chelsea