| Being married to an avid Ohio State fan who's | | | | while my wife was catching up with friends |
| been thousand of miles from her family and | | | | and family, I decided we'd hop into the Buick |
| her precious Buckeyes since we tied the knot | | | | Enclave and spend the day at the Columbus Zoo |
| is not an enviable position to be in. Yeah, | | | | and Aquarium. He loved all the rides, not to |
| I'm a sports fan - but believe me - I've got | | | | mention the free-flying raptors show. I |
| nothing on my wife when it comes to her | | | | couldn't believe how huge this zoo was - home |
| passion for the Buckeyes. But between our | | | | to some 650 wildlife species. |
| jobs and the birth of our son, time just | | | | |
| slipped away. So we decided (for my sanity | | | | The next few days would be spent paying |
| and hers) that it was time to take a trip | | | | homage to all things "Buckeye", and the week |
| back to Columbus. | | | | was quickly coming to a close. We decided to |
| | | | spend the day in Dayton, about a 60-mile |
| We thought about driving, but with a | | | | drive from Columbus (any excuse to get behind |
| four-year-old in tote, we opted to take the | | | | the wheel of that Buick.) Thanks to the three |
| easy way out and fly there. This would be my | | | | row seating, the entire family fit with room |
| son's and my first time visiting the Buckeye | | | | to spare. First stop was the Dayton Aviation |
| State, so her parents agreed to let us borrow | | | | Heritage National Historical Park, which |
| their new Buick crossover SUV so my wife | | | | commemorates the lives and achievements of |
| could show us the sights around Central Ohio. | | | | Dayton natives Orville and Wilbur Wright. We |
| In between the tailgating madness, she | | | | spent the day wandering through the flight |
| promised there was a lot of great stuff to | | | | exhibits, touring the flying field and, my |
| see. | | | | son's favorite, checking out 1905 Wright |
| | | | Flyer II (the world's first practical |
| After a not-so-smooth flight with our | | | | airplane built by the Wright brothers in |
| 4-year-old and a day's rest, it was time to | | | | 1905.) |
| see the city. My in-law's Buick Enclave was | | | | |
| so much more than the run-of-the-mill SUV I | | | | We loaded back into the Buick and headed to |
| was expecting. This Buick crossover was | | | | what would be our next stop - the Motor Car |
| luxurious. With Bose ten-speaker surround | | | | District along Ludlow Street. This area was |
| sound, plush seats, a mahogany trimmed | | | | once home to several post-World War I |
| steering wheel, and the quietest engine I've | | | | Dealerships. We toured America's Packard |
| ever heard - I knew it would be hard to give | | | | Museum, the only museum in the nation |
| it up at the end of the week. | | | | dedicated to the Packard. The museum features |
| | | | over 50 cars on display in the restored 1917 |
| After a day touring my wife's old Alma Mater, | | | | showroom. After picking up some goodies at |
| it was time for the highlight of my trip - a | | | | the gift shop, it was time to grab a quick |
| tour of the Budweiser factory in Columbus. We | | | | lunch in Oakwood before heading back to |
| got to watch the brewing, bottling, and | | | | Columbus. |
| packaging processes, from the perspective of | | | | |
| the engineers who make it all work. This | | | | While the week went quickly, my wife was able |
| Central Ohio brewery supplies beer primarily | | | | to get the Buckeyes out of her system (for a |
| to Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, | | | | little while anyway), and my son and I got a |
| Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. That's a lot | | | | little taste of what Central Ohio has to |
| of beer. | | | | offer. As for turning over the keys to the |
| | | | Buick Enclave, it was a painful experience. |
| The next day, I promised our son a trip to | | | | But I'm pretty sure we'll be making a trip to |
| the zoo made famous by Jungle Jack Hanna. So | | | | the Buick dealership after we get home. |