By Barbara Palmer

1.

Latitude 41 latitude41

restaurant.com/

Natural and sea- sonal ingredients

drive the kitchen at Lati- tude 41, in the Renais- sance ColumbusDown- town.Themenuchanges

2. Westin Columbus westin columbus.com

Opened in 1897 as “The Great

Southern Fireproof Hotel and Opera House,” the impeccably restored and updated 188-room Westin Columbus is still one of the most elegant addresses in town.The hotel’s more than 12,000 square feet of meeting space includes a 4,200-square-foot Grand Ballroom.

daily,according to what’s available locally—and as close at hand as the garden on the hotel’s rooftop pool deck.With dishes likeBraised Lamb Fettuccine and a patio furnished with sofas and firepits, the restaurant is an artful blend of ease and luxury.

3.

Surly Girl Saloon surlygirl saloon.com

“Cowgirl meets pirate girl” is the

way one local described the eclectic atmosphere of this popular OldWest bordello-styled bar and restaurant,where the owners—two women —take pains to offer

4.

Greater Columbus Convention Center columbus conventions.com

The postmodern convention cen-

craft beer brewed by women.The saloon serves lunch, dinner, and brunch, and the menu leans heavily on comfort food and wit.

ter, designed by archi- tect Peter Eisenman, is anything but boxy or bland. Highly functional as well as beautiful, it offers 1.7 million square feet of space, including a new, 74,000-square-foot ballroom.When the 532- room Hilton Columbus Downtown opens this fall, it will boost the number of rooms adja- cent to or connected to the convention center to nearly 2,700.

5. COSI cosi.org

Parentsmaga- zine recently

ranked COSI—Colum- bus, Ohio’s Center of Science and Industry—

the No. 1 science center in the country.The cen- ter overlooks the Scioto River and offers a mix of indoor and outdoor space for banquets, receptions, and meet- ings, including interac- tive exhibit space.

pcmaconvene April 2012

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MAP BY JIM McMAHON

May 26-27

AsianFestival www.asian-festival.org TheAsian Festival in Franklin ParkConservatory, nowin its 18th year,celebrates the culture and heritage ofmore than a dozenAsian countries. Each year,100,000-plus visitors turn out formusic, food,entertainment,and activities, including dragon-boat racing inGenoa Park.