I finally made it to Cuco's on Henderson Road last night.  Thanks for the recommendation Joe, above is from an older entry here

I am finishing my leftovers now... chile relleno, one of the chef's specialities:

"Our executive chef is a native of Guadalajara, Mexico and his specialties include Guadalajara Lamb Stew, mojarra frita, chile rellenos and chicken enchiladas. Visit us and you, too, will discover the best kept secret in Columbus'!

Site opens veeeeeeeeery slow and then the music starts... be not afraid, it is only The Mexican Hat Dance, I think.

Cuco's Taqueria

Map - Cuco's Taqueria 2162 Henderson Rd.  (just west of Dierker Rd. )

I'd love to hear from you if you have a comment on the topic. All comments are moderated so you will not see your comment immediately. Thanks. Copyright 2008 Discover Columbus and Maureen McCabe

I have really tired of doing events posts, upcoming events posts....

Of course this is the big first football game.  Buckeye's - Ohio State University Football vs. Youngstown State on Saturday at noon

The Long Street Tour  if you are really feeling athletic... like participating.

Ohio Cup Vintage Base Ball Festival at the Ohio Historical Center/Ohio Village, 1982 Velma Ave. in Columbus

"For two days over the Labor Day weekend, 24 gentlemen's and three ladies' vintage base ball teams will gather for a festival at Ohio Village. Teams from Ohio and other states will play matches using the rules of 1860 in the matches. The Ohio Cup represents the largest gathering of vintage base ball clubs in the country."

I believe Ohio Cup Vintage Base Ball  is Saturday and Sunday. 

The Crew and the Clippers have games too on Labor Day weekend according to Experience Columbus.

Of course this is Labor Day weekend, so the Greek Festival (click the link and music starts)  at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral.  Friday through Monday.  Admission is only $4.

This Saturday is also the Gallery Hop in the Short North and the arches are going to be doing something different.

News about the lights Experience Columbus says:

"Preview the most dynamic arts district in the Midwest, with new gallery exhibitions, street performers, food and music. Plus the Short North arches will shimmer for the first time in a brilliant array of colors."

The First Annual African American Family Reunion Mt. Vernon Ave. area, admission is Free

According to Experience Columbus:

"On Friday, the largest Electric Slide Line Dance (competing for the Guinness Book of Records) will be held on Mt. Vernon Ave. at 7:00 pm. Following the Electric Slide, participants will relocate to the Mayme Moore Park for a live AAFR Oldies But Goodies dance and other entertainment."

In Northwest Columbus the 2nd Annual Train Festival at the Depot will be at The Depot Conference Center, 919 Old Henderson Rd. Columbus according to Experience Columbus:

"The Midwest's largest all scale train festival showcases all types of trains, including free rides on a 1/3 scale live steam train, live musical entertainment, model train building clinics, railroad memorabilia, artists, food and beverage, and more in an outdoor atmosphere."

Italian Gathering - Sunday only at Wendy's International according to Experience Columbus:

"Wendy's has once again teamed up with Evans Automotive to host the Second Annual Italian Gathering. The benefit event welcomes Italian cars and motorcycles of all vintages to the Wendy's International Corporate Grounds in Dublin."

It's First Friday in the City of Delaware

Sunbury Antique & Flea Market and Ox Roast on the Sunbury Village Square on Monday

"Labor Day Flea Market & Ox Roast   on the Sunbury Square - 7 am - 5 pm. Sponsored by the Sunbury Lions Club"  According to the Sunbury Chamber of Commerce Calendar 

Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival in Northam Park on Monday.

Sunday is the Commit To Be Fit Walk at Inniswood Metro Gardens...    

For more about what's happening visit DownTownColumbus.com and ExperienceColumbus.com

 Copyright 2007 Discover Columbus and Maureen McCabe

Remember Hailey Joel Osment in the movie 'The Sixth Sense '.... "I see dead people."
 
I worked with a couple who only looked  at homes with dead animals.  It was a few years ago.  The first house had a dead snake in the basement.  It was not an Ohio garden snake but a large exotic serpent.  It must have been a pet that  was left behind and died in a vacant house in northwest Columbus.  I wanted to wrap this entry up with a moral at the end, because that's what real estate bloggers seem to do but if you are on a tight schedule... or don't enjoy dead animal stories without a moral, please know ...there's no moral to this long story! 
 
Back to the dead animals.... arriving at the home on a sunny autumn afternoon (OSU home game Saturday)  before my buyers I called the friend who had referred them to me... and said  "Do you think Matilda* (name changed to protect the innocent)  is afraid of snakes?" 
 
He offered to come help me remove the dead snake once we determined it was dead.  He told me to throw a pen at the snake.  I thought  it was a dead snake but on the other end of a cell phone he couldn't be as sure.  So as instructed I threw a pen at it.  There was no time for outside help.   My clients were due any minute, they were arriving separate, Matilda was supposed to be there first, her husband .... let's call him Big Jim (not his real name either) was coming to the house straight from work. 
 
Big Jim got there before Matilda.  I asked him "Is Matilda afraid of snakes?"  I don't know what Big Jim said about Matilda and snakes but Big Jim assured me he was afraid of snakes. I told Big Jim the snake was dead.  Big Jim could see the ballpoint pen I'd hurled at the dead snake.  Big Jim put a large piece of plywood from the garage over the snake on the basement floor. 
 
Still no Matilda...  While we were waiting for Matilda, Big Jim looked at the rest of the modest ranch home.  At one point we were in the hall with the bedrooms and bathrooms and Big Jim said, "What's that smell?" Big Jim was instantly was embarrassed.... thinking I guess.... maybe I had used a bathroom before he arrived (not knowing of the REALTOR code of conduct... don't use the bathrooms!) and stunk up the house.  He was embarrassed that he should not have said, "What's that smell?"  I was embarrassed, that Big Jim was embarrassed that he thought maybe I had stunk up a bathroom before he got there...   Shortly the whole matter of THE SMELL was settled when Matilda arrived.  Matilda walked down the hall after viewing the kitchen and living room, took a sniff and said,  "Something died in here."
 
"Of course!"
 
Big Jim and I made eye contact but we did not tell Matilda about the dead snake in the basement.   We had not smelled THE SMELL in the basement... Matilda's nose knew... we all agreed immediately it was not a sewer gas smell or someone used the bathroom kind of smell, something was dead in that house.   Matilda started talking about the smell of a dead rodent.  
 
Big Jim, Matilda and I looked at the big, open, empty basement with a lone piece of plywood askew on top of a rather large snake.  Matilda did not investigate the plywood. At some point Big Jim told Matilda there was a big snake under the plywood.  Matilda took Big Jim's word for it that there was a big dead snake under the plywood.
 
The house was not the house for Matilda and Big Jim.   It was not a nice house besides having dead 'stink' in the hallway and a dead snake in the basement.... We could freely speculate about what the smell upstairs was and where that big snake came from.  Talking to the listing agent later, the house had been rented out, seems the tenants had left without a pet or two.
 
Matilda and Big Jim looked at another vacant Northwest Columbus house with a dead squirrel in the middle of a bunch of "stuff" in the living room.  The house was "an estate."   Big Jim put a lampshade over the dead squirrel and Matilda never saw it but we mentioned "The Dead Squirrel" later, a time or two.
 
I called the listing agent to report 'The Dead Squirrel.'  I never heard anything from the listing agent.  No "thank you for the message about the dead squirrel" kind of response.  
 
"The Dead Squirrel House" sold quickly, within a day or so of going on the market. A friend of mine sold the house and seemed oblivious to the dead squirrel under a lampshade among the personal property in the living room.
 
Big Jim and Matilda looked at a lot of homes, they looked at homes for months...from September through May... they wrote offers on three houses.   I think Big Jim and Matilda wrote three offers on one of the three houses.... the story of the underwear in the ceiling of that house will have to wait for another time...  I can't say there was a dead animal in each house Big Jim and Matilda looked at but their inspector found a dead bunny carcass in the crawl space of the home Matilda and Big Jim finally bought.
      
The moral of the story? .. There's a real estate saying, "If you can smell it, you can NOT sell it."   But they sold.  It was a great market.  The "Dead Snake House" as it became known to Matilda, Big Jim, friends and co-workers sold even thought it was not a nice house. It was a ranch in a desirable Northwest Columbus neighborhood.  "The Dead Squirrel House" sold in a day or two, it was a nice house in a great Northwest Columbus neighborhood, and it needed a lot of updating and was on a corner lot with a shallow back yard.  The Dead Squirrel was beyond stinking so it did not hurt the sale of the house.
 
We started looking for dead animals in houses, maybe that's why it took them so long to buy a house. 
 
The house Matilda and Big Jim bought with the bunny in the crawl space had no dead animal smell.... maybe the moral of the story is sometimes there are dead animals in a house.

Real Estate Blogs with a Moral of the Story:

Bonnie in St. Paul Minnesota

Lynne in California

Susan in Maryland

Gene in Des Plaines Illinois

Anyone else have a good real estate story with or without a moral? Or a moral for my story?  

* Matilda and Big Jim are made up names to protect the innocent.  

Copyright 2006 Columbus Best Blog and Maureen McCabe