5th Annual Grandview Chocolate Walk

“Enjoy a walking tour of Grandview Heights with chocolate stops at participating businesses, to benefit the GHPL Foundation’s Endowment Fund.”

I saw this event listed in the spring guide of events going on at Grandview library whilst I was a volunteer there back in the winter. I wasn’t able to get tickets until just a few weeks before the event, but I eagerly anticipated it all winter and spring.

My husband, Andrew, was unable to accompany me due to a work commitment, so I decided to go it alone and hope to maybe meet some new people (which I did, Thanks Joe & Allysa!!!).

I arrived at the library with less than 10 minutes to spare before the 6pm walk started. Having not been on it before, I wasn’t sure if it was like a group activity, or if we would be handed a map and left to our own devices. It was the latter. We were given a brown bag, a plastic cup, and a listing of all the participating businesses on a lanyard.

Since I decided to grab Andrew’s bag and cup I had to quickly figure out how to carry two bags, a bottle of water, and my purse so that I could walk around comfortably without feeling like a pack horse. While picking up the bags I met a young couple (Joe & Allysa) who were nice enough to let me accompany them on the walk, for which I am forever grateful. After all, experiences are more meaningful when shared with someone else.

Grandview isn’t that big a city, so it’s quite walkable. There were a few businesses on the same street as the library, which we saved for last. Otherwise, the vast majority were located on Grandview Avenue. Our plan of attack was to start on the west side of the road, proceed north, then cross over to the other side and head back saving Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream for last. I agree with Joe and Allysa that it felt like Halloween for adults.

Our first stop was at the only chocolate shop on the tour, Pure Imagination Chocolatier, which have occupied the space for the last 17 years according to what I read on Yelp. Andrew and I have been in there several times, and my last visit was to buy him a box of chocolates for a Christmas present (very well received as you might imagine).

Joe's tray of strawberries & chocolate

Unlike my traveling companions, I managed to not successfully execute drizzling hot chocolate over semi-frozen strawberries so I could then eat them. I wasn’t told to just pour the chocolate into the reservoir in the corner of the plastic tray they gave us, which is what everyone else seemed to do. I guess my greed got the best of me (that and worrying about how to get a tray home for Andrew). What happened is the chocolate quickly solidified and became one big hunk of strawberries smothered in chocolate. I gnawed at the edges a little before giving up and chucking it into my bag to save for later.

Our next stop of note was the Grandview Theater, which has been under new ownership for the last few years after the previous owners, Jennifer Stancel and David Nedrow finally called it quits after renovating/updating the cinema and struggling to make a profit. Although they will be missed, I think the OSU students and residents of Grandview are probably happy about the changes made to the cinema with the addition of a bar (which seems common in most cinemas these days, at least in Columbus). The cinema also houses Central City Church on Sunday mornings. 

It’s probably apropos that the theater served bags of popcorn with M&M’s mixed in. Apparently you can order that at the snack bar too. I agree with Joe that it was a good choice to mix salty & sweet. All I know is we each had a hard time setting aside our bags of popcorn when presented with other options.

Some shops went more out than others when choosing what item to present in the chocolate theme. Among other things we sampled were: chocolate chip cookies, tiny cupcakes, brownies, chocolate covered strawberries (certainly one of the prettiest items), chocolate mousse (I liked the avocado chocolate mixed one at Alchemy), candy bars:

and truffles, the choice of a chocolate-based drink (at Stauf’s Coffee Roasters), a chocolate scented candle (Candle Lab), chocolate geodes (expertly painted/dusted chocolate made to look like rocks)

from Accent on Nature, and chocolate ice cream (Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream), etc.

It soon became obvious that we would probably blow up like Violet in the Willy Wonka movie if we ate every single item handed to us. Allysa figured this out sooner than me as she starting saving more of her chocolate items than I did. I only figured this out after I started filling up.

Probably the most interesting experience of the evening was the hand and arm massage Allysa and I got at Avola Lanza Hair Studio. If nothing else, it just feels good to be massaged and touched by someone else in a therapeutic way. Also, you left smelling good from the lotion they used.

In spite of several stops to chat with friends along the way, we still finished in the allotted two hours, which was just as well since I was pretty weighed down with chocolate, etc. having to carry two bags worth along with a stash of coupons, brochures, and a couple newspapers.

All in all a great evening out, and we were blessed with a beautiful night for it – temps in the low 80s, and a bit humid, but not too insufferable. I would definitely like to do this again (with either Andrew or my sister, though she doesn’t have a sweet tooth like I do). I would make sure to eat an early light lunch, (skip dinner, obviously), leave work an hour early to get there in plenty of time, wear a dark colored shirt (I only got one tiny spot of chocolate on my white t-shirt, so I did pretty well), and carry less crap with me to not feel too weighed down. It also probably helps to not eat chocolate for several days before so that you can enjoy a similar experience to that of Lent being over when you can finally indulge again.

Have a great week everyone!