Every year or so, my girlfriends and I plan a girls weekend. Drawing us from Ohio, Indiana and Texas, sometimes it’s a big city, other times a spa retreat. This summer, we decided a hassle-free, affordable stay in Columbus was just what we needed. We developed a list of possible activities: festivals , Gallery Hop , glass art exhibitions , shopping , antiquing, swimming, live music, etc. The weekend’s theme was "As little or as much as we want to do."

After an afternoon of lounging poolside, we were ready to step it up . . . a little. Anywhere we went was sure to be filled with endless chatter, giggles and reminiscing. Being chicks who enjoy lots of options, we headed for Easton Town Center .

Easton Town Center

It was a gorgeous Saturday evening. As we approached the north district of Easton, my friend from Dallas exclaimed, "I didn’t know you had a Tiffany’s !"

"Yep, of course we do," I said with a proud smile.

Like kids in a candy store, we circled the brightly lit display cases, pointing, oohing and aahing over the necklaces, classic Tiffany bracelets and diamond rings. This was my first visit to Tiffany’s and I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of choices and price points. One of the girls purchased a lovely necklace with a key charm, a birthday gift from her parents (how convenient!). The friendly staff wrapped her purchase in the iconic little blue box with a ribbon and off we went to decide on a dinner spot.

Across the fountain, we spotted the patio at Bon Vie , a modern French bistro - the perfect place for cocktails and dinner. We started with summer-themed martinis and the savory brie fondue with apples, broccoli, carrots, celery and bread (a good way to fool yourself that you’re eating healthy). I was satisfied and could’ve stopped there. But, no.

For entrees, we shared and devoured the Pasta Pistou (penne noodles with chicken, French green beans, walnuts, tomatoes and goat cheese in a creamy pesto sauce), Fettuccine Bon Vie, Boursin Stuffed Chicken Breast and the Balsamic Chicken Chopped Salad. Each dish was delicious and we were stuffed, but then Crème Brulee was calling our name. The custard was rich and creamy with a perfect glaze on top, garnished with fresh strawberries.

After dinner, we explored some more boutiques, then headed in for a deep food-induced coma.

Maybe next year we’ll go somewhere else, but why? There are still too many things left to do on our Columbus list!

Tiffany & Co. opened its first Central Ohio store at Easton Town Center last week. Situated across from Smith & Wollensky, the new location is one of Tiffany’s largest in the country.

Shelby Holliday at Palestra.net shares a look at the grand opening: