Some off and on showers, and scattered sunshine is giving my sunburns a chance to recover, and for me to sneak in a fast post. Looks like I'm not missing much in Cincinnati this week, eat your hearts out!
The youngest of the 5chw4r7z guys, he's a trip, keeping me smiling and crackin me up at every turn.
No trip anywhere is complete until there's a cigar with the 5chw4r7z brothers.
[where: holden beach, north carolina] holden bach, north carolina nc ocean water sand surf 3 comments
I'll never ever get tired of this view, the morning sun, the bridges glowing. Something about the steel bridges, a manifestation of the manufactured physical world in a juxtaposition against the beautifully natural hills and sky of Kentucky. And talking about skies, we're off into the wild blue yonder for a week at the beach.
Took some pictures roaming around last night, QCSII is already looking impressive and its only 10 or so stories tall, whats it gonna look like with the other 39 tacked on the top? They just announced another tenant, Frost Brown Todd who is going to occupy four floors starting at the 30th.
The work is going fast and furious on the Banks also, I love this rending of what it will look like when finished.
One of the biggest(but not the only) influences on me blogger wise has been Raymi. I've never met her, maybe one day. She was the second blogger I read regularly and when I started blogging, I just copied her unashamedly. She's had an interview with an online mag and this exept struck me, talking about sticking your neck out.
when you feel insecure about something you are doing, ... that vulnerability means that you are doing the right thing and when you watch that... the part when you started second-guessing ... that is likely the best part ... same goes for writing and photos of yourself. go the extra distance, it pays off.
She's not the only one of course, there's another blogger, who I actually did meet and has always always pushed and pushed me out of my comfort zone. So to everyone who asks, do you ever feel weird talking pictures in restaurants. Aren't you a little full of yourself, talking pictures of yourself all the time?
Actually, I'm probably tons more insecure than you are, but I'm growing and discovering things that I otherwise wouldn't have.
And one of those things is, I'm probably tons more egotistical than you are.[where: 45202] cincinnati ohio downtown comments?
Or just plain old Imports to me. Talking to Liz, I guess there's some ruffled feathers out there we should be fit in more. Screw that, I'm twisting this place around to suit me. The natives haven't exactly set the place on fire so stand back, we're burning the place to the ground and rebuilding it in our image. Over the river and through the levee to Hofbrauhaus we go
There were tons of people there I didn't recognize, a few I did but had never seen at an Imports meetup before. There is still a massive amount of people moving to and through Cincinnati, and a huge demand for these happy hours. Big question will they stay or move on? I'm guess the anit-progress people would be just as happy if they moved on, but not me.
Peter ParkerMark, your freindly neighborhood photog already busy uploading pictures from the event to Metromix.
Geneva on the Lake for my cousins wedding, what a drive, but at least it was a nice day for it. Got up there early and walked around some, if you love Myrtle Beach, you'll like Geneva on the Lake. Little miniature version of it minus the Wings and Pacific stores. But the main attraction, at least for Ms 5chw4r7z was the wineries.
We may have been over dressed, this isn't the most pretentious winery I've been to. Actually it was one step up from a dive bar, plastic glasses and waitresses we had to keep chasing down.
its Ohio but its outside, cigar time!
3G, Edge. 3G, Edge. 3G, Edge. thats how they roll on the lake.
a breezy evening on Fountain Square for the t-shirt festival leading up to the Indie Summer Music concert, that I totally missed by the way but I see Dan and he mentioned he saw Park+Vine getting name dropped on twitter a bunch the other day and what was up with that? Well right before that I had captured this video, then never turned the phone off.
So I told him how, on twitter there were a group of people trying to make the case for a casino downtown, now, I'm passionate about Cincinnati to say the least. much arm waving ensues.
I mean, have you looked a google earth shot of any casino outside Vegas? Its a wasteland. People drive into the casino, spend their money and leave. That's it. So they say what else will bring people to Cincy? Ha! did you see the NYTimes today? More exaggerated arm waving...
Whats the purpose of attracting people to Cincy for a casino, if 30% goes to the state and the rest flies back to where ever the hell the owner is? They might as well of gone straight to Vegas and bypassed us. If they spend the money instead somewhere local like say Park+Vine, 100% money stays right here in Cincinnati.They get busy and hire help,(which actually happened by the way) creating even more wealth that stays right here. And so on.
More arm waving and streetcar and bike talk...
but what makes it all worth it, the best follow friday I've gotten. thanks guys for putting up with me when that unfollow button is so tempting.
Is that the tipping point, when you start feeling comfortable in a hat you're getting old? not sure if I care, I'm styln and rockn my inner Clark Kent with this hat. We're heading to an outdoor wedding on Lake Erie, not even looking for a hat and saw this and it popped. No burned head for me this weekend. But here's an interesting development, crowd sourced fashion advice, I already knew I wanted it but sometimes I don't have the self confidence I should. A quick twitter picture and everyone came back with a resounding yes! And this isn't a fluke either, a couple weeks ago, while buying a suit, a salesman was talking a tweep into pleated pants, this guys a twenty-something and asked advice, two other women and I told him NO, whatya crazy? Saving the Cincinnati fashion scene one tweet at a time.
no, no,no as exciting as it sound I don't think I'm cut out for modeling, I'm just going to hang around here and be a boring old guy.
Walking around soaking it in, this is the one cultural aspect I feel Cincinnati is lacking. Its out there just not as prominent. And to be fair, yes these were clustered around their art museums so it does make sense. Artworks is doing their share with murals, but I would like to see new projects in Cincinnati incorporate public art. Tarbell had an initiative but it fizzled and never went anywhere.
This was my favorite fountain, outside the Native American Museum, I got it instantly, but you can grasp the energy and movement even more in a static picture.
Getting more and more adventurous around here, we drove way out into the sticks, hours and hours to the Dilly Cafe in Mariemont. But worth the drive as these guys all know beer. The coolest thing ever, it was the Hoperatives anniversary and they were there so they joined right in. I'll take beers nobs for $200 Alex thats "beer snobs" 5chw4r7z Ha! thats not what your mother said last night Trabec.
Peanut, the crack dilly beer expert and the Hoperatives. Those wacky kids still in love after all these years.
the Nomerati decides, well everyone does, but she spearheads the effort, that the Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout would taste awesome over vanilla ice cream. But WOW no matter how sweet you thought the stout was, boy did it taste bitter over the ice cream. Didn't keep us from enjoying the heck out it though.
Mainly wanted to go to the Second Sunday on Main for the Bacchanal Steel Band, a cool breeze, steel drums, the only thing missing was a Pina Colada. The action heated up from there, I was intending to leave but every time I'd try, I'd run into another person I know, wow the 5chw4r7z running into someone he knows downtown? Unbelievable.
We're standing around talking to Brad Thomas about streetcars at the t-shirt table when this lady comes up and starts admonishing him for being foolish and misleading people about the streetcar. Wow, I know they're out there but it still boggles my mind that people are so against it. I guess if they build the streetcar downtown the next step is running it into their neighborhood, and you know what that brings? People with money jingling in their pocket? No, not that? Then what? I don't know.
We closed the place down, that's the only way I got out, super good time though, haven't made one it to one of these since last summer and now I don't know why. So there was supposed to be a drag race and I walked up there saw a couple water balloons flying and it was all over so that's what all the hoopla was about? Totally missed whatever it was.[where:main street 45202]cincinnati ohio downtown
Cool place to kick around once in awhile, once every six months I guess but everything was in bloom this time at the Chateau Laroche and brightened it up some. As much as you can brighten any castle up I guess. And now I'm over this place, man you have to drive through Feilds-Ertle (or Fields-Ertel if you care that much about it. thanks, anon.) to get there, how tedious and craptastic is that?
They're off this week but last week with Freekbass in town Caitlin was cooking on Fountain Square. A couple ice cream cones from Graeter's for lunch and we hung out and watched awhile. One amusing development, they did a dry run to warm up, entertaining and spontaneous, then when they ran through again for the camera, kind of fell flat. I'm sure anyone watching the broadcast wouldn't know the difference and the rest of the show they picked right back up where they left off. Is the lead guy from Freekbass named Freekbass? just wondering.
I've seen their pictures all over the internet, but I was still surprised, you can't underestimate how cute they are in real life. OH, and they're food is nothing to sneeze at either.
The feeling of the unexpected, being out of place, surprise and delight. That's everything I felt walking into the Friendship Park and presented with this. The Outdoor Museum
Art should engage, inspire and create dialog. Sometimes a challenge in a stuffy museum but ideal outside. A perfect example, while staring at this my young niece runs up claps her hands raises them over her head and exclaims "a power plant"
Winding through the parks meandering paths adds to the sense of discovery and interactive - ness? Every time I see TOM I think Theater Of the Mind. Yeah, cliché I know.
Even better, an art show highlighting consumption, waste and ecology and along comes the physical manifestation of this, a barge transporting oil. Hard to get that juxtaposition in a museum.
[where: 45202]cincinnati ohio downtown Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park 4 comments
One thing about running around with the nephews is they are not timid like the nieces were, just the opposite and they were down with anything I dream up. Little boys are dangerous though, they are technically clinically insane until oh somewhere in their 20s maybe? All I know is you can't suggest anything in jest because the wackier it is the more motivated they are to try it.
You think thats crazy uncle Bob? thats crazy! here, this is crazy!
Another stop on the Cincinnati death march juggernaut that was the niece/nephew visit. But who doesn't love a cute and/or baby animal or two? not I surely. The new entryway is impressive, if confusing. Historic Vine St entry? Its a couple months old if I'm not mistaken. But that aside even with the ongoing construction the Cincinnati zoo is something special. I haven't been to the Cleveland and Pittsburgh zoo's for awhile but it rivals them now. once its finished up, it will have some wow factor, even more than it does now.
Half the fun for me is people watching, sure most of the loonies are in the parade, but there's people watching everywhere. The Northside is kind of like the Minnesota of Cincinnati don't you think? Except it doesn't take three days to go from one side to the other. I mean, if there is a Cincinnati uni-bomber, he probably ain't gonna be in Hyde Park, too many uptight a-holes there, they'd point him right out, but I'm almost positive I bought him a beer in the Northside Tavern. All I'm sayin is everyone there is completely comfortable in their skin, where else can you go walking around with an Uncle Sam top hat and no one looks at you twice? OK, OK maybe Newport, but that's a whole other story and I've pissed off enough people today. JEZ chill people
We all met at Take the Cake early to make sure we got in and to get a good spot on the parade route. But I keep forgetting that the Northside runs on hippie time and we were literally the only people in the Northside until like 5 minutes before it began. Every other entry was a truck advertising a handy man, funny, I guess there really are a lot of fixer uppers in the Northside. The rain teased the whole time will it won't it. yes it will. But it never got heavy enough to piss on our bonfire, its hard to have a bad time at the parade, the energy from dancers to the marching bands is incredible.
What parade is complete without a marching band? Crank the speakers and listen
The end of the parade everyone just jumps in and joins the fun. [where: 45202]cincinnati ohio downtown 1 comments
The end of a week off, does it get much better relaxing on the "tweetdeck" yeah right, thats a big negatory! Fired up a NUB that The Cincinnati TherapyGuy gave me. Is it ironic the Therapy Guy gave me such a relaxing cigar? No not ironic, I guess that would be literal wouldn't it?
That thing is almost as big as Paul Brown
I'll never get tired of this view
the wild blue yonder in one direction and downtown in the other. Isn't it crazy right downtown I'm probably more in touch with the natural world than I've ever been?
[where:353 west 4th st cincinnati ohio 45202]cincinnati ohio downtown 3 comments
This thing screws with your eyes and makes it hard to look at for more than a minute at a time. A mini hall of mirrors in the middle of a park, we haven't stopped and looked at it for years. [where:1135 Eastern Ave, 45202]cincinnati ohio downtown 4 comments
The aquarium is really cool if expensive, we got there early and missed the bulk of the crowd, always a good thing. They've gotten trickier giving a discount if you get in early, but then making you walk through a cafe halfway through. And of course everyone does this with a walk through the gift store at the end which totally backfired with my nephews and I chasing each other around with those shark/alligator grabby thingies. score 1 us.
