5chw4r7z:: the ethos of downtown Cincinnati

hi-tech is sexy but its low-tech that protects the city

Have you ever wondered why the city has never experienced significant flooding since the big 1937 deluge?
A barrier dam keeps the Ohio River from invading the Mill Creek Valley, the city activates it when the Ohio River hits or is expected to hit 52 feet. They pump the Mill Creek into the Ohio River to protect the Mill Creek Valley. Inside the pumphouse there are eight water pumps, each one can move a billion gallons of water a day.
Cincinnati Stormwater Management Engineer Eric Saylor says, "This was being built at the same time, roughly speaking, as Hoover Dam. But Hoover Dam wasn't ready. So they brought the pumps that were going to go to Hoover Dam to us here at barrier dam."
The barrier dam protects not only roads and businesses in the Mill Creek Valley, but also an important Metropolitan Sewer District facility. The treatment plant is the largest wastewater treatment plant in the entire Tri-state and if it couldn't treat sewage it would be an environmental disaster.

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When the river is up, getting around city parks is a beach

Currently, it seems like every person in Cincinnati has been to the riverfront taking pictures. And mixing it up with everyone snapping pictures there were hundreds of kids and dogs roaming around making waves. And of course, there were shallow people wadding in to the tops of their rain boots. But everyone had a whale of a time.
OK, joking aside I know this is a serious matter because peoples homes and businesses are flooded with no relief in sight until the end of the week. People take it for granted living and working in climate-controlled environments that we total mastery over nature. I wonder if part of what draws people down to these natural disasters is the reminder of how little control we actually have.

I think I saw almost every kind of camera imaginable on the riverfront.

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Sid Saturday

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sometimes you'll have a super warm day in February

And when you do, people who have been cooped up for months want to ride bikes. And ride bikes we did. As you no doubt know, because it's been in your face for a week, the Ohio River is over flood stage. Riding across the Roebling Bridge I couldn't wrap my head around how close the water is to the bottom of the bridge, and how noisy and riotous it is.
It was a beautiful night of warm temps and high water.

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Sid Saturday

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Mardi Gras

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CityBird

This story begins the summer before last at Washington Park. I can't remember if Ms. 5chw4r7z and I were going to see a movie or a concert but we had a brainstorm, let's get chicken sandwiches from Eagle! And it was a brilliant idea too. A chicken sandwich from Eagle turned into our go-to for takeout. Fast forward a summer and the lead time for takeout got longer and longer until we gave up. But imagine our surprise when we found out Eagle was opening up a stand-alone takeout counter for chicken! It turns out we weren't the only people fond of chicken takeout, the demand and pressure had gotten so large something had to be done and Citybird was born.
From their website, "We start with cage free, free roaming, all natural chicken. It’s brined, dredged, then dropped into custom-built fryers."
They keep it simple, three different sandwiches, four sauces, fries, and coleslaw. Plus house-made drinks.
We grabbed the Spicy and the Lemon Thyme sandwiches plus fries and cole slaw. If you like it hot you're gonna love the Spicy Sandwich and the green chile hot sauce for the tenders. If you don't like heat all the other sauces were just as good.
My suggestion is you try Citybird sooner rather than later while you can still get in. In a land of $11 sandwiches, Citybird is going to be busy with their reasonably priced chicken.

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Well Hello Kitty!

If we've learned anything from Gorilla Cinema, the creators of Overlook Lodge and Video Archive, its that we can expect one thing.
The unexpected.
And they didn't disappoint with Tokyo Kitty. Tokyo Kitty is a Japanese style karaoke bar. One can sing on the big stage in front of a large audience or reserve one of the seven private rooms and perform in front of your friends. An interesting feature of the private rooms is once nestled inside it's not necessary to ever leave. Drinks can be ordered through an app and they are delivered through a clever system of overhead cranes that lower the order through the ceiling. Tokyo Kitty calls it robot delivery, and I guess it is, but not in the traditional sense that you would imagine.
So for all the extroverts out there who wished there was a bar where they could be just a little more extroverted, a little more flamboyant, this bar is for you.
If any bar in Cincinnati was created for the instagram selfie generation its Tokyo Kitty!