Bikes and Coffee!

Combining two things I love, coffee and bike riding, Joe Humpert, through the instagram account commuted.sentence has created a way to enjoy both while exploring mostly unseen parts of the city.
For example this past week I found myself cycling down a gravel path along the Mill Creek seeing all sorts of wildlife including a coyote while being basically in the middle of the city!
I usually brew the coffee and carry it with me in a thermos but these guys all show up with cool backpacking equipment for brewing coffee on the road or trail. They'll gonna end up costing me money because it looks like fun and I'm a sucker for cool toys.
The rides are organized on early Sunday (Now Friday) mornings so if you love coffee, bikes and obscure (some more than others) parts of the city I'll see you there!







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Garage On York

Garage On York held a ribbon-cutting this past Friday and we were able to tour this cool new event space on York St in Newport.
From co-founder Laura Chenault; "Garage On York was designed as a "blank palette” location with video & photography shoots in mind first and foremost (distributed power, open/flexible space, drain for any water rigs/bathroom sets, smooth floor for dolly/set builds, killer kitchen for shooting/craft service, tables/chairs/ladders...).
The second goal is to try to attract creative companies/ad agencies & creative department within corporations to think of us as a off site meeting space when they need to spread out & get out of the office."

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The Cincinnati Streetcar has seen a billion dollars of economic development

The streetcar has just hit a milestone, there has been, by my calculations, a billion dollars in investment along the streetcar route. I started keeping a spreadsheet of every news story I saw of a project along the route and projects off the route where developers credited the streetcar for their decision to invest in the urban core.
In 2007, the study which justified the streetcar investment concluded there was a 90% chance the streetcar’s benefits over and above its lifetime costs would total about $187 million, that there was a 10% chance they could be as high as $450 million, and that it would take until 2042 to realize all of these benefits. But look at what’s already happened 23 years ahead of schedule…
Of course, not all of this is on account of the streetcar. The city and 3CDC have also been big drivers of investment. But if you walk along the 3.6 miles of streetcar track, you’ll probably conclude the streetcar had a lot to do with the amazing investment there.
Every time a new restaurant, bar or retail business opens on the line, every time a new residential building is created it reinforces the feedback loop. Yes, it is possible to live car-free in Cincinnati and the only thing you sacrifice is car and gas bills.
The other day a streetcar opponent on twitter mentioned that a business moved from one spot on the streetcar route to another spot on the route, which brings up a very good point.
The streetcar isn't just a good development tool, it is also an anchor to keep businesses in our community instead of moving somewhere cheaper.
Even after a dozen years of streetcar opponents weaponizing it as a wedge issue, the streetcar investment is one of the smartest things our city has ever done. And while the City Hall continues to pursue operational improvements such traffic signal timing to speed it up and hopefully going fare-free to make it easier to board, ride, and spend dollars at local businesses, we are already realizing significant economic benefits.



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same great taste, brand new place!

All you fanciers of Pho, buddies of the Banh Mi, your time is here.
Pho Lang Thang's new location opens to the public tonight, the food is everything you remember, but the tight cramped place is gone replaced by a new spacious and light-filled location at 1828 Race St.
Across the street from Findlay Market and steps away from a streetcar stop.

This doesn't really have anything to do with Pho Lang Thang exactly, but this block could really use a bike rack. I locked my bike up to a hand rail at Deeper Roots Coffee a few doors down.
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RIP Martha, Sept. 1 1914

Martha, died 105 years ago today at the Cincinnati Zoo. The last of over a billion birds that once roamed America.

The New York Times NATHANIEL RICH wrote about Martha and he said;

"On Sept. 1, 1914, Martha, the last captive passenger pigeon, died at the Cincinnati Zoo. She outlasted George, the penultimate survivor of her species and her only companion, by four years. As news spread of her species’ imminent extinction, Martha became a minor tourist attraction. In her final years, whether depressed or just old, she barely moved. Underwhelmed zoo visitors threw fistfuls of sand at her to elicit a reaction. When she finally died, her body was taken to the Cincinnati Ice Company, frozen in a 300-pound ice cube and shipped by train to the Smithsonian Institution..."

Treehugger says she's stuffed but not on display at the Smithsonian.
From RoadsideAmerica;

Martha spent her last years in the Cincinnati Zoo, in a pagoda aviary that has been restored. It's an official National Historic Landmark... Perched on a rock in front of the hut is a life-size bronze likeness of Martha. Also here is the stuffed carcass of the last Carolina Parakeet, "Incus," who died in this same aviary in 1918, four years after Martha. That makes this place a uniquely bad spot in the history of bird extermination.

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Historic W 4th St

When I first saw this rendering of a small parking lot on 4th I got excited and thought, "how awesome would that be" But the reality set in I and realized people a printing too much money with parking to ever give them up.

But then this Flea Market sponsored by Trick Dog happened Sunday, so baby steps and never say never.






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Hamilton, Ohio

America's renewed love affair with big cities has been going on for years now and has slowly trickled down to small cities. These cities have employed the same strategies to kick start their neighborhoods and business districts as the big guys. A brewery, a coffee shop, a bakery, and then add art.
Case in point is Hamilton, Ohio, 40-45 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. It is human scale and packed with culture and history. These smaller cities have one giant advantage over big cities besides just existing on a human scale.
Nimbleness.
When a need or trend is identified, smaller cities can act on it quickly. Cincinnati has been sitting on an open container law for years, but Hamilton already has a program, DORA. Jeff Archiable, Communications Strategist for Hamilton, jokingly says DORA means Drinking Outside is Really Awesome (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area)
And the best news is a trip to Hamilton couldn't be easier. Start your day in downtown Hamilton with a coffee and pastry at Almond Sister's Bakery or True West Coffee. Once you are caffeinated it's easy to get lost wandering around downtown admiring public art and taking in some eclectic shops like the famous Henry's Candy Co. and Sarah's House. Sara's House is a relatively new place on the scene opened five years ago when the owners purchased the rundown building and totally renovated it before moving in.
After soaking in the culture and maybe a side trip a couple of blocks off the beaten path to the Hollow Earth Monument, you might want to recharge. Municipal Brew Works would be a good stop before checking out German Village and relaxing in Marcum Park for more public art and sweeping river views.
A walk across the Great Miami River leads you to Rossville, another charming neighborhood full of shops. Before getting started, cool off with ice cream at the Village Parlor. Main St has been undergoing rapid change so you'll see a mix of brand new shops alongside the stalwarts.
If it is nature you are looking for Hamilton boasts The Great Miami River Trail which runs 86 miles from Piqua to Fairfield. You can hike, bike or skate along the Great Miami River and you might see an eagle!












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Camp Washington Second Saturdays

Lots of buzz out of Camp Washington these days. They have some grassroots placemaking going on and it shows. Between the art galleries and a new coffee shop there is now a popup bookstore Fringe and the CampSITE Sculpture Park which is amazing. To showcase all of that Camp Washington is now hosting Second Saturdays.
Second Saturdays as the name implies is an event 12-4pm where galleries, performance spaces, and studios open up to allow for a walking tour of the artistic and cultural side of Camp Washington the second Saturday of the month through August I believe. Camp Washington will be getting a second coffee shop soon, all they need now is a microbrewery and they'll be on their way.




Seeing this play out made me want to move to the neighborhood and know all these people!






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