5chw4r7z:: the ethos of downtown Cincinnati

David Grohl Alley

Roadtrippers, The Greatest Road Trip Ever and a host of other apps aim to turn your travel into a more vital part of your vacation. And they've doing a pretty good job of it. I started using these type apps a couple years ago to break up a long drive to the ocean and we saw some interesting things along the way. OK so they tended to be along the lines of the worlds biggest pencil or the largest muffler man. But if you have to stop anyhow why stop at just a generic gas station?
Which leads me back to a cold morning in January when I got the weekly email from Roadtrippers and they had a feature about David Grohl Alley. Their focus was the worlds largest drum sticks of course, they love the big things. David Grohl is from Warren which I never knew, you learn something new every day.
But the fact that it was close to my home town and a musician I admired there was no way I was missing this on my next trip home.
So fast forward to mid February and I finally made it up north.
I rolled up to David Grohl Alley mid day fighting some harsh sun light to get pictures and while I was walking around the alley a gentleman struck up a conversation asking if I was from around Warren. Kind of and not really and as we talked I got excited because I really couldn't have planned this any better. Who I was talking to was a local activist Shawn Carvin the Land Bank Program Manager for the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership. It was like a tiny slice of my Cincinnati world transported to NE Ohio. I love talking to energetic people elbow deep trying to make their city a better place. And walking around downtown Warren, wow, Shawn and his co-workers have their work cut out for them.

But back to David Grohl Alley, I learned from Shawn that it is an ever growing collection of art. Most of the paintings were done by local artists. With varying degrees of skill I must add. But fan art is fan art. Its a shame the best and most awesome mural had trash piled up against it. Would David Grohl Alley be a worthwhile destination to plan a trip around? Depends on how big of a fan you are. But if you are passing near Warren, Oh it would be worth a couple hours of your time to visit the alley and walk around Warren's downtown. There is some amazing architecture and a couple cool parks along the Mahoning River including Monument Park and Veterans Park and about a mile down the road is the Packard Museum.

Jim Fogarty of 2ticksandthedog whose business backs up to the alley sent me this short video.
I love this quote,
"if you are considering doing something with the arts, you don't even have to know anything about art, here is what I suggest you do, take one chance, just one shot. Go find artists go find a project just do it, the worst thing that could happen, the worst thing that could happen is you'll make a new friend out of it and get a little better appreciation for what the art community does."

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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221 W 4th

The 1st floor facade looks amazing with all the contemporary stuco peeled away. I like all the leaded glass and theres a tin ceiling above the drop ceiling. The look fits the street much better than what was there before.

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Rhinegeist goldsprints

The Cincinnati Goldsprints happened again at Rhinegeist with the usual gut churning lactate inducing sprints they had last month and an even bigger crowd. Next month March 21 is the last event if you still haven't made it yet.
I’m still fascinated by these races as not many other cities have them. And since Brooklyn is one of the few places that host them it’s apropos I guess that I would run into Maya. She called me out a while back because I said Covington/Newport should bill themselves as the Brooklyn of Cincinnati. Now I didn't mean that as a direct comparison. What I was getting at that just like Brooklyn is across the river from Manhattan, Covington/Newport is across the river from downtown. Covington and Newport have a bunch of really cool housing stock. There is no real comparison between the two beyond that.
At any rate someone had told her that the hipsters hadn't invaded Rhinegeist yet. “Oh yeah?” I said, “there are a lot of tattoos.” And tight jeans she added. She also told me about being interviewed for a story about how Cincinnati neighborhoods compare to NYC neighborhoods. An idea I had already discovered the hard way that she found ridiculous. And it didn't strike me until later that you know what? OTR will never be as hip as Brooklyn until there is an established frame builder. OTR has a good start with coffee shops, but until someone is building bespoke bikes it just doesn't measure up.
Oh and Rhinegeist, they built a new bar, so you can stand 300 people deep with your credit card at the old counter or walk right up and and get a beer with cash money at this one.

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees

I remember when I was a little kid in Peru, Indiana way back in the nineteen hundred and sixties. My dad was in the Air Force stationed at Grissom AFB. The base, originally a naval base (??) known as the Naval Air Station Bunker Hill was located in Peru, Indiana. In the middle of the country of all places. The navy closed it when the Second World War ended and the Air Force reopened it during the Korean War as part of the Tactical Air Command. I can only remember a few of the celebrations and parades that accompanied the re-dedication and renaming of the base after Gus Grissom died in the fiery Apollo 1 accident in nineteen hundred and sixty eight.
But what I do remember most were the B-58 Hustlers taking off and dramatically landing with drag chutes to assist in stopping. Back then, during the Cold War these strategic bombers were always in the air with nukes. If anything happened they could be in Russia in two hours for payback. Or if US generals got really crazy ala Dr Strangelove the Hustlers could provide a surprise preemptive strike.
As an aside, Friday night I ran into and chatted with an acquaintance I had always thought was from Columbia, but she informed me she's from Peru. I smiled and told her I was born in Peru.
She got a confused look on her face and I let her grapple with that for a minute before letting her off the hook and admitting I was born in Peru Indiana. Then it was her turn to get excited as she told me about the Peruvian Tourism Bureau traveling to Peru, Indiana and staging a small culinary festival for exposure.
Its funny, no matter what you start talking about, the conversation always finds its way back to food.

1962 BENDIX TROPHY
On March 5, 1962, Capts. Robert G. Sowers (pilot), Robert MacDonald (navigator) and John T. Walton (defensive systems operator) flew from Los Angeles to New York City in the B-58A on display at the museum in only 2 hours 56.8 seconds, an average speed of 1,214.17 miles per hour. For this, they were awarded the Bendix Trophy for 1962 and each received the Distinguished Flying Cross. They broke two other speed records on the return flight -- New York to Los Angeles and for the roundtrip.
The record wouldn't be broke until 1990 when an SR-71 averaged 14mph faster.
[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Walk on Woodburn Mardi Gras style

These Walk on Woodburn events have been gaining more and more traction over the last year. The first one I went to I wondered where all the people were. No more, there's been a good crowd at the recent events. Of course, Mardi Gras, who doesn't like music and costumes?
Walnut Hills seems to be nearing a critical mass of people, its going to be exciting to watch what happens this year. Walnut Hills reminds me of OTR about 3 years ago, an OTR with more kids and less tattoos.
One thing I wondered about, the Village of Woodburn, never heard that before. Did that always exist and I somehow missed it or is that branding?
Either way, a fun night of running into old friends and making some new ones.

Walked around for awhile with Dave and Amanda of Hinge, they were gushing about how awesome Parlour is. Yeah, but talking to me about hair styling is like talking art to a blind guy.

The Models donned custom creations by Hi-Bred and Black Rabbit.

The Forealism Tribe, they've got some tiny fans.

And while we're on the subject of Mardi Gras, be sure to attend the 10th Annual Mardi Gras at Findlay Market this Sunday March 2nd starting at 10am. They'll be crowning your favorite photo blogger the Mardi Gras King and Bryn Mooth the Mardi Gras Queen
[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Sid Saturday

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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the chronicles of never

I used to get defensive when I would hear things like "I would live downtown but there is no grocery" or "I would live downtown but there is nowhere to park" I was exhausted from constantly defending my decision to live downtown.
And of course the response to every new development was and still is it will spread crime and/or you'll get shot/mugged.
But now that I realize none of this is a reflection on me; I accept these comments as what they are. I've figured out that living in the urban core is a litmus test for a person willing to take on a certain level of bullshit to be close to the action. The closer you get to the fire, the hotter it is, but close to the fire is where the steel is forged.

The people I want to know are the people who view all those situations as constraints, hurdles and sometimes inspiration.
Those are the people I want rub elbows with, the fighters, the movers and the shakers. I'm always hoping some of that spirit rubs off on me.
I'm not criticizing anyone, everyone is as entitled to their opinion as I am. I'm just talking about how my personal view of the negativity has evolved.
[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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National Museum of the USAF

If you want something that will fill a whole day without killing the pocket book its hard to beat the National Museum of the USAF. Located an hour north just outside Dayton. I would call it free but for anyone in Cincinnati that's not totally true because you have to get there which means filling the car with gas. Its an inexpensive trip however.
Walking through the place from the start, you can start anywhere you wish, but if you follow the time line you can witness the evolution of the airplane. The planes keep getting bigger, and you can see exactly where new technology appeared. The first metal monocoque fuselage, then the first metal monocoque wing for example.
Before they started all that flying foolishness the Wright Brothers were building cool stuff like this.

And then they built this

The plane that ended WWII, the exhibit is heavy when you consider this airplane is singularly responsible 60,000–80,000 deaths.

The museum has a really cool Red Bull Stratos exhibit running.

No Kum-Sok defected to South Korea in this MIG, it was the first time the US had gotten their hands on one. No Kum-Sok didn't know there was a $100,000 reward for defecting with one. Imagine his surprise. After the US learned everything they could they tried giving it back but Russia and North Korea refused to admit it was theirs.