Sid Saturday

Sid
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Cincinnati Streetcar

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

I'm sure at least once you've heard someone complain there’s nothing to do in Cincinnati. We all know there is plenty to do but I think the problem is there are so many things to do that option paralysis ensues. First world problems right? I once read that the definition of a first world problem is a 20-year-old with cash on hand. Kind of funny, but first world problems are still problems. Enter Devoo. Devoo is an app that just launched out of the OCEAN Accelerator in Oakley. I had wanted to stop in and check out Ocean for a while so I met up with Alex Barok, a recent Miami University graduate and Devoo co-founder. Majoring in entrepreneurship at Miami was fortuitous for the Devoo cofounders as it led them to Tim Holcomb, a Miami professor and Ocean mentor. Tim helped them through the grant process at Ocean which Alex states was invaluable.

Devoo
What is Devoo? I'll let Alex take over, "The idea behind Devoo is to connect people to their communities and events going on around Cincinnati.
The name comes from "rendezvous"...like Ren-Devoo"
Looking at Devoo, I wondered what it brought to the table that twitter, facebook and texting couldn't do. According to Alex, the last minute buying model is broken. Alex feels the way it works now is you buy a ticket then make plans. Everything is so last minute. Devoo wants to help people enjoy last minute plans instead of dreading them.
Back to my question of social media. Alex, "there is a lack of commitment with facebook, also you need to go to another app to purchase tickets." Devoo has ticket buying built right into their event listings. And once Devoo learns your likes, it will start sending push notifications. Say you're in a neighborhood for a movie, you might get a notification to stop at a bar for a drink afterwards.
Alex says currently no one is putting events in one location where people can act on it. Devoo is hooked into numerous places online. The strategy is to hook into bigger sites for events and to meet with the local organizations that are creating events. One advantage with Devoo over regular social media platforms is that your friends don't need to have the app installed for either of you to benefit. You create an event and push it out to them.
Devoo will debut at the Ocean Accelerator Demo Day this afternoon at 1pm. Demo Day is open to the public. In addition there will be investors looking for interesting new companies. What’s next? Planning stay in Cincinnati after the launch, Alex thinks the next step will be applying to the Brandery for additional mentorship and capital. He says,"The Brandery would take us from 3x to 10x growth". Devoo is scalable so once it gains traction in Cincinnati it can be launched in other cities.

The Devoo team consists of Jose Avila in charge of product and user experience, Sherman Adelson tackles the technology and Alex Barok doing the marketing and business development.
Right now it is IOS only so if you have an iPhone and want to try out Devoo, check out their website. If you want to see them at Demo Day find details HERE.
Devoo
Devoo
[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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the city is a canvas and we paint it with our bikes

Every Tuesday at 6:45 Urban Basin Bicycle Club leaves Fountain Square for a ride around the urban basin. Themed rides that usually end at a local bar for refreshments. No special bike, clothes or equipment is needed, pump up the tires, jump on your creaky bike and head to Fountain Square. Last week everyone rode towards the river then headed west. We were provided industrial scenes most people don't see everyday. Riding in the evening gave us empty roads with an oddly apocalyptic feel. The evening was rounded out with a few drinks over looking OTR on Rhinegeist's new rooftop deck.
Follow Urban Basin Bicycle Club on facebook for details on the next ride.

Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
I'm a little jealous, Brad bought a house that had a basement stuffed with vintage bikes and he has been riding a different one every week.
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
If the mayor has his way this building could be a shiny new parking lot.
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
Rhinegeist's new rooftop bar is legit!
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
We got to the roof and busted out of the starway just as the sun was setting.
Urban Basin Bicycle Ride
[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Sid Saturday

he's funny when he climbs up me when I'm trying to leave.
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SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk

Spring in Our Steps recently completed an inventory of all 507 public alleys in Cincinnati! In honor of that feat SiOS has been hosting informational walks through some of the amazing public right of ways they've helped clear.
The SiOS mission statement is "We are a consortium of committed Cincinnati residents, who feel that forgotten pedestrian spaces can become some of the city's best assets. The group initiates community-oriented projects in Cincinnati's alleyways and city steps, as well as its most neglected sidewalks."
I was lucky enough to tag along on their Clifton Hts, University Hts and Fairview walk. Sometimes it seemed crazy these places exist, like Schorr Alley, the longest continuous alley in the city or the long stairways in Clifton Hts that were once home to hundreds of homes until cars were invented and they fell out of favor.
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk
SiOS Shutter Out Photo Walk[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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streetcar tracks, before and after

The streetcar opponents are really digging deep now to explain away the development along the streetcar line. With a sociopathic level of denial, they're claiming all the development in OTR is being driven by Washington Park. And I'm not going to totally discount the park as Fountain Square was credited with 100 million in development. How ironic the same people opposed to the streetcar also opposed spending money on those two parks?
Anyhow I'm getting off topic and I guess its just an inconvenience that every building along the entire OTR length of the line is under construction. A quarter billion of development announced so far this year, and wait until the development gets ramped up downtown, people haven't seen anything yet.
Back in 2013 this building sat empty and boarded up, it is now Artichoke, a kitchen store whose owners credited its proximity to Findlay Market and its location on the streetcar line as reasons for picking that building. But Cincinnati's tone-deaf and relentlessly ill-equipped mayor and a couple councilmembers know it was really Washington Park.

1824 Elm St 2013

1824 Elm St 2013
1824 Elm St 2016
1824 Elm St 2016
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3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show

Funny it was only a week or so ago we had one of those rain/sleet/snow kind of days but a bunch of enthusiastic bikers still showed up for UC|sustainability's 3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show.
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
I'm still trying to think up a reason to buy this electric cargo bike.
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
I did a double take because I thought this said 'Merica
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
3rd Annual Cincinnati Bike Show
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Sid Saturday

Sid
[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Switch Lighting & Design to open 2nd location downtown

Switch Lighting & Design, the home lighting store located in OTR is riding a wave of success to open another location at 312 W 4th St downtown. They are currently renovating a four story building, the first two floors will feature lighting options and home furnishings. The top two floors will include an event space and office flex space for growing PR firms and architech firms on 4th. The space is still a little rough but they are hoping to have construction finished soon and open in May.
On a personal level I'm pretty excited about this just to have another business and more foot traffic on our sleepy little block in the southwest corner of downtown.

Switch
Switch
Switch
Switch
Switch
I got a couple crappy pictures of pictures. In the first dated April 1929 4th St is still two way with two sets of streetcar tracks. In the second, dated October 1929 the street is one one with the north set of tracks freshly paved over.
Switch
Switch
[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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