Cincinnati - A day in the city (2/16/08)

[ProkNo5]

So I took a trip down to Cincinnati to pick up a viola that my mother had made for her.  It was a great trip.  I took the entire Saturday to explore.

We'll start with a row of houses where I stayed in Dayton, KY


So I recently got in some trouble on the Newport South Shore thread for posting my favorite view of Cincy because it was actually ColDayMan's photo.  So I decided to take a car out, find the spot, and get my own version.  This is as close as I could get without going into people's backyards






Here's a nice new house perched at the top of a very steep hill.  The view out the back must be incredible


This is the first time I'd ever laid eyes on this beautiful building


I'm so glad they left the tracks in the street.  Great nostalgia


Look, a crane over Washington Park!!!  While I'm really excited about the rebirth of Over-the-Rhine, I'm kind of sad that it's moving toward complete gentrification rather than mixed.  No simple solutions, I guess. 


The scale of the buildings around here cannot be grasped through photos.  They're great in that they allow for extreme density without being so large that they make you feel small as a pedestrian.


This is the reason I came.  Here's where my mother got her viola. 




I would kill to live here.  I cannot believe how cheap these places are, one block from one of the best markets in the country


This scene reminds me so much of Europe, particularly Paris


Market Action!!!




Look at those angles.  The vernacular of this city is SO unique


Oh, you poor old buildings.  If I win the lottery, you're the first on my list


Out of the basin...I really like Ault Park






Definitely NOT ADA accessible


Inside Music Hall, the chandelier is beautiful


The CSO!!!


Bad pic, but I love the lobby of the Music Hall


Gorgeous


After this, we had to walk back to our car at 15th and Vine at 10:30 pm.  And although I've heard stories about how horribly dangerous this neighborhood is, I did not feel unsafe for one second.  And Surprise!!! Our car was still there!  I don't know people don't just move past the stigma surrounding this neighborhood, and explore it.  They're really missing out.

[thomasbw]

my children will probably not believe how their grandparents viewed over the rhine.

[ColDayMan]

So I recently got in some trouble on the Newport South Shore thread for posting my favorite view of Cincy because it was actually ColDayMan's photo.  So I decided to take a car out, find the spot, and get my own version.  This is as close as I could get without going into people's backyards

Nice

[ProkNo5]

I thought you'd appreciate that.

[edale]

Nice pictures.  It's good to see a perspective on Cincinnati from a non-local. 

[UncleRando]

Ah...the Paris of the West.  Great stuff.

[ProkNo5]

Hell yeah it is.  You can't deny the similarities between Montmartre and Mt. Adams.  And the street life around Findlay Market is amazing (especially because it was the peak of winter.) 

[ColDayMan]

...Montmartre...Mt. Adams...let's not get ahead of ourselves LOL!  But I appreciate the spirit!

[TheCOV]

ajknee-- great shots!  I too remember the first time I laid eyes on Music Hall.  I was completely awestruck.  Especially having grown up in various suburbs and never seeing such intricate brickwork.  I saw it while on a trip downtown with my father going to the very same location you were....that violin shop on the corner!  It was called the Bass Viol Shop at the time.  Of course this was 1978, and OTR was WAY MORE intact back then than it is today.
 I wouldn't be too concerned about the lack of mixed housing you seem to lament. It would take huge amounts of money and time to really completely gentrify OTR in a metro of Cinci's size.  Actually, it is just that sentiment which has kept OTR in its pitiful state for far too long.  You need to win that lottery soon my friend, those buildings need you!  Many of them have been on their last breath for decades.  I have seen countless buildings come down in OTR, and it always hurts my heart just a little bit.

[Eigth and State]

    "And Surprise!!! Our car was still there!  I don't know people don't just move past the stigma surrounding this neighborhood, and explore it."

    I had a car window broken in nearby Mt. Auburn. It's something I haven't forgotten.

     Thanks for the pictures.

[thomasbw]

sh!t happens, I had a car window broken on my street, so did my cousin who lives in mason

[Robert Pence]

sh!t happens, I had a car window broken on my street, so did my cousin who lives in mason

I broke my own car window once, right in my own driveway. That was a long time ago, though.

[mrnyc]

Ah...the Paris of the West.  Great stuff.

 

its not even the paris of ohio. that one is in stark county 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris,_Ohio

but seriously, that would clearly be buenos aires

well ok let's see. hmm. alright -- i could get with cinci being called the san francisco of ohio, how's that? 

Hell yeah it is.  You can't deny the similarities between Montmartre and Mt. Adams.  And the street life around Findlay Market is amazing (especially because it was the peak of winter.) 

err...unh... 

excellent tour tho, i enjoyed it. gotta love the great impressions it left on ya. 

[ProkNo5]

Well, I'm sorry you all don't see it.  I most certainly did.  Cincinnati is a glorious city with European flair, and a genuine American spirit.  Just keep shouting it, and eventually it'll catch.

[mrnyc]

oh dont get me wrong i see glorious and flair too, but very distinctly american versions of that, not the french capital. otherwise, yeah the look of cinci is definately worth shouting about.