On a Bit of Cincinnati

Located on the Ohio River, Cincinnati was a center for westward expansion – and it embraces its river heritage

 

Win or lose, Cincinnati embraces it’s baseball team … and we’ve lost a lot in recent years

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Fountain Square is the center of city center … and the place where people gather to celebrate and commemorate

 

Cincinnati love its art deco … these are in the Carew Tower

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

The city shines during the day …

 

…. and at night …

 

… and it has quiet places in the city center

 

On the Cincinnati’s Merry-Go-Round, (Carol Ann’s Carousel) riders can choose from 44 handmade Cincinnati-centered characters. Do you have any ideas for these characters? To see all the characters, click here for a video.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On Walktober 2019

It’s time for Walktober, so cheers to Robin for her organizing this annual tradition. If my memory is correct, this is my seventh in the last eight years (missing 2017 – probably due to travels).  Here’s a walk that I’ve been wanting to do for some time, so here goes … but this is a long walk, so I hope you are in walking shape.

That’s downtown Cincinnati from the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. Such a great view. Access to my destination is a bit easier from this side, plus it gets me more steps. It’s a beautiful morning, but I wonder about the shadows that will be present today because the sun is still low.

 

As I cross on old bridge now known as The Purple People Bridge, oh look … an old friend is working as a lifeguard. That’s Bearcat, the University of Cincinnati mascot. A good one!

 

Cincinnati has a string of wonderful parks along the river. Each is different, plus another one is currently in the planning stage. That’s the popular Serpentine Wall to the west of this bridge ….

 

… but I’m going to the park on the east, Bicentennial Commons. Dedicated in 1988, this 22-acre park honors Cincinnati’s 200 years. Looks like the shadows are pronounced today.

 

Meet our city’s namesake – Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus – a Roman citizen, farmer, warrior, and leader.

 

Who’s over there? Well, well – it’s the infamous Lucius Quinctius Pigasus.

 

With part of the walk close to the river, I always love to look. After all, my hometown is many miles upriver from here.

 

The walk upriver is awesome. The trees, continuous views of the river, historical markers, a geologic timeline on the sidewalk, and the outlooks. The first set historical markers have information about the area’s German and Irish settlers, the Sultana (riverboat), and the Black Brigade of Cincinnati on the Union side of the Civil War. For those who don’t know, Cincinnati and the surrounding area had an important role in the Underground Railroad. Seeing the geologic timeline reminds me that the Creation Museum (promoting 10,000 year old Earth) is less than 30 minutes from here.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

I like the sight of an old pump house that was part of the Cincinnati Water Works. After all, Cincinnati had Ohio’s first publicly owned water system.

 

Oh look – river traffic! Because I grew up in a river town, seeing the barge traffic always reminds me of my youth. Do you see the recreational boat?

 

Given 22 acres, there’s plenty of available activities areas besides walking: tennis courts, kids play area, rollerblade rink, picnicking, and a concert venue.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

There’s another pig. Let’s see who. it’s the Ribs King! Look closer to see the crown.

 

What’s a park without ornamental plants!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Ornamental plants are always nice, but looking up is something that not enough people do – therefore, they miss a lot. I know, one may miss something near when looking up, so balance is necessary.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Here’s the official entrance into Bicentennial Commons. When first proposed, those four flying pigs created quite the ruckus. In time, the citizens embraced them – even naming a successful race after them – The Flying Pig Marathon.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Thanks for walking along with me through Cincinnati’s Bicentennial Common. I’ve got over 9,000 already for my day!

 

Robin, a good lady and Ohioan now living in Maryland, is the host. Click here for her Walktober post that will have links to others participating as pingbacks in the Comments. (I hope to visit all of them). I invite my readers to visit other participants – plus hey – if you are interested in participating, Robin is a gracious and welcoming host.

To see my past walks, either click Walktober in the Categories sidebar or click here. Happy Walktober!

Because this (most likely) will be my last Walktober, a special thanks to Robin. For hosting, for visiting and commenting here, for wonderful posts, for our collaborations, and for anything else that I missed.

On a Small Town

Embed from Getty Images

To municipalities of various sizes, the Ohio River is home. Numerous cities, towns, villages, and hamlets occupy the banks of the 981 miles (1579 km) from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cairo, Illinois – but this post is about only one of them.

Neville, Ohio is a rural village along the Mighty Ohio in the southern part of my county (Clermont). Other than driving through it several times over the past 40 years, my history with Neville is nil. Founded in 1808 by Gen. Presley Neville, a Revolutionary War veteran. The US government established a post office there in Neville 10 years later – which is still operating today.

From the war memorial, to store names, to officials, certain families have dominated its history – but that’s normal in a small town. By 1880, Neville’s commercial district was vibrant as the population grew to 445.

Being along the Ohio River, Neville has battled its share of floods – especially the major floods of 1913, 1919, 1937, 1964, and 1997. The ‘97 flood the caused more than half of the population to move because, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) bought land and demolished buildings so nobody would build again on those locations.

As a village, Neville depended on funding assistance from the Ohio’s Local Government Fund. In 2010, in order to balance the state’s budget, our newly elected governor slashed the fund’s existence. Besides saving the state money, the survival-of-the-fittest approach would force local governments to either streamline their expenditures to become part of the surrounding township or merge with another municipality.

In the last 10 years, about 10 governments have dissolved – the majority since the 2011. Ohio Auditor’s office gave Neville’s mayor a choice: vote to dissolve or eventually face a court-ordered dissolution.

Today, Neville’s population of 100 has a median income of about $31,000. No businesses exist within its boundaries … and the state of Ohio has a budget surplus. This past March 15th, voters in three more villages across Ohio faced the dissolution decision on the ballot.

Somerville (Butler County) will close its doors, but Smithfield (Jefferson County) and Neville thumbed their noses at the state in order to live another day – at least until the next dissolution vote.

On a Rite of Spring

Thousands of people descend on downtown for a parade, the game, and the general excitement of this annual rite of spring. The young and old, male and female, tall and short, rich and poor, workers and nonworkers, locals and out-of-towners … most dressed in red.

Many workers do not go to work – and many of those who do are not as productive. Kids skip school – and many those who do not face a day of study halls or atypical activities. These behaviors happen every year – thus predictable – then normality follows the next day.

For those who do not know, professional baseball started in Cincinnati. For many years, a Reds home game served as the start to the Major League Baseball (MLB) season. In recent years, that tradition has given way to MLB’s quest for more money, but the Cincinnati Reds remain as the only team that starts the season with a home game – so this day was Opening Day…a special day in Cincinnati … and no other city in the country embraces the day as my city along the Ohio River.

After a horrendous winter, weather brought us sun and warmth. With this setting serving as the perfect opportunity for me to get away from the move-related activities, I went downtown to join thousands of others who were also dressed in red.

For ease and convenience, I parked on the Newport, Kentucky side of the river, and emerged from the garage at Newport on the Levy …

Newport on the Levy with shops, eateries, theaters, and an aquarium

… then had lunch at this establishment (the owners won venture capital money on Shark Tank) …

 

Excellent source for grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

… the Cincinnati skyline and the quiet baseball stadium 4 hours before game time

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood

… the Ohio side with three sports venues on the river and a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge’s prototype

Cincinnati has a beautiful riverfront … and parks are behind me

… looking back to Covington, Kentucky and the other end of our famous bridge

Daniel Libeskind designed the building with the slanted roof

… while walking beside the stadium, banners remind me of important events in Reds history

Sorry Yankee fans, but our Big Red Machine was one of the best teams ever

… fans eagerly awaiting the start of the festivities around Great American Ball Park

The party goers are just to the right (next pic)

… but many others found a party a short distance away

This must be the no-alcohol zone

… but for me on this day, I was heading into the city center where thousands gathered for an Opening Day tradition … and that will come in a post next week … besides, I didn’t have a ticket to the game.

On the River

My sister-in-law was in town last weekend, and Friday was a beautiful day – so we took BB Riverboats‘ 2-hour sightseeing cruise on the Ohio River. Because my wife and I also had a similar trip in the summer, thought I would combine the images into a cruise on the Ohio River for everyone.

Because many other blogs are doing fall walks, let’s take a river cruise.  So, sit back and enjoy the sights … and if you like, join Guapo for a beer on the top deck.

Here, the Ohio River separates Ohio and Kentucky. Interestingly, Kentucky owns the river. Given this is a metropolitan area, numerous (I think 7) bridges exist.


.
Not as prominent as the gold domes we saw in Russia, Cincinnatians are proud of the Roebling Suspension Bridge – the bridge serving as Mr. Roebling’s prototype for the famed Brooklyn Bridge.

.
Ready for the Halloween season – It’s the USS Nightmare serving as the haunted boat on the Kentucky side!

.
I grew up in a small town along the Ohio River, and river barges are a common sight – but this is a small one.

.
After reversing course in order to return to the dock, I like this view of Mt. Adams with a peek of downtown.

.
Downtown Cincinnati with the Serpentine Wall and one of the string of parks along the waterfront. This wall is the best seat for the Labor Day fireworks extravaganza known as Riverfest. Hey Guapo, 30 minutes of fireworks shot from the river choreographed to music … the waterfall from a bridge is my favorite.

.
On this particular summer night, we returned to the dock to find our beloved Cincinnati Reds playing.

.
Hope you enjoyed the cruise.