Diamond Jubilee: Cincinnati, Ohio

Arrival

Even if AQ and I were traveling in a time of cheap hotels, we continued to be in "save money" mode. The cheapest places to stay in Cincinnati were across the Ohio River in Covington, Kentucky. We arrived long before check-in time, so we parked in downtown Cincinnati and started our walkabout. We would be in the city for a day and a half.

Murals

What struck us immediately was the number of murals in downtown. I felt like I was back in Spain. They were both artistic and provocative I felt surprised - I had never heard of a city in the US with such a dense collection of murals. Our first impressions were formed by wandering around absorbing its exterior art.

Wandering

Our path took us through the beautiful Washington Park where we saw the Cincinnati Music Hall which it dominates. I had no idea the city had such a large venue for classical music - I loved its brick Victorian exterior as a departure from all the neo-classical or French-inspired turn of the century buildings that were built elsewhere. Just wow...

Cincinnati Music Hall was designed by architect Samuel Hannaford and is considered one of the last and best examples of the Victorian Gothic Revival Style. Some of the spaces most notable features include the steeply pitched gable roof, the corbelled brick, the tracery featured on the front windows, and the large Rose Window on the facade of the building.[9] Additionally, the facility varies from a traditional performance hall in the fact that Music Hall is actually made up of 3 distinct and separate buildings; Music Hall, the North Exposition Building, and the South Exposition Building. The design also includes Carriage Passageways designed for easy entrance in the case of bad weather.

(Wikipedia)

High on the recommended list of places to visit in the city was Cincinnati Union Terminal, a virtual monument to the days of railway travel. Located too far out of the city center to walk, we drove there. As we approached I was shocked - an image came back to me from my youth. It was the superheroes "Hall of Justice" from Saturday morning cartoons. In a travel moment like seeing the carved faces of the Bayon at Angkor Wat and remembering the Golden Voyage of Sinbad, I was laying eyes on another building I thought only existed in fantasy!

We walked into the massive structure to find that much of it has been converted into a museum (thank God) and that it is still an active station for all TWO trains each day that pass through. I wandered the terminal gobsmacked. I think it might be the single most impressive railway station I ever visited in the US.

It was getting to be lunch time and I found a highly-reviewed pub online with excellent views of the city. We drove to the top of a nearby bluff and enjoyed a delicious lunch with a view over the city and the Ohio River. It was likely the best lunch venue of the entire trip - the Incline Public House. There I asked the waiter where else was good to visit in town and he recommended Mt Adams, a similar high point on the other side of the city. That would be our next destination.

However, before leaving the area we explored the nearby Mt Echo Park with its retro pavilion giving views over the city. If there were any place that would be inspiring for an outdoor wedding in Cincinnati, it would have to be Mt Echo.

Mt Adams

Our server was not wrong, on the opposite side of the city Mt Adams is a trendy neighborhood with great bars and restaurants. We had a walk around and found a wonderful old restaurant where we sat down for a coffee - Mt Adams Bar & Grill. The interior was from 100 years before. A loved it (me too)

There we realized we were close to the Cincinnati Art Museum (and the skies had turned threatening), so we decided to check it out. By a stroke of good luck, it was open and did not require timed tickets (as most places did during COVID). We entered just as it started to rain.

The museum holds an eclectic collection which I enjoyed immensely (and it was the first museum I had entered for over two years). I relished the visit. Cincinnati Art Museum - big check. We were so lucky it started to rain!

The skies had cleared off by the time we exited - we needed to head across the river to check into the hotel.

On the way we made a final stop at Devou Park in Covington for one of the signature views of the city. Just like New Jersey has some of the bests views of New York City, the same can be said of Kentucky for Cincinnati. I personally preferred the view from Mt Echo, but the view from Devou Park was closer and more expansive. Luckily, it was also near the hotel.

We got settled in the room and had a bite to eat. A went off to a nearby gym to work out and I rested my old man bones. We still had the next morning in Cincinnati.

Over the Rhine

The next morning we awoke to clouds and showers.

Just like Columbus, Cincinnati has a famous German neighborhood, but in the case of Cincinnati, it is part of downtown and feels more gritty. The locally famous Findlay Market is located there as well. The weather did not cooperate. We did, however, get a good sense of the place and agreed the market area and restaurants around it must be one of the best places to hang out in the city center. The place has a great vibe.

Riverfront

The only part of the city we had not visited was the riverfront. Cincinnati renovated the bank of the Ohio and it hosts a lovely pathway to admire the small downtown as well as the bridges across the river, most notably the Roebling Bridge, built BEFORE the Brooklyn Bridge. At the time of completion it was the longest suspension bridge in the world! (it also boosted Roebling's career immensely)

The Cincinnati Reds Baseball Stadium as well as another large stadium dominate the river bank. I was amazed by the size of each. The Red's Stadium includes a small museum to the team - the people of "Cincy" love their team. We didn't enter, but the place appears to be very well done with a lot of memorial markers and statues outside.

Finally, we took a short stroll into the city's compact downtown, but were unimpressed. The other parts of the city had been more interesting. The tall buildings of those few blocks were not nearly as impressive as everything we had just seen. Cincinnati is filled with unusual and interesting neighborhoods outside of the downtown core.

July 2021

It was time to head back to the hotel and move on. We were lucky check out was at noon - that had allowed us time to see more of the city.

Afterthoughts

I knew nothing about Cincinnati except for having worked with a fellow Hoya from the city at Georgetown who always spoke highly (and proudly) of his hometown. I can see why. Although Cleveland and Columbus are both extremely impressive, if I had to pick one city in Ohio that was interesting, diverse, and manageable - it would be Cincinnati. I could easily return and enjoy the place for a few days. It was one of the best surprises of the trip. How amazing that I "loved" Cincinnati.

AQ and I were headed south - he agreed to see nearby Frankfort, Kentucky, the state capital. It was only about one hour away - why not?