Queen City Pilgrimage 2021

Pictures of beer. And books. And buildings. Not necessarily in that order.

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same time, next year

The day I get back from Cincinnati always feels like Dec. 26. A red-letter event in my calendar is in the rearview mirror.

So a few last looks to carry me over until next "Christmas" ...

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here comes a regular

I lured AEA here for a lecture by author George Saunders, but then, well, you know ... stupid COVID. She agreed to come over anyway and patiently endured my gushing about all things Cincinnati.

If you're scoring at home, that makes three Peoria-based friends/family members who trekked over to experience the Queen City with me. I'm so lucky!

AEA found a wonderful brewery/history tour that took us into the Northern Liberties, a part of OTR I've never been before. The tour guide shared many great facts and yet more insights into the strong German influence here.

Did I take her to Taft's? Of course I did, and made her ride the streetcar.

I assure you, the whole weekend did not revolve around alcohol.

Wait - yeah, it pretty much did. We went to Comfort Station, where the staff greeted me as they would a regular. (I had a pretty nice time there early in the trip, and found my way back there.) The decor and unusual cocktails were right up AEA's alley. It's a treasure - just as she is.

Fingers crossed that the 2022 author lecture truly comes to pass, and that we can experience it together.

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There are beautiful parks here, and many of them have a great view of the Ohio River Valley. I ventured the furthest east I've been so far, to the Columbia-Tusculum neighborhood. I must spend more time here next year. Ault Park is lovely, and its pavilion may look familiar as it's nearly identical to Mt. Echo Park.

At the suggestion of some Atlanta friends and a woman on the Music Hall tour, I went to Streetside Brewing on Eastern Avenue. It's humble and lovable. They opened the garage door facing the street, which made me happy, but they really did it to shoo away a bird. (They did not succeed!)

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Hanging out with the beautiful people on the Hyde Park Square tonight for a super fancy (and super delicious) meal at Dear Restaurant and Butchery. You know why I came here? I saw a photo of their pink Rookwood Tile. (You can see it in the photo on the middle left side.)

Had to come to a butchery, given the history of Porkopolis, didn't I?

I had pork belly with grapefruit, parsnips and some cocoa powder, as I do most Wednesday nights.

Great decor and service and food - worth all the extra steps I must get in tomorrow. And don't tell the cardiologist.

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This may be the highlight of the trip: The Cincinnati Type & Print Museum. Located in Price Hill, this small treasure celebrates letterpress printing with actual working machines, from early days to the (relatively) modern age.

Jacob is such a knowledgeable tour guide and a credit to the organization. I really hope this museum flourishes. Who doesn't love a little takeaway from such a visit?

All my good wishes and fervent hopes are with this place and its people. Definitely will return next year.

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Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice ...

If this building does not fill you with wonder, you have a hole in your soul. It's so gorgeous. Cincinnati Union Terminal is even more beautiful inside. What a credit to the city (and historic preservation groups) that it remains. Inside is the city's museum, a natural history museum, a Holocaust museum, and an IMAX theater. I think you can catch a train here, too.

[ICYMI This building is the model for the SuperFriends' HQ, the Hall of Justice, as shown on 1970s Saturday morning cartoons.]

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OK, deep breath and stay with me: Cincinnati was named in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati, formed by the men who were commissioned officers in the Revolutionary War. The officers honored Washington because they compared him to the powerful Roman general Cincinnatus who, despite public entreaties, relinquished his title and power in order to return to life as a farmer. It’s all about selfless service, which Washington’s posse thought he embodied.

While I’ve known this for quite a while*, I didn’t know there’s a statue of the OG Cincinnatus here. This was a great discovery from the UC Classics Library, which turned out to be one of the best hours I spent during this trip. Their display featured a little replica of the statue found at Sawyer Point. His full name is Lucius Quinctus Cincinnatus, which I’m considering as my new nom de plume.

On this sunny autumn morning I set off to find LQC and to explore the riverfront (not to be confused with The Banks). I wasn’t sure about walking around this area alone on a Wednesday morning, but I saw a number of solo joggers and some couples nearby. Yet again I was impressed with the Cincinnati park system and how well it’s maintained. Yes, there were a lot of informative plaques, too.

Cincinnatus surveys a majestic arched bridge, just this side of the public restrooms. There he stands, fasces in one hand, plow in the other. Although he is a man of antiquity, he’s been in this spot just under 40 years.**

Nearby is a statue of a flying pig in a gladiator outfit, a nod to the origins of Cincy’s name and its Porkopolis past. A man experiencing homelessness camped in the front of the statue, and I thought it might feel threatening for both of us if I went over to get a picture. So here’s one from the UC Classics Library.

So prominent Cincinnatians’ statues you need to see: Pete Rose, Cincinnatus to the LQ, and Lucky the Pig.

Um, where’s the statue of William Howard Taft? Seriously? He was President AND Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. A pig got a statue, not Big Bill?

Here’s the answer. Another one for next year.

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* If you ever want to hear the director’s-cut version of How I Discovered Cincinnati, ask me about the Society of the Cincinnati. And prepare for a very long, decades-spanning story.

** LQC is very close to the Ohio terminus of the Purple People Bridge. Unfortunately, that end is blocked right now due to some structural issues. Walking the PPP from Kentucky to Ohio is top of the list for 2022.

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Today's books and beer hijinks brought to you by Joy and Matt's Books and Braxton Brewing Co. Big respect for any place that puts Frederick Douglass in a place of honor and that curates store content so personally.

Braxton may be my favorite Cincinnati beer. It's so delicious. Next year I'm taking Uber and a stack of books and working my way down the taps. Hey, you have your aspirations, I have mine.

Braxton actually is in Pendleton, I think, not OTR, and it sits between two buildings at the heart of the neighborhood for decades, if not centuries: this school and this church. Such beauty here.

Joy and Matt's is on what might be the prettiest block of Vine Street in OTR. It's slowly turning, yes, I mean gentrifying, and that word is loaded. Too much to say about that here. All of this wonder is within paces of their storefront. Just. Wow.

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road trip

I decided to take a little road trip to lovely Oxford, Ohio, to see Miami University. (With this excursion, I’ve spent about 8.75% of my trip taking pictures of places my friend EPH went to school.)

Such a beautiful drive, through the backroads of southwestern Ohio, and a thrill to walk around a really lovely campus. One building stood out above all others … it turned out to be the architecture building.

You know what it was before that? The library. Of course it was! They’re like magnets to me.

The rear of the building has been beautifully rehabbed into studios. The main building still features a gorgeous rotunda, with a statue of George Washington. (I’m sensing a theme.) The George Project asked students to reflect on George Washington as part of a History and Context of Landscape Architecture Course. From the papers I read, viewpoints ranged along a spectrum from "George Washington, Father of Our Country" to "George Washington, White Guy Slaveholder."

My favorite submission asked what a statue of George Washington was doing in the architecture building anyway.

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I have to come see this building every time I'm in town. Every. Time. I like its symmetry. It's simple and detailed at the same time. I'm not sure if the photographer I met some years ago still has a thriving concern there.

Its next-door neighbor didn't make it. Herzog Music, one of the best places in town and site of a favorite morning of mine, is gone. Stupid COVID, I hate you so much right now.

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Today became "Central Business District Statuary Day," although I didn't set out with that plan. At the east end of Piatt Park, you'll find this tap-dancing James A. Garfield, one of Ohio's many sons who became President of the United States.

At the west end is William Henry Harrison (aka Tippecanoe), who apparently was the first. I understand what they're saying with this inscription, but it kind of sounds like he was the first president of Ohio, don't you think?

This firefighters' memorial is located on the far west end of the district, on Central Parkway. I wouldn't have found it but I was walking in this area in search of a brewpub. In the distance are the tower of Cincinnati City Hall and the steeple of the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains.

And we close with the most iconic downtown shot: Graeter's ice cream in Fountain Square, with the beautiful statue "The Genius of Water."

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Oh, these mosaics. I can't even. Thank you, Duke Energy Center, for putting Winhold Reiss' incredible artwork on the west side of downtown. Thank you, airport, for housing them during the eternal renovation of Union Terminal. And thank you, Cincinnati corporate benefactors and interested persons, for funding it all.

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Three buildings at the top of the to-see list: Isaac Wise Temple, City Hall, St. Peter's in Chains Basilica, all sit at the intersection of Plum and 8th Streets. The temple is open for guided tours only, so no access this afternoon, and the security guard at City Hall wouldn't let me in because I had no official business. (Note to self: Next time, say you have to pay your taxes.)

Taking photos of this beautiful building isn't a reason to let me in? Nope. Well, I had no poker face. My disappointment showed. His bureaucratic heart softened just around the edges. I could come in a few steps, he said, and take photos from here. So I took a couple pics, just a taster of the grandeur that will have to wait until next year.

I was 0 for 2 at this point. And the facade of the basilica was covered with scaffolding. I gave it a shot anyway, and there was no one at the top of the stairs to refuse me entrance. It was spacious and silent and unusual. I stayed and prayed.

Couldn't resist this picture. My caption: "I'm counting on it."

At least I was successful in marking one new brewery off the list: Rebel Mettle. Had a great conversation with the ops manager. And I like their tagline, "Fortune Favors the Daring." Another one to revisit next year!

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classic

The Blegen Library is a must see if you like Art Deco. I set out to find it and to explore the University of Cincinnati campus along the way.

I got hopelessly lost. i asked two people where the library was.

They'd never heard of it.

Fair enough, it's tucked away behind the music school. And you probably won't go there unless you're majoring in music or classics. But it's worth the search. Oh, it's a marvel all right.

Bonus: A very informative and entertaining display about how classic architecture and history are found in present-day Cincinnati. Or as I like to call it, a handy roadmap to new discoveries in this wonderful town.

And here's a caption I like to call, "What are three things we just shouldn't discuss anymore, period?"

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Nothing is better than a fall night on Ludlow Avenue, seeing the students and families stroll through the little shopping district. I browsed Torn Light Records. Heaven. I continued my tradition of seeing a Wes Anderson film at the Esquire Theatre. Magic.

Then I ordered take-out at Ambar, a great Indian restaurant, and walked around until it was ready. I love the area's stately apartment buildings. There was a restaurant on Telford I really liked - a bistro just around the corner from the Esquire, but it didn't make it. So depressing.

I nipped into Ludlow Garage for a quick one before I picked up my meal. A couple from Louisville chatted with me, they were there to see a Peabo Bryson concert.

So all in all, this was the closest thing to traveling in the Great Before. I did the things that have always made me happy: browsing for music, seeing a film, eating a great meal, meeting new people if even for a short time. Joy.

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perfection

The Mercantile Library. There are no words, and yet not enough words. Enjoy.

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left of the dial

I stumbled on to a new radio station here. It's an independent called Inhailer. Hate the name, abhor the spelling, love the music. The first time I listened the station was actually playing a song called "The Ghost of Cincinnati" by the band Big Red Machine.

I found out Inhailer had a link to Herzog Music. That made me happy I found the station, but even more upset about the loss of Herzog. I'm still grieving.

Gotta go listen to some new tunes to shake it off.