I ♥♥♥ Cincinnati

I hope
 the title
will not cause
you
to run
click away 

really
its not going to be all that long 
well maybe it will 
but 
there are lots of photos to see 
and 
trust me 
Cincinnati is a really photogenic city 
THIS NewYawker 
has fallen and fallen hard for it  

Maybe it was the perfect weather 
ideal temperatures 
amazing food 
or 
it could be the people 
especially my dear friend Mary
 who should be Cincinnati's ambassadoress to the world 

Okay .. everyone have their coffee?  
did you stop at the loo, go on do it now
and 
here we go!

I left NYC via Newark Airport last Friday morning 
a full 30 minutes early  

I had no idea 
I was going to 
visit 
Kentucky AND Ohio 
at the same time.  

Mary picked me up 
and 
we went to lunch in Kentucky at Otto's 
unfortunately 
my BIG camera 
was in my suitcase in the car
 it seems the little point and shoot shots 
didnt turn out well at all 
so I stole this shot of 
Otto's
from this site

Mary peruses the menu

After lunch 
we drove 
from Covington, KY to Cincinnati 
across the Ohio River 
via this 
amazingly beautiful bridge


Does it look familiar?


well
in addition to being in the movie Rain Man 
the John A Roebling Bridge was the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge!

there 
are 
3 other bridges 
that link 
Cincy and Covington KY
this is loving called  
The Big Mac

 this is the 
Purple People Bridge

and 
this is Taylor-Southgate Central Bridge

Next stop
St. Peter in Chains 
in this photo you can see the doors of 
St Peter's
with a reflection of 
Plum Street Temple's facade


and the 
Music Hall



Next 
we stopped here


just west of Central Avenue on the north side of Chestnut Street,
 in the historic West End. 
Its on a tiny plot enclosed by high walls and a locked gate
lucky for me 
I was able to squeeze my lens 
in between the bars to get this shot


Mary had sent me an itinerary of the weekend activities 
we managed 
to cover in its 
entirety 
maybe 
not exactly 
in the planned order
but
it didnt matter 
I was having a great time 

By late afternoon 
I was feeling the effects of the airplane trip 
we opted to order pizza for dinner
which 
 Mary's wonderful husband Jay 
(who is a DJ for WEBN in Cincy with the handle Jay Gilbert) 
picked up on his way home

Saturday 
was 
a brisk cold 
beautiful day 
armed with my BIG camera 
we headed out to meet 
Phil, 
a friend of Mary's, 
an Historian and Docent Trainer at Spring Grove, 
a handsome funny smart man 
who I wanted to take home with me, 


at 
Findlay Market


we had waffles



I got Toonman buckeyes
a chocolate/peanut butter candy/cookie
and got myself a blueberry scone
from this lovely woman


she's smiling weirdly 
because 
she'd just eaten 
something with spinach 
and 
wasnt sure if she had any stuck in her teeth!


I shot this sign 
for my friend Suldog 
he and a lot of other bloggers 
are hoping to remind 
early Christmas decorators 
that 
Thanksgiving Comes First!

Moving along 
we 
went 
outside 
to wander
 the stalls 
and 
shops 
that are part of the 
Findlay Market


that's Phil outside 
Churchill's Fine Teas

Next stop was 

then to Madison's

that's 
Matt Madison's Mom 
a charming 
welcoming woman 
who told us how Matt came to make gelato  
He went to Brooklyn NY 
to learn from Italian gelato masters 
he bought all the gelato making gear and was ready to go
when 
his Italian teachers suggested 
he might want to use a more Italian sounding name 
and so 
was born!


this mural 
is on a building that stands along the street outside Findlay Market
 its one of many wonderful murals 
on the walls of the various neighborhoods 
that make Cincinnati what it is 
there are so many murals
that I am devoting a separate post featuring them this Sunday



Mary and I left Phil
headed out to have lunch 
at Lunken Airport's charming restaurant
with 
Alice Heyn Balterman, 
a native Cincinnatian and artist, 
(I happen to be lucky enough to have two pieces of Alice's art) 
and 
her daughter 
(also an artist) 
Meg.

Alice is 92 
aside 
from needing assistance walking 
she continues to create amazing
decoupage pieces and altered books


we both look so happy because Mary who we both adore was the photographer

After we left Alice 
we drove around 
so Mary could show me 
some of the other neighborhoods/sights

DeSales Corner

a fountain in Mount Adams

Northside row houses

 Union Terminal's clock
and 
main rotunda


a chandelier
 in the lobby 
of the art deco hotel
 in 
Carew Tower

where we saw an exhibit of exquisite Art Deco clothing and jewelry

We also visited
the Taft Museum
and
Lloyd Library
where
the librarians were gracious and charming
both were quick stops w/o photo ops

I am now thinking a lot of this is out of order but hey if I cant tell neither can you so lets continue

Dinner with Mary, Jay, and Phil 
followed that incredible day 
at a terrific restaurant called 
followed by ice cream at 



What a day!

Sunday 
we met Phil for brunch in the 
Northside

 where we continued our gastro-gorge at 



After we left Phil
 we did some shopping
 then 
out to 
(we'd also stopped there briefly on Saturday)
both Mary and Phil are docents
so I got the best tour imaginable
here are some highlights

 obelisks 
dont they remind you of a chess game?


a Tiffany window 
in the mausoleum of one of the Procters 
of Procter & Gamble
shot through locked gated doors

a stone bench I've photoshopped

then 
before 
we headed to the airport 
we stopped at the city's 
Sawyer Point Bicentennial Park


winged pigs 
which caused a ruckus among the citizens of Queen City
charmed me


this is a walk along the winding 'Ohio River'



 Noah's Ark rests atop a pole marked with levels indicating how high the Ohio has risen
I guess when it passes that branch there you'd need to get into the ark


Last but not least we stopped briefly in Covington, Kentucky
where I spotted this statue



and
 so I could get this shot of the skyline
seems like a fitting way to end this post

If you made it though 
I commend you
 and 
hope you come back Sunday to see the murals


Cincinnati, I love you