Cincinnati Re-adventure

Erica's new (ad)venture

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:50:00 +0000

http://whatsacadenza.com/

I'm working on a new blog, which chronicles my new adventure: working at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

I try to keep these posts short and interesting, and would love to take questions about Music Hall, the Symphony, classical music, etc. I'm learning all of these things for myself, after all! I took this job 8 months ago with a passion for the Symphony but no classical music background, so keeping track of the things I learn is helpful to me and hopefully interesting to you.

I hope you'll join me at What's a Cadenza?

Vote No on the Anti-Rail Amendment - Vote no on Issue 48

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:36:00 +0000

This is about much more than the streetcar. Here are the details (via Cincinnatians for Progress)

A small group of anti-progress activists are trying -- again -- to stop Cincinnati from developing a streetcar system serving downtown and Over-The-Rhine. They want a disastrous city charter amendment that would -- again -- go far beyond their stated intention.

In 2009, city voters overwhelmingly rejected a similar effort by the same group. The anti-progress group ignored the will of the people and continued a campaign to spread blatant falsehoods and misunderstanding.

Once again, it is up to Cincinnati voters to put a stop to a destructive assault on the city charter.

WHAT THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT WOULD DO

It would bar anyone -- including private parties – from working on any form of rail-based transportation for 10 years. That arbitrary "dead period" would make it illegal for the city to take advantage of new technology and new circumstances, such as the future federal stimulus dollars. Under the language of this proposal, a generation would pass before Cincinnati could hope to see light rail or commuter rail, or even the return of the inclines.
It would cost hundreds of jobs in construction of the line itself, and more importantly, jobs created by homes and businesses that will fill the area along the streetcar route.
It would lead to confusion and lawsuits, further impeding the city's ability to grow.
It would undermine the city charter, Cincinnati's version of the Constitution, by usurping the lawful functions of elected officials. It could open the door to a flood of California-style actions used by special interests to bypass the legislative process. The results in California have been tax hikes, deficits and civic paralysis.Whether you care about the streetcar plan or not, this dangerous charter amendment must not pass

In addition the League of Women Voters in Cincinnati recently came out in opposition to this dangerous charter amendment.

The amendment would prevent the City from spending or appropriating any money (including city, state, federal and private funds) to plan, construct, or operate a streetcar system through the year 2020. Because of the definition of a "Streetcar System," the amendment would include any kind of passenger rail operating on city streets or publicly-owned rights-of-way. The amendment would stop not just the streetcar. It would also block any regional passenger rail system (light rail or commuter rail) and would keep any rail transit from being planned or built in Cincinnati for the next decade.

The LWVCA seeks to keep open the city's transportation options as a means of contributing to the City's economic vitality and development. The proposed Charter Amendment, if passed, would put on hold the city and region's transportation options for the remainder of the decade and beyond.

In addition, the League opposes the proposed Charter Amendment because the
Charter should provide for the flexible operation of government. The Charter should not limit or restrict City Council's legislative authority as outlined in the Charter. "The proposed amendment is too specific for a Charter and too far reaching in its consequences for our city and region's transportation options," says Melissa Currence, President, League of Women Voters.

Any way you cut it this amendment is bad for the city, bad for business, bad for jobs and bad for our future.

This Place Matters 2011 - Vote OTR!

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:04:00 +0000

In case you've missed this, OTR is in the running for a major grant from the National Trust. We're currently in FIRST PLACE but we need your help to stay there!

From the OverTheRhine blog:

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s This Place Matters 2011 Community Challenge kicked off June 1 at 8am and will end at 11:59pm, June 30. 100 local preservation organizations nationwide were selected to compete. First, second and third places will win $25,000, $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. The Over-the-Rhine Foundation is fortunate enough to be one of the 100 candidates nationwide and one of only three from the state of Ohio.

If you haven't already, VOTE!

For more information visit the National Trust website - http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/this-place-matters/community-challenge/places/over-the-rhine.html

still around!

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:29:00 +0000

We're still alive, just have been busy with other projects and life. For your viewing enjoyment, some photos I took while biking around last weekend (this weekend's weather hasn't cooperated with cycling) - a mix of the new along with some of the past.

Sunday Ride Photos

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000

There are no shortage of cool bike rides around Cincinnati. Sunday morning I decided to ride up to Spring Grove Cemetery and do some exploring. It's an incredible place if you haven't been, and if you're a cyclist its nice quiet place to cruise, train, whatever.

Poke Journal! Please submit!

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I've been meaning to write about my new project all month! We keep busy over here. :)

Besides exploring the wonders of Cincinnati, another huge passion of mine is art (and specifically poetry, my major in college). I'm now trying to see if I can bridge these two passions with a handmade, Cincinnati-based literary journal called Poke.

All the details for Poke are on the journal's Facebook page, but the gist is this: to take part, all an artist has to do is hand-make 10 copies of his/her work.

That's it!

There will only be 10 copies of any issue. Proceeds from sales of the journal will go toward a local cause or institution, determined by the community.

But I really really need your help, because without submissions this project tanks. MiCA 12/v has been an incredible partner in this project, so I'd love to create a fantastic inaugural issue to make OTR proud!

Submissions for this issue are due at Final Friday, and you do not have to live anywhere near OTR/Cincinnati to submit (though you do have to get down to MiCA to drop them off). See alllll the glorious deets here: http://www.facebook.com/PokeJournal?sk=info

Please let me know if you have questions, and spread the word! That first deadline is comin' up fast! :D

Rivertown Brewery Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Thanks to Yelp, we had a chance to tour a local brewery, Rivertown (in Lockland). Here are a handful of my iPhone shots from that morning (in our excitement, we left the real camera in the car!):

The tour was so much fun. We were able to see just about every step of the brewing process, because there was a local group of homebrewers mixing a batch that day and so the brewery was hoppin'. (Hoppin'? Beer pun?) We smelled different types of hops, tasted various grains, sampled ales (if you're into that kind of thing), and even visited the bottling machine (just one! for their entire distribution!!).

A great learning experience and a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon-- thanks Alex, Yelp and Rivertown!

Rivertown Brewery: http://www.rivertownbrewery.com/

Cirque du Soleil: Behind the Scenes at Ovo!

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Cirque has had a rough visit in Cincinnati, with the rain closing them down for the past week-- they've had to reschedule 15 shows and clean up quite a mess over at Coney Island. The're pushing through, though and last night they were back on stage!

While we were lucky enough to be invited to the dress rehearsal for Ovo back in April, we were also invited for a behind-the-scenes tour, which we took yesterday before their big return.

Here's the link to Dan's full Flickr set of our incredible tour.

Our contact at Cirque talked us through so many aspects of the show for over half an hour... from what the performers eat to where they lodge to how they practice to how Cirque finds their talent. We were able to tour the makeup and dressing room, the practice mats, the stage and more. We learned that some of the Cirque performers are ex-Olympians, that each costume is cleaned in Cirque's own washing machine every night, and that there are teachers that travel with the cast to teach Quebecois curriculum to Cirque cast and family members. We saw cast members warming up, rehearsing, putting on makeup and playing chess on an iPad. How... freaking... amazing.

(We want to give an absolutely huge thank you to Darcy at Vehr Communications, and Marie-Claude at Cirque! This was the chance of a lifetime for us!)

Cirque's Ovo website: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ovo/tickets/cincinnati.aspx

Save Clifton Comics! - Update 2

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:02:00 +0000

Steve over at Clifton Comics needs our help. ~~The Uptown Consortium have targeted his building for demolition. The's are the same jokers who razed everything along Calhoun St years ago displacing numerous businesses and have done nothing with it.~~ The who and the what is still unclear in this, we're all assuming its Uptown Consortium at some level, but so far all his legal stuff has avoided using their name in any way. We do know what the project is - here is the site for it. The details should get cleared up at the public hearing.

Steve has been served notice to vacate papers through various 3rd parties to help Uptown Consortium avoid paying him any sort of relocation fee's, so this entire thing is a pile of BS.

How can you help? Sign the petition and visit the store. There is a public hearing soon where Steve can present his signatures and make his case, as can other businesses and people being affected. Visit the stores Facebook Page for the latest updates from Steve and follow the links below for both printable and digital copies of the petition.

Printable sheet

Link to the digital one Steve has created

Whether you're into comics or not, the issue is here is the continued bullying of local businesses by the Uptown Consortium and the destruction of small and local businesses. The land is being taken to put in some huge student housing complex that will be owned and operated by a company that isn't even local to Cincinnati.

I'll update this page as info changes

updated 5/3/2011 - changed link to new form-based petition - if you signed previous versions you're still good, he's printing it all for the hearing

1937 Flood in Cincinnati - Historical Home Movie Footage

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:30:00 +0000

With all of the recent rain and flooding @geekjames dug up this video of the 1937 flood. Interesting to watch and if you look closely you might even see a few familiar landmarks.

Holy Grail Tavern (on the Banks)

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:00:00 +0000

The Holy Grail Tavern was the first business to open inside the Banks project on... er, the banks.

(You'd think I'd go back and fix awkward sentences like that, but here we are.)

Holy Grail isn't the first of its kind-- it's the third location of the Grail, which I suppose has to keep moving, right?

I visited for lunch, always eager for a new place to eat downtown. (One can even tire of Paula's and Ingredients if one eats there frequently enough.)

We chose a gorgeous, breezy day, so the Holy Grail had its large garage door walls open (think Parker Flats), and though it still smells of sawdust and sounds like construction, it really made the restaurant a great place to be. The tavern is humongous, decked out with TVs (it's a sports bar) on mute (at least for lunch), long bars that could seat 20 people, reservable tables with private taps, and even bar seats right against the open windows. Large and fantastic.

The place was hummin' when we visited, but we had no problem getting a seat. Service was a little slow, but nothing unforgivable. The food was really great for bar food-- I had a turkey burger with swiss and it was juicy and delicious. (Food was a bit pricey-- check the posted menu.) The staff eventually rolled down the garage door because of some intense wind, but the room still felt airy and sunlit.

Holy Grail Tavern website: http://www.holygrailcincy.com/html/home/home.php
Holy Grail on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/holy-grail-tavern-and-grille-cincinnati-3

Gift certificate winner

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Stephanie, congratulations! Drop us a line at blog [at] cincinnatireadventure [dot] com so we can send you the $50 gift certificate for Goldstar.com!

We'd love to know which show you chose!

Goldstar (not chili) and $50 theater ticket giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Like any blog, we are occasionally approached by companies promoting their products. Like many bloggers, we don't promote anything we haven't tried or wouldn't use. But occasionally a service comes along that really aligns with our goal of re-adventuring Cincinnati, and such was the case with Goldstar.com. (Not... chili.)

Goldstar is a StubHub-type site for theater tickets-- cut-rate prices for seats that venues like Music Hall or the Aronoff Center would rather see full (for less cash) than empty (for zilch). Goldstar gave me a $50 gift certificate to try it out, and I managed to finagle another $50 certificate to give away here. (Maybe you could use it to see Ovo, nudge nudge?)

I used my certificate to purchase tickets for the May Festival's Revealing show. There were quite a few other shows that looked good (Drowsy Chaperone, Shrek the Musical...), but we're long overdue for a trip to Music Hall, and I've never attended any May Festival events. (For shame!)

You have to go in understanding that you're not buying front-row seats. Ours ended up in Orchestra C-- I prefer to be closer for a visual performance, but for an orchestra performance this is perfectly acceptable to me. Just be sure to check the seating availability when you're considering various shows.

The other watch-out: service fees. I paid $6 per ticket, which-- for $27 tickets-- is noticeable. Still, $66 (or $16!) is a good price for May Festival tickets (previously $54 each).

I enjoyed the rest of my experience. The interface is packed with ways to stay up-to-date with deals, including alerts when more tickets become available for a specific show and for when reviews are posted. I see this as a good resource for three things: 1) exploring new venues, 2) keeping updated on what's new, and 3) scoring some deals on higher-priced concerts and performances you normally couldn't afford to go to.

I also think it's great that Goldstar is even catering to Cincinnati. I feel as though many services put our city on the bottom of the list, but maybe Goldstar recognized what a great arts and theater culture we have in the Queen City.

So who would like to explore Goldstar.com for themselves? I have one beefy $50 gift certificate to give away. To enter, leave a comment here and tell me which show you'd like to see from Goldstar's list. Our winner will be chosen at random on Monday!

Cirque du Soleil: Ovo

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Phew! Dan and I had a great time last night at Cirque du Soleil's show Ovo (disclosure: we were given free preview night tickets but reviews were not required). If you read many Cincinnati blogs I'm sure you're seeing a flurry of Cirque-related activity-- seems like everyone was at preview night!

I hope all that blogger/Yelper outreach pays off for them, because Ovo is a great show. I've seen several Cirque shows, but Dan had never seen one, so it was interesting to get dual perspectives.

For me, all the undeniably Cirque elements were present: a fun theme that permeates the entire show (insects!); unbelievable feats of strength, agility and creativity; ethereal live music; jaw-dropping costumes. Dan, on the other hand, didn't really know what to expect, and felt it was more of a circus than he'd come to expect-- he was worried it would be too "weird and artsy," but says it felt very accessible. I think that's a misconception that a lot of people have regarding Cirque-- that it's esoteric, bizarre, not fun. Certainly not the case with Ovo.

I can't tell you my favorite parts because I don't want to spoil the show. There's a magic in never knowing what will come next, and there are definitely some big surprises in Ovo. (I'll say this: the scenery itself is its own character. Holy moly.)

(Sorry for the lack of show-related pictures. Flash photography blinds the trapeze artists, know what I'm sayin'?)

Cirque opens for realsies tomorrow night, and runs through May 8th.
Cirque's Ovo website: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ovo/tickets/cincinnati.aspx

Hot hot hot-- Cirque ticket giveaways!

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:20:00 +0000

I have a quick quick quick contest to give away 8 tickets to Cirque's preview night... which is tomorrow at 7:30pm!

Because of the quick turnaround, if you're interested in the tickets, please email me at blog [at] cincinnatireadventure [dot] com. I will need the first and last name of the two people you'd be bringing (you and your +1) so I can add you to the will-call list. If I receive more entries than I have tickets for, I'll choose randomly.

Go go go! I need all names by midnight tonight! Please only enter if you're able to attend tomorrow's show at 7:30pm at Coney Island.

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Was messing around yesterday on our roof and took this panoramic.

Click through to view the full size image on Flickr!

Dan scores a shout-out in UrbanCincy's CycleCincy write-up!

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:24:00 +0000

“It [CycleCincy] all started as a bunch of cyclists and photographers wanting to geek it out, but I think the project also highlights the desire to have a more cycling aware culture in Cincinnati,” says Dan Reid, local cyclist and OTR resident. “I think we’ve all had our share of run-ins with ignorant people in cars and it’s a real shame that people can’t co-exist.”

UrbanCincy: CycleCincy website unites regional bike riders

Roadtrip - Denver, Colorado

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:45:00 +0000

Erica and I recently visited Denver, Colorado and I wanted to share a few things about the visit. I found a lot of similarities between our two cities, however Denver has really embraced some things we're still fighting for.

While not a huge system at the moment, Denver is in the process of building out it's light rail system. Currently it loops downtown and hits a few of the southern suburbs, however construction is underway on majro extensions and there are plans for it to reach all the way to nearby towns such as Boulder.

While the light rail was an exciting feature to find, I was most struck by how bicycle and pedestrian friendly the city felt. The sidewalks were much wider than ours, and they have diagonal cross-walks, which really speed up commuting by foot.

Denver still has a lot of roads and cars, however they aren't afraid to design for people too. Most of 16th Street in downtown Denver is a pedestrian mall. It's closed to cars and bicycles, and is full of restaurants, theaters, stores, trees and places to just hang out. I WISH Cincinnati had the vision to do something like this somewhere. I think OTR is prime for such an experiment.

It felt like their downtown was still trying to attract new residents, much as Cincinnati is, but it's these small details that really draw you in and we could learn a thing or two from them.

For visitors the city is easily navigated and they even have a bicycle rental system that is all over town so that you can take care of their killer network of bike and walking trails. These run all through downtown and for miles further into some of the farthest suburbs, meaning commuting by bike is a real option here, even if you're not an urban dweller.

more photos from our visit

Opening Day Parade 2011

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Just finally getting around to looking at the photos I took - here are some of the better ones

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

CityKin: Riot Recollection

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:52:00 +0000

CityKin: Riot Recollection

I wanted to share this post from CityKin - if you don't read his blog I highly suggest it, as he's been in OTR for quite some time and I appreciate the thought and perspective he puts into his posts.

a ride through the city

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:12:00 +0000

We post this on Twitter and Facebook the other day, but I figured I'd post it here for anyone who missed it. Another experiment with our GoPro camera, this time mounted to the roof of the car while we made a pad thai run up to Teak.

Casino construction

noreply@blogger.com (prolix21) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:48:00 +0000

While I was out on my bike Saturday I rode along the edge of the new casino site and took a few pictures on my phone. They're certainly moving along with excavation and the removal of buildings.

Still unsure what I think about the casino project in general, but its well underway so I'll just hope it brings something positive to the area.

Taste of Belgium (in the Freedom Center)

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Holy smokes!

On the hunt for something new, I suggested we hit Taste of Belgium for lunch. I've had crêpes and the like from Taste of Belgium in Findlay Market, but in January they opened a new branch inside the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, right on the river.

What a fantastic call that turned out to be.

When we first walked in, we were a little turned around-- you can take your order to go (as many of the construction workers for the Banks have been doing), but the restaurant is actually full-service. We were kindly led to a table and talked through the menu.

So much sounded great, but I decided on the "waffle sandwich" (exactly what you'd imagine) with turkey, and my coworker had the shrimp and grits waffle. He didn't take much convincing.

You have to understand that a Taste of Belgium waffle is unlike any other waffle you've ever had. It's sweet but not saccharine, and thoroughly delicious. Slap some turkey in there and it's lunch, apparently.

My coworker loved his shrimp and grits, and was actually just as impressed with the side salad served with it. The lemon poppyseed dressing was apparently a great complement to his lunch.

This location is a little odd because they aren't fully situated yet-- there were four laminated menus, three salt shakers and a handful of ketchup packets to share among the patrons-- but they're working toward a remodel and other upgrades (flatware?). I think they're doing exactly the right thing: getting the food right first. There's time to keep moving toward perfect so long as you keep cranking out freaking delicious lunches like these!

One other small weird thing: they seemed caught off-guard when a group of 40 Mennonites paraded in after a tour of the Freedom Center. As a museum café, I'd think you'd be expecting these kinds of onslaughts! The waitstaff handled it quickly and politely, so no harm done, but I hope they're able to scale in the way they'll need to when this Taste of Belgium location picks up the popularity it deserves.

Taste of Belgium's website: http://authenticwaffle.com/
Freedom Center's website: http://www.freedomcenter.org/
This location on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/taste-of-belgium-cincinnati-2

Views from a Commute, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Hi Mike!

When parading around with my camera, Mike made the mistake of leaving the door to Mica 12/v propped open. :) (He permitted me to take a photo, fear not.) I love this guy, and I love walking by his and his wife's gorgeous shop in OTR!

Do I need to tell you how anxious I am for more of this photo-friendly weather?

Views from a Commute, part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Erica Minton) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Remember when the weather was startlingly gorgeous? Lasted about 15 minutes? Well, I managed to grab the camera during that infinitesimal window and snap a few pictures of my walk around OTR.

Look for a few more tomorrow, to tide us over until the sun pops out for a bit longer.