Thank You! "Exploring Cincinnati" Still on Display at The Betts House Through Nov. 19th!
On the evening of Friday, October 2nd, the new exhibit "Exploring Cincinnati" officially opened at The Betts House.
Summer Vacation in Detroit: Part 1
When you like exploring abandoned buildings, Detroit is your Disneyland.
From the Roof of an Abandoned Brewery, Summer Ends in a Blaze of Disappointing Explosions Above a Midwestern Skyline
The smoke began to clear over the river and was blowing north towards downtown engulfing the skyscrapers and skyline in a haze. "That was it?" I muttered to Venkman and Seicer. We had been waiting all summer since we had discovered our super secret fireworks viewing spot and all we had to say was: "That was it?”
Queen City Discovery Announces New Exhibit
Last January I teamed up with fellow explorer and photographer Sherman Cahal to create the "Forgotten Cincinnati" exhibit that was on display at Park+Vine. This Fall, friend and photographer Craig Moyer joins us to create "Exploring Cincinnati," an expanded exhibit that features even more photographs from our photographic work and exploring of the Cincinnati area over the past year.
Abandoned Overpass Vantage Points
The soles of my shoes are incredibly worn down. The rocks along the abandoned railroad tracks hurt as they further puncture the holes on the bottoms of my tennis shoes. Leaning up against the concrete wall while the camera exposed for 30 seconds I realized how tired I was for only sleeping four hours the previous night. Beneath the bridge cars fly by, people come and go. Time forgets the trains that once ran on these tracks and I ponder what I'm doing and why.
Vote for QC/D on Capture Cincinnati!
The Cincinnati Enquirer's annual photography contest "Capture Cincinnati" has just under a month left for users to submit their votes of the best photographs from around the greater Cincinnati area. The winners, selected out of the top votes and editor's choices, have the chance to win some great prizes including being published in the annual coffee table book. Here are some examples of my work from the past year currently being voted on.
A Random Sliver of the American Summer in a Parking Lot
I don't know exactly why I like photographing the things I like to photograph, I just find certain things interesting or I want to say something.
Why Does Anyone Take Pictures?
My job has been stale. Every year at some point I feel burnt out, but it seems each year that feeling comes quicker. It also seems that my life is in some sort of weird repeating cycle. Every two years similar events happen with similar disappointments in similar settings despite the fact that I age. Some times the comparisons are uncanny, sometimes I think I generalize and attribute these similarities to overblown coincidence. What it comes down to is frustration and quick, often wrong rationalization.
Bush Stadium - Indianapolis, Indiana
From 1931 until 1996, Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana served as the home of the Indianapolis Indians; a AAA minor league baseball team currently affiliated with Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. The Art Deco stadium complete with it's ivy covered walls saw the Indians play as the farm team for not only the Pirates, but the Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal Expos (Now the Washington Nationals), Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Braves (Now the Atlanta Braves) and even the Cincinnati Reds.
QC/D on "Explore Cincinnati," Temporary Leave of Absence and "Can You Guess It?"
On Wednesday, July 29 I was a guest on "Explore Cincinnati." Along with hosts Travis Estell and Emily Schneider; I discussed The Banks project, streetcars, the origins of my urban exploration and this website. To hear the podcast of the episode, check out their website here and click "play" underneath "Season 3, Episode 6." Thanks to Travis and Emily for having me on, check out their site and support a great local program!
Hudepohl Brewing Company: Tour 3
Years ago the Busch Gardens theme parks in Williamsburg, VA and Pasadena, CA offered tours of their respective nearby Anheuser-Busch brewery's via a monorail. The tours took you through the brewery process and ended in a sample of free beer. Those attractions have long since closed (The Pasadena, CA park is gone entirely), but here in Cincinnati brewery tours still exist...kind of.
A Super Villian's Secret Laboratory
Once again, Zach took an opportunity in New York. Who can blame him though? Great pay, great experience and all in a great city. The main downside was he would be missing out on any further Queen City exploring for awhile. We wanted to send him off the right way, by exploring/photographing something new in the area, something none of us had previously seen.
Exploring Duck Creek
QC/D Contributor Luke Field explores the graffiti and trickling waterways of "The Narrows" in Duck Creek.
Fourth of July
At my place of employment, the Fourth of July is a busy day. In the five years I have worked there, I've never had that day off. This year was the first time. I worked half a day on Friday, July 3rd then went down to see the fireworks that would follow the Red's game as part of their "Fireworks Friday" promotion.
The "Indiana Jones" of Cincinnati.
How an adventure to a not-so-interesting abandoned location reminded me of my intense, dislike for slithering creatures.
The Catacombs of Cleveland
In Cleveland, beneath the Veterans' Memorial Bridge, crossing over the Cuyahoga River, is an abandoned deck which once provided an exclusive right-of-way to Cleveland's streetcars, while motor vehicles whizzed by overhead.
The Reds Have Been Losers For The Past 20 Years, The Cubs...For Over a Century.
Some of my favorite photographs growing up were ones of the Cincinati Skyline with Cinergy Field in the foreground. Those mid 90's photographs are iconic in my mind, I just hope that one day maybe the photographs I take today will mean something to someone in a similar fashion.
The Unsolved Mystery of Joe Wilcher
As customers go to and from the Ice Cream Palace on the street level of the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood, many of them are unaware of the secret two stories above the store which produces their ice cold deserts.
Cincinnati's Other Abandoned Subway
When it comes to abandoned icons of the Queen City, the abandoned two mile never completed subway is usually at the top of the list. On the other end of downtown though, there's another abandoned subway... sort of. The Riverfront Transit Center was built with a vision in mind and sees sparse use these days. In many ways though, it's just Cincinnati's other abandoned subway.
Alisha's Apartment
The day had been marred by failed attempts at exploring. On one of his rare days off work, Chris met up with me to go out, cameras in hand. Every place we were interested in exploring had some sort of obstacle to it, obstacles we were not willing to challenge.