The Schmidt Brothers/Crown Brewery
Not many people realize the proud beer brewing tradition that once dominated Cincinnati. Over The Rhine not only received its name from its large German population, but those same immigrants brought along their taste for good beer.
Forgotten Cincinnati Part 2: Talking about Trespassing on TV and Final Friday.
The day before it was cold, but beautiful. I got let out of class early, the sun was shining and the river was near flood stage so I grabbed the camera and went down to sawyer point to snap some photos and go for a jog.
Selling Out For Our Fifteen Minutes of Fame
After the Enquirer did a really cool piece on the adventures of myself and my friend Dr. Venkman, we started getting a lot of attention. The article got picked up on the wire and even made it into online and print editions of USA Today, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Boston Herald, The Dayton Daily News and The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (yeah, from THE Fort Wayne, Indiana). Fox 19 contacted us and invited us onto their morning show. Conan O`Brien (who was a million times better than Jay Leno) never approached us to be on the Tonight Show in his final days as host, so we decided we would take Fox 19's offer. So Friday morning gather your kids around the tv and tune into WXIX to hear some stories and see some pictures.
"If I wanted weather like this, I'd move to Seattle..."
I wasn't just pissed that day. I've been pissed the past 15 days (and counting). I can hardly sleep, I keep having these bad dreams and I can't stay focused on the things I need to get done. To top it all off the weather has been cold and pretty crappy, but the river is getting high and leaving the city gritty.
How Minor League Hockey Should Be
Andy MacWilliams is known to tell the story of how in 1977, the front office staff of the Cincinnati Stingers were answering the telephones with: "Cincinnati Stingers - National Hockey League (NHL)," in anticipation of the announcement that would come later in the day, declaring the Cincinnati World Hockey Association (WHA) franchise as part of the WHA's merger deal with the NHL. MacWilliams, the former Stingers radio broadcaster who would later become the voice of the Xavier Musketeers, would be disappointed along with the rest of the front office when they were informed that the merger deal had been voted down by the NHL.
Holy Day of Obligation and Exploration
Venkman and I had just finished up an interview in the abandoned Hopple St. Subway tunnels for a Cincinnati Enquirer article. The sky was bright blue and the sun was shining on a cold, yet beautiful afternoon. "I kind of feel obligated to shoot photos today." I said to Venkman. The weather was too nice and with the holiday break from our respective schools, we had plenty of time on our hands. We agreed to set out in hopes of finding something new. Ironically, on the eve of a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation, we came across an abandoned church.
Redness in the Midwest
Photographs taken during Christmas Break in the southwestern corner of Ohio.
The "Research Division."
It was the holiday break of 2008 when Venkman and I struggled through a maze of dead plant life and stoic tree branches covering the asphalt path that had once been a driveway. Walking right past the empty, crumbling guard shack and into the complex's courtyard, the rare Midwest winter sunlight glimmered off the eerie, metallic lettering on the front of the building which read: Research Division.
The "Greatest Show in Town."
It's not Ringling Brothers and it's not Cirque du Soleil, but it's a Cincinnati tradition that has traversed other mid-western cities and the entire nation since 1906. Usually stopping for three days of shows in the Queen City, the Syrian Shrine Circus has been hosted by both the Cincinnati Gardens and the Schumacher Center on UC's campus over the years, providing a more intimate and unique view into the American three-ring circus tradition that is rarely found today.
"Always Coca Cola"
Standing at the base of a pile of ruble that had once been 1/4 of the Ault & Wiborg Building, one couldn't help but remember the slogan that had been used from 1993-2000 by the soft drink giant who used this building as a billboard for so many years.
Thirty Years Later and No Memorial to Those Who Died in The Who Concert Tragedy
It was exactly thirty years ago today that eleven concertgoers were trampled to death outside of what was then known as Riverfront Coliseum. As rock legends, The Who, began their sound check that evening, thousands of spectators crowded outside, pushed forward mistakenly thinking the concert was starting. Eventually arena officials opened the doors to the swarming crowd, the problem was they had hardly opened any doors at all.
Who is "The Cyclones Insider?"
Cincinnati has been home to numerous minor league hockey teams and even one major league team, but probably the best known, and currently the only pro hockey team in town, is the Cincinnati Cyclones. While the current Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) are not the original franchise from 1990, this incarnation of the team recently won their leagues championship, the Kelly Cup, in 2008 and call the US Bank Arena downtown their home.
Atrium 2 Has a Helluva View
It was noon this past Sunday when my ringtone, the theme song to the tv sitcom "Roseanne," blared across the room as I rubbed my eyes and woke up to my morning, most other people's afternoon.
The Forgotten Rail Station at Torrence Rd.
The sun was slowly setting on a summer evening as we drove the #1 Corolla Rager eastbound on Riverside Dr. Jeffrey and I already had a close encounter with a snake earlier that day whilst exploring in Lockland and we weren't having much luck finding anything else that evening.
49 Floors, 49 Stories to Tell.
Hadn't been to the top of Cincinnati's tallest skyscraper since about a year ago. When I was a kid, the mid-1990's photographs of the previous riverfront, like this one, always stuck out in my mind. I just hope that the photographs I take today will have some relevance to someone in the future.
Zombies Attack Cincinnati!
Like something out of a horror movie, zombies swarmed the streets of downtown this past Halloween weekend.
Storm the shores of Cincinnati with Capt. Bill and the "Ride the Ducks" tour!
The "Duck" tours used these amphibious vehicles to transport sightseeing tourists on land and sea. For years they've been a common attraction in cities throughout the nation leaving many Cincinnatian's on vacation to say "Hey, why don't we have that in the Queen City?" Well, "Ride the Ducks" finally came here in the Spring of 2008.
All Along the Watchtower: The Crosley Climb
The first home of the "Nation's Station," 700 WLW, and the one time symbol of the Crosley corporation stands as a watchtower looking out over the industrious Camp Washington neighborhood and Interstate 75.
Gordon Bombay and the Auditorium of Doom!
Some time ago, Venkman and I registered to take "Intro to Photography" at the University of Cincinnati's main campus.
Summer Vacation in Detroit: Part 2
Part 2 of our 2009 summer trip to Detroit including an excursion to an abandoned zoo.