From the Ruins of the Kingdom, the Boardwalk Rises?
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

From the Ruins of the Kingdom, the Boardwalk Rises?

Kentucky Kingdom, better known for the majority of its life as "Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom," hasn't had many guests since it closed its doors in the fall of 2009. Last summer though, I was one of the park's few visitors during its second season of non-operation. Accompanied by my guide Rose, a former park employee who was now working for the group aiming to reopen the park, I got to walk along the midways and tour the rides with the permission of the Kentucky Kingdom Redevelopment Company (KKRC).

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Kings Island - August, 1974
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

Kings Island - August, 1974

I borrowed the following photos from my girlfriend's father who took these during a trip to the park in the summer of 1974. At the time, Kings Island was in its third season after relocating from Coney Island. The Brady Bunch had filmed an episode there the summer before, the Partridge Family the summer before that. The photos show a different time at Kings Island, 38 years in the past. Aside from the 70's nostalgia of the "snapshot" envelope they came in with the film negatives included, they show a Kings Island much different from the one today.

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[Views of Cincinnati] A Crossing in the Commonwealth
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

[Views of Cincinnati] A Crossing in the Commonwealth

My friend Jake and I were once talking about the Brent Spence Bridge. I remarked to him that it looked "awful." It looks rusty and worn in comparison to the bright colors of the Roebling, Big Mac and People bridges. He said that he liked its appearance, that it made Cincinnati look "tough." In a way he was right. While out pursuing a different angle for 224 Cincy, Ryan Texas Ranger and I came across some infrastructure hidden on a hillside in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a crossing that looked "tough.”

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[Views of Cincinnati] Wrought Iron Sunrise
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

[Views of Cincinnati] Wrought Iron Sunrise

It's not that I haven't seen or photographed or a sunrise before, it's just that I've never done one around downtown or of the skyline. If I'm ever awake and the sun's coming up, it's usually because I haven't been to sleep yet either due to alcohol or homework.

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[Views of Cincinnati] Postcard Town
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

[Views of Cincinnati] Postcard Town

What is a "postcard town?" If you Google the phrase, it's apparently the name of a bunch of really bad indie acoustic songs on YouTube. The term is typically used to describe a town that appears so perfect, it belongs on a postcard. Personally, the first time I heard the phrase was in the 2001 David Spade B-Movie: "Joe Dirt.”

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[Views of Cincinnati] For Doug
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

[Views of Cincinnati] For Doug

I'm not even sure how to begin describing this photograph. A longer explanation follows, but I don't know where to begin. This photograph is for Doug. With his funeral approaching, it was my personal way of remembering him.

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[Views of Cincinnati] Midwestern Fog
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

[Views of Cincinnati] Midwestern Fog

It seemed like a scene that would be more commonplace on the lakefront of Chicago or near the bay in San Francisco. In fact, that's what the gentleman who passed me on the street remarked: "I used to live in San Francisco, man and I haven't seen anything like this here!”

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Nuclear Cowboyz and Nuclear Stripperz
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

Nuclear Cowboyz and Nuclear Stripperz

The word "nuclear" has powerful meaning. From the Cold War days when atomic weapons threatened the annihilation of our planet, to creating energy in power plants at places like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, to the time when President George W. Bush mispronounced the word. Then you have the word "cowboy." Cowboy evokes the image of reckless, rowdy Hollywood heroes like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Want to make it more extreme? Throw proper spelling and grammar to the wind and add a "z" on the end. Combine the title with pyrotechnics, an arena from the mid 70's and some motorcycles - what do you get? "The Nuclear Cowboyz.”

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Who Was That Masked Man Anyways?
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

Who Was That Masked Man Anyways?

Any good story has a good beginning, an intro that hooks the reader. As I write this on the border of 3 A.M, I don't really have a "hook." I don't really have an angle. When I looked through the batch of photos I was about to post here, I realized that they made no cohesive sense.

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How an Abandoned Zoo Made it to the Silver Screen
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

How an Abandoned Zoo Made it to the Silver Screen

On October 7, "Real Steel" will hit theaters. Set in the "near future," the film stars that guy who played "Wolverine" in X-Men as a former boxer who now plays major league Rock'em Sock'em Robots in Detroit. That's what I gathered from the trailer and Wikipedia anyways.

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The Etheral Firmament of Class Bravo Airspace
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

The Etheral Firmament of Class Bravo Airspace

When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up and be a pilot. Not just any pilot - I wanted to be a fighter pilot. Particularly for The Navy, preferably the F-14 Tomcat. And while I could fill this entire post with clever allusions to scenes from Top Gun, I'll spare you.

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Pictoria
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

Pictoria

Albert Camus once wrote: "As a remedy to life in society, I would suggest the big city. Nowadays, it is the only desert within our means."

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Longshoreman's Lament
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

Longshoreman's Lament

I woke up at 4:30 in the morning to take my roommate to the airport. I had just gotten back from work and gone to sleep two hours earlier. CVG is right down the road, but Dayton is quite cheaper. The catch is that it's pretty far away, not really, but on two hours of sleep - it's an eternity despite a breakfast of beef jerky, coffee and nicotine.

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When Crosley was King
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

When Crosley was King

Before Crosley was the name of a stadium, Powell Crosley Jr.'s empire gave birth to the first commercially affordable radio, the "Nation's Station" 700 WLW, the first car radio and "soap operas.”

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Construction on Cincinnati's Subway to Resume, First Train Delivered!
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

Construction on Cincinnati's Subway to Resume, First Train Delivered!

It's been 84 years since construction of the Cincinnati Subway halted. Nearly two miles of unused tunnels have been sitting silently beneath the city streets since 1927. Despite efforts to try and revive the project - political corruption, economic climate, changing population trends and even war were one of the many historical circumstances that prevented the subway from ever seeing a train or rider. That is, until today.

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Building "The Banks."
Ronny Salerno Ronny Salerno

Building "The Banks."

I took up an invitation from the folks at Carter-Dawson to see the current progress on The Banks, the development currently rising between the two stadiums on Cincinnati's riverfront.

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