The Calm of Carew
Even in the middle of a snowstorm, the Carew Tower observation deck can be the most calming spot in the city...
Best of 2013
My favorite photographs of 2013 from QC/D, personal and freelance work. That's it for this year, see you in 2014.
In Memory of Virgil Souder
Late Tuesday night I received an email that a worker at the Anderson Ferry had died after falling into the Ohio River. I was saddened when I read the name: Virgil Souder. Immediately I recognized it.
Return to Surf Cincinnati
It's been ten years since Surf Cincinnati was abandoned and over five years since most of it was demolished, it was time to go back.
There Has to Be Something Better Than Buffalo Sauce Flavored Sunflower Seeds
It was a Monday night, exactly one week ago. I was sitting at my desk, just like I am now. I'm not hungry, but I keep dipping my hand into a bag of sunflower seeds I pulled out of the pantry. They're flavored with "Frank's Red Hot" sauce. They're not bad, they're not good. I don't eat sunflower seeds, but I've watched enough episodes of the X-Files to know how Fox Mulder cracks them open and drops the shells all over his wooden floors while he's thinking.
But I don't have wooden floors, I have carpet.
Big Macs by the “Big Mac”
Two icons: McDonald's "Big Mac" sandwich and the Daniel Carter Beard "Big Mac" bridge. The pair seem like a perfect match for a corporate fast food marketing gimmick. They almost were.
A Work of Art, A World of its Own and a Cincinnati Tradition
In the halls of Union Terminal, there's a whole other world - a miniature one as vibrant and thriving as the city outside the rotunda walls. A yearly tradition, alive and well representing a bygone era.
Epistles of The Clay Wade Bailey Bridge
The Clay Wade Bailey Bridge isn't pretty - it's tough and gritty. It lacks the iconic majesty of the Roebling, the connection to attractions like the Purple People, the bright colors of the Big Mac and the political discussion of the Brent Spence.
Kilian Martin: Altered Route
When I was in the 7th grade, I thought I could skateboard. I couldn't and still can't.
The Shuttered Restaurant Flotilla of Covington
The Ohio River is the lifeblood from which Cincinnati was born. At one point in time, it was littered with steam boats and paddle wheels bound to head west. Even today, it's still a major shipping channel for freight barges. On the shores of Northern Kentucky, where the view of the Cincinnati skyline is a preeminent feature, floating restaurants and attractions took the place of steam boats.
But in Covington, there's a fleet of shuttered vessels that aren't currently serving any customers.
A Memento in the Rubble of a Mountain
There's something about visiting an abandoned place, but how important to someone can an abandoned mini golf mountain and go kart track be before it's demolished for a highway?
The Ghost Marina of Lake Cumberland
Down at Lake Cumberland, KY an abandoned marina/dock is quietly floating by.
Some Updated Streetcar Info From Atlanta
Just like Cincinnati, Atlanta is also building a modern streetcar system. I had the opportunity to see the construction up close last month, here's an update on the work I saw thanks to some friendly Atlanta folks.
![[Suburbia Lost] Bahama Breeze - Springdale](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f4d8a25db85a54c4d64fe76/1606364913898-KGJ5ASBPHD35MMGNS22P/image.jpeg)
[Suburbia Lost] Bahama Breeze - Springdale
A restaurant that once claimed to deliver the "feeling of a Caribbean Escape" now delivers the feeling of an abandoned island restaurant tucked between I-275 and and Rt. 4 in the north suburbs of Cincinnati.
To "The Good Land" and Back
"In fact, isn't 'Milwaukee' an Indian name." asked Pete.
"Why yes, Pete, it is," replied Alice. "Actually, it's pronounced 'mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for 'the good land.'"
Operation Skywatch and the Outpost of Cairo, Indiana
"Our greatest hopes for peace lie in being so strong and so well prepared that our enemies will not dare attack. Every citizen who cooperates in "Operation Skywatch" as well as in other defense activities, is helping prevent the war none of us wants to happen."
- President Harry S. Truman, July 12, 1952.
![[Suburbia Lost] Rally's - Sharonville](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f4d8a25db85a54c4d64fe76/1606365010207-F1BSEQOH2Z0HB7IXQBNR/image.jpeg)
[Suburbia Lost] Rally's - Sharonville
Known as "Checker's" for some, "Rally's" for others - you can't hide what this building used to be under neutral gray paint.
![[Suburbia Lost] Putt 'N' Stuff Fantasy Land](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f4d8a25db85a54c4d64fe76/1606365027680-X06LMBRWSYWALKF7F2RL/image.jpeg)
[Suburbia Lost] Putt 'N' Stuff Fantasy Land
The abandoned ticket booth to a miniature golf course that is long overgrown and abandoned behind a gas station just outside of Knoxville, TN. Found while on a recent trip down south.