Ram23

I think that's why he moved from the west side to Mt. Lookout, so he wouldn't' have to run against Chabot in the 1st District. The 2nd District is more competitive because Brad Wenstrup doesn't have the name recognition or history.

PG Sittenfeld Fundraising for US Senate That was quick.

I agree the modern cool tones that are prevalent in the design world have not yet caught on in the consumer world. If they are available, they’re much more expensive. I managed to find a cool gray floor tile for cheap and have been using it all over my house because it’s the only affordable cool color I could find. Even vinyl, which can be made into almost any color for no cost difference, isn’t readily available in cool tones. As for using anything custom, there’s a huge cost difference - probably at least double. I can’t wait for the day that white paint replaces the ubiquitous landlord beige. My entire house was repainted beige before I bought it, and I’m going to have to drop around $500 on paint to get rid of it. I wish the REO would have just primed everything and left it at that.

I have a chair that's worth almost as much as my car. I spend more time in the chair, though.

You can’t really fire a coach after a playoff season, even if you lose the first round. Though I think Marvin would be on the hot seat should the Bengals have a single losing season, or fail to make the playoffs. I do think the coaching is what loses games for the Bengals, not Dalton, and not injuries. A team like the Bengals shouldn’t lose at home to the Browns by 20 points or get shut out in Indianapolis unless they’re completely unprepared. In all of the Bengals loses this year, they looked like they didn’t practice for the team they were playing against. However, how much room is there to realistically improve coaching? There are only a handful of coaches capable of fielding a playoff caliber team virtually every year. Look at how many teams have revolving doors for coaches – it’s far more likely the Bengals end up with a worse coach than a better one. It’s not unlike the situation with Dalton – he’s the worst good QB in the NFL. Half of the QBs are better and half are worse, but what are the chances they’re going to make a change that improves upon that? At best, it’s 50/50. At coach, it’s worse; I’d say the Bengals have a 25% chance of hiring someone who does better than Lewis. There’s just a very limited talent pool to pull from. There are a lot of things just slightly wrong with the Bengals, but if they get gutsy and try to fix any one and fail, they risk sinking the whole ship. Historically, they haven’t taken many risks, at all.

I find myself borrowing my parent’s minivan quite often because it can fit an 8' x 4’ piece of plywood or drywall in the back. Most SUVs can’t do that, crossovers definitely can’t, and even a pickup truck typically only has a 6’-0” bed plus the cargo is exposed to the weather. Not everyone has this need, but if you do a minivan is great. Some of the older station wagons may be able to pull it off but I don’t know if they have lay down seats or not, they were a bit before my time. Minivans may be big, but some of them have little 4 cylinder engines and get good gas mileage, unlike SUVs that may be bulkier and heavier, but have less cargo space. One of the things that has always bothered me about crossovers or small SUVs is that they are built on the same frame as cars. You pay more to get a little bit more space, most of which isn’t very usable, to sit up high, and to get worse gas mileage.

There's a boatload of whining still going around online about Uber surge pricing. I've used Uber/Lyft exactly once (a free first ride when I signed up) yet I'm still fully aware of surge pricing. I can't figure out how people have the capacity to get online and complain on social media, but somehow don't know surge pricing exists, and missed the fact that they were told about it when arranging a ride.

I have experienced this. I think that subconsciously we expect the escalator to start running at any moment. There is actually a term for this. I'm at construction sights all the time where we have escalator installed but not running yet, and the combination of this with the simple fact that the steps at the bottom and top are all at different heights as they flatten out makes them very disorienting. It's the reason they're often closed and roped off when broken, and not just "temporarily stairs" per Mitch Hedberg.

It seems like they're trying to copy Eli's. The line thing works there because you can wait in line while drinking a beer that you brought with you, and then sit around in the massive outdoor space drinking your cheap booze while you wait for your food. If Pontiac has people wait around in line for a table, and a traditional server ordeal after that, it won't work as well.

Why do you feel the need to troll the Browns so hard both in this thread and in theirs? I get it during the week we play, but outside of that it just seems unnecessary. Trying to stir that UO pot I guess... 1) That game is still a recent memory, and had a big impact on both teams. 2) Their quarterback drama is ongoing and compelling. It's been of interest nationally. 3) Since the game, I am talking less smack and more like I would about the Bengals if they had gotten blown out and Dalton went all Bad-Andy. Manziel doesn't deserve respect from anyone right now, least of all Browns fans. I sympathize with them having to see their playoff hopes dashed in the last couple weeks. It could have happened to us. I really wish all the AFC North teams could still have a winning record, and I certainly would prefer to have them in the position of Pittsburgh or Baltimore right now. I talked smack when it seemed like the Browns were a competent, potential playoff team. Now that it appears they're the same old Browns, it just feels too mean to make fun of them.

The great part will be all the people that are brought into the area for the first time who don't realize nor even accept the fact that they are in OTR. I know people who eat at Senate and don't realize that they're in OTR, or will say something along the lines of "that OTR" to differentiate the OTR that exists in their minds (ghetto) from the one that is real. Overall, I'm glad OTR has a new cougar bar. If I were a single man I'd stop by from time to time.

Peyton Manning had four times as many interceptions as Andy Dalton. That's a stat I wouldn't have believed prior to watching that game.

I was just watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Part’s Unknown in which he travels to Mexico. There was a story about a popular restaurant that pissed off a daughter of some official, who called in the health department to shut the place down on a busy night. The parallel between the methods used by corrupt Mexican government officials and the Cranley clan is interesting.

Bodega as a term originated from stores in Spanish neighborhoods, most of which probably originally did some sort of food prep, but it has basically become a ubiquitous term for any corner store in NYC. Some definitely make food, some are just like the one in the video above, but they all get called bodegas. The owners/employees are the only ethnic thing about most of them. I think the only difference is regional terminology, which is what makes it interesting. Circle A in OTR is pretty similar to a dozen random bodegas in Queens, but if you call it a bodega here most people have no clue what you're talking about. Similarly, if you called a NYC bodega a pony keg, absolutely no one would understand you.

From this pretty good video: There's something interesting about how several metros have unique identifiers for small convenience stores. There's an old thread on Urban Ohio about why they are often called Pony Kegs in Cincinnati.

2 nice, exotic beers, followed by 8-12 PBRs is my typical routine.

Muggings like these, and the ones that happen way to frequently around UC, are always going to be a threat in urban areas, especially ones where drinking is a primary activity, as victims who have been drinking are more susceptible. I try to avoid walking alone when I’ve been drinking because you can’t be as aware of your surroundings if you’re impaired. If sober, you can use your natural instincts to avoid people who look like they’re out looking to cause trouble. As un-friendly as it sounds, if someone looks even a bit sketchy and they’re close enough to strike you over the head, they’re too close; cross the street, turn around, or keep an eye on them. If I’ve been drinking I promptly forget to remain aware of my surroundings.

Can you take a bike on Ultimate? I'm not sure about bikes. I've taken golf clubs, though. They don't charge for baggage at all even though it was oversize and overweight.

I'm pretty sure the Liberty Shell is the only place I've bought gas in the last 5 years, except for one time in Loveland while visiting family. Their prices are lower than the Shell, Marathon, and BP around UC's campus. I agree that it's crappy, but it's close. The problem with moving the Shell is that it'd be a petroleum brownfield site and the cleanup costs would make it more expensive than any other vacant lots in OTR, of which there are quite a few. There are several other empty/underutilized plots on just Liberty that should be priorities, such as the cell phone store and the former Washington Park construction staging site.

Ultimate air is great for business travel because of the timing and how quickly they get people on and off by landing at smaller terminals. You can fly to a destination for 6 hour meeting and come back the same day, which makes it cheaper than getting a hotel and additional meals, etc. I'm curious what the business demand is in Memphis that would drive this decision? The current destinations of Charlotte, Chicago, and NYC are obvious ones. Though Ultimate quickly becomes perfect for personal use when they have sales. The sale price is still a bit above the already high CVG fares, but it’s worth the cost IMO, especially when you factor in how much frivolous crap you buy on a vacation anyway.

Bouncy floors are either a design problem or a "cost savings" measure. The same goes for sound insulation, though wood studs are noticeably worse than metal (even with correct insulation) because they couple the two hard surfaces on either side of the wall/floor. I'd imagine it doesn't matter much for a college apartment, but I'd factor that in if I were buying.

I agree. It took even more of a hit than Detroit. Cincinnati’s view seems to be a lot closer up so it looks like a bigger impact, but Detroit not only had several more freeways in and around downtown, but what you can’t see as well is that entire neighborhoods around the freeways are gone now, too. What Cincinnati lost in the West End was tragic, but luckily Cincinnati has completely avoided the mass demolitions and “urban meadows” that Detroit and St. Louis have all over the place. Queensgate isn’t the best land use, but at least there’s something more than ghost street grids and overgrown vacant lots.

And it got worse for him from there. Now the Bengals need to make a point and win on Monday night next week.

^ Brewing a light bear that actually tastes good is probably a pretty difficult task. I’d imagine that the market isn’t there for it yet – anyone willing to pay the extra money for a craft beer wants to get at least a mid to high range ABV for the price. Who would want to pay $6 for a pint of light beer? That said, Moerlein in Cincinnati does make light beers under both Hudy Delight and Burger Lite brands. Burger would be my go to cheap beer for after a couple craft beers, but drinking any more than a can or two of Burger always gives me a headache. I can down a 4 pack of 10% Belgian Triples and be up at 7:00 am working on my house no problem, but 4 Burgers give me a hangover.

Agreed, they're going to serve beer and burgers, one of the most common "concepts" there is. If they serve really good burgers, that's great, but it's not any more of a new concept than serving hot dogs and burgers like that other concept a couple blocks away. I, too, love that place and hope 3CDC doesn't burn it down ask it to relocate. It does really good business, and has a line down the street on Friday's, especially during Lent. Plus, it's cash only so I'm sure they make enough money. It's one of only a few places in OTR where you can spend $8 and have more than enough food. The building it's in seems to be owned by the City of Cincinnati.