hazleeric

There is a lot of potential in having the streetcar turn left onto Nixon (this intersection is the closest the current route gets to the buildings in the medical complex) from Vine rather than continuing to the zoo. I've walked and driven down Ludlow/Jefferson/Clifton St many times before. There is usually not much traffic and the street-parking is rarely full. There's also a good amount of businesses that could benefit (Fries Cafe, the comic book store, the clothing store, Dr.s offices, Cactus Pear, etc.) and plenty of room to develop this area. Terminating the streetcar at Clifton and Ludlow would be all the closer it would need to go to attract riders from most of Clifton proper. I understand that this route would probably cost more because the turns and extra length, but as a Clifton resident and east campus student, I think it would be worth it. That's just my opinion. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=W+Nixon+St&daddr=Ludlow+Ave&hl=en&geocode=FQUyVQIdXXz2-g%3BFS5IVQId6lb2-g&gl=us&mra=ltm&dirflg=w&sll=39.140496,-84.513896&sspn=0.008904,0.019011&ie=UTF8&ll=39.140329,-84.51411&spn=0.008904,0.019011&z=16

I think Clifton and Vine would both be good choices in different ways. What concerns me is the zoo stop. I wonder how many people would actually take the streetcar there. I took the UC north shuttle many times and it makes a stop at the zoo and I've never seen anyone get off there. Eventually the drivers just started skipping that stop. I think it would make much more sense for the streetcar to turn left at Nixon continue onto Jefferson, and then onto Ludlow. There are many more people living in the Ludlow area, than the area around the zoo and walking up Jefferson to catch the streetcar on Vine and Nixon is out of the way, whereas walking to the zoo from Vine and Nixon is an easy walk. I'm assuming curves and hills would be an obstacle in going down Jefferson, but I'd like to see this possibility in discussion, because the Ludlow/Gaslight neighborhood would be a large group of riders.

Has anyone heard the Conor Obest song about Sausalito? "We should move to Sausalito Living's easy on a house boat Let the ocean rock us back and forth to sleep And in the morning when the sun rise Look in the water, see the blue sky As if heaven has been laid there at our feet"

Great Pics. I was just in Toronto this past summer for the first time and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I wasn't expecting much, because most people that I've talked to compare it to Chicago and say that Chicago is a better city. I personally ended up enjoying Toronto more than Chicago. Chicago has much better architecture and history in my opinion, but I really liked the vibe of Toronto. It seemed much less segregated, more diverse, dense, and I liked the public transit better. People were also ridiculously nice in Toronto. People gathered around to help me and my friend with directions on a streetcar after they heard us trying to figure out how to get somewhere. Edale, I would recommend checking Toronto out if you get a chance. The area around the CN tower really isn't that exciting. It's filled with a lot of high-rise condos, but I really liked smaller parts of town like Kensington Market, China Town, Little Italy, Cabbage town, and other's that I can't remember the names of. From my experience Toronto is much more exciting than Quebec City. The old part of Quebec City looks European and everything, but every storefront is a souvenir shop or a touristy restaurant. The old part of Quebec City feels like Disney's Epcot to me and the other part of Quebec City really isn't that exciting. I had fun visiting and there are a lot of photo ops, but I don't think I'll go back. Montreal is a really awesome city and so is Toronto. These are just my opinions. Keep in mind that I've only been to Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City once each, so I might change my mind if I end up in any of these cities again.

How do you guys feel about this write up: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/travel/19hour.html ?

Firenze98, of course I saw the Allahambra. It was spectacular how much detail was in each inch of wall. I honestly liked the presence the Allahambra gave over the whole city from afar more than actually walking around in it. Here's a view of the Allahambra from afar. Notice the couple who fell asleep. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bmdMDTi_4dYBk-nPVa63nQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbdMLIl3DLI/AAAAAAAABRo/Y-lIg7QMbDI/s800/SANY1265.JPG" /></a> Detail of the Allahambra. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wPvE-GftPRP70RuLlVA3JA?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbdMLX0N9zI/AAAAAAAABRw/fNCPY6RZWSk/s800/spain%20%2708%20%282%29%20288.JPG" /></a> View of Granada from the Allahambra. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eR81tuAq0F_kgoCuKIH60A?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbdML1eWTaI/AAAAAAAABR4/cUtDEMlTYHk/s800/spain%20%2708%20%282%29%20305.JPG" /></a> peabody99, I don't think that wikipedia image is of Valencia. Not only is the needle out of place, but I do not remember there being buildings that tall and modern. The only thing I could think of was that they were doing construction on a race track and there is supposed to be a big race there someday. I thought maybe the needle was associated with that, but the other modern skyscrapers ruin that theory.

Columbusite, What part of Valencia were you in? By mall do you mean the huge El Corte Ingles? Most of the main streets in Valencia were filled with people. Especially near the bull ring, near the beach and the food market. It wasn't as packed as Madrid or Barcelona, but it is a smaller city. I was there in the summer though and I think a lot of people go there for the beaches. I also was lucky enough to have a local show me around. The section around the futuristic buildings was kind of dead, probably due to construction and it's kind of out of the way of everything else. I think they put the futuristic buildings in pretty bad location, but they probably would have had to tear buildngs down otherwise. In Granada, I stayed in the area near the oasis hostel and there is a very large area with streets too narrow for cars or streets with few cars. The area from the bus station to the hostel was very boring though. As far as bicycling in Spain goes, Barcelona has the best system in my opinion. They have very wide 2-way bicycle lanes in most parts of the city. There was actually so many people riding bikes that I was more scared of getting run over by a bicycle than a car. I can't imagine riding a bike in Madrid.

Here's how they get around: <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ifBuctuuSz5IuV7OxKkWww?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbF-JSHuskI/AAAAAAAABRI/7dmnrd-6KkI/s800/SANY1255.JPG" /></a>

lol at jmecklenborg. She is beautiful and her personality is even better. I'd marry her and live in Spain if I could. But I still keep in touch with her and don't feel right putting a bunch of her pics up on the internet without her permission.

I loved Spain and I plan on going back after I travel around a bit more. Columbusite, you are so lucky that you got to spend months in Granada. That city is ridiculously beautiful and quite different from all the other cities in Spain. I hope you took advantage of the free tapas with every drink there. peabody99, you should definitely go back. Valencia is a really cool city, but the other major cities are very different and have a lot of new things to offer. Catalunya, the region around Madrid, and Andalucia are all very different. I don't remember seeing space needle in Valencia, but there is 2 futuristic buildings (an aquarium and a museum). The spanish girl in the picture was from Valencia and she said the 2 futuristic buildings were her favorite because there are too many old buildings and they are boring (I feel the total opposite living in the U.S.). edale- you should go. Spain has everything. I would recommend learning some Spanish or going with someone that knows Spanish if you don't already. Unless you are in a hostel, you aren't going to find many English speakers.

sorry for all the flaws. I'll clean them up when i get off work later. At least the pictures should be viewable now.

I'm not a photographer and these are just the few pictures I took that weren't just people. I included some pictures with Cincinnati connections. Notice this guy in barcelona with a bengals jersey. I doubt he knew what it meant <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sHZPmZrxOK2P0ud0tvO8GA?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SKyzZAqczgI/AAAAAAAABM8/d_St6yDFunA/s800/spain%20%2708%20%282%29%20086.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr> Jamon' flavored pringles. lol. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2FddhBssLqgLwUlZAdPvmg?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SKy2gCOJFQI/AAAAAAAAAn4/q_RQ1xjhtMk/s800/spain%20%2708%20%282%29%20161.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table> Seville, Spain has a streetcar (at least i think that's what this thing was). The overhead wires are hardly noticeable. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JEqdi3vE6ulWYOMpStvSiQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbBGBslBwHI/AAAAAAAABP4/-Cbc6aINswQ/s800/spain%20%2708%20%282%29%20154.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table> The atocha station in Madrid reminded me of union terminal, but it seemed much bigger. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wKHkKJMeVAtGIo3dRFRLoQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbBEJsLr2dI/AAAAAAAABPg/5ij54uif9IE/s800/Spain%20%2708%20179.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table> Spanish girl with a don't trash the Nati sticker. She really thought this was cool and said she put it on her car after we left. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/n687tN5gKHkolamuoicIeg?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SKyuI1TehCI/AAAAAAAABOM/rafAEoq6HeQ/s800/Spain%20%2708%20157.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table> The rest have no Cincinnati connection: Madrid <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6gMaVFI_J_Pk7yJjyRzMxw?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbBI8-N5pCI/AAAAAAAABQo/Tkn1QKDYciA/s800/Spain%20%2708%20194.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table> really cool graffiti in valencia <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/B_h77g51DnGAaU7GnhYRyA?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SKyumHsMx3I/AAAAAAAABNk/zeUZ-W7a_Gc/s800/Spain%20%2708%20107.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table> You can almost see barcelona off in the distance. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RYMQO5QZzQFcsu7M4uu0lA?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbBFerYcZhI/AAAAAAAABPs/YRaW4Spn2vE/s800/spain%20%2708%20%282%29%20019.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table> Barcelona and a Gaudi building. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/B5ji2DGdtH4fkLsqv_Twbg?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbBH4BCcFRI/AAAAAAAABQY/Mmdl1Af3De8/s800/spain%20%2708%20%282%29%20071.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table> Malaga. (least favorite city I visited in Spain) <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VY5tnZY7n4OKhFAFNw3E1A?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbBIZYcK53I/AAAAAAAABQg/yCIK2isieE0/s800/spain%20%2708%20%282%29%20245.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table> Granada <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GltELWg0LZ-P-zP-1pQZbg?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_peHToMuVOPk/SbBHwIPQXVI/AAAAAAAABQQ/TNtBauckzDA/s800/spain%20%2708%20%282%29%20318.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/hazleeric/UntitledAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzg3fDI3pfvCQ&feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table>