PRidgeFlyer

I like to stay positive about new development and nightlife options, but this one does zero for me. I don't Karaoke nor do I enjoy other's Karaoking so maybe that's my problem, but their entertainment plan sounds a little sketchy to me... Cinema Grill gets new life BY JEFF MCKINNEY | [email protected] MOUNT LOOKOUT – Tony Rossini and Brian Feldkamp are hopeful that live music, dance shows, hamburgers and steaks will become smash hits and breathe new life into the former Mount Lookout Cinema Grill. The pair is spending more than $500,000 to open Jaspers, a restaurant and nightclub where patrons will be able to showcase their talents – including singing a tune or two – in an open mike-type forum. No link available for article.

Even though I'm not from Cincinnati or Ohio for that matter and I'm not a fan of any college/ professional sports team here, that article really pissed me off when I first read it because that was not my Cincinnati experience. I wouldn't live here if it the racist, southern, conservative, bible thumping city I felt it was painted to be in Pat Forde's article. However, each time that I got pissed off about a certain point he was making, I had a hard time completely refuting it. Sure he picked some easy targets with easy examples: race relations = riots; christian conservative right wing = Bill Cunningham quotes; however, I also can't say that those things do not exist here (as they do in many other places as well) as evidenced by the fact that Phil Burress & Bill Cunningham have huge followings and that African American - police relations are still very poor. I read the article again and was a little more objective the second time around. This time I wasn't really angry about it, I just felt that he did a poor job of balancing out what he wrote with any positive aspects of the city or it inhabitants. I guess the bottom line is that Cincinnati has created a lot of it's own negative stereotypes and does a fantastic job of finding ways to reinforce them in the national media.

Not what you were expecting?? :-D I took this at my friend's wedding reception at the Belle Mead Plantation in Nashville this fall. Apparently John McLean, publisher of the Cincinnati Enquirer in the late 1800's, owned a racehorse by the same name that was stabled there. <img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/472061845_8dcc98af0c.jpg?v=0"> As a special bonus I give you a living animal - my dog - enjoying the skyline <img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/213/472061847_904e20bacc.jpg?v=0">

There have really been some impressive examples in Wheeling over the past few years that are mentioned in the article. Wheeling to host conference on saving historic buildings By CASEY TOMINACK WHEELING — When a historic structure is lost, so are its memories, as well as any hope of preserving past moments that occurred there. However, there is an organization that takes pride in restoring and maintaining the state’s historic buildings — The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia. The alliance is scheduled to host a statewide historical preservation conference in Wheeling from Thursday through Saturday, May 17-19. Registration materials are available by calling (304) 345-6005. ...

When I was in Montreal late last year, the doorman of this establishment told us they had "more contact than American football". He lied :cry: Otherwise, what an amazing city! Thanks for the great photos ColDayMan. I love seeing more Montreal threads. <img src="http://www.urbanohio.com/OtherStates/Quebec/Montreal/2007/Montreal10.jpg">

There's not a whole lot to explore in Bellaire, but if you do visit make sure to stop by the Roosevelt. It is an old school, no frills, red checkered table cloth & wood paneling, ohio valley Italian restaurant that makes some kick ass homemade food. When they run out pasta or sauce for the day; that's it. A small order of spaghetti is $2.50 and a large is $3.50 - I seriously don't think there is a thing on the menu over $6. This is the type of place that seems to only exist in a town (village) like Bellaire these days.

I was joking about saying that I had the right to change my opinion of the look of the Pulse condos later on when they are complete. A few weeks ago I posted some observations about the scale of Ascent when I was walking around on that block. The next day I was looking at it again while I was driving home and I realized that I no longer agreed with what I had posted the day before.

I ate lunch at Pike St Press yesterday - more or less right across the street from the Pulse condos. The Pulse project will be huge shot in the arm for this area which contains a lot of really cool old buildings that are ripe for rehabs. At the price points they are selling for, there should be a lot of young professionals moving in and this could really be an up and coming neighborhood. My only gripe is that in the midst of all historical buildings in the area, the Pulse's mixture of brick and wood siding (and it seems there will be a lot more "siding" than brick when finished) looks modern and out of place. While I understand the juxtaposition of the new and the old in the "Arts District", I just think that it will look dated in the not too distant future compared to the classic architechture in the area. That said I will reserve judgement (and the right to contradict myself later) for the final product. The exterior still has a way to go, but that was just my impression from yesterday. For the record - I disagreed with my own observations about the Ascent (which I see everyday) after driving home from work they day after I posted comments about it.

It would be great to have that short of a walk home from O'Malley's & Federal Reserve :drunk:

Ridge and Highland going green Dowdy area gets dressed up BY STEVE KEMME | [email protected] COLUMBIA TWP. - For many years, the business district at Ridge and Highland avenues has occupied a bargain-basement niche. It has featured lots of discount stores, such as Value City and Kmart, and loads of fast-food restaurants in a drab setting with little greenery and plenty of big, asphalt parking lots. But Columbia Township officials are taking steps to raise the business district's profile by improving the area's appearance and attracting a more diverse, upscale array of shops and restaurants as well as office developments... www.enquirer.com

There have been different ongoing efforts to develop the area between the stadiums and the surrounding areas. This was officially announced last month. Take notes Cincinnati!! Cordish Co. to build Pittsburgh “Live!” project Rita Chappelle, The Examiner Mar 19, 2007 3:00 AM (21 days ago) Current rank: Not ranked BALTIMORE - Baltimore’s The Cordish Co. and PSSI Stadium Corp. — owned by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Columbia-based Continental Real Estate — have plans to build one of Cordish’s signature “Live!” entertainment complexes in Pittsburgh. Dubbed Pittsburgh Live!, the project will be on the 25-acre parcel between the city’s stadiums and will consist of retail and entertainment space including shops, bars, restaurants and a 1,200-seat glass-covered amphitheater. “Cordish is a renowned developer that specializes in these types of projects, and it will be a great enhancement to the North Shore,” Steelers spokesman Jimmie Sacco said. “We chose them because of their success in other cities. They will be a great fit for Pittsburgh.” “The project will be comparable to other Cordish Live! Districts, such as Fourth Street Live! in Louisville,” company chairman David Cordish said in an earlier statement. “It will be a meeting place for the entire region, and an amenity not just for the North Shore but the entire downtown. Millions of visitors will come every year as they do in our other projects,” Cordish’s Live! product was the selling point for the other partners as well. “We wanted to be sure to do this project right,” Continental Chairman Frank Kass said in a statement. “[Cordish] is one of the country’s preeminent entertainment developers.” To help move along the project, the Sports and Exhibition Authority, a city-county agency, will sponsor an application for a $10 million grant for tax credits to build the infrastructure to support the build out. The grant would provide tax breaks as long as the project meets state sales tax revenue goals. The Cordish Co. has built such notable projects as Baltimore’s Power Plant Live in the Inner Harbor and the highly successful Hard Rock hotel and casino complex for the Seminole Indian tribe in Florida. Cordish also has deals pending around other sports complexes including the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals.

You can still get a hookah at the tables outside in front of Mejana

On Tuesday I was leaving the NKY Convertion Center after a meeting and when I left I realized I could see into the Ascent from the parking garage I was in so I decided I needed to head down and check it out. It is really starting to come together now that the concrete panels and windows are going up. I think it's going to be a great addition to the Greenup area which has seen some other nice additions lately courtesy of Jean Robert de Cavel. The only thing that of struck me is that I thought it would be taller, but I guess there is no need to overbuild. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Maybe we're both crazy, but I noticed the same thing last night.

PRC - aka Pleasant Ridge Chili

Cool - I'll have to check it out this weekend , I am anxious to see what they are doing. If I'm thinking of the right place, my brother in law and I came close to making an offer for that property and the two adjacent lots about a year and a half or two years ago.

I have always thought that I knew everything that happens on that hillside but I was surprised at what I saw today. 160 Goethe is almost complete and they have done one hell of a job on this place, I barely recognized it. If anyone is out and about with a camera, post this place. Michael - Is that the building on the right hand side of the street after you make the turn onto Goethe?

As a native West Virginian, I think I speak for everyone else in the state -with the exception of Gov. Joe Manchin - when I say NO ONE likes the "Open for Business" slogan. West Virginia is wild and wonderful dammit!! :whip:

^^Sounds interesting. Best of luck to them in that space! It's now on its third restaurant since Andiamo opend there about 4 or 5 years ago. It is like the Oakley equivalent of the spot in Hyde Park square where Red is now. There have been 5 different restaurants there since I move to Cincinnati in 99. As for Paula's I can vouch for the turkey chili and the cuban :-D

This is a bad picture from a perspective standpoint (you can't see the neighborhood), but here is a bridge that is used as the gateway to Dayton's Oregon District from downtown. <img src="http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/937872/2/istockphoto_937872_oregon_district.jpg">

Oddly enough I feel the same way, Oakley will be just fine with or without Pho Paris. That location seems to be a black hole for restaurants, Andiamo! didn't last very long there either. Kind of strange, but it may be that the location's ample offstreet parking is what hurts it (not to mention the wierd little strip it's in). The restaurant space sits far enough back off of Madison, and across the parking lot, that a lot of people I know who live in Oakley -and probably drive by it daily- do not know were it is. When I tell them it is across the street from Boca they know exactly where it is because Boca fronts Madison. I also think the making the restaurant a little less formal & inexpensive will go a long way to increasing it's popularity regardless of location. The French-Vietnamese fusion concept is interesting and I think they execute it fairly well; however, it still a niche market and they end up falling somewhere between the fine dining crowd and the PF Changs crowd. People that want to get dressed and spend a little more on a nice dinner don't necessarily think of Pho Paris as a first option and people that are looking to go out and get asian will think it's too fancy/pricey. Personally, if I'm craving Vietnamese and don't feeling like making an evening of it, my first thought is Song Long (owned by Jean Ro's partners in Pho Paris) in Roselawn instead. Glad to hear it's staying open though regardless of where it is. I like the Greenup area as well and they could use a shot in the arm.

Fantastic shots! I've never been on the Observation Deck at night - now I know what I'm missing.

I finally hit Vinyl this Saturday night and it did not disappoint. Interesting concept, good vibe, eclectic mix of people, the food was presented well and most importantly tasted good. I had the Chicken Dinner and it was excellent; I also managed to finagle a mini Kobe cheeseburger from my wife and a mini chicken burger from my sister in law which were both very good as well. We wanted to go back to try their brunch on Sunday, but we were at a party a little too late that night and did not make it very far Sunday morning. I thought the menu was pretty reasonably priced for the concept. With drinks and tip out bill was just under $90, but the food portion was less than half of it. I will definately be back, it is a fun place to get you in the mood for going out and should be an asset to the area. On a down note -I know i'm stating what has been discussed but, man is the Main St entertainment area a ghost town on weekends!!! I've probably only been down there 3 times in the last year on a weekend night, but everytime it's still wierd to me how many placed are closed and how few people are out around there.

I'm planning on it! I think that is going to be a blast.

Here are some pictues I took this weekend. The ones of the rink were taken early in the day. About an hour later, the rink, the square (and Rock Bottom) were all packed :-D From the top of Carew Tower: Bonus Shots from the Square and Carew Tower from the "Grand Opening" Ceremony: The guest of honor Talib Kweli on stage Talib Kweli on the video screen The Square from above A shot of OTR The obligatory shot of "The Banks" My friends from India discovering that buildings here are a little taller than in Bangalore Parting Shot