Alabama ExPat

I peered into the window of the Avril-Bleh "grocery" expansion while i was walking through the area on Sunday morning. I hate to (but feel that I must) say that it looks like a big let down. For something with so much press, I was at surprised that it appears to be nothing more than a couple of sliding door refrigeration units (the kind that usually hold soft drinks), and maybe a couple of shelves. It appeared to be significantly less product than the Silverglades on 8th, and not even close to what a typical downtown Walgreen's carries. Sorry for not supressing my disappointment. :-(

It's a safe bet. I know that's the reason the Edge project hasn't started construction yet.

I visited the OTR Kroger Friday afternoon for the first time. It had a pretty good selection of stuff given the size. IT seems to be about the same size or a bit larger thab many of the neighborhood based grocery stores I've visited in large cities in europe. We usually run over to the Kroger in Bellevue when we are looking for the basics. One thing that struck me about the vine street location is that it is much cleaner, and the staff much friendlier than the one in Bellevue (my wife and I both think the that store is kind of a dump).

tease!

Great pics. I'm glad to see the couple with the dog weren't getting a ticket for having a dog on Fountain Square (which is a stupid rule IMHO).

I think your point got lost by over stretching. I would hardly call the purple people bridge a failure because the paint has faded. Including the suspension bridge on a list of failures because it is due for a repaint is also pretty silly. AMC seems to be making good money based on the crowds. It has one of the nicer projection and sounds setups around. No dim bulbs, no movies shown in the wrong apsect ratio, etc. Hofbrauhaus seems to be pulling in the crowds as well. As for the rest, I could add my own set from the Cincinnati side. The crappy mall that used to be next to the Hyatt by the convention center (about the same age as covington landing), that lame attempt of a mall in Union Terminal, Tower Place Mall, the Main Street Entertainment district, etc. These types of things tend to be cyclical everywhere. This year's hot urban destination becomes the crap of tomorrow as soon as something newer comes along to replace it, and all of the successful venues abandon the old for the new (stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues). Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Cincinnati, but the on-point examples of failures (that whole bell thing in newport for example) got lost in all the padding.

Sshh! Don't say her name out loud three times!

The last unit (out of 114) finally went under contract last week. So I guess the building is now officially "sold out" (except for the resales of course).

What do people think of bumper sticker sized static clings? Some people don't like putting a sticker on their bumper, but would be more willing to put those removable static cling things in their window. It also has better visibility. The prices look about the same on a per unit basis. Getting them on a decent number of cars that are driven downtown would probably be the best way to get the message visible. Think about it. 100 cars that drive in the central business district 5 days a week is a heck of a lot of visibility. It might be worth giving that many away outside a few of the parking garages just to get it done. The trick is to somehow make sure they get displayed on the car, not hanging in their office cubicle. Maybe bumper sticker sized magnetic stickers would be better. For single color imprint, they run about the same as everything else in that size. Just ask if they support the streetcar initiative. Ask permission to stick it on the trunk flap after convincing them it's not permanent, and move on to the next car pulling in. Sorry, I'm rambling tonight.

That aint bad

Does anyone else see the irony in using bumper stickers to support a streetcar? :-) So maybe we can shift the "...if Cincinnati had a streetcar" campaign to other venues. For example: A big sign at the entrance to the parking areas around at the stadium and ball park that said something like "There would fewer cars between you and your first beer if...". or signs in front of some of those empty buildings on Race saying "Someone would be renovating this dump if..." or a big sign on Fountain Square that said "You could be at anyone of these exciting destinations within X minutes if..." followed by the long list of restaurants, bars, clubs, art venues, and other destinations already within a block of the proposed streetcar line. The possibilities are endless.

A bumper sticker that said something like "This car wouldn't have just cut you off if Cincinnati had a streetcar". Other options in a similar campaign: "You wouldn't be breathing my exhaust if..." "You could have had this parking space if..." etc.

This property is the vacant building at the corner of 4th and Race, next to the McAlpin. Doing Due Process City council and administration clash over sale of a downtown building By Kevin Osborne Some Cincinnati City Council members want to sell a piece of city-owned property downtown at what critics allege is a sharply discounted price. If the sale is approved, it could give the proposed buyer potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit that otherwise would go to the city, the critics say. Councilman Jeff Berding proposed selling the vacant building at 33 W. Fourth St. for $250,000 to MMF Realty, the company that currently has a long-term lease to redevelop the site. A recent city appraisal, however, pegs the property's value at $780,000, and city administrators want to sell the building on the open market to the highest bidder. Click link for article. URL for this story: http://citybeat.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A144469

All of my current suits are from Brooks Brothers. I've had them for over 10 years, and they still wear and look great. I've got a Navy Blazer I've had for probably 15. Same story. I only buy when they have there 25% off everything sale. I have a lot of wool dress pants from Jos A. Banks. Some over 10 years old. Wear as good as the brooks brothers. They're as good as the Brooks Brothers stuff, and they have stuff at 50% off about twice a year. Their suits were always well made. For the price, you can't beat them. Brooks Brothers will set you back starting at around $600. Jos Banks has their $550 suits on sale for $199. Better yet, go by both places and try one on at each each to see if you can feel a difference.

Let's not forget that part of Fort Washington Way has already been capped with a park on top. Lytle Park :-) I think permanent park space would be great through there. All those dogs moving in downtown will need the space.

How about a "Both PC and MAc" option for the surevy? I have a desktiop that is a PC, and I just replaced my PC laptop with a MacBook. While at home, I probably use them about 50-50 (although I might replace the desktop wit a Mac Mini).

Was this the location at 4th and Walnut?

For those of you interested in trying, and want a sinple introduction of the process, try to find the ber making episode of the food network's show "Good Eats". Once I watched it, I realized it couldn't be that hard (and it wasn't).

My mother was born on the second floor of this building. The first floor was once the jail. The second floor was the Sheriff's residence (her grandfather was the Sheriff at the time).

Here are my two cats.

First Buyers Move Into Artsy $55M Condo Tower By Robert Carr COVINGTON, KY-With sweeping views of downtown Cincinnati, the first three buyers of condominiums at the 22-story Ascent have moved into their new homes, in one of the largest and most interesting multifamily projects in the region. The $55 million Ascent, designed by renowned European architect Daniel Libeskind, is a wedge of glass and steel that now dominates this former downtrodden city. The project was begun in 2005. Now, with the grand opening set for March 26, developer Corporex Cos. has sold 54 of the 70 units in the building. The condos range in price from the some of the first units sold, about $395,000, to the $5.5 million penthouses. The lowest-priced condo now available is $880,000, says a Corporex spokeswoman. “The first closings started two weeks ago,” she tells GlobeSt.com. “Our average unit price is about $1 million.” Full article at http://www.globest.com/news/1104_1104/cincinnati/168687-1.html

Zagat rated it number 11 in their most recent guide. I assume AOL is licensing the Zagat results.

So those scenes in Kill Bill might not have been so outlandish afterall.

I voted "No". To me, this seems like an idea we'll get tired of after a few years.

^ I agree. When I first saw the original announcement for both McFaddens and the Lodge, I was expecting something targeted to a completely different crowd. I thought Sully's, McFaddens, and The Lodge were all tied to the same group.