mohr37

^No, I have a good friend who is a grad student at UH, as well as his roommate who is of native descent. My friend and I were in the water catching some waves when somebody came up behind his roommate, took our bags, and ran off. Stole our keys, cell phones, my wallet, my camera (hence I never had any photos to share with UO) so we had to ask an officer who came to give us money to catch The Bus back into town. Yeah, that sucked.

I've come across roundtrip from Dayton for $425 as recently as last month. I haven't checked what it has been recently, though (it only costs me about $200 ;). Right now is obviously a good time to hit up the Hawaiian islands. Some very good deals are to be had. MayDay, if I may ask, what was your opinion of Waikiki. I'm not a big fan. Way too touristy for me with all the chain stores and chain restaurants. But that was pretty much to be expected. I'm guessing you're going to have some photos of other parts of Oahu? Windward is my fav. I spent almost every day at Kailua and Waimanalo beaches when i was there. Oh, and if anybody reads this, don't go to Sandy beach, even though the surf there is pretty good. I was robbed and all the local youth there just laughed at me.

nice photos MayDay! Can't wait to see part 2. I was in HNL back in August, loved every minute of it. If all goes to plan, I'll be moving out there in about 3 weeks. Hopefully I'll be adding more photos of the 808 to urbanohio shortly.

The remaining DHL international services are probably going to end up back at CVG. Their two large facilities there are one of the reasons I believe they were loosing as much money as they were. Both of those facilities, the older one off Loomis Dr. by the rental cars, and the new one at the south end of the runway, were built with 99 year leases. The newer one was built in what, 2003-04. So they have another 94 years or so to pay on that place, which I assume isn't cheap. That and the fact that they were still busing their original employees from CVG to Wilmington everyday. Two hours of being paid on the bus ride up there, two hours of work, then two more hours of being paid to ride the bus back, all in buses a little bit nicer than a school bus. That's not a very good business plan. I also find it ironic that while DHL was announcing their withdrawal from domestic U.S. operations, FedEx has quietly announced the building of a large hub in Koln/Bonn.

Obama to Create White House Office of Urban Policy http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/11/obama-to-create.html November 12, 2008 8:59 AM On National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" yesterday, longtime Obama family friend and Obama-Biden Transition Team co-chair Valerie Jarrett said that the President-elect would, as pledged during the campaign, create an Office of Urban Policy. Jarrett said the office would "have a comprehensive approach to our urban development," who will be an "advocate for cities" within the White House, taking "all the variety of different federal programs and help target them in a logical and systematic way." "For those of us who have worked in city governments across the country, we recognize how invaluable that person will be," she says. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/11/obama-to-create.html

I'm off to Honolulu tomorrow afternoon! Thanks all for the suggestions! I've jotted them down in my travel book and will check some of them out. Hopefully I can come back with some nice pictures in a couple weeks.

Thanks alot guys! I'll make sure I write it all down. I was planning on using The Bus for the most part, since my friend is going car free once he gets over there. And I was looking to make reservations for a moped for a few days, since I would like to take the drive along the coast. Thanks alot, its greatly appreciated.

So, I'm gonna be in Honolulu for a couple of weeks next month, anybody on here ever visited/lived there? Its kind of a spur of the moment trip, as I have a close friend who just moved out there, and the fact that I can get really really cheap airfare. Anyone know of any good restaurants and bars to go to, besides the typical touristy stuff that all the guidebooks recommend? I also plan on spending some time on the North Shore, any suggestions there? Any help would be appreciated. As I would like to keep it as less touristy and stressful as possible.

Since Portsmouth is on my mind today... ...images of the new City Center, Justice Center and Riverview Hotel Not the greatest of preservation jobs, but much better than what the building currently looks like: (courtesy of Summit Street) They'll have a hard time filling up all that retail space. Maybe the corner retail space for a coffee shop, small eatery, but the rest...ehh. Just look at all the trouble Hamilton had filling the space in their new City Center. Hamilton is 3x the size of Portsmouth with a much much larger county pop. Maybe using some of the space as a citizen center, for events, banquets, etc. Or some type of Civic Design center, small exhibits showcasing the city's architecture and history and a place for the City's Historic Preservation and Mainstreet organizations. A mini Chicago Architecture Foundation's Archicenter Justice Center: Looks a bit too suburban to me...but a vast improvement over the current building facade Riverview Hotel: located at the site of the current City Hall building

Unfortunately, there's a reason why I'll probably never return to Portsmouth for good. And while the Chief of Police's time had probably come to an end, Lee Scott is hardly a hero. This is a guy who burnt down his own nightclub back in the 80s and spent time in prison. Not to mention the abuse my family took from him while my father was a councilman.

There's enough empty buildings in OTR in which up to 10,000-20,000 people could move into the neighborhood without displacing a single person.

Crew investigating fan's racial remark ... And here's the video of the incident if anyone is interested. It's making its way around most of the national media. And you might wanna turn down the volume if at work or near kids, it's kinda graphic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weUIq7hzIDg&eurl=http://www.soccerbyives.net/#

Monaco week! The greatest spectacle in all of motorsport and perhaps all of sports. I'm gonna say BMW get their first ever win this weekend, with Kubica (although Heidfeld is my favorite driver). Alonso the other surprise comes in second with Hamilton in third.

^ Their concert last year in Columbus was awesome. Even though on the few occasions when Alex Turner talked, I could barely understand him. The only thing I really understood from him was when he said "that's embarrassing" when some people started to mosh. Good times! And nothing is better than being with a big group of drunken brits during the show.

^ Did you ever attend any of the USGPs at Indy? Unfortunately I've never been to a F1 race before. The year I finally get out of school and have a little bit of money they take it away from me. So next year it looks like I'll be booking a trip to Montreal to see the Canadian GP. And thank God there's a race this weekend, The one negative about F1 is how spread out the circuit is, There's sometimes weeks in between races, I can't stand all the down time.

You're probably right. I highly doubt F1 has much of a fan base in this area, look at the Indy failure for proof. And F1 definitely likes the glamor. But, Detroit did have a GP...

I can definitely see a return of the USGP in the near future. With rumors all over the place of the Andretti kid joining Honda next year and the possibility of Danica Patrick (a single IRL win does not make one F1 caliber), F1 will want to capitalize on that. Add in the fact that they're wanting to add more street circuits to the schedule, the addition of Valencia and Singapore this year and Ecclestone wanting to move the French GP to the streets of Paris, a Cincy GP would be amazing. What better of a way to market the city than the most popular and watched sport in the world behind soccer. The spending power and money in this sport is amazing, with over 1,000 employees traveling to every race with just the racing teams alone. My dream was always a lap beginning along 5th St. downtown (how sweet would it be to have cars passing Fountain Square at 200 mph) crossing the Ohio River on the Big Mac bridge, going through Newport, across the Licking through Covington then across the Bailey Bridge and back onto 5th. But the logistics of having a race in 2 states would probably be too much. Maybe something along the soon to be created new Mehring Way through the Riverfront Park. Create a Monaco-esque effect with all the yachts tied up along the riverbank. One can only dream... And I always thought I was the only one on here that's a fan of F1

How sweet it would be if they could do something similar to this: Much better of a use than a nightclub, if you ask me. And a bit more respectful to the original use. http://www.dezeen.com/2007/12/04/a-shop-in-a-church-by-merkx-girod-architecten/

Nice shots! Went to the Cincy rally yesterday. I got in line at 12:15 and it was already down to Jefferson Ave. After a 2 hour wait I managed to get a seat in the upper deck. Next time I hear somebody tell me this city is a republican town, I'll ask if McCain was able to get 13,000 to a rally.

civilwarfreak, Have you read the book A Magnificent Irishman from Appalachia: The Letters of Lt. James Gildea, First Ohio Light Artillery, Battery L? My grandfather was the author about an Irish immigrant from Portsmouth and his accounts in the war. They use to carry a couple copies of it at the Cincinnati Museum Center giftshop. If you're interested in it just message me and I can provide you a copy. oh here's a review of the book http://www.civilwarnews.com/reviews/bookreviews.cfm?ID=907

I'm from Portsmouth, and yeah it gets more depressing every time I go back. I think this article should fit right in this topic. If not, mods feel free to move. Blue-Collar Jobs Disappear, Taking Families’ Way of Life Along By ERIK ECKHOLM JACKSON, Ohio — After 30 years at a factory making truck parts, Jeffrey Evans was earning $14.55 an hour in what he called “one of the better-paying jobs in the area.” Wearing a Harley-Davidson cap, a bittersweet reminder of crushed dreams, he recently described how astonished and betrayed he felt when the plant was shut down in August after a labor dispute. Despite sporadic construction work, Mr. Evans has seen his income reduced by half. So he was astonished yet again to find himself, at age 49, selling off his cherished Harley and most of his apartment furniture and moving in with his mother. Middle-aged men moving in with parents, wives taking two jobs, veteran workers taking overnight shifts at half their former pay, families moving West — these are signs of the turmoil and stresses emerging in the little towns and backwoods mobile homes of southeast Ohio, where dozens of factories and several coal mines have closed over the last decade, and small businesses are giving way to big-box retailers and fast-food outlets. MORE: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/us/16ohio.html?em&ex=1200632400&en=a0879e8624a49ac2&ei=5087%0A

I did a similar "emerald necklace for Cincinnati" project in a studio a couple years ago. Some of the examples I remember using were: Minneapolis' Grand Rounds Atlanta's proposed Beltline Park System (you can download the report here http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=17915&folder_id=249) And a book called "Designing Greenways" Like I said, its been a couple of years ago, so I don't really remember all the sources I used. Hope these help though.

I've visited 4th St. Live once and will never go back again. First they wouldn't let me in because I was wearing a hat backwards (just came back from a Bats game), then it was dress up day at Lucky Strike so I couldn't go in there either(who the eff dresses up to go bowl?). All in all, bad experience. And I like the sign at the entrances that state no hats backwards, no large white t-shirts, no baggy pants, and no sports jerseys.

Monte, Holy Grail is prolly the best place to watch the UC games. Also the best place to go before the home games, and after for that matter. The SDSU game last week was packed at the Grail. Saturday's game was also quite full, not a seat open. And the best part, only 2 small t.v.'s in the corner had the tO$U game on. Some tO$U fans came in trying to get the t.v. behind the bar turned to their game, but we weren't having any of it!

Did you also ride up on the alumni buses, Rando? Think I'm going to reserve my hotel room in New Orleans for the evening of Jan. 7th. :wink: Best damn team in Ohio!