maria

I obviously can't save them all, so I'm mainly focused on helping save my own crumbling church, St. Elizabeth's. But I'd like to be part of raising awareness, so I was thinking of spotlighting different churches that need help for a faith-based, Cincinnati-focused literary journal I'm hoping to be part of. It breaks my heart to see these beautiful resources neglected and forgotten.

Thanks, everyone! This helps a lot. :)

Hey all, I'm interested in writing an article on the preservation of old churches in the Cincinnati area. Anybody know of any off the top of your head that have been preserved in nontraditional ways for public or private use? I am also interested in churches that have fallen into disrepair and need rescuing. Any tips? So far I know of these: St. Elizabeth's in Norwood, now owned/used by Vineyard Central (my church) but in disrepair Third Protestant Memorial Church, bought by Urban Outfitters Old Saint George (not sure what's going on with the building currently) Verdin Bell Event Center in Pendleton (formerly St. Paul's Church) I heard about an old church near Washington Park that's in disrepair and not being used. Anybody know anything about this one?

I was also hoping there would be some cheaper places to eat on Fountain Square. It needs to not only be a destination, but somewhere you can go on a casual evening to just hang out and relax for awhile. I am recalling a college break where some friends and I decided that we would spend the evening downtown and walked around for about 20 minutes without finding a single place open where we could eat a simple meal (it was probably 8:30 or 9). What I would really love on the square is a LaRosa's by-the-slice pizza stand. Yum! A late-night coffeeshop would encourage lingering as well.

I really enjoyed the Freedom Center when I attended a couple months ago. I spent five hours there and didn't even get to everything. I would definitely go back, especially for exhibits that deal with current issues (I'm very interested in those drawings from Sudan). The coolest part for me was seeing what the visitors to the Freedom Center had drawn in one of the last stations--especially the children. I think the key to its success is expanding its focus on current issues (or even other injustices throughout history--it seemed like the atrocities done to Native Americans could have been expanded on) so it isn't perceived as just a "slavery museum." Freedom is a huge topic, and they can do a lot with it.

Atmosphere. Honestly, what draws me are places to just hang out and talk to friends or read for awhile...bookstores and coffeeshops, mainly. And restaurants that are open past 6. I want to experience the aura of downtown without having to spend the money to go to a play or concert or expensive dinner (though I will do that occasionally).

I haven't read it, but I paged through Ohio Off the Beaten Path and it looked interesting: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762734663/sr=8-3/qid=1140188688/ref=sr_1_3/102-0450264-4400129?%5Fencoding=UTF8

I had the pleasure of taking the Coast Starlight Amtrak train from Seattle to Portland, and it was the most pleasant travel experience I've ever had. Extremely affordable too, at only $34 each way. I would ride trains everywhere if they were available. Driving makes me so nervous.