Gordon Bombay

^John, in your opinion, do you think the streetcar will have more appeal though than a system like the vegas monorail? I'm not too familiar with the monorail, but the streetcar being right at street level and seeming somewhat more easy to navigate and board would seem to me to be less intimidating of a public transit option. Personally, I think the streetcar is going to help immensely with Reds and Bengals game. Biggest attraction on the line? I don't know, there are many, but as someone who has attended 18 Reds home games so far this season and usually partakes in enjoying an alcoholic beverage or two, the streetcar is going to be an awesome way to get from the stadium to various bars to celebrate a Reds victory. Earlier in the summer I went to the Famous Neon's Unplugged, my new favorite bar in the city and was planning to attend a Reds game with friends after. As a responsible adult, I felt it was not in my best interest to drive from 12th street to somewhere on the riverfront and pay an audacious amount for parking. I have no problem walking, but it was incredibly hot. I ended up splitting a cap with some nice random folks and that was great. After the game I tried to convince some friends to walk with me back to Neon's, they were not interested in the walk though or splitting a cab. I made the walk, the whole time thinking about how I couldn't wait for the streetcar.

These are absolutely awesome, must've been a sight to see. Really makes me wish Cincinnati would've retained the WHA Stingers when the WHA merged with the NHL. This one is my favorite of your set: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4694353051_56cd405441_b.jpg

I'll take 200 people hoping on the streetcar to various destinations at Main and 2nd after a Reds game than 150 people waiting in a line of parked cars in the parking garage or on 2nd St.

I'm definitely up for doing this. Can't wait.

I think they should match the design of the transit center. The RTC entrances look sleek and nice. When they have them lit up during Reds games, they look really cool. Just wish the RTC was used for something. I never understood why they never opened up the RTC for taxi service and bus service before and after games. If METRO and TANK ran service down there they could avoid the backups on Pete Rose Way and 2nd St for the most part.

You are correct. The Cincinnati Cyclones were never in the American Hockey League (AHL). The original Cyclones were part of the ECHL in 1990. Eventually owner Doug Kirchofer purchased an International Hockey Leage franchise (IHL (not the same IHL that exists today)), sold his ECHL franchise and moved the Cyclones branding/logos/etc over to his new IHL team. At the time the AHL/IHL were about on par talent wise, both had teams that were independent and had NHL affiliates and were generally considered "AAA" levels of hockey. In 1996 Kirchofer purchased Riverfront Coliseum and moved the team downtown, at this time the Cincinnati Gardens got an American Hockey League franchise, called it the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and two AAA minor league hockey teams existed. Eventually the IHL Cyclones folded around 2001 and Kirchofer sold the arena to Neiderlander Entertainment. The Ducks continued, Neiderlander purchased the dormant Miami Matadors franchise and the Cyclones licensing and created the third franchise known as the Cyclones. This third team joined the ECHL, but folded again in April 2004. After the 2005 season the Ducks failed to reach an agreement with the parent club of Anaheim and rebranded their franchise. After a debacle of securing a new affiliate agreement, the Cincinnati Railraiders never played a game as they had no parent club to help foot the bill. Cincinnati was without a team. Neiderlander then brought their dormant Cyclones franchise back for the 06-07 season, this is the franchise you see today. The current IHL is the former UHL and is generally considered "AA" along with the ECHL also being "AA."

Oh wait, so they're building a new one while keeping the ugly, decrepit looking one we already have right next to it? I smell a bridgedoggle!

"It's a billion dollar bet. I go to the race track and uh...I tell my wife...I uh...went and she says: 'how'd you do?' So I says: I broke even... (long pause) ... but, I uh, had a $300 dollar hot dog. That's the kind of economics you're getting with the streetcar." I got to that part about five minutes in and turned it off. Between him and stephan Louis, I'm starting to think that they're just a lousy deadpan comedy duo. Sad part is, these guys are serious. I love how Luken is still whining that Portland got to vote on their streetcars and we're not. Yet, we had an issue on the last ballot asking people if they wanted to vote on passenger rail transportation. His cronies even wrote it. People voted and said: no. In our application to the feds, can we ask for money to buy a condo in Florida, then ship Tom Luken there to be with his own kind?

Why not build the station out East near Lunken (since we can't do Union Terminal just yet) and encourage a light rail/DMU commuter line along the oasis tracks to the transit center. We could built eastern corridor commuter rail and connect that out to the 3C.

That would be awesome! Bunch of boarded up factories, the destitute Browns and Cedar Point to make up for it all!

Where's the room? Look at the Lockland split through Cincinnati, that goofy ass 90 degree turn in Dayton and I-75 doesn't go through Columbus.

What a horrible way to word the question. Sure, the money could be used for better things. It doesn't say how much the money is so I'm gonna assume it can be used for anything. That being said lets build all new stadiums, gold plated streets and an inverted monorail system that links all of the tri-state to the Kenwood mall and with the money we have left over we'll buy the cure for cancer and farmville pets for anyone with a facebook account. That's how the money could be better spent, thanks or opening my eyes Fox 19! I still voted yes though, cause I don't like Farmville.

Great photos as always Sherman. Should be interesting what the river does once all of this snow melts.

These next few elections are definitely going to be interesting. Last night I told my dad, a staunch Republican, that I was considering voting for Strickland. Even someone like my father who tends to lean right, but grew up in cities with real public transportation, understands why having transportation options is important. I'm not a fan of everything Ted Strickland has done and tend to agree with my dad when it comes to politics, but this is a big issue for me and Kasich's outright opposition is a big turn off.

^In my eyes the defeats the point. Ride a four hair train ride from Cleveland to Sharonville only to get on a bus and sit in Cincinnati highway traffic. No matter what time of day it is, except late at night, I-75 always has some problem and over then next few years as they expand the highway, its only going to get worse.

Lets say they do put the Cincinnati stop at Lunken though. Couldn't that be an impetus to the Eastern Corridor project? Connect the 3C stop out at Lunken to downtown at the Riverfront Transit Center via light rail or DMU's?

No substantial rumors or plans yet, but the team did lose $12 Million last year and has a terrible lease agreement with Nationwide Arena. Even with their "march to the playoffs" and "carry the flag" campaign, the attendance of the Jackets is mediocre at best. I think the NHL thought going to Columbus would be better than Cincinnati or Cleveland simply because there's no other major league teams to compete with, in that thinking though I believe they underestimated the fandom surrounding Ohio State. The team tried to lobby the city to purchase the arena so that the city could give them a better lease agreement. The NHL is horribly over expanded, as another poster mentioned; Phoenix is in trouble and other teams like Nashville and the Florida Panthers are having financial and attendance problems. The New York Islanders get decent attendance, but play in a US Bank style arena that's dated and have been trying to get a new facility for some time. There's talk of a team eventually finding a home in Vegas. In an ideal world, I think it would've been great if both Cincy and Cleveland had retained their WHA teams all the way until the league merged with the NHL in 79, talk about an awesome hockey rivalry. There was talk I believe in the early 90's of putting a modern, new arena in suburban Butler County and pursuing an NHL expansion team. I think that would've been a better fit than Columbus. You could draw from Cincy, Dayton and Columbus all within somewhat reasonable driving distances and you could market the team as an "Ohio" team. Sorry to go off on a hockey tangent there.

hahaha I can only imagine what the logo will look like.

I've been wanting to go to a Lake Eerie game for awhile (still don't know why they called it Lake Eerie and not Cleveland, but oh well). The AHL is my favorite minor league and I miss Cincinnati not having a team in that league. I really like that they offer a ticket deal with the RTA that gets you a pack of hockey tickets and RTA passes. Do they usually only seat the lower bowl? I wouldn't say the Gardens is run down, just older. It could definitely use some cosmetic improvements. It was slated to get some modernization with the arrival of the RailRaiders AHL team that never materialized. The thing with US Bank is that when you think about it there really isn't much around it. GameDay is just down the street, but everything else is further up in downtown. The walk isn't that bad, but unless it's early Fall or playoff season that can be a very cold walk and I'd just as soon get back in my car and drive up into downtown or across the river just as if I was at the Gardens I could be to a bar or something in minutes. Now if we had that streetcar...

I know. I was just going to say these are NHL numbers, not minor league hockey! Hey, maybe Cleveland should get an NHL team... Would never happen with the Blue Jackets in Columbus who are struggling as it is. I kind of wish both the Cincy and Cleveland WHA teams would've worked out in the 1970's and merged with the NHL. Would've been a great hockey rivalry. I remember going to Clones and Ducks vs. Lumberjack games and you'd usually get quite a few people to come down from Cleveland.

Ah, 2006 - The Good OL Days, eh? Great shots Chris, particularly this one: http://urbanohio.com/SWOhio/Cincinnati/2006/November/CincinnatiNovember52.jpg And this one: http://urbanohio.com/SWOhio/Cincinnati/2006/November/CincinnatiNovember65.jpg ^Where's that at? What I wouldn't do to see passenger rail on those tracks.

Wrote an article today for Queen City Discovery about the minor league hockey situation in Cincinnati and in neighboring regions such as Dayton, Ohio and Fort Wayne, Indiana. I'm a big fan of the Cincinnati Cyclones, but feel that the arena the team plays in doesn't really suit the product. After going to many Komets games as a kid visiting family in Ft. Wayne and recently checking out the Dayton Gems, I'm convinced a team in the IHL (or some minor league hockey team) should come to call the Cincinnati Gardens home. How Minor League Hockey Should Be - The Cincinnati Gardens -Ft. Wayne's Allen County War Memorial Coliseum -US Bank Arena -Hara Arena, home of the Dayton Gems. -Cincinnati Stingers Jersey, Cincy's only major league hockey team. Like the Cyclones? Remember the Cincinnati Stingers? Where would you rather see a hockey game? Gardens or the Bank Arena?

I love Ft. Wayne. Glad to see that there is support for this rail link and I hope it becomes a reality (I also hope we get word on the 3c funding soon). haha, Ft. Wayne local news cracks me up every time I visit family. I had the opportunity to be in that station for my cousins wedding reception. Absolutely gorgeous building.

^That's very true, Dunn-Tire, now Coca-Cola Field was really one of the first to start the new trend. I wonder how well they would've expanded it had Buffalo got an MLB expansion team. In terms of urban integration, yeah the new arenas in Toledo are some of, if not THE, best, but all you had said was "I think Toledo can claim best minor league sports venues in America." In terms of urban integration, sure, but as far as over all being a sports venue, I think Victory Field tops Fifth-Third Field and the Cincinnati Gardens still offers some of the best sightlines and environment of all the hockey barns, it just needs another team. Haven't been to Lucas County yet, but planning to make a roadtrip soon. I already like it better than US Bank Arena from the pictures.

The new stadium/arena certainly look great and the Walleye are a damn good team this year, however I'd have to say Indianapolis' Victory Field is the crown jewel of minor league ball parks.