Gordon Bombay

Thanks for the replies everyone, glad you enjoyed the photographs. One of the things I could see happening for the tunnels beneath Central Parkway is the tunnels being used for streetcar. Run the streetcar line through the tunnels then out of the portals near I-75. Have the lines join up with the Western Hills Viaduct then head out west. I don't know about this, maybe jmecklenborg will chime in with a more informed opinion, but with the streetcars being smaller than typical subway trains....they could possibly run parallel streetcar lines without disturbing the water main.

The reason so many people on this board, including me, dislike 700 WLW is because of their anti-city/anti-Cincinnati skew. They stop at nothing to bash the city, portray it as crime ridden, generalize our minority populations and stereotype them. I don't care if you're a conservative or liberal, the things they do on that station are for shock value and come at the expense of the city we all love. That is why 700 WLW sucks. What you have to realize though is that even without WLW, that is the view many still have of Cincinnati. I know that is a view belonging mostly to the "suburban, white male," but it is a common view of Cincinnati and those are the kinds of peoples who's opinions you want to change...bring them downtown...get them to spend money...stimulate the city's economy and continue to make Cincinnati a better place for all. Which is what 700 promotes, right? It may be a common viewpoint among the various radio personalities, but I wouldn't say they "promote" being "anti-downtown." I really don't think it's their goal or agenda to push a negative attitude towards downtown development, just a mutual feeling...and one many Cincinnati area residents share despite all the improvements made in recent years. Lets face it. With or without the radio hosts of 700 WLW...the "blunders" some downtown projects have become have left a sour taste in some peoples mouths of downtown development. I've gotten through on both Parks and Scott Sloan's show. On Parks' to talk about streetcars and the metro bus system and Sloan's to talk about Kings Island. Both times I was neither "talked over" or "cut off" and both times I shared opposing views. As an aside I once got through to Ken Broo's "Bengals Therapy" and tried to convince him that the resigning of David Weathers to the Cincinnati Reds back in Novemeber is what motivated the Bengals to go on that end of the season win streak. He asked if I had been drinking and then "cut me off." I deserved that though, I wasn't being serious. :)

dmerkow, you're correct Sloan is originally from Toledo but now lives here in Cincinnati and broadcasts out of the WLW studios.

The reason so many people on this board, including me, dislike 700 WLW is because of their anti-city/anti-Cincinnati skew. They stop at nothing to bash the city, portray it as crime ridden, generalize our minority populations and stereotype them. I don't care if you're a conservative or liberal, the things they do on that station are for shock value and come at the expense of the city we all love. That is why 700 WLW sucks. What you have to realize though is that even without WLW, that is the view many still have of Cincinnati. I know that is a view belonging mostly to the "suburban, white male," but it is a common view of Cincinnati and those are the kinds of peoples who's opinions you want to change...bring them downtown...get them to spend money...stimulate the city's economy and continue to make Cincinnati a better place for all. Cincinnati has made great strides over the past decade and is continuing at great pace, but there are still negative views out there. Those negative views need to be changed, and honestly while I hear a lot of negative views of downtown on WLW, I don't really hear anyone intelligent calling in to try and voice an opinion in the other direction. It be nice if the next time Cunningham, McConnel or Sloan discuss streetcars if someone knowledgeable of the pro-streetcar movement could call in and clearly explain the benefits. Honestly, I think if the person who runs www.cincystreetcar.org wrote to 700 WLW and mentioned the site he runs, he may be able to be a guest on one of the shows. I could definitely see it happening on Sloan or McConnel's show. They're not all "anti-Cincinnati" by the way. I listen to Eddie and Tracy quite often, they're constantly promoting downtown restaurants, bars and activities. Not just in advertising plugs, but often talking about things to do downtown on the weekends or after a Reds game etc.

Do you ever listen to 101.1 the WIZ? It's very diverse as well, guess we need a thread about how much they suck too.

I actually happen to like a lot of the programs and radio personalities on WLW. I never really tune to 550 unless WLW is on a commercial. As far as streetcars/downtown goes...Scott Sloan is definitely the most open minded about the subject. Cunningham rags on the streetcars quite often. After hearing him rant one day about them calling them the "Streetcars named desire," I sent him an email, not expecting a response. The next day he replied back to me in a very professional manner. I had sent him a link to the Cincy Streetcar blog and while I failed to change his opinion, he was at least open to reading about the streetcars and thanked me for sending him the information.

I was lucky enough to gobble up two tickets to this previous weekends subway tours put on by the Over-The-Rhine foundation. Seeing the subway is a rare experience. Many don't even know that the city of Cincinnati has an abandoned subway right beneath their feet. There are many other photographs on the internet, but most people just used the standard flash on their camera. I used a tripod, long exposures and light painting to try and make these work. The photos: My personal favorite: That's right Cincinnati has a subway! ...it was just never completed. :p To see even MORE PICTURES, read about the tour and my previous attempts to get into the subways, check out my latest update at www.queencitydisco.com

Photographs of the Emery taken over the previous summer can be seen in the latest update at www.queencitydisco.com

^That's good to hear, at least. I actually got lost looking for it back in 2007 and I really enjoy that area of town. Yes, that's the one I was referring to in my above post and I believe the one edale is referring to.

^I think I know which one you're talking about Edale. It seems to always have a stack of mattresses or someone selling handbags in front of it. Near Linn St. I think.

Yeah, unfortunately Rando the Oakley was gone for good some time after those shots were taken. They were taken in August 2007 I think and only the screen and sign were still there. I think the sign is still there, but I believe the old drive in is now a parking lot for that business you see being constructed.

As you exit the Nickelodeon area the entrance to the ride is directly across from the Wild Thornberry's log flume. The ride will take riders above the midway, out into the woods, then back again. It's a massive ride. A section of it does pass over Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider is now called The Crypt though.

Hey guys, they began testing Diamondback this week:

Jake, thanks for sharing! Seeing shots like these and Rando's from Charlotte really get me excited that one day Cincinnati may see these types of streetcars. I read awhile ago that Cincinnati had secured the land for a streetcar maintenance garage, where do they plan for this to go?

The latest update at Queen City Discovery features text and photographs of abandoned and forgotten theatres in the Cincinnati area such as... The Bond Hill/Norwood Showcase Cinemas: The Northgate Theatre: The Oakley Drive-In Theatre: and the Emery Theatre: For the full article and more photographs, check out the latest update at my website: www.queencitydisco.com Thanks for reading and viewing!

^Thanks for posting Jake, it's nice seeing some progress like this downtown. Checked out The Banks webcam today too and it seems to be making some progress.

Great shots Chris. I need to get with Seicer and go to Dayton to check out some abandoned buildings. P.S: 60 days, 9 hours, 53 mins, 32 seconds.

Great gallery ink! Lindenwald is a nice little neighborhood even though I resent Hamilton. I went to St. Anns school from Kindergarten - 8th grade and most of my friends lived just down the street on Hooven Ave. On the weekends I go home my parents still like for me to go to church with them at St. Anns. It's a beautiful church. http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c202/miamiink8/Lindnwld/100_3477.jpg The first time I ever got in a fight in middle school was at this park.

Thanks for the kind words Randy and thanks to everyone else for checking this out!

Randy, great photographs! The Charlotte Lynx is a great example of what Cincinnati needs and what can become a reality if we keep pushing for the streetcar! These are some of the best photos I've seen from you. 37 is nice and the reflections in 38 are great!

Skywalks. "Modern" ideas of the late 60's/early 70's born out of a major city's desire to keep shoppers downtown and out of the suburban, indoor shopping mall. Many major cities began building networks of skywalks in the early 70's. In cities that featured much harsher winter climates like Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Paul; Skywalks became relatively successful. In Cincinnati, however, the skywalks deteriorated over time and became an eyesore for many. Originally designed to link Cincinnati's hotel, commercial and retail business to a brand new convention center; the skywalks have become somewhat of their own "downtown ghost town." The Skywalk today is a shell of it's former self. Some sections are maintained and well kept while others are deteriorating with old signage and panhandlers. Many section lead to dead ends or force you back to ground level and in general the layout is just confusing. - A Skywalk Dead End. Many sections of the Skywalk are open-air, kind of defeating the purpose: Check out the Skywalk for yourself by taking a virtual, interactive tour at www.queencitydisco.com. The link to the virtual tour can be found at the bottom of the full skywalk article. Thanks for reading, and if you're interested and like the site...become a fan on facebook. Thanks for viewing everyone!

I hope so. I was looking into taking the Amtrak to Cleveland or Detroit for an exploring trip this spring...figured it may be a little longer than by car but it could be fun. However, you have to take the Cardinal 10 hours to Chicago, then the Wolverine 5 hours to Detroit or another train 4.5 hours to Cleveland. I've always wanted to take Amtrak out of Union Terminal, but even to Chicago or New York it's just way easier to drive.

Rob, those photos are awesome!

Sorry I haven't been around here in awhile, but I appreciate the replies and answers about the observation deck! Anyone wanna get a fund together to buy the residence and open up the observation deck?

The latest update at www.queencitydisco.com features a photographic look at Cincinnati's railroad past and parts of it that are abandoned today: -This abandoned Amtrak station beneath the sixth st. Viaduct used to be home to Amtrak's luxurious (sarcasm) Cardinal line for nearly 15 years. While Union Terminal may no longer be a major rail hub, but a museum center, it's 1930's Art Deco style has not disappeared: -Hidden phone booth. These piers once carried a viaduct of rail lines straight to union terminal: The Purple People Bridge was once strictly a rail bridge for freight lines, over time it was adapted for use with automobiles and street cars before being renovated and painted purple, making it the Purple People Bridge we know today. -This pedestrian path was once a streetcar line. Where the rail line used to run on the bridge: That's just a quick overview of the latest update, for more photographs and to read the full article check out the latest update at www.queencitydisco.com !!!