I don't see that the "neighborhood" aspect of it affects it; I think it's their product choice, which I find lacking.  Ever try to find organic produce there? 

 

I think you answered your own question.  How many poor people who are struggling to make ends meet would be willing to spend extra cash on organic food?  Particularly if said people aren't well educated?

Sorry--where was I asking a question?

Poor people generally can't discern between healthy and unhealthy food.  They don't know and they don't want to know.  The wife of one of my friends has a state job going around trying to educate poor people on food and the misconceptions are massive and generally impossible to improve. 

 

When I was a kid I asked my mom why people in trailer parks had unhealthy looking skin.  She said because they eat ice cream for breakfast.  Fast forward 20 years and I'm working with a fat guy from Louisiana and watch in disgust as he ate 3 ice cream bars for breakfast and 6 in one day.  Also in the south many believe that Hawaiian Punch is a health drink, will drink Mountain Dew on a 100F day instead of water, etc.  If you tell them what they are doing is unhealthy, it's literally the first time they've ever heard it.   

 

Yes, the regional differences in health and diet in the U.S. are enormous. In my previous public health work these differences were startling and greater than those between different nations. Perception and reality seem as far apart as ever which is ironic given the much greater communication potential today.

I think this food-poverty discussion is closely related to IQ-poverty. Here is a nice article from the NYT on this topic.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/opinion/16kristof.html

 

And at that, I think this might be drifting a bit off topic.

Looks like the Know Theatre put up some very cool signage yesterday. 

The Color Building is out for bid with an estimated construction start date of November 1st. 

 

Not sure if this was said before but it will be commercial office space.  Contract is to "white-box" the building only, meaning no official tenants yet. 

A new rental community model in OTR

6:59 PM, Sep. 15, 2011  | 

Written by Lisa Bernard-Kuhn

 

 

OVER-THE-RHINE - Twenty-five new apartments in seven historic buildings get a grand opening today, amid hopes they become a national model for helping low-income renters become savers and possibly, future homeowners.

 

The $3.8 million Friar's Court will become home to residents who earn less than $51,800 a year, or 50 percent of the region's median income. They will pay rents ranging from about $300 to $766 a month.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110915/BIZ01/109160346/A-new-rental-community-model-OTR

 

residents who earn less than $51,800 a year, or 50 percent of the region's median income

 

This has to be a typo, there is no way that is 50% of the median family income for the region.  It probably meant to say that the median family income is $51,800, and the tenants will be at 50% of that amount.

^ Yeah, I would assume it's for people making <$25,900.

 

$766/month would be pretty steep for such a person. Hope utilities are included!

A program like this should be expanded to all sorts of neighborhoods, not just struggling urban ones.

 

It sounds like a nice bridge between renting and owning, and if they pass anything like the tight lending regulations they are talking about lately, people way beyond half of median income are going to need it.

This is a very old idea.  Jacob Schmidlapp's Model Homes did this exact thing back in the 1910s as part of his personal mission to help blacks rise out of poverty.  The company that ran the program was dissolved in the 1980s, in response to the rise of the so-called welfare state.  He predicted all of the problems with government public housing, so far as no wealth being accrued, decades before it was enacted. 

 

 

It looks like HGC is starting construction on Bakersfield and 1215 Wine Bar today. They just got the dumpster delivered, and put up the brown paper in the windows.

I was walking by Mercer commons recently. There were some men in hard hats going in and out of the boarded up buildings.  Structural pre-work I'm assuming.

 

Also, an update on City Home Phase 2.

 

Welcome to the neighborhood!

 

The abandoned buildings across 15th are owned by 3CDC and will be redeveloped in the coming years.

 

The middle 4 buildings well underway.

 

Thanks for the update. I noticed the lot on 14th between Vine and Walnut is now graded with some sort of gravel aggregate. Looks like it'll be the staging area for Phases I & II of Mercer Commons.

I was at the OTR Community Council meeting last night and apparently there is a plan to have an entertainment district set up in a section of OTR I believe near the Gateway Quarter that will allow ten businesses (not bars, but dining locations) to either open up shop or expand hours.  The district will basically allow businesses to afford and be able to acquire liquor licenses that are right now too expensive and nearly impossible to get.  I believe Laure Quinlivan is sponsoring the idea of setting up this district in the Liveable Communities Committee some time soon.  Below are a few of the places I remember off the top of my head that were mentioned.  Anyone have any firm details on this?

 

* Lucy Blue moving to Main Street and expanding hours

* Wine and some kind of specialty food dining

* Taste of Belgium expanding hours

...

 

This may not be the right spot for this, so please move as you feel is appropriate.

Liquor licenses are tied to population, so the loss of 34k residents in the 2010 census results in 17 fewer liquor licenses.

This isn't necessarily news, but I just notice that GatewayQuarter.com is no longer using "Gateway Quarter" as a brand -- it's simply "Over the Rhine".  Maybe that's because they are expanding beyond the original Vine Street corridor.  But I think it's largely due to the fact that enough people are familiar with the positive changes happening in Over-the-Rhine that the label is no longer needed.  Gateway Quarter was originally synonymous with "the good, fun, safe part of OTR" in many people's minds.  Now: it's all OTR.

Yes they are slowly phasing out gateway quarter.  They now have 3 districts, main st, washington park, and gateway quarter all under the Over the Rhine banner.  I'm not sure how I feel about this, in my opinion, it's premature.  When a person rediscovers the area and has a great experience in "Over the Rhine" and then goes home and hears about a murder they might associate that to the good part. 

 

In other news (I know some of this is repeat):

The wraps came off Abigail Street last week, I took a peek inside when the door was open and it looks gorgeous.  I also was told that they are not going to put up a sign.  They are waiting on a piece of equipment still and will then be open.

 

Taste of Belgium is open for good and will be a great addition to the neighborhood.  I had the chicken and waffles and it was delicious.  They are a bit short on drink options (water or coffee drinks) but I imagine this will change.  I am looking forward to dinner options being added. 

 

A sign is up on 4U, it is now closed and moving to Hyde Park under a new name I can't remember. 

 

Construction is underway at Sloane, Bakersfield, and the Wine Bar/Coffee place.  The 1200 block is offically out of commercial space!

 

The former Roh's space is being remodeled, not sure if a tenant is moving in or if it is just being readied to lease. 

 

THe buildings on the NW corner of 13th and Republic are being gutted in preparation for condos and a Park Haus. 

 

Bring on Mercer! It will be a key "bridge" to bring activity beyond the 1200 block.

 

Does anyone have an update on the 13th street streetscape? 

Abigail Street will open 11/1/11, according to their window. 

New OTR Work Group Quarterly Report.

http://www.3cdc.org/images/editor/OTR%20workgroup%20-%20October%2018.pdf

 

Heavy focus on Homeless to Homes, Mercer Commons & Washington Park.

hearing good things about Abagail Street so far from people that went yesterday for their opening.

 

the first Yelp reviews are up too for a rundown of what to expect: http://www.yelp.com/biz/abigail-street-cincinnati

I went yesterday- great wine, great atmosphere and very good mediterranean food- ALTHOUGH I will say it's very pricey.  They recommend that 1 person buys two dishes off the menu for a full meal, and each dish is between 11 and 15. I had two glasses of wine, $9 each (the cheapest wine by the glass).  So this isn't A Tavola pricing where things seem very nice but are very reasonably priced- Abigail street is definitely priced above everything else in OTR on Vine right now.

Has anyone seen a timeline for Phase V?  Several of the new condo buildings are set to begin construction in the next month or two, I'm just wondering if anyone knows when they're expected to open?

This is a very old idea.  Jacob Schmidlapp's Model Homes did this exact thing back in the 1910s as part of his personal mission to help blacks rise out of poverty.  The company that ran the program was dissolved in the 1980s, in response to the rise of the so-called welfare state.  He predicted all of the problems with government public housing, so far as no wealth being accrued, decades before it was enacted. 

 

 

 

Interesting explanation.

Not to go too far off topic, but I had a blog post about Schmidlapp's Model homes:

 

http://www.citykin.com/2008/09/cincinnati-model-homes-1903-to-1919.html

Anyone know anything about the new storefront on Vine that has an Old Spice branding on it? It looked like there was construction happening inside. Is this some kind of studio for P&G or maybe a men's salon?

^It's had signage up for awhile now, but I haven't ventured over to see what it is.

^ If you give me an address I'll give you an answer.  It sounds as though you're describing Bakersfield, a new tequila bar/taco restaurant that will be opening soon.

^

I know the spot you are talking about. My understanding is that it's one of those P&G experiential product thingies for their own use - not going to be store or anything cool. Hope I'm wrong.

^^It's not Bakersfield.  This is a storefront past/in the bottom of Parvis lofts. 

^

I know the spot you are talking about. My understanding is that it's one of those P&G experiential product thingies for their own use - not going to be store or anything cool. Hope I'm wrong.

 

Damn. I feel like this area is doing quite wellmin the food and beverage offerings, but is suffering in services...would really like to see a salon, trendy barber shop, etc.

 

Speaking of Bakersfied, when is their opening scheduled? Any news on other restaurants (I think I heard a rumor about a Thai place)?

No idea on Bakersfield.  Speaking of services, it looks like they're doing work on the dry cleaners.  That will be nice.

^

I know the spot you are talking about. My understanding is that it's one of those P&G experiential product thingies for their own use - not going to be store or anything cool. Hope I'm wrong.

 

Damn. I feel like this area is doing quite wellmin the food and beverage offerings, but is suffering in services...would really like to see a salon, trendy barber shop, etc.

 

Speaking of Bakersfied, when is their opening scheduled? Any news on other restaurants (I think I heard a rumor about a Thai place)?

 

There is Jim Broft Salon Central on Central Parkway/Walnut which is a nice high end salon.  There is also Incredible Creations but I don't really know much about it.

Don't forget about the new dry cleaner. What other essential services does the Q need?

 

Don't forget about the new dry cleaner. What other essential services does the Q need?

 

 

Well this is my wishlist, and while Uptown/UC and Downtown have all of these things it would be nice to have them right in OTR. Some of these are retail, but it's everyday stuff that I regularly need.

 

Drugstore

UPS Store/FedEx Office or perhaps even a small post office

Barber Shop

Wine Shop/Liquor Store (although I imagine 3CDC would not care for the latter lol)

More fast-casual dining options AND late night dining options

 

It still baffles me that a downtown or OTR United Dairy Farmers location doesn't exist. I can definitely see a well-integrated UDF location in OTR on Race or Sycamore.

Don't forget about the new dry cleaner. What other essential services does the Q need?

 

 

Well this is my wishlist, and while Uptown/UC and Downtown have all of these things it would be nice to have them right in OTR. Some of these are retail, but it's everyday stuff that I regularly need.

 

Drugstore

 

Could be possible, but there are three in Downtown (only a few blocks away) If anything, the downtown ones need longer hours, not more locations (streetcar will make OTR-CVS/Walgreens even easier).

 

UPS Store/FedEx Office or perhaps even a small post office

 

Highly unlikely- there is a large FedEx on 5th street and post offices are closing constantly

 

Barber Shop

 

Pretty sure there are two nice ones right in the middle of the Gateway Quarter!

 

Wine Shop/Liquor Store (although I imagine 3CDC would not care for the latter lol)

 

There are about 4-5 crappy liquor stores- 3CDC and the Main Street Merchants have worked hard to get strict on Liquor stores.

A wine shop like the former Ludlow Wines would would be nice!!

 

More fast-casual dining options AND late night dining options

 

Lucy Blues is expanding into a larger place- They're open to about 2:30AM and are pretty fast!

How late is Joe's Diner open?  I'm not sure- but if there was enough demand they could definitely use it! They're almost always empty :(

But I'd say there could be more casual type dining, definitely. Most places right now are a bit pricey.

 

I believe there is a new ship/copy/fax Kinkos-type place going in next to Tax Place on Main. Also, there was a rumor about a wine shop opening in the old Rohs Hardware space. A pharmacy would be nice. There are plenty of convenience stores if you count the local places; there's just no UDF or Circle K.

Good point about streetcar making downtown more accessible to downtown pharmacies, etc.

 

OCtoCincy, what are the two barbershops you're referring to? Are they the kind of place a YP white kid can walk into lol?

 

Fast casual dining is such a huge, growing segment of the restaurant industry and one that I want to see in OTR to balance out the higher end food options....stuff with the Chipotle price point and operating scale...

^^^Incredible Creations is black owned and has a predominantly black staff, but don't let them scare you, LOL.  I've gotten my hair cut there a bunch of times.  Tony is fantastic...and the girls in back do amazing pedicures.  Prepare for a dose of Black culture though...love them.

I'm sure if a YP black kid can walk into a white barber shop, there'd be no problem with a YP white kid walking into a black barbershop.  You might even enjoy it.

I always avoid black barber shops because I figure they don't know much about treating white people hair. It's really the only type of business I look at that way.

^ white people hair is pretty much the easiest thing to deal with- haha- I think you have nothing to worry about.

 

There is a nice salon at the first floor of the American Building on Walnut & Central Parkway.  I know girls and guys who go there.

I always avoid black barber shops because I figure they don't know much about treating white people hair. It's really the only type of business I look at that way.

 

Actually, "white people" hair is quite easy to treat.  You'll be fine with a black barber.

I went to Incredible Creations once and they butchered my hair.  I never went back.  They're all nice guys and girls, but I felt like he didn't know what I was talking about when I said what I wanted.  ;) 

Maybe I will try it.

 

Edit: ^ Or maybe I shouldn't! LOL

I always avoid black barber shops because I figure they don't know much about treating white people hair. It's really the only type of business I look at that way.

 

Actually, "white people" hair is quite easy to treat.  You'll be fine with a black barber.

 

...and that's why I pay HALF of what my black friends pay.  If you're concerned, just ask.  I asked Tony the first time if he's done white hair before.  He said, "I got this."  LOL

I went to Incredible Creations once and they butchered my hair.  I never went back.  They're all nice guys and girls, but I felt like he didn't know what I was talking about when I said what I wanted.  ;) 

 

REALLY!?!  Who did you go to?

Eh, I had my hair cut once there. It was just okay, and not the best experience. It's always worth trying out something new, though.

I went to the Downtown Barber in the Metropole Building for about 10 years.  He parked his huge green Cadillac out front and they had Playboy's on the magazine rack.  When they closed the building about two years ago that barber moved to King's Court on Court St.  The guy that is there most of the time moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and recently auditioned for a reality show of some kind.