I will be heading down to Nashville this coming Thursday.  The plan is to stop in Cincinnati and do some exploring downtown and OTR.  I haven't been down to Cincinnati since 2019.  What good options for Thursday for say a decent brunch in OTR?  I figured I could take the streetcar between the riverfront and OTR and any areas in between.  I am essentially looking for the following:

 

-A good area to park and just take the streetcar in between.

-Some place to grab brunch/lunch after checking out downtown and the riverfront.

-Anything worth seeing in Findlay Market?

-Any disruptions in the general basin area to be aware of: construction, closures, etc?

 

Thank you for any ideas.

I would park in the Washington Park garage. There are streetcar stops on the northwest (northbound towards Findlay market) and southeast (southbound towards downtown/The Banks) corners of the park. Be sure to bring a mask, since the federal mandate on public transportation is still in effect. There are plenty of brunch/lunch options on a Thursday, almost everything in OTR that offers brunch should be open on that day. 

 

I'm not super familiar with the brunch options closer to the river, but Sleepy Bee on 4th Street is always a great option. If you decide to eat in OTR, I would suggest French Crust Bistro which is right across from Findlay Market on Elm or B&A Street Kitchen, which is on Race approximately 1 block north of Washington Park.

 

The only big construction issue for you to worry about is getting across the river when you get back on the road and continue heading towards Nashville. The Brent Spence Bridge (71/75 South over the Ohio River) continues to be a chokepoint since 2 lanes of the bridge are closed due to a repainting project. You can either take Liberty Street east from Washington Park and get on 471 South to completely avoid the issue (but add a couple extra miles to your trip). Or you can get on 75 South from W 9th St downtown, which will allow you to avoid a lot of the backup from the Brent Spence lane closures, but not all of it.

 

I hope you have a good time exploring Cincy! Weather should be pretty nice on Thursday.

Edited July 13, 20213 yr by OliverHazardPerry
Additional Info added

Thank you, Oliver!  You really gave me some great ideas.  I parked under Washington Park and took the streetcar to the riverfront.  After that I went to French Crust Bistro and enjoyed my brunch.  The weather was great and it was nice to see Cincinnati again.  I didn't have much time, but I really want to explore more of Findlay Market.  After spending four days in Nashville, you really start to appreciate the authenticity of a city like Cincy.

On 7/19/2021 at 10:48 AM, MissinOhio said:

 After spending four days in Nashville, you really start to appreciate the authenticity of a city like Cincy.

 

BINGO.