Posted July 20, 200618 yr I'm visiting Cincy tomorrow for my first time to see the Brewers beat the Reds. 8-) I have a few questions about the city though... What part of the city is over the rhine located? Wheres the best place to stay? Whats a good pizza place? How bad is rush hour? Thanks!
July 21, 200618 yr The stadiums are on the south edge of downtown. OTR is just north of downtown. Any of the north-south streets downtown will take you up to Over The Rhine. Dewey's Pizza in various locations. Notably in Clifton (north of OTR) & Newport on the Levee across the river in Newport KY. The Netherlands hotel is nice. They might get rattled if you order a Bloody Mary for breakfast, tho. The Vernon Manor is ok, too. Neither are cheap.
July 21, 200618 yr If you priceline you can stay at the millenium downtown for under $50. I think you can find an affordable rate there regardless as long as a convention is not in town. Otherwise, it is cheaper to stay in the Mariott or embassy on the River because KY tax is cheaper than Ohio. Even though Main Street is dead, OTR is fairly charming and safer at that section. definitely check out findley market too. And I hope you will not be too disapointed when the Brewers get swept
July 21, 200618 yr If you are looking for cheap hotels, I would try bidding on a hotel on www.priceline.com. You can usually find nice 4 & 3 stars for have the price they quote on their websites. If you are unsure how to bid, check this link out and they will help you. This is a site where people post their bidding results, I highly recommend it. http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showforum=129& The Hilton Netherland, The Cincinnnatian, The Hyatt, The Westin, The Millennium are all located downtown. I would stay away from the Crown Plaza since one of our Urban Ohio members stayed there and was greatly disappointed. Quimbob mentioned the Vernon Manon, this hotel is located in Midtown near the University of Cincinnati so if you are looking to stay downtown this might not be the place. Rush hour can be very bad, especially I-75 north of Cincinnati but if you stay downtown you won't have to worry about rush hour. I would agree Dewey's is the best pizza near downtown. There is one across the river in Newport on the Levee but I would recommend checking out the one in Clifton which is a Midtown neighborhood near UC. It is one of our best neighborhoods in the city. You can find it near the corner of Ludlow & Clifton. The trendy business district runs downtown Ludlow. I have also enjoyed Guido's Pizza in Mt. Adams. Over-the-Rhine is north of Central Parkway which is the road that separates Downtown from Over-the-Rhine. Main & Walnut are the gentrified streets and the rest can be questionable so be smart if you are walking around the other streets especially with a camera. OTR is a great hood but still is our most dangerous neighborhood in the city but the architecture is amazing if that is your thing. Enjoy the city, it is kind of a mess right now since Fountain Square is being rebuilt but hopefully you enjoy.
July 21, 200618 yr Yeah the rhine looks amazing but with it being the most dangerous part of the city who knows if I will see it. If I do see it I'll be taking a ton of pix of it. Not going to make the mistake I did in Pittsburgh and only take like 5 pix. :) We're coming from Milwaukee but entering from Indianapolis. We'll probobly have to deal with the Chicago morning rush hour and the Cincy afternoon rush hour. BTW, one more question...whats the best place in the ballpark for cheap? Hope it doesnt rain during the game! Thanks!
July 21, 200618 yr Ahh you are coming in on I-74. Did you get your hotel yet? Where are you staying? At the ticket office you can get $5 seats in the upper deck corners and $9 in the outfield bleachers which are great. I went to the Reds-Mets game yesterday and stayed in the $36 seats behind third base. But since the stadium hasn't been sold out lately I have bought $5 seats and moved to better seats with no problems. I would park downtown and walk to the stadium, don't try and park by the surface lots around the ballpark. After 6PM you can park at a meter downtown for free or if you are staying downtown, just keep your car at the hotel parking lot. Have you eaten Skyline Chili before? If not you might want to try it out. It is located on 4th & Sycamore and it is a good place to go before the game and they serve beer. For Mexican: Margarita's is located on 6th. For Chinese: Shanghai Mama's is located on 6th. For Scottish: Nicholson's is located on Walnut & 6th For Japanese: Benihana is located on 6th For French Fusion: JeanRo's is located on Vine between 4th & 5th - Highly recommend. For Steak: Jeff Ruby's is located on 6th, Morton's is located on 4th. For Thai Fusion: Rise N Shine is located on 6th. For Breakfast: First Watch is located on 7th For Italian: Scotti's is located on Vine & 9th, Tratoria Roma & Bella Cincinnati is on Walnut & 6th For Gay Friendly: Union Station Video Cafe is located on Main, Hamburger Mary's is located on Vine & 8th (Straight Friendly too) For Lounge: Federal Reserve Piano Bar is located on 4th For Latin Bar: Havana Martini Bar is located on 5th For All Around: Rock Bottom Brewery is located on the Square behind the construction For Irish: McFaddens is located on 7th For Hidden Gem: Washington Platform is located on Central & Plum For Best of the Best: Pigall's is located on 4th Clubs are on Main in OTR Bars are all around but Mt. Adams has the best foot traffic right now but expect some collars to be up in this neighborhood. How long are you here? Enjoy the city.
July 21, 200618 yr We're staying only 1 night. I know it's not enough time to explore the city to it's potential and thats a shame but I hope I can maximize my time while in Cincy. BTW, no, we have no hotel yet.
July 21, 200618 yr I-74 could be the best entrance to the city in regards to showcasing the geography and beauty of the region. If you havent done the drive, there is a valley or two you wind through plus you go through Mt Airy forest. I-74 gives a feel to Cincinnati that is TOTALLY different than I-75 or I-71.
July 21, 200618 yr Sounds interesting, I'll keep a lookout for that. :) P.S. I was just offered to trade the Cincy trip for a NYC trip but I declined(the Cincy trip was my idea), I really want to see what Ohio looks like beyond the Turnpike. :P Talking about Turnpikes... We dont have to pay Ohio $$ right to go in the state like you do for Illinois and Indiana? I know the Turnpike in northern Ohio costs a ton.
July 21, 200618 yr There are no tolls from Indianapolis to Cincinnati and we have no tolls anywhere near Cincinnati Metro.
July 21, 200618 yr I saw Carlos Lee today (with his ENTIRE family) and I must say ... that is one big mother f#*&er!
July 21, 200618 yr Hello from Covington! We made it here around 4PM. We got lost and actually ended up in the rhine, we were in a real bad neighborhood. Cincy looks like a cool city except for certain areas. The city is beautiful, right in the hills. :) I hope to get pix of fountain square and the tallest building in Cincy.
July 21, 200618 yr ^You can go up in that building (Carew Tower), and go to the observation deck. They charge $2. The deck is the roof of the building, and you get a view you wouldn't believe - just phenomenal. Just ask folks at the security desk, and they can help you out...
July 21, 200618 yr Whoo hoo for rain!! The clouds dont look nice, tonights game better not be rained out!!
July 21, 200618 yr Try to check out OTR in the AM. The jerks are usually all sleeping it off. I think Tuckers (1600 block of Vine) is open for breakfast on Saturday.
July 21, 200618 yr Here's a site with regional radar: http://www.channelcincinnati.com/wxmap/4290772/detail.html Still might well get the game in - it looks like it may mostly sneak south of us. Best of luck to you - I hope your team loses, but I hope you have a great time! EDIT: Oh, I didn't mention, there's a drop-box with a bunch of radar views available. The Ohio Valley Radar Loop one seems to be the most helpful to me...
July 21, 200618 yr Well we probobly wont goto todays game but as a trade off I get to spend another day here! :)
July 21, 200618 yr Try to check out OTR in the AM. The jerks are usually all sleeping it off. A trip to Findlay Market would be a wonderful use of Saturday morning.....this is probably the market's busiest day of the week. If the weather holds up I would definately try to go atop Carew tower before you leave. You can enter the bldg near the corner of 5th and Vine (cady corner to Fountain Square)...the entrance is on Vine though. Walk straight in and there is a desk almost immediatley on your left....the attendant will be able to direct you from their. If you are rained out tonight.....maybe go check out Newport on the Levee..you can stay dry there and still have fun (Gameworks, bars, clubs, movie theatre, etc). Good Luck.....Enjoy your stay!!!
July 22, 200618 yr We stayed at Extended Stay, it's right next to the bridge to Cincy. Well it looks like were leaving today and it sucks. :( Cincy exceeded my expectations by a mile. I kinda pictured Cincy as Detroit at first but now I picture it as a Mini Milwaukee. The residents were so friendly and kind, it was amazing. We probobly wont go up the carew tower or go in the rhine but I'll try to get pix of Paul Brown, that fancy bridge and more of the skyline. We did find some things awkword about the city. Outside, about 1-2 blocks from GABP there were a bunch of bums and the fact that alot of the maps on mainstreet showed riverfront stadium. I take it that big pile of dirt between the stadium and Rosa Parks St is the remains of riverfront? Anyway I am beginning to wonder why the reds game is sold out and our hotel is sold out as well today. Makes me wonder whats going on. Thanks for everything!! P.S. I'lll post the pics either tonite or tomorrow.
July 22, 200618 yr ^Oh, too bad you can't stay for the game - we've got Joe Mays on the mound, which means you'd be likely to leave the game happy... Yes, that dirt pile is where Riverfront used to be. It's to be developed into a mixed-use development called The Banks, if local government can ever get things together. There's been a number of positive developments, so I think most folks are hopeful that things are finally on the right track. Very exciting. Hopefully you'll get to come back and enjoy a longer stay next time!
July 22, 200618 yr Adam, glad you had a good time! It sucks that you were here during very shitty weather and a 3 hour rain delay ... lol! Sorry about your brew crew too. :( ... ;) Well it looks like were leaving today and it sucks. :( Cincy exceeded my expectations by a mile. I kinda pictured Cincy as Detroit at first but now I picture it as a Mini Milwaukee. Mini Milwaukee ... hmmm ... http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=cincinnati&ie=UTF8&ll=39.101009,-84.512351&spn=0.012522,0.026114&t=k&om=1 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=milwaukee&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=43.041183,-87.905881&spn=0.011793,0.026114 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=cincinnati&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=39.299236,-84.49585&spn=0.399582,0.835648 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=milwaukee&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=43.020212,-88.214035&spn=0.377516,0.835648
July 22, 200618 yr ^ Don't go there. Adam, glad you enjoyed Cincy from what you saw. I was in Milwaukee last year doing Memorial Day weekend and it exceeded my expectations too. You can see my Milwaukee Gallery here: http://www.pbase.com/cincyimages/milwaukee Lastly I am surprised that you are not used to homeless around sporting venues. That is quite common all over the country and world for that matter. If you go to Cubbies games at Wrigley you would find this. The only thing I can think of is in Milwaukee the stadiums are not downtown so you can't walk to them. When I went to Miller Park it was surrounded by big surface lots. It was also the only time I ever saw tailgating at a baseball game.
July 22, 200618 yr http://www.flickr.com/photos/70279800@N00/sets/72157594208117133/ Theres alot of the pix from my trip, not all of them are in there since I used all my flickr bandwidth. Sorry for the quality of the pics, I'm not a good photographer and I had to take them through a windshield.
July 23, 200618 yr Anyway I am beginning to wonder why the reds game is sold out and our hotel is sold out as well today. Makes me wonder whats going on. It is not that unusual...the last few times I've gone down to a game (on Sat evenings) the game has been sold out (Cleveland,KC,etc). I believe that the Reds fans are finally starting to get on board......As for the hotel being sold out, I dont know what to tell you....maybe that Cincinnati is the best place ever!!!!
July 23, 200618 yr Just wanted to mention that I am looking forward to watching the Reds beat the Brewers in Milwaukee next weekend. :wink: (And also look forward to perhaps seeing some of that city!) Join me in spreading the good word of Cincinnati in Wisconsin! :-)
July 23, 200618 yr Mini Milwaukee...lol. I like Milwaukee...but then again I can like anything known for beer and cheese. They have a really cool Harley Davidson shop at their airport, if you're into that Harley stuff. I spent the majority of the time in Waukesha though which is a great suburb. That sucks you didn't get to see more of Cincinnati. I think everyone should at least be exposed to Mt. Adams, downtown, Ludlow ave, union terminal, Carew observation deck, and the Florence water tower. Those are essential.
July 23, 200618 yr Cincy may have a bigger metro area but the city proper is only 330,000 compared to 578,000 for Milwaukee. :)
July 23, 200618 yr Cincy may have a bigger metro area but the city proper is only 330,000 compared to 578,000 for Milwaukee. :) But we cannot compete with the 700,000+ Jacksonville. Afterall, Milwaukee is a mini-Jacksonville ;). "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 23, 200618 yr Cincy may have a bigger metro area but the city proper is only 330,000 compared to 578,000 for Milwaukee. :) Milwaukee's metro looks like it is 1.5 and Cincinnati's is 2.1. You can't really form an opinion on whether a city feels smaller than the other based on a little line that loops around a specific area called, city boundaries when our metro has over a 500,000 difference ... plus, Milwaukee's city-land area is a little larger than Cincinnati's.
July 23, 200618 yr Regardless population isnt the only thing that tells how good a city is. Cincy is great for being on the river, the unique skyline and more. I feel Cincy doesnt use the river as much as it should. I didnt see citizens boat in it and I didnt really see a river walk of the sort.
July 23, 200618 yr Regardless population isnt the only thing that tells how good a city is. Cincy is great for being on the river, the unique skyline and more. I feel Cincy doesnt use the river as much as it should. I didnt see citizens boat in it and I didnt really see a river walk of the sort. I guess you wouldn't of with thunderstorms, lightning, and 40 mph winds. Adam, there is a very extensive park system on the river with walkways so long that you wouldn't want to walk from one end to the other and on top of this there are 3 (I believe) marinas that are fairly close to downtown. Boats are always all over the river, trust me, I am always at Sawyer Point or Yeatman's cove (2 parks on our river), throwing the frisbee around or having a picnic with my wife. Public skating rink Sand volley ball court Huge playground Tennis courts ( 8 ) Very nice water fountain area with a waterfall Very nice (and large) public pavilion for concerts And plenty of green We also have "Party in the Park" where thousands of people of all ages party on the riverfront with beer, and concerts (FREE). This is every Wednesday throughout the spring and summer.
July 23, 200618 yr Omg can of worms is now officially open. No, this is good. Adam wanted to check out Cincy and he had a short stay. He didn't get to see things the way they really are. This is a good chance for him to learn a few things. No hostility on my end! ;)
July 23, 200618 yr Adam, by the way ... man, talk about ironic ... If you turn on the TV to the Reds VS Brewers game (it is your announcers that I'm watching, so we'll see the same thing) ... they keep showing the river and talking about all of the boaters utilizing the river! Wow, what timing, huh! BTW: I'm using MLB.tv incase you're wondering how I'm watching the Brewers announcers.
July 23, 200618 yr Yeah I dont know much about Cincy. We didnt really go into the suburbs of Cincy, the farthest we went was by Union Terminal. And yeah, I saw all the boats in the river. :P
July 23, 200618 yr Woa, didnt know I was going to cause a stir up. Sorry about it. I guess I hung around in this thread too long.
July 24, 200618 yr Woa, didnt know I was going to cause a stir up. Sorry about it. I guess I hung around in this thread too long. Noooo, dont be silly! You comments have been perfectly fine/reasonable....on top of this you are not being a jerk about anything. I would hope you stick around and keep us up to date on Milwaukee issues. I would recommend checking out some of the other threads throughout the forum. This is the best way to learn about Cincy (Cbus, Cleveland, and rest of Ohio). Personally I would love to see some photo threads of Milwaukee pop up on the city photos usa/world section. Entertain me with urban deliciousness from Milwaukee!!! :-D :-D :-D
July 24, 200618 yr lol, yeah I have read other threads around the forum. I do pay visits here everyday to see whats going on in the queen city. I cant really keep you up to date on Milwaukee issues since this is an ohio forum, not Wisconsin/Milwaukee. :P I dont live in Milwaukee itself but a suburb of it. I dont have any photos of the suburbs itself or the city except for the top pic on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee. As for Cincy itself, are you hoping to get a NBA team? Currently it looks like the closest team to you isthe Cavilers.
July 24, 200618 yr ^Well you can post things about Milwaukee in the Architecture/Preservation section.....as well as give informative tours about the city under city photos usa/world. As for the NBA comment....check out this thread that has been discussing this topic: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8468.0
July 24, 200618 yr Adam, even though Monte is on your case, you should check out the Milwaukee gallery on his website. Best Milwaukee photo tour, ever! You can access his site, CincyImages, through the signature line on his post.
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