January 2, 200718 yr The DJ's music varied. It wasn't all rap. I arrived around 10:45, and there weren't tons of people. However, more came as the night went on. By midnight the square was packed. They did allow people to ice skate for free. :)
January 2, 200718 yr I decided to do something more toned down for New Year's Eve, plus it was raining hard on and off which might have kept people indoors. Next year I might be more inclined to go when the whole square is open. A partially open square with skating ring taking up most of the space didn't interest me this years celebration.
January 2, 200718 yr I did the Carriage thing with my brother and his son and had a great time on the square during the holidays. He hadn't been downtown in years (moved out-of-state) and was impressed with the new square and the buzz downtown.
January 10, 200718 yr I know we talked about this issue earlier...about the new pay system at the FS garage. I parked down there this afternoon, and I LOVED IT!!! It was very convenient and awesome!! Oh and by the way...when I was leaving the garage exit, I saw Nancy Zimpher entering to return to her car. Small world!
January 10, 200718 yr Went skating and then went to Rock Bottom Brewery's happy hour. $2 for a pint of their beer, not a bad deal.
January 10, 200718 yr so it looks like the square cam is gone off 3cdc's website. any other sites still have the feed?
January 11, 200718 yr We tried to get reservations at McCormick Sunday for lunch and couldn't, they were actually all booked up. :x Fairfield Red Lobster it is! :|
January 12, 200718 yr We tried to get reservations at McCormick Sunday for lunch and couldn't, they were actually all booked up. :x Fairfield Red Lobster it is! :| HAHAHA, nothing says rich in culture like a Red Lobster!
January 12, 200718 yr Red Lobster hasn't flooded the country like the Friday's, Applebees, Chili's and Ruby Tuesday's of chain hell. I don't have a problem with Red Lobster and find their food to be pretty good although I haven't eaten at one in over 3 years.
January 12, 200718 yr Put 45211 (a Cincy zip) into a search engine for Applebees, you get 18 locations, put it in for Red Lobster, you get 6. There certainly is a difference.
January 17, 200718 yr Got a shot this morning of the facade going up on 5/3 Center. Sorry about the quality, it was a cameraphone.
January 17, 200718 yr Even though it looks bad now...its still an improvement over the crap behind it!
January 17, 200718 yr uggh... Next thing you know they will add planters underneath along with bamboo and light emitting tuna cans.
January 17, 200718 yr uggh... Next thing you know they will add planters underneath along with bamboo and light emitting tuna cans. Like what they have in TUC at UC!! lol. I think that we should wait to see what the project actually looks like before we pass judgement. It's just the framework for now.
January 17, 200718 yr I think that we should wait to see what the project actually looks like before we pass judgement. It's just the framework for now. But hasn't that been the 'MO' so to speak for this project thus far...to pass judgement before anything is final: -funding -amount of trees -FS logo/branding -completion date -etc.
January 17, 200718 yr I think that we should wait to see what the project actually looks like before we pass judgement. It's just the framework for now. But hasn't that been the 'MO' so to speak for this project thus far...to pass judgement before anything is final: -funding -amount of trees -FS logo/branding -completion date -etc. Fair enough EDIT: BTW- this is my 100th post! wahoo.
January 17, 200718 yr 'MO' What? it means modus operendi... It is used in police work to describe a criminal's characteristic patterns and style of work. The term is also commonly used in English in a non-criminal sense to describe someone's habits or manner of working, the method of operating or functioning. Does that make sense.
January 19, 200718 yr It's a sweeping success BY SHANNON RUSSELL | [email protected] Joe Hansbauer never thought he would be chasing a grapefruit-sized blue ball around Fountain Square's new ice rink while announcers tracked his team's every move and spectators watched the action on a giant video board above Macy's. But he's loving every minute of the Fountain Square Broomball League. "It's definitely a unique experience," said Hansbauer, 31, of Newport, who plays on Brooms of Doom. "This isn't your typical rec league." Welcome to a recreational endeavor where fun is paramount, competition thrives, and the thrill of winning is almost as exciting as skidding across the ice. The broomball league, a facet of Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation's revitalization efforts, is a six-week program that culminates with playoffs and the Feb. 23 Contusion Bowl. Fountain Square managing director Bill Donabedian came up with broomball to fill a void when holiday skating diminished. The Miami University grad had fond memories of intramural broomball experiences in Oxford, and thought the sport would be perfect downtown. "I thought we'd do pretty well (building interest) because there are a lot of Miami alumni around here," Donabedian said. "But there were definitely a lot more teams that signed up than I thought." Sixty teams showed interest. Fountain Square events manager Suzanne Schindler could fit only 24 in the three-hour, three-night-per-week broomball schedule. Oakley resident Tim Wiley even tried to sign up two weeks early. "I was really excited to play. Once I found out there was going to be a league, I wanted to jump on it," Wiley said. Wiley, also a Miami grad, hadn't played in four years by the time his team, C+RA Zs (named for his place of employment, Cole + Russell Architects) took the ice. The 27-year-old said the league is competitive but not too competitive, since most people on his own team had never played. The game is similar to soccer and hockey. The object is to score more goals than the opposing six-person team by kicking the ball or hitting it with broom-like sticks. Players wear helmets and gym shoes, and some even don special broomball shoes supported by a layer of foam for better traction. One perk of playing at Fountain Square is hearing two commentators throughout. Tuesday night, Donabedian and Vince Knueven reminded players that "the best part of the action is the falling down" and quipped that "people all over the world were watching" when one spectator stopped. Three cameras are strategically placed around the rink to catch different angles, and the footage is projected on a 24-by-42-foot video screen above Fountain Place. The screen includes a game clock, the score, and team logos. "The video board is definitely cool," Wiley said. "They zoom in on the person who scored the goal. You feel like a mini-star." Schindler said the league might expand next year. In November she'll have a better estimation of how many teams the league will accommodate. Katie Laubach, 27, captain of Frosty Balls, had never played broomball before the league started. After tending goal Tuesday in a 5-2 defeat of the C+RA Zs, she said she wouldn't hesitate to recommend the league. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070119/SPT/701190387/1062
January 21, 200718 yr a six-week program that culminates with playoffs and the Feb. 23 Contusion Bowl. The Contusion Bowl...funny as well. Not as funny as Frosy Balls, though...
January 21, 200718 yr I skated, and watched the skating for several hours Saturday with the family, and there were over 40 people on the ice the whole time, but no wait to get in. Saw councilmemeber Berding skating with son, and some Cyclones players were helping teach kids to skate backwards. Theyn seem to take turns and maybe are paid to be there. Off the ice, saw Bill Donebian(sp) and ...XUMelanie! The rink is quite a success. I think some kerosene heaters to gather around would be nice. Toilets in the skate area would be good too, but not sure how that could be done.
January 21, 200718 yr Somebody once mentioned not seeing many pics with the Albee on the new square and I ran across one by accident, so here is a couple 70's pics.
January 22, 200718 yr No, those are still there; the Cincinnatian Hotel and the old Enquirer Building.
January 22, 200718 yr Off the ice, saw Bill Donebian(sp) and ...XUMelanie! The rink is quite a success. It was great to see so many people skating yesterday. I went by the square later in the evening, and there were still quite a few skaters. :)
January 22, 200718 yr Off the ice, saw Bill Donebian(sp) and ...XUMelanie! The rink is quite a success. It was great to see so many people skating yesterday. I went by the square later in the evening, and there were still quite a few skaters. :) I saw quite a few people on the web cam this evening as well. Not too shabby for a Sunday night.
January 22, 200718 yr No, those are still there; the Cincinnatian Hotel and the old Enquirer Building. Excellent!, I didn't recognize the Cincinnatian.
January 22, 200718 yr It was great to see so many people skating yesterday. I went by the square later in the evening, and there were still quite a few skaters. :) How late does the rink stay open on saturday nights? After attending the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, my gf and I were planning to go skate. The concert let out around 11pm and I thought that it would still be open, but everything was shut down for the rink...the video board was off as well (much to my dismay)!
January 22, 200718 yr How late does the rink stay open on saturday nights? After attending the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, my gf and I were planning to go skate. The concert let out around 11pm and I thought that it would still be open, but everything was shut down for the rink...the video board was off as well (much to my dismay)! It looks like you just missed it. According to the web site (http://www.myfountainsquare.com/icerink) Hours: Monday-Thursday: 11 am to 9 pm Special note: On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from January 8 through February 21, public skating will end at 5:30 so we can prepare the rink for broomball (last admission at 4:30). The rink may also close at 5:30 on certain Thursdays for makeup games. Friday: 11 am to 11 pm Saturday: 10 am to 11 pm Sunday: Noon to 6 pm Skate admission, skate rental, and concessions close half an hour before the rink closes. HOLIDAY HOURS: Presidents Day, February 19: 11 am to 5:30 pm (last admission 4:30)
January 23, 200718 yr The Fountain Square website has a tentative schedule posted for 2007 events. It includes things such as movie nights, family events, games, and music. http://www.myfountainsquare.com/files/uploaded/fsq_2007.pdf
January 23, 200718 yr Thats the best way to keep out the KKK. Its a public forum, but the suburban crazies come into the city because that is the only place they can actually engage folks on the street. When you think about it freedom of speech in a auto dependent suburb is a false promise.
January 25, 200718 yr Square retail all accounted for Downtown landmark's re-do progressing BY JON NEWBERRY | [email protected] January 25, 2007 PHOTO: Paul Emerick (front left), Rob Marschall (rear left) and Jason Cover of Jeffrey Allen Corp. delivered new trees to Fountain Square in November. The Enquirer / Gary Landers CINCINNATI - Fifth Third Bank has signed leases for half of its vacant retail space surrounding Fountain Square, and new tenants, so far unidentified, are expected to open for business in June. The other half of the 14,500 square feet of ground-level space in the five-story Fifth Third Center and adjoining office tower is under letters of intent, and leases are awaiting signatures, according to Chris Hodge, retail leasing specialist at CB Richard Ellis, who's handling the space for Fifth Third. Hodge told an audience at a CBRE market outlook presentation Wednesday at Paul Brown Stadium he expects the bank to make an announcement about the new downtown tenants "very shortly." He declined to name any of the new tenants but said to "look for several new 'eatertainment' users at the square as well as familiar names and faces coming in June." Locally owned eateries that have talked with Fifth Third about locating on Fountain Square include Graeter's and Dewey's Pizza. June is about the same time that Fifth Third is scheduled to complete a $16 million renovation of the façade of the building that forms the northern border of Fountain Square and runs along Sixth Street between Vine and Walnut. One familiar name that apparently won't be there by June is Nicola Pietoso, the owner of Nicola's Ristorante in Over-the-Rhine who has signed a lease for a new restaurant on the public plaza. The building's shell initially was supposed to have been turned over to Pietoso for interior work in December, paving the way for a spring opening, but construction of the structure's foundation is still mired below ground level in a large hole on the north end of the plaza. Pietoso said Wednesday he now expects to take delivery of the shell in mid-April, with his Italian bistro Via Vite opening for business on the square by late July or early August. The completion of the $42.7 million renovation of Fountain Square is expected to spur further demand for retail and office space downtown in 2007, according to CB Richard Ellis leasing agents. Both sectors began to perk up in 2006, with new restaurants and the sale of several major office buildings. Office specialist Rachel Russ said the 600 Vine office tower has been gradually leasing 350,000 square feet of space, vacated earlier by Convergys Corp., following its purchase by California-based Hertz Investment Group for $36 million. Hertz also bought the Textile Building at Fourth and Elm streets last year. It has been offering space at lower rates than comparable nearby properties, Russ said, but so far the competing buildings have maintained their rates. Outside of downtown, Russ said conditions are in place for a good year for the Greater Cincinnati office market. Northern Kentucky's office market had a net absorption of 100,000 square feet in 2006, perhaps a sign that 2007 will mark the beginning of a recovery for the area in which the vacancy rate has hovered near 30 percent since 2002, she said. Among suburban retail markets, the arrival of Ikea in West Chester in late 2007 will give a huge boost to several other large development sites at the Interstate 75-Union Centre interchange, Hodge said. Also, the South Lebanon area near the I-71 and Ohio 48 interchange, where Bear Creek Capital plans to break ground on its Rivers Crossing project this spring, is generating great interest from retailers, he said. The planned commercial growth in that area will directly affect competing retail markets encompassing Kenwood Towne Centre and Tri-County Mall, Hodge said. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070125/BIZ01/701250320/1076/BIZ
January 25, 200718 yr One familiar name that apparently won't be there by June is Nicola Pietoso, the owner of Nicola's Ristorante in Over-the-Rhine who has signed a lease for a new restaurant on the public plaza. The building's shell initially was supposed to have been turned over to Pietoso for interior work in December, paving the way for a spring opening, but construction of the structure's foundation is still mired below ground level in a large hole on the north end of the plaza. Pietoso said Wednesday he now expects to take delivery of the shell in mid-April, with his Italian bistro Via Vite opening for business on the square by late July or early August. Disappointing, but it will definitely be worth the wait...I imagine Via Vite will end up being the number one draw for me and my wife to the square...I can't wait...
January 25, 200718 yr Disappointing, but it will definitely be worth the wait...I imagine Via Vite will end up being the number one draw for me and my wife to the square...I can't wait... My husband and I tried Nicola's for the first time a few weeks ago. We were very impressed. Food and service were excellent, and we enjoyed the atmosphere. I look forward to trying Via Vite when it opens.
January 25, 200718 yr Hodge told an audience at a CBRE market outlook presentation Wednesday at Paul Brown Stadium he expects the bank to make an announcement about the new downtown tenants "very shortly." He declined to name any of the new tenants but said to "look for several new 'eatertainment' users at the square as well as familiar names and faces coming in June." damnit, i wanna know NOW! :)
January 26, 200718 yr I wonder what the wait is for an announcement. Maybe they are waiting to close the deal for a big name so they can include it with the rest.
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