Posted June 2, 200817 yr I took these last week during the 2008 Taste of Cincinnati. From CincinnatiUSA.com Taste of Cincinnati USA is held every Memorial Day weekend in downtown Cincinnati by The Downtown Council and the Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Association. Started 1979, it is now the nation's longest running culinary arts festival. Approximately 500,000 now attend the annual food extravaganza, making Taste one of the nation's largest street festivals. Taste of Cincinnati was named Food Event of the Year for 1997 by Events Business News, the recognized authority of the special events business in the United States, selecting it out of 40,000 special events across the nation http://www.cincinnatiusa.com/Attractions/detail.asp?AttractionID=352 I was surprised how well this one came out for being hand held:
June 2, 200817 yr 1. Awesome 2. I love the new stage for Fountain Square. The placement is great and it fits in seamlessly with its surroundings. 3. I know both of the girls (on the left) in the Christian Moerlein booth photo. I wonder if they were raising money for some UC organization they work for (I'm pretty sure they're in a few).
June 2, 200817 yr UC organizations were running many of the beer booths. My daughter went up to the UC Cheerleaders stand to say hi while they were doing cheers for tips.
June 2, 200817 yr Great shots as usual. The crowd was impressive. That's what I experienced on Saturday afternoon. Anyone try the Moerlien Helles? I like the Lager, the Ale not so much.
June 2, 200817 yr Yes, I tried the Helles and loved it, it is now one of my favorite Moerlien beers. Tasted very close to what I drank while in Germany last year.
June 2, 200817 yr Looks like a fun time! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 2, 200817 yr I've got to keep an eye out for upcoming festivals. Summer is packed with them, but I know I don't make it to Cincinnati or Cleveland for those (and I'm guessing the rest here also do the same) and it'd be a great time to go when the Downtowns are packed. I was just in Cleveland and enjoyed it (didn't go to a festival) and I certainly wouldn't mind having an excuse to go to Downtown Cincinnati and explore a few neighborhoods (though I'd have a good time regardless).
June 2, 200817 yr Wow, look at the people. I love that they are trying to showcase the energy around Fountain Square but I can see why people might have a gripe about the crowds. I'm a little claustophobic, I don't think I'd like to be standing in some of those crowds either trying to get something to eat. Beautiful photos though as usual!
June 3, 200817 yr Wow, what a crowd! There's tremendous energy there, and great photos. This shot is a prize-winner:
June 3, 200817 yr Wow, look at the people. I love that they are trying to showcase the energy around Fountain Square but I can see why people might have a gripe about the crowds. I'm a little claustophobic, I don't think I'd like to be standing in some of those crowds either trying to get something to eat. Beautiful photos though as usual! I think it will be great to move the Taste of Cincinnati and Oktoberfest Zinzinnati down to the new Central Riverfront Park once it is complete. This would allow for both festivals to grow and become a more permanent location. It would also minimize impacts on street closures and what not. Some have said that Oktoberfest would become a week-long event instead of just the weekend gig. Fountain Square and 5th Street are probably better suited for smaller events like Opening Day and random gatherings.
June 3, 200817 yr Wow, look at the people. I love that they are trying to showcase the energy around Fountain Square but I can see why people might have a gripe about the crowds. I'm a little claustophobic, I don't think I'd like to be standing in some of those crowds either trying to get something to eat. Beautiful photos though as usual! Hey man this is a city/urban message board, I live for crowds! In fact, it wasn't crowded enough, I see a few gaps... :)
June 3, 200817 yr I think it worked better up on Central Parkway. It wasn't quite as squished but Cincinnatians do like food and beer.
June 3, 200817 yr They actually had a stage set up at 5th & Race with some more amusement park rides, after I found out that it was the B105 stage for Country music, I parted that crowd like the Red Sea to get away.
June 3, 200817 yr They used to use the big parking lots (SCPA and Kroger Garage) on Central Parkway for stages but it would still seem with the parkway being so much wider it would still be the better location. Or in a year or two when things are more fixed up I'd love to see them move Octoberfest to Over-the-Rhine, close down Elm, Race, and Vine north of Liberty St. with the festival centered around Findlay Market with rides and a stage in its parking lot. It would be a great opportunity to do tours of the breweries, have live music in the abandoned churches, etc.
June 3, 200817 yr They actually had a stage set up at 5th & Race with some more amusement park rides, after I found out that it was the B105 stage for Country music, I parted that crowd like the Red Sea to get away. I'm an urban guy too and love to see so many people downtown but I don't like to feel a strangers sweat on my arm as I eat my sandwich. I guess we're just a different breed, cincyimages, because I would have been camped out right next to the country stage the whole time (unless they had some of those new, pop, corporate filtered crap bands). :)
June 3, 200817 yr It was jam packed, you just had to figure out "the secret" - walk on the sidewalks outside of the main alley and make targetted runs for beer/food. It was way easier to get around than in the thick of it. I stood in one place in a crowd of "front row concert thick" crowd of people, on 5th St west of the square, waiting for things to move for more than 15 minutes (while getting the back of my ankles hit with GINORMOUS strollers every couple of seconds). Compare to walking the sidewalks behind the booths, I walked the whole length of the event in 15 minutes that way.
June 3, 200817 yr (while getting the back of my ankles hit with GINORMOUS strollers every couple of seconds). HA, I am always amused with strollers in crowds like that.
June 3, 200817 yr Nice shots, I went down on Saturday and Sunday. I much preferred the Central Parkway location because there was much more space to walk and eat, and when you were done with Taste you could just walk around downtown and go to Fountain Square or Piatt Park and just let things digest a little.
June 3, 200817 yr Did anyone notice the increase in panhandlers? Damn they were out in full force over Taste weekend. I saw one guy that appeared more groomed than the rest with a cup. It looked like he was there as a joke to see if he could make any money. He looked a little nervous sitting along Vine Street with the rest of them. I should of taken a photo. There was a row of eight of them along Vine between 6th and 7th Street. Also the panhandlers with the (once cute) signs that say, "Why lie, I just want booze or weed". Word of mouth must travel fast with many of these guys throughout the country because everyone is sporting one of these signs now. I guess they still encounter the rogue suburbanite that says, "Well damn at least he is honest..." and gives the guy $5
June 3, 200817 yr Awesomeness! However, I'm burdened that I didn't recieve a call from you ... I wish these were on Yeatman's Cove and Sawyer Point, in a way.
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