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Ohio Halloween trip, 8 of 9
Nov. 3rd, 2023 11:59 pmFRIDAY
I woke up with the alarm at 7:30, then woke Gary at five after eight when I was done in the bathroom. We headed downstairs for breakfast about 8:30 and returned to the room about 9:30, only to find that housekeeping was busy with the adjacent rooms. Gary decided to bring his book to read and I dressed for the pool. I got my first set of laps in by ten and my second set by 10:45. We returned to the room around eleven, after I woke Gary from a nap on the sofa at poolside. We watched news, fooled around, and napped until 1:30, leaving the room for the day just after two.
I drove to the Banks garage and parked near the block of eateries adjacent to the ballpark. We chose the Holy Grail Tavern & Grille immediately opposite the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. I had a Reuben sandwich with Tater Tots, and Gary had a chicken Caesar wrap with chips. After lunch we crossed the street to the museum, which featured an exhibit on women in baseball, as players, managers, team owners, and reporters. We saw a documentary film produced by Western Michigan University with interviews of several women who had played in the All-American Girls' Baseball League as featured in "A League of Their Own". The interviewees reminded me of Gary Jones' sister Joyce who had played softball in her younger years. After that we saw a couple more displays on the first floor, then took an elevator to the third floor where the exhibits continued. About the middle of the third floor was a broadcast booth simulation where we recorded a bit of scripted commentary which was emailed to me afterwards. It turned out nice. From there we entered the Hall of Fame proper, where I observed that Ken Griffey, Jr. had a plaque adjacent to Pete Rose's. The final room displayed the Reds' five World Series championship trophies. We descended the elevator to the team store with a couple minutes to spare, then purchased refrigerator magnets and a yearbook before exiting the store on the dot of five.
From there, after stashing our purchases in the car, we took the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar to the curiously-named Hanke Exchange Station at Main and 12th (named for the historic building across Main). We walked past Goodfellas' Pizzeria en route to the restaurant James had recommended for dinner, Razzo. Unfortunately it was a small place and was already full, and since we didn't have a reservation we didn't know how long the wait would be. At least we got to interact with the hot young cub who was hosting, named Zach. On the way back we decided on Goodfellas' for dinner. The building is a carefully restored space with the baking and counter on the ground floor and a bourbon bar on the upper two stories (a full floor with a ridiculously high ceiling and a loft over part of the floor). Gary had a slice each of cheese and pepperoni pizza, while I had the Hawaiian and broccoli-artichoke slices. We took our food upstairs to the bar area. There was a family at the next table with an adorable baby and a hot cubby dad.
After dinner we walked a couple blocks west to catch the streetcar on the returning side of the loop to save time. The stop was in the median of Central Parkway opposite Kroger headquarters. The Parkway was built over the old Miami and Erie Canal bed, which allowed for subway tunnels to be constructed beneath. The canal, in its day, became known as "the Rhine" by the mostly German immigrants who settled in Cincinnati, which led to the neighborhood north of the Parkway being called Over-the-Rhine to this day. This tradition is also reflected in the name of the model Kroger store across from headquarters: Kroger on the Rhine.
We boarded the streetcar and rode all the way back to the Banks, then walked past the ballpark to the arena, arriving just after 6:30 so the doors were already open. We passed the merchandise booth on the way in, figuring we'd buy what we wanted later. We took our seats and Gary observed there were too many bears present. Two of note were the simply huge dude who passed us in the aisle and the fellow with the Skyline Chili mascot jersey, (the Coneys) with Twister's number F5 on the back. Two young and kind of cute dudes in Cyclones replica jerseys sat directly in front of us. The National Anthem was played by the Indian Hill High School orchestra, who stood by in the section immediately above ours (the upper bowl was otherwise closed and tarped off) so we all turned around to face both the flag and the orchestra. As the players were introduced, Gary and I thought the name Zack Andrusiak sounded familiar, so I looked up his career record and found he'd completed his WHL career with the Everett Silvertips after a short stint with Tri-City and a much longer one with the Seattle Thunderbirds. The game got off to a decent start with an early goal by the Cyclones, but that was quickly answered by two goals by Iowa. The lead kept swinging back and forth. At the first intermission I went in search of Shutout the Hate T-shirts and a puck for Gary, plus a drink for me. At the second intermission, after Chuck a Puck, I got my free refill. Early in the third period, the officials broke up an incipient fight, and the long-haired, thick-bearded dude across the aisle yelled, "They're stopping the hate!" as though that was a disappointment. 😊 At the end of regulation the score was tied at 4 so there was a seven-minute overtime period. About two minutes in, the Cyclones scored a goal to win 5-4.
We left to return to the hotel about 10:30 and I half-watched the 11 PM news with Gary and completed my journal for the day about 12:30, then prepared for bed.
I woke up with the alarm at 7:30, then woke Gary at five after eight when I was done in the bathroom. We headed downstairs for breakfast about 8:30 and returned to the room about 9:30, only to find that housekeeping was busy with the adjacent rooms. Gary decided to bring his book to read and I dressed for the pool. I got my first set of laps in by ten and my second set by 10:45. We returned to the room around eleven, after I woke Gary from a nap on the sofa at poolside. We watched news, fooled around, and napped until 1:30, leaving the room for the day just after two.
I drove to the Banks garage and parked near the block of eateries adjacent to the ballpark. We chose the Holy Grail Tavern & Grille immediately opposite the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. I had a Reuben sandwich with Tater Tots, and Gary had a chicken Caesar wrap with chips. After lunch we crossed the street to the museum, which featured an exhibit on women in baseball, as players, managers, team owners, and reporters. We saw a documentary film produced by Western Michigan University with interviews of several women who had played in the All-American Girls' Baseball League as featured in "A League of Their Own". The interviewees reminded me of Gary Jones' sister Joyce who had played softball in her younger years. After that we saw a couple more displays on the first floor, then took an elevator to the third floor where the exhibits continued. About the middle of the third floor was a broadcast booth simulation where we recorded a bit of scripted commentary which was emailed to me afterwards. It turned out nice. From there we entered the Hall of Fame proper, where I observed that Ken Griffey, Jr. had a plaque adjacent to Pete Rose's. The final room displayed the Reds' five World Series championship trophies. We descended the elevator to the team store with a couple minutes to spare, then purchased refrigerator magnets and a yearbook before exiting the store on the dot of five.
From there, after stashing our purchases in the car, we took the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar to the curiously-named Hanke Exchange Station at Main and 12th (named for the historic building across Main). We walked past Goodfellas' Pizzeria en route to the restaurant James had recommended for dinner, Razzo. Unfortunately it was a small place and was already full, and since we didn't have a reservation we didn't know how long the wait would be. At least we got to interact with the hot young cub who was hosting, named Zach. On the way back we decided on Goodfellas' for dinner. The building is a carefully restored space with the baking and counter on the ground floor and a bourbon bar on the upper two stories (a full floor with a ridiculously high ceiling and a loft over part of the floor). Gary had a slice each of cheese and pepperoni pizza, while I had the Hawaiian and broccoli-artichoke slices. We took our food upstairs to the bar area. There was a family at the next table with an adorable baby and a hot cubby dad.
After dinner we walked a couple blocks west to catch the streetcar on the returning side of the loop to save time. The stop was in the median of Central Parkway opposite Kroger headquarters. The Parkway was built over the old Miami and Erie Canal bed, which allowed for subway tunnels to be constructed beneath. The canal, in its day, became known as "the Rhine" by the mostly German immigrants who settled in Cincinnati, which led to the neighborhood north of the Parkway being called Over-the-Rhine to this day. This tradition is also reflected in the name of the model Kroger store across from headquarters: Kroger on the Rhine.
We boarded the streetcar and rode all the way back to the Banks, then walked past the ballpark to the arena, arriving just after 6:30 so the doors were already open. We passed the merchandise booth on the way in, figuring we'd buy what we wanted later. We took our seats and Gary observed there were too many bears present. Two of note were the simply huge dude who passed us in the aisle and the fellow with the Skyline Chili mascot jersey, (the Coneys) with Twister's number F5 on the back. Two young and kind of cute dudes in Cyclones replica jerseys sat directly in front of us. The National Anthem was played by the Indian Hill High School orchestra, who stood by in the section immediately above ours (the upper bowl was otherwise closed and tarped off) so we all turned around to face both the flag and the orchestra. As the players were introduced, Gary and I thought the name Zack Andrusiak sounded familiar, so I looked up his career record and found he'd completed his WHL career with the Everett Silvertips after a short stint with Tri-City and a much longer one with the Seattle Thunderbirds. The game got off to a decent start with an early goal by the Cyclones, but that was quickly answered by two goals by Iowa. The lead kept swinging back and forth. At the first intermission I went in search of Shutout the Hate T-shirts and a puck for Gary, plus a drink for me. At the second intermission, after Chuck a Puck, I got my free refill. Early in the third period, the officials broke up an incipient fight, and the long-haired, thick-bearded dude across the aisle yelled, "They're stopping the hate!" as though that was a disappointment. 😊 At the end of regulation the score was tied at 4 so there was a seven-minute overtime period. About two minutes in, the Cyclones scored a goal to win 5-4.
We left to return to the hotel about 10:30 and I half-watched the 11 PM news with Gary and completed my journal for the day about 12:30, then prepared for bed.