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bigmacbear) wrote2021-08-21 11:59 pm
bigmacbear) wrote2021-08-21 11:59 pm
Cincinnati Trip, Day Two
SATURDAY, August 21
I heard Gary's alarm go off about quarter to eight, so I turned off mine, got up and dressed. Gary woke up about quarter after nine and agreed we should skip the hotel breakfast and eat at Frisch's instead. I finished unpacking and updated my journal while Gary showered and dressed.
At Frisch's we were served by a petite lady with a thick but pleasant Asian accent. We ordered omelets instead of the breakfast bar, mine a Western with a side of bacon and iced tea, and Gary's a ham and cheese with lemonade. Unusually, there was no need for a signature on the bill, so the waitress asked for the tip amount verbally to enter into the machine when running the card. I had a brief Messenger chat with Zach from Portsmouth during which he mentioned he hadn't decided which day to drive to Cincinnati, but was committed to meeting us before we return to Seattle. My take is it will be nice if it happens, but I won't be crushed if it doesn't.
From the restaurant, Gary plotted a course on Google Maps to the Cincinnati Art Museum in Eden Park. The museum requires masks for all guests to protect the children who cannot be vaccinated. As we approached the museum on Gilbert Avenue, we passed the historic Baldwin piano factory which is now an apartment building. We bought tickets for the special exhibition of art preserved by the Monuments Men depicted in the film of that title, and proceeded directly to that exhibit. 202 of the artworks were ordered to be shipped to Washington D.C. for exhibit at the National Museum. These were eventually, by act of Congress, sent on tour around the country before being returned to Germany in three waves. Chief among the Monuments Men was Walter I. Farmer who hailed from Cincinnati. He led an effort by the Monuments Men to object to the order to ship the art to the USA called the Wiesbaden Manifesto, but it never reached their superior officers. The exhibition space opened onto a balcony overlooking the main entrance, where a Dale Chihuly glass sculpture hangs over the reception desk. From there we made our way around the second floor. Around two I was getting hungry and it must have showed, so I suggested we head downtown for lunch and return to the museum (which is free to visit apart from the special exhibition) later. Fortunately we found the Terrace Cafe inside the museum and had lunch there: Gary had a chicken salad sandwich and I had the Terrace Club, both with fruit and raspberry iced tea. Satisfied, we toured the first floor and took a break in a hallway lounge, where Gary took care of some neighborhood business while I took some pictures of the nearby courtyard. That done, we left the museum and returned to the car.
We drove the short distance past the Krohn Conservatory to the Eden Park Overlook. There was more than one family picnic going on, and occasionally a car with a loud stereo passed by and we bopped along to the beat. We got some pictures and Gary asked if there's a place to get a photo like the opening scene of The Edge of Night. So we decided to skip the Conservatory and plotted a course for Devou Park Overlook.
Because the I-71 ramp to the Brent Spence (I-71/I-75) bridge is closed, we took the Clay Wade Bailey bridge (US 25/42/127) to Covington and followed KY 8 the short distance to the park entrance. When we arrived, the lot closest to the overlook appeared full so we parked in an empty lot atop the hill and walked to a spot on that level. A wedding was going on in the pavilion to our left, and another party just to the right of the overlook, so we stayed up top and got pictures from there.
When we were done, I suggested we return to the Ohio side of the river via the Anderson Ferry. The toll taker/traffic director was a cute young cub. When we landed, it took a few traffic light cycles to get across the train tracks and River Road to ascend the hill into Delhi. I detoured briefly to drive by my childhood home and parish church/school before descending the hill on the other side and returning to River Road. I noticed the old steel viaduct had been replaced with a modern concrete one, with the support pillars painted bright red, and the old Amtrak shed had been demolished. We picked up I-75 north and returned to the hotel without incident.
After briefly checking out the pool, we returned to the room and chilled for a bit, watching the end of the Sounders match at the Columbus Crew (Seattle won, 2-1) and noshing on the snacks we bought last night. Around eight I suggested we look for a place to eat dinner, and Gary suggested Bob Evans' but they had already closed for the night. I suggested Rooster's where Rab used to take Dad when they visited (Colleen later confirmed it's his favorite place). It was pretty busy when we arrived but we only had to wait 15 minutes or so. They had a soccer match from April of the New York Red Bulls vs. NYCFC because the two teams were supposed to play tonight but the match was postponed due to Hurricane Henri. Also there was the Steelers-Lions game which had been blacked out at the hotel and a UFC fight card. After the football game and UFC were done, those screens switched to Cincinnati FC at the New England Revolution and Portland Thorns vs. Lyon (France) in the final match of the Women's International Champions Cup. Gary had a grilled chicken salad and a cup of chili, while I had 10 boneless wings and an order of fried mushrooms. By the time we finished eating, the place had largely cleared out.
Back at the hotel, we had some quality time and watched Portland win the Champions Cup with a 1-0 match over Lyon. I caught up with Colleen and made arrangements to meet James and Shib for dinner on Tuesday. I journaled and prepared for bed, where we watched ESPN till one AM or thereabouts.
I heard Gary's alarm go off about quarter to eight, so I turned off mine, got up and dressed. Gary woke up about quarter after nine and agreed we should skip the hotel breakfast and eat at Frisch's instead. I finished unpacking and updated my journal while Gary showered and dressed.
At Frisch's we were served by a petite lady with a thick but pleasant Asian accent. We ordered omelets instead of the breakfast bar, mine a Western with a side of bacon and iced tea, and Gary's a ham and cheese with lemonade. Unusually, there was no need for a signature on the bill, so the waitress asked for the tip amount verbally to enter into the machine when running the card. I had a brief Messenger chat with Zach from Portsmouth during which he mentioned he hadn't decided which day to drive to Cincinnati, but was committed to meeting us before we return to Seattle. My take is it will be nice if it happens, but I won't be crushed if it doesn't.
From the restaurant, Gary plotted a course on Google Maps to the Cincinnati Art Museum in Eden Park. The museum requires masks for all guests to protect the children who cannot be vaccinated. As we approached the museum on Gilbert Avenue, we passed the historic Baldwin piano factory which is now an apartment building. We bought tickets for the special exhibition of art preserved by the Monuments Men depicted in the film of that title, and proceeded directly to that exhibit. 202 of the artworks were ordered to be shipped to Washington D.C. for exhibit at the National Museum. These were eventually, by act of Congress, sent on tour around the country before being returned to Germany in three waves. Chief among the Monuments Men was Walter I. Farmer who hailed from Cincinnati. He led an effort by the Monuments Men to object to the order to ship the art to the USA called the Wiesbaden Manifesto, but it never reached their superior officers. The exhibition space opened onto a balcony overlooking the main entrance, where a Dale Chihuly glass sculpture hangs over the reception desk. From there we made our way around the second floor. Around two I was getting hungry and it must have showed, so I suggested we head downtown for lunch and return to the museum (which is free to visit apart from the special exhibition) later. Fortunately we found the Terrace Cafe inside the museum and had lunch there: Gary had a chicken salad sandwich and I had the Terrace Club, both with fruit and raspberry iced tea. Satisfied, we toured the first floor and took a break in a hallway lounge, where Gary took care of some neighborhood business while I took some pictures of the nearby courtyard. That done, we left the museum and returned to the car.
We drove the short distance past the Krohn Conservatory to the Eden Park Overlook. There was more than one family picnic going on, and occasionally a car with a loud stereo passed by and we bopped along to the beat. We got some pictures and Gary asked if there's a place to get a photo like the opening scene of The Edge of Night. So we decided to skip the Conservatory and plotted a course for Devou Park Overlook.
Because the I-71 ramp to the Brent Spence (I-71/I-75) bridge is closed, we took the Clay Wade Bailey bridge (US 25/42/127) to Covington and followed KY 8 the short distance to the park entrance. When we arrived, the lot closest to the overlook appeared full so we parked in an empty lot atop the hill and walked to a spot on that level. A wedding was going on in the pavilion to our left, and another party just to the right of the overlook, so we stayed up top and got pictures from there.
When we were done, I suggested we return to the Ohio side of the river via the Anderson Ferry. The toll taker/traffic director was a cute young cub. When we landed, it took a few traffic light cycles to get across the train tracks and River Road to ascend the hill into Delhi. I detoured briefly to drive by my childhood home and parish church/school before descending the hill on the other side and returning to River Road. I noticed the old steel viaduct had been replaced with a modern concrete one, with the support pillars painted bright red, and the old Amtrak shed had been demolished. We picked up I-75 north and returned to the hotel without incident.
After briefly checking out the pool, we returned to the room and chilled for a bit, watching the end of the Sounders match at the Columbus Crew (Seattle won, 2-1) and noshing on the snacks we bought last night. Around eight I suggested we look for a place to eat dinner, and Gary suggested Bob Evans' but they had already closed for the night. I suggested Rooster's where Rab used to take Dad when they visited (Colleen later confirmed it's his favorite place). It was pretty busy when we arrived but we only had to wait 15 minutes or so. They had a soccer match from April of the New York Red Bulls vs. NYCFC because the two teams were supposed to play tonight but the match was postponed due to Hurricane Henri. Also there was the Steelers-Lions game which had been blacked out at the hotel and a UFC fight card. After the football game and UFC were done, those screens switched to Cincinnati FC at the New England Revolution and Portland Thorns vs. Lyon (France) in the final match of the Women's International Champions Cup. Gary had a grilled chicken salad and a cup of chili, while I had 10 boneless wings and an order of fried mushrooms. By the time we finished eating, the place had largely cleared out.
Back at the hotel, we had some quality time and watched Portland win the Champions Cup with a 1-0 match over Lyon. I caught up with Colleen and made arrangements to meet James and Shib for dinner on Tuesday. I journaled and prepared for bed, where we watched ESPN till one AM or thereabouts.