Sex and the Cincy

The May 2008 issue of Men's Health listed the "Most Sexually Satisfied Cities"

The top four were:

1. Indianapolis, IN
2. Columbus, OH
3. Ft. Wayne, IN
4. Cincinnati, OH

Rankings were based on things such as condom sales, birth rates, and sales from Babeland and Pure Romance.

Interesting. What is even more interesting is that the top four were all in Central and Western Ohio or Central and Eastern Indiana. Anyway, just found it interesting . . . and wondering if it is true!

Race Street, Downtown

On the way to the gym.

12th & Elm Demolition

CityKin has a photo of the aftermath. Here is what they looked like the day before.

Photo Finsh

After I ran (jogged) the GoOTR 5k, I went and got my camera and took a few photos. Thankfully it didn't rain.



The "Top 5" medals were made by Rookwood. Someone was nice enough to model for me.

Bortz in the background of some Vitality OTR (and local blogger) folks. I didn't see Cranley there.

Don't Rain on my Run

It is looking a little overcast for the GoOTR 5k. It better not rain.

So remember those rumors?

Well, a few more people were talking about one of them. And then today I noticed the doors of the Emery Theatre were painted and the lobby cleaned a bit. Yes, something is happening. I was told Joan Kaup was hired to lead a fundraising campaign and it is quietly underway and people being taken through the space. Not sure if there is a designated user but at least it seems there is some movement!

So how many already knew this? I'm sure it has made the rounds.

Photo from earlapel.net

Weekend Warm-Up: May 30 – June 1

My recommendations for something to do this weekend

Well it is Friday and I am again a day late with the "Weekend Warm-up". Real work and volunteer work are eating in to my blogging! So while I work pretty much all weekend (I will be running in the GoOTR 5k), go out and enjoy yourself! I for one would like to attend Summerfair at Coney Island.

I love this year's poster!

From the website:
The first Summerfair was developed in 1967 to salute the opening of the Playhouse in the Park’s Robert S. Marx Theater. Since then, the Summerfair Fair has become a nationally recognized event featuring more than 400 visual and performing artists. During the last decade, it has consistently been identified as one of the 200 best shows in the United States by Sunshine Artist magazine and has received three Artists’ Choice Awards from the National Association of Independent Artists. Execution of the Festival depends upon the enthusiasm, cooperation and dedication of 400+ volunteers representing 8 counties in Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana.

So if you are going . . .

Hours:

May 30, Friday 2 pm – 8 pm

May 31, Saturday 10 am – 8 pm

June 1, Sunday 10 am – 5 pm

Admission:

Adults: $10.00

Children under 12 free

Parking is free and there will be entertainment and food. Check website for further details.

Other options for the weekend include the Cincy Fringe Festival, Final Friday, and Blue Ash Summerbration. I rarely recommend an event in the 'burbs but I like some of their country music headliners.

Homeward Bound

Survey Says . . .

Best places to experience the architecture of James Keys Wilson in Cincinnati.

Top 6 answers on the board . . .

1. Plum Street Temple (1866)
8th & Plum Streets

Stunning and unique and the reason why it is No. 1.

2. Spring Grove Cemetery including Gatehouse and Office (1863) and Dexter Mausoleum (1869)
4521 Spring Grove Avenue
3. "Scarlett Oaks" – Schoneberger House, Clifton (1870)
440 Lafayette Avenue
4. "Woodburn" – John S. Baker House, East Walnut Hills (1854)
1887 Madison Road
Wilson lived nearby and married in to the Keys family. John Baker was the father-in-law of his wife's brother Samuel, who also lived nearby (and whos house he also designed). Keys Crescent which is nearby takes its name from this family. It is speculated that Wilson adopted his wife's family name for business reasons.

5. The Samuel Allen House, Glendale (1859)
25 West Fountain Avenue
Wilson eventually lived in Glendale and was one of Glendale's incorporators in 1851.

6. 4th Street including Mitchell & Rammelsberg Furniture Co. (1870) - future part of McAlpin’s Department Store & Herschede Building (1857)

James Keys Wilson was born in Cincinnati in 1828. He began his practice in approximately 1848 at the age of 20 upon his return from his training in Philadelphia and New York (under Martin E. Thompson and then James Renwick, Jr., designer of the Smithsonian Castle). From approximately 1851 to 1863 he partnered with William Walter. Walter would go on to partner with William Stewart and they designed many Cincinnati buildings including Mother of God in Covington (1871) and Covenant First Presbyterian (1875). Both James McLaughlin & Charles Crapsey also studied with Wilson before starting their own practices.

After about 1870, Wilson does not appear to have done much work, or at least large commissions. He does serve as the first President of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) from 1870 to 1871 and again from 1872 to 1873. Cincinnati was in fact the 2nd Chapter of the AIA in the nation. A nice article in the "Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians "speculates, for whatever reason, he fell out of favor to architects like Samuel Hannaford and James McLaughlin.

An important work not in Cincinnati by Wilson is the Bethany College Old Main & Commencement Hall (1858 - 1871) in Bethany, West Virgina. It along with Plum Street Temple and Spring Grove Cemetery are National Historic Landmarks. A tremendous accomplishment.
James Keys Wilson died on Oct. 21, 1894 and is buried in Spring Grove – Section 49; Lot 1, Space 6. As far as I can tell, there is no headstone. His daughter is also buried in the family lot and does have a simple marker.

References:
Patton, Glen. James Keys Wilson (1828-1894): Architect of the Gothic Revival in Cincinnati "The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians", Vol. 26, No. 4 (Dec., 1967), pp. 285-293. Clubbe, John. Cincinnati Observed: Architecture & History. Ohio State University Press, Columbus. 1992
Langsam, Walter. Great Houses of the Queen City. Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati. 2002.
Historic images from the Library's Cincinnati Memory Project and the West Virginia Archives & History.

Queen's City Hall

On the Enquirer's Politics Extra Blog, there was the following from Mayor Mallory's recent press briefing:

"The trip last week to Las Vegas for the International Council of Shopping Centers conference should yield some interesting new businesses for The Banks. He wouldn't say which companies he spoke with, exactly, but said they were breweries, restaurants, boutique hotels and bookstores - and that all were interested in being at The Banks now that the project has broken ground."


Great news! Let's hope it pans out.

In the comments someone refers to the Mayor as "Mayor Zero". I don't get it. Kevin at Building Cincinnati asked him to explain himself but to no avail. Cincinnati is on the move and picking up steam. We can leave the ignorant behind. Or they can move. Either way, that kind of attitude of the JDavid's of this world just continue to make me mad.

Fountain Square at Dusk

Fair Weather Fringe

The Cincy Fringe Festival starts today. And frankly, I am not as excited about the 2008 Cincy Fringe Festival as I think I should be. Looking at the line-up, I am not sure what shows to see. None really strike me as ones not to miss. There is one show from a company that presented last year and it, Woof! The Roadshow, was the worst play I had ever seen. I'm staying far, far away from their 2008 production. I'd rather re-live my mother's final days of life as she succumbed to cancer. It would be less painful than that show.

I think I'll be checking the Fringe blog to see what they have to say. They might motivate me and steer me in a positive direction. I'll be checking out those reviews too. They might steer me clear of those real dogs.

DeSales Corner

St. Francis DeSales Church (1879) and School (1877)

San Marco Apartment Building (1893)

Engine Company No. 23 (1888)

YouTube Tuesday

A look at Cincinnati in Video



I'm sure I've seen this before but I thought it would be a nice way to start of this new series at Queen City Survey.

Video from yeahcincy

Mt. Adams Aerial Tramway

Ok, not really. This is the Sandia Peak Tramway just outside Albuquerque, New Mexico. (That is Alburquerque in the distance in the upper left of the photo.) I was there in the Summer of 2007 and the tram was by far the highlight of the trip!

Taste of Cincinnati: Review

So I went to Taste of Cincinnati all three days and each day I decided to try something different and not get the same thing twice . . . other than beer and soda. I will admit I did go to some chain restaurants. Here is the rundown:

Saturday
Behle Street Cafe - Crab Cakes
Indigo - Chipolte Chicken Pasta
Rusty Bucket - Bucket Bites (small burgers)
Max & Erma's - Pretzel Sticks

Sunday
Bella Luna - Grand Ravioli
Andy's Mediterranean Grill - Shish Tawook Chicken
City Barbeque - Pulled Pork Sandwich
Pompilio's - Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Taste of Belgium - Waffle

Monday
Bangkok Bistro - Crab Rangoon
Burbank's - Smoked Fried Catfish Sandwich
Mama Vita's - Italian Sausage Ziti Bake

Most everything I had I thought was pretty good. I particularly liked the crab cakes from Behle Street and the Crab Rangoon from Bankok Bistro. And I've never been to either restaurant. My least favorite was probably the last thing I had, the baked ziti. It just wasn't anything special.

Here is a 37 second video I took today about 1:30 pm. It is nothing special, just trying out the camera. My first YouTube video!

Taste of Cincinnati

Day 3 . . . Early

Over the Rhine Walk

On Saturday I led my first group on the Over the Rhine West Architreks tour. It was a great group and such a nice day for a walk! What many commented on was the detail you get to see walking around that one does not experience driving by at 30 miles per hour.