From the Ruins of the Kingdom, the Boardwalk Rises?

Kentucky Kingdom, better known for the majority of its life as "Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom," hasn't had many guests since it closed its doors in the fall of 2009. Last summer though, I was one of the park's few visitors during its second season of non-operation. Accompanied by my guide Rose, a former park employee who was now working for the group aiming to reopen the park, I got to walk along the midways and tour the rides with the permission of the Kentucky Kingdom Redevelopment Company (KKRC).

Kings Island - August, 1974

I borrowed the following photos from my girlfriend's father who took these during a trip to the park in the summer of 1974. At the time, Kings Island was in its third season after relocating from Coney Island. The Brady Bunch had filmed an episode there the summer before, the Partridge Family the summer before that. The photos show a different time at Kings Island, 38 years in the past. Aside from the 70's nostalgia of the "snapshot" envelope they came in with the film negatives included (Film!? What's that?), they show a Kings Island much different from the one today.

224 Cincy | #5 A Crossing in the Commonwealth

My friend Jake and I were once talking about the Brent Spence Bridge. I remarked to him that it looked "awful." It looks rusty and worn in comparison to the bright colors of the Roebling, Big Mac and People bridges. He said that he liked its appearance, that it made Cincinnati look "tough." In a way he was right. While out pursuing a different angle for 224 Cincy, Ryan Texas Ranger and I came across some infrastructure hidden on a hillside in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a crossing that looked "tough."

224 Cincy | #4 Wrought Iron Sunrise

It's not that I haven't seen or photographed or a sunrise before, it's just that I've never done one around downtown or of the skyline. If I'm ever awake and the sun's coming up, it's usually because I haven't been to sleep yet either due to alcohol or homework.

A New Era Began on Friday.

A few blocks away, the Liberty Street station of the city's subway sits underground quietly. Its tunnels never saw any trains after political posturing and global financial upheaval forced the project to be abandoned. In 1951, the last streetcars ran on the tracks in front of Memorial Hall, where I was standing. These cobblestone flanked rails are the last few that weren't buried under asphalt when rail transit within the city disappeared. Just a few hours earlier though, everything changed. Ground was broken, the new Modern Streetcar project began and a new era in the city has been ushered in.

- An asphalt patch replaced one of the cobblestones that was ceremoniously uplifted for the streetcar groundbreaking earlier in the day.

224 Cincy | #3 Postcard Town

What is a "postcard town?" If you Google the phrase, it's apparently the name of a bunch of really bad indie acoustic songs on YouTube. The term is typically used to describe a town that appears so perfect, it belongs on a postcard. Personally, the first time I heard the phrase was in the 2001 David Spade B-Movie: "Joe Dirt."

224 Cincy | #2 - For Doug

I'm not even sure how to begin describing this photograph. A longer explanation follows, but I don't know where to begin. This photograph is for Doug. With his funeral approaching, it was my personal way of remembering him.

224 Cincy | #1 - Midwestern Fog

It seemed like a scene that would be more commonplace on the lakefront of Chicago or near the bay in San Francisco. In fact, that's what the gentleman who passed me on the street remarked: "I used to live in San Francisco, man and I haven't seen anything like this here!"