Music Hall's Bridge and The Neighborhood That Never Was

The elevated pathway from a parking garage directly into the back of Music Hall was once a lifeline for patrons. Now though, that bridge is dying and along with it: the notion of old “urban renewal” projects. Yet, despite a renaissance for both the historic building and surrounding area, many want to keep what others see as a barrier between pedestrians and the city around them.

In Memory of Ed Moss

There's this quaint little Jazz club in northern OTR where the walls are lined with oriental rugs to keep the sound inside. It's a peculiar building, jutting out at the intersections of Vine St. and W. McMicken Ave. One price gets you a delicious buffet of hot, home-made food and all the music you can handle as Ed Moss and his Society Jazz Orchestra play with any guests who stop by for the night.

Today, Cincinnati Gets a Streetcar

I wasn't born yet when Cincinnati started constructing its underground subway system and then subsequently abandoned the project. Nor was I alive when the last streetcar ran in 1951.

I don't really remember "Metro Moves" in 2002, it was hardly the talk of thirteen-year-olds.

I do remember the first time I read about the proposed streetcar project in 2007. I followed it. I believed in it.

I did what I could to help fend off the first anti-streetcar ballot initiative. And then the second.

I called in to, then countered, a radio host who said the route went through an area of town that was too dangerous.

I remember when they displayed a modern streetcar bound for Portland, Oregon at Fountain Square.

I attended a City Council meeting on my 21st birthday in 2010, celebrating with a beer and transit advocate friends after a successful vote.

I've seen the subways, I've learned their history.

I've spent years watching cities like Portland and Seattle embrace mass transit and move forward.

I've spent years hearing "...yeah, but that couldn't work here."

I joined with thousands of tireless advocates over the years to promote why this is such a transformative project for the city we love.

Today, Cincinnati gets a streetcar. Today, Cincinnati welcomes back rail transit. Today, Cincinnati takes a giant leap forward on the path to something bigger.

At 10:30 A.M. in Washington Park, WE get to see that historic moment.

July & August 2016

Photographs from the months of July/August of 2016 that don't necessarily have a place in a larger article or story. Images made with a Canon 60D, Canon 7DMKII, or iPhone 6.