Queen City Discovery

Nuclear Cowboyz and Nuclear Stripperz

2012-01-29T13:22:00.000-08:00

The word "nuclear" has powerful meaning. From the Cold War days when atomic weapons threatened the annihilation of our planet, to creating energy in power plants at places like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, to the time when President George W. Bush mispronounced the word. Then you have the word "cowboy." Cowboy evokes the image of reckless, rowdy Hollywood heroes like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Want to make it more extreme? Throw proper spelling and grammar to the wind and add a "z" on the end. Combine the title with pyrotechnics, an arena from the mid 70's and some motorcycles - what do you get? "The Nuclear Cowboyz."

I'm no moto-cross fan. I have no idea how to ride a motorcycle and had seen this "Nuclear Cowboyz" thing advertised on t.v. It didn't really interest me until the local blogging legend known as 5chw4r7z offered me a ticket to go with him. He had a good point, it would be a challenge to photograph and could be fun to watch.

The challenge would be two-fold: 1) Awful lighting and having to shoot at a really high ISO. 2) US Bank Arena doesn't permit "professional" cameras with detachable lenses (and for good reason to! Not like anyone can take video with a cell phone these days). So you gotta get the DSLR in, then you have to try and make some decent photographs with it. Getting it in was fine, no one hassled me or noticed the lens tucked under my coat. Decent photographs? Not as easy as crossing the arena border with a contraband camera. So with that in mind, please understand that these are not the best photographs in the world.

Anyways, I was looking forward to hanging out with 5chw4r7z again and to see what this event had in store for us. I cleaned up my desk at work, grabbed my camera and hopped in the car. Something was going on at the convention center and nearby on street parking was sparse. I sucked it up and offered the iPod listening parking attendant $10 in exchange to house my car in one of the city's many 1960's era garages.

I met 5chw4r7z on the street and he showed me the new lensbaby he got for his camera. Bob is not only a good guy, but he's a good photographer. If you don't read his blog, you need to check it out. He's got a great eye and posts some cool stuff.

We made our way to the Riverfront Coliseum/The Crown/Firstar Center/US Bank Arena, passing the old coliseum guide signs.

If you haven't been to the arena in awhile, its gotten some improvements. While it would be considered "antiquated" by "modern" arena standards, it can still host the Chili Peppers - one of the greatest bands of all time.

The scoreboard has been fixed, no more rear projection. They installed some LED Ribbon boards and painted the walls. The bathrooms are still incredibly disgusting, but at least there's some cross advertising with businesses at The Banks:

- Johnny Rockets at The Banks apparently offers BFFR, SPTRTTS and F00D.

The biggest improvement to the aging arena though: HUDEPOHL AMBER LAGER on TAP! One of the greatest local beers was a nice surprise to find... too bad I didn't see it until after I paid $6.50 for a PBR. Beers and cameras in hand, we waited for the show to start.

I didn't know what to expect. I assumed it was some kind of moto-cross competition. In a way it was, but there was an elaborate storyline that begins with dancing girls who we'll call the "Nuclear Stripperz."

The girls dance and two different teams of motorcycle riders come out. A narrator explains that "the great war has come and gone" and apparently during the night when it's too dark for humanity to re-build the cities - two motorcycle gangs race in some kind of futuristic version of the musical "Grease."

Yep.

Pyrotechnics explode and some awful dub-step music plays insanely loud while these guys jump over things on their motorcycles. It's extremely impressive when these guys jump. What they do is insane.

So while these two motorcycle gangs duke it out, a third party comes in and screws it all up. The narrator explains that an evil computer hacker known as "The Tempest" has built a cyborg army intent on enslaving the rest of humanity. A scantily clad woman comes out riding on a chariot of machine guns while her robot army performs a synchronized dance. Apparently that woman is the evil "computer hacker."

- Shit is about to get real as the cyborg army commanded by this lady descend on the arena floor.

- Cool story, bro.

So apparently the world got involved in a big war. What was left of humanity was attempting to re-build while these motorcycle guys goofed around at night. After the bombs fell and the radiation cleared, men had to ride motorcycles while any surviving women had to dance around during these races. The computer hacker wants to enslave the few people left and creates dancing robots to help her do so. The two motorcycle gangs have to come together, but they refuse an alliance which allows "The Tempest" to gain the upper hand.

- Not only did she program these robots to dance, she programmed them to use lazer guns and ride motorcycles.

Just when 5chw4r7z and I had become emotionally invested in the story and worried if the humans could pull through, they cut to an intermission. The arena staff wheels out giant fans to try and suck all the fog out while we await the outcome of this perilous plight.

The lights drop and our evening at the theatre resumes. The two motorcycle gang leaders are the only humans left on earth who didn't get enslaved by robots. And as an aside, they never really explained why the robots wanted to enslave the humans, what the hell were they going to build? Maybe a better arena?

- "Dude, we're the only two left. Wanna put aside our differences and work towards a common goal?"

The leaders put aside their mutual hate for one another and begin to battle the robots while freeing their friends.

Not be outdone, the "Tempest" calls upon her lazer beams to try and defeat the good guys. A 20 minute montage of techno music, lazers and motorcycle jumping ensues.

- The lazers threatened to cut through the tin roof of the US Bank Arena.

*SPOILER ALERT* Stop reading unless you want to know what happens at the end of the show.

Last warning.

Ok, you sure you wanna know? I bet you can't guess what happened!

Good guys win.

The two rival gangs come together to form "The Nuclear Cowboyz" and celebrate with another twenty minutes of jumping, lazers and techno. The Nuclear Stripperz dance around. There's some more fireworks and then the end.

The kids in the audience were going nuts. The motorcycle stunts were cool and I like to think that the cheesy sci-fi storyline was a modern allegory reminding us of lessons we learned in the Cold War. See, the United States and Russia were once like two rival motorcycle gangs... screw it, not worth rationalizing.

Regardless, while it was more geared towards kids, that show was a blast and I thank 5chw4r7z for taking me.

We left the arena, relived that humanity had triumphed and snapped some photos around downtown.

- The one, the only Bob 5chw4r7z.

224 Views of Cincinnati

2012-01-26T03:11:00.000-08:00

Cincinnati is the center of the "Tri-State." It's the urban nucleus from which a multi-state metropolitan area of two million residents was born. The economic, cultural and geographic center of the region is defined by its iconic Midwestern skyline.

- Cincinnati Postcard as seen on CincinnatiViews.net

As a major league city, Cincinnat's skyline has been featured prominently in popular culture throughout the nation. It's used to establish a sense of place during broadcasts of Reds and Bengals games and has appeared on numerous television shows. While not as recognizable as New York City and Chicago on the intros of "Friends" and "Family Matters" respectively, Cincinnati did make an appearance on the title screens for "The Edge of Night" and "WKRP in Cincinnati" - two extremely popular shows in their time.

The sight of the Cincinnati skyline has been a profound landmark for over two centuries. From those traveling on steamboats down the Ohio River when Cincinnati was dubbed the "Queen City of The West," to the first glimpse of freedom that numerous runaway slaves saw before the defeat of the Confederacy in the Civil War. It's in the rear view mirrors of suburban commuters when they drive home for the day and a sight for sore eyes when Cincinnatians return through the "Cut in the Hill."

- "Traffic or not, I LOVE coming through the cut in the hill looking down on the city after being away." Caption and photograph from my friend Nick Roedl, posted to Facebook December 2010.
It features beautiful and diverse architecture ranging from Hellenic to Art Deco to Brutalist and Modern. It's flanked by highways, the river, neighborhoods and the seven hills. For me, I grew up seeing a transitional time in the skyline's development. From the mid 90's view a foreground dominated by the old Riverfront Stadium to the stadium's implosion and the rise of "The Banks," as well as a new skyscraper that I witnessed and documented first hand. Since the invention of the earliest cameras, the skyline of Cincinnati has been photographed constantly. A search on Flickr yields 7,000 photographs alone.

So why 224 views of something that has been photographed time and time again?

For exactly the same reasons of the skyline's recognition above. Since starting Queen City Discovery in 2007, I've gone through fluctuations of photography. I shoot consistently for awhile, get really passionate and then get distracted or frsutrated. I wanted to embark on something new, a fresh piece of work that would challenge me and keep me shooting regularly. One of the key focuses' of this website has been Urban Exploration a.k.a. the photographic documentation of abandoned buildings. Since 2006, URBEX has been my main photographic focus. I'm not done with the subject matter by any means, but it's time to broaden my scope and try something new. How can photographing something that's been shot a thousand times over be new you ask? That's the challenge. I'm going to find new, interesting and unique ways to show Cincinnati's skyline and I'm going to do it 224 times over within the year. None of the photos featured will be one's I've already featured, although they may be updated versions of those frames. I plan to take a new look at the standard "touristy" views and show some that have possibly never been documented before. Overall, I hope for the project to show how and why the Cincinnati Skyline is such an icon in its own right.

- Cincinnati 1974. Contributed by my buddy JD.
Why 224? One of the key inspirations for this project comes from work done by Matthew Albritton, a photography professor who I've studied under at NKU. His work, entitled "36 Views of Mt. Adams" is based off "36 Views of Mt. Fuji" by 19th century artist Katsushika Hokusai. Inspired by this, I wanted to create a series. With the skyline subject matter in mind, I just needed a number. After scouring the internet, I couldn't find any series similar to what I was about to do (i.e. Taking a 10 views of Chicago and making it 10 views of Cincinnati), so I needed a number to go with. 224 is the age of the city and to create a series of 224 well composed and executed photographs that I was happy with would be a challenge to do within a year. Thus, Two Hundred and Twenty Four Views of Cincinnati is born.

Thanks for reading, thanks for viewing and I hope you enjoy this new photographic adventure.

The project will be an extension of QC/D. New photos in the series will be featured as blog posts in addition to other QC/D content and you can keep checking back to this page for updates and an interactive map that will be added to show where all the photographs were taken.

Who Was That Masked Man Anyways?

2012-01-19T23:10:00.000-08:00

Any good story has a good beginning, an intro that hooks the reader. As I write this on the border of 3 A.M, I don't really have a "hook." I don't really have an angle. When I looked through the batch of photos I was about to post here, I realized that they made no cohesive sense. They don't really relate to each other in any particular way and I forgot to add three that I really liked. I'd go back and add them, but it'll be three past midnight in less than five minutes so I'll convince myself I never really liked the photographs in the first place and it'll become a non-issue in the morning when I'm waiting for my car to defrost or as I watch the news in the elevator.

For the past four years, I've been trying to rationalize why I started this website or what its theme and focus is. Sometimes it's history, sometimes it's about adventures in recreational trespassing and on occasion I throw in some political diatribe amongst a plethora of other things. Over the year, its been influenced by a lot. Queen City Discovery is a collection of photographs I've take in life and shared. When I go back and read things from the first days, I often think: "Wow, what a douchebag (just as I'll probably think when I re-read this post in a few years)." There's a difference between something like QC/D and a high school Xanga site though - to me, this site actually means something. I like sharing these photographs, I like to think that someone out there appreciates them in the same way I do and that maybe one day some reader will realize there was someone who felt the same way they do whether it be about photography or life.

I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining, I'm not. I enjoy photography, I enjoy writing and I enjoy making this site. However, please realize that the content of a still photograph and the reason why it was made can often be more meaningful for some people than the words they speak or write. The 32 photographs contained here; the first post in months, the first post of 2012 - aren't pulitzer prize winning material or examples of high art. Just what I felt like sharing.

So with that "hook" established, it's time to start where the story of how I got to this point in 2012 begins... in Indianapolis:

- The abandoned Bush Stadium in Indianapolis.

I'm in Indianapolis, standing in the parking lot of an abandoned baseball stadium. It's a place I photographed and featured here before. Ryan Texas Ranger and I had just left a WWE Raw event (we all have our guilty pleasures, don't hate). My summer is almost over. Why do I still have summers? Because I'm still in school. I thought it would be tough seeing all these people around me graduate college at the time I was supposed to. Life changes though and I didn't really care that a lot of them were graduating. All I knew was that I had bills to pay and more class coming up. I didn't shoot many photographs over the summer, at least not many that weren't at work. I regret that, I really do. With another school semester coming up, I vowed to shoot more - update the site more - write more.

I didn't.

I tried, but I didn't really.

I drove out to the airport overlook one night and tried shooting some photos out there.

But nothing really came of it. With my seasonal job coming to a close, some friends and I decided to go to Chicago like we had last year. A year ago, that trip provided some major inspiration for me. I figured it was a good idea to go again.

It was. I had a great time as we experienced the "occupy" movements in both Gary, IN and Chicago, IL.

This time though, things were different. We stayed at an actual nice hotel that didn't have cops in the parking lot and passed on the observation deck of the Hancock Tower for the nice, sit down restaurant up there.

At Navy Pier, we rode the ferris wheel with the faded MacDonalds logos. It's on a tourist trap pier and nowhere near as exciting as the 14 year old me in my memory made it out to be.

As my friends shopped on the Magnificent Mile, I walked around clandestinely taking street photographs ala Garry Winnogrand.

The Chicago trip was a good time. $11 Long Island Iced Teas at the hotel bar, ferris wheels and rooftop restaurants though aren't as fun as beers at the sketchy motel 6, Red Line rides and observation decks like the year before. I felt a re-newed sense of person in my photography, a direction I wanted to go in. The stuff I shot for school or freelance jobs was uninspiring, purely mechanical and often hastily bullshitted in order to complete an assignment on time. Between work and school assignemnts, I hardly got out to photograph unique things like UAW Hall Amateur wrestling.

Time goes on though. One seasonal job ended and I started working at a bread specialty restaurant in Kenwood. Co-Workers were fantastic, customers not so much. Some would say stereotypes exist for a reason and you'd be more apt to believe that logic as well if you worked at a restaurant in Kenwood. Not saying everyone in Kenwood is a jerk, but to the nice folks: your neighbors aren't doing your reputation any favors. Nor is your abandoned suburban skyscraper:

I eventually had a break through from the stagnation of my life that had become working through the weekends, lots of beer on sunday evenings and waking up in the afternoon on Mondays. I had moved out of my house about a year ago, but just recently the rest of my immediately family left.

I wrote a book about it.

And chronicled how it had gone from being my home to an abandoned building...

How an Abandoned Zoo Made it to the Silver Screen

2011-09-30T04:36:00.000-07:00

- A desolate, dystopian looking Silverdome in Pontiac, MI as seen in the trailer for "Real Steel."

On October 7, "Real Steel" will hit theaters. Set in the "near future," the film stars that guy who played "Wolverine" in X-Men as a former boxer who now plays major league Rock'em Sock'em Robots in Detroit. That's what I gathered from the trailer and Wikipedia anyways. Here's a more accurate synopsis:

"Robots have replaced humans in boxing. Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) loses a chance to become a boxing champion when robots take over, and he becomes a small-time promoter. When he has difficulty making a living, he reluctantly teams up with his son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build a robot that can contend for the championship."

- The Detroit People Mover at least gets some new trains in the "near future."

If you ask me (and let's be honest, you didn't, but you're reading this anyways), the premise of the movie sounds awful and the trailer makes it seem every bit as cliche, dull and predictable as the plot description does. I couldn't have cared less, until I caught a glimpse of the trailer the other night while watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Filmed on location in Detroit, Michigan, the film features many Motor City landmarks including one that not many people know about or get to see these days. Check out the trailer here.

- Detroit's Cobo Arena as seen in the trailer for "Real Steel." The place where Nancy Kerrigan got attacked is now a robot fight club.

The trailer screams Detroit. From views of the Silverdome (where 93,000 people once watched Hulk Hogan defeat Andre the Giant) to that of the Renaissance Center and the People Mover to the Eminem track that plays as the background music. In it, there's a place that many viewers will see, but few will recognize - The abandoned Belle Island Children's Zoo aka Safariland.

You get your first glimpse of it when you see "Wolverine," his kid and their robot walking out to a fight:

They then apparently meet this guy who starts the matches by ringing the bell and wishing he wasn't 26 years too late to audition for Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome:

Two robots square off. Remember, the premise of this movie is that no one cares anymore about human boxing. It's all about robot boxing. Yes, robots. Yes, this is a real movie:

Wolverine and his kid watch as their robot fights another robot. Lots of people watch from the catwalks and under the thatched roof of a nearby building:

A wide shot gives a better view of the whole scene and when I saw that brief glimpse, I knew what the place was:

I had been there two years ago - The Belle Isle Children's Zoo.

Belle Isle is a 982 acre park in the Detroit River just across from downtown. The Detroit Zoo opened there in 1910, but moved to a bigger location in 1956 (the same year that Richard Matheson wrote a short story called "steel," which "Real Steel" is based off of). The Belle Isle location was left as a small Children's Zoo and in 1980 was renovated and re-branded as "Safariland," which is when it received the thatched roofs and catwalk structures seen above. By 2002, financial difficulties forced the zoo's closure. In 2004 a local bond issue was passed to fund its reopening. Instead, then-mayor Kwame Kilpatrick used the money to build a new zoo literally right next door. His good friend got the contract, the new zoo only displays deer. Kilpatrick eventually resigned before becoming a convicted felon for a number of scandals and the Belle Isle Zoo remained abandoned.

Above: Robots fight in the trailer for "Real Steel"
Below: The same area seen a few years earlier.

Back in 2009, some friends and I made a trip to Detroit. Seicer, Dr. Venkman and myself met up with our pal Al Duce, who runs DetroitUrbex.com; a guide to Detroit's abandoned ruins. The zoo was the last place we visited on our two day tour of the abandoned Motor City. Belle Isle is a beautiful park. Despite the abandoned zoo, aquarium, golf course and yacht club, the park is crowded with people on summer days (Belle Isle at night is another subject though). The day we arrived, the park was packed wtih picnics and people walking the beach. We hiked through the moquito filled woods and heat to find our way into the zoo, which was a solitary and serene setting hidden from the view of the typical parkgoer by the trees.

Above: Wolverine and his kid walk to their robot fight under the Belle Isle catwalks.
Below: The Belle Isle catwalks as photographed in 2009.

The zoo is almost an island within the island itself. The faux Safari evoking structures echo the "Dharma Initiative" from the television show "Lost." My fear of snakes that hot summer day didn't bother me too much as the mosquitos kept me moving too fast to look down for any serpent threats. You can't hear the nearby sounds of downtown Detroit, or the people in the park for that matter. The zoo is a different world.

We walked past the collapsed gates that once held barbed wire high above the animal paddocks and walked out into overgown fields that resembled the African Sahara.

We climbed up onto the catwalks that once allowed visitors to overlook the roaming animals and that would one day hold some extras in a movie who would watch "the dude who played Wolverine" battle with some CGI robots.

In the center of the zoo is the largest structure. It holds numerous areas for sitting and relaxing as well as restrooms and a visitor center. In "Real Steel," this is the building that serves as the backdrop for the abandoned zoo robot fight. When we were there in 2009, the visitor center still had power. The air conditioning was on full blast and the lights still worked despite the place having been vandalized to hell.

- The visitor center.

The place seemed more fitting a setting for "Jurassic Park" than some movie about fighting robots. The animals and visitors were gone, the quiet of the zoo was interupted only by the sounds of the wooden catwalk creaking beneath our footsteps and the shutters of our cameras.

- The remains of one of the animal paddocks.

When it came time to leave, we opted out of the mosquito infested backwoods and chose to exit just as the zoo's guests had at one point: literally through the exit. We cut through some brush and under one of the thatched buildings, pushing our way through the rusted turnstyles and out back onto Belle Isle.

- The exit.

DreamWorks spent $80 Million to make a film based on Richard Matheson's short story and already has plans for a sequel. The movie comes out a week from today. It looks awful. I won't lie though, I'll probably go see it just to see the scenes filmed at the zoo.

As for the future of the abandoned Belle Isle Children's Zoo: its only visitors these days are curious photographers and the occasional hollywood film crew. Slowly, the wooden structures are rotting and the overgrowth of nature is taking back the zoo in the name of Belle Isle. The memories of past visitors, both zoo guests and trespassers, are what the zoo itself has become - a memory of different times in Detroit.

- Detroit as viewed from the shore of Belle Isle.

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Previous Update :: September 23, 2011 - "Jumping the Shark"

Jumping the Shark.

2011-09-23T04:47:00.000-07:00

"Losing sight of a pasttime
The years fly right by with the drinks"

- Van Buren Street Station 10:45 A.M.

I'd been to Chicago four times previously. The first time on a family trip. Then it was with my 8th grade class. Some years later I got there, made it to the hotel, started drinking and stumbled onto the train to go listen to The Lawrence Arms play songs like the one quoted above and for which this post is named after. The fourth time: - an impulse with little money and a desire to take a vacation.

This most recent time, it was to see baseball and spend time with my dad, uncle and cousin. When you're on a vacation with family it makes it harder to see the things you want to see, to break away and go exploring. Not that I don't enjoy spending time with my family, I did and I love them dearly, but it's hard to make the photographs you want when you're stuck at all the usual tourist spots - just another human amongst the other DSLR wielding yuppies with their generic camera straps crowding in front of the Cloud Gate.

I knew I'd come back to Cincinnati, edit the photographs and post them on my website. They're pictures of Chicago and they're details of my trip. I don't want to make it seem as if this website has become a place to showcase my vacation photographs and tell the same story that a thousand other tourists are telling their friends - "Jumping the Shark" so to speak. The hobby of photography and writing becoming nothing more than a teenage girl's "Mertle Beach 2006" album on facebook if you catch my drift. I don't want to be a tourist. I don't want to view Chicago as some foreign entity. It's not Calcutta, it's not Paris and it's not a world away. It's an American city, I like to think I understand the city and how I want to photograph and portray it, that I can see past the "magnificent mile" and souveneir shops. I want to think that my photographs are somehow unique amongst the endless sea of the usual generic tourist captures and that this website and the content it offers hasn't "jumped the shark" into typical internet photographic mediocrity as if I'm "losing sight of a pasttime."

- Pantograph atop a train at the Van Buren Station.

- The Jay Pritzger Pavillion

We came in on a Friday afternoon and unloaded our bags at a hotel whose interior looked like that of the one from Ghostbusters. The first stop was to get something to eat. A Chicago Style Hot Dog made for a wonderful dinner and a nice change of pace from the small coneys offered by Skyline Chili back home.

We had planned to go to the Chicago Fire game that night. In the past, I've done nothing but rag on Major League Soccer. That opinion changed though when I went to a Columbus Crew game earlier this year. That night, The Fire reinforced to me why I was wrong about soccer.

Some rules of the sport certainly could change in order to make the game more interesting, but the rowdy fans setting off smoke bombs and chanting the entire match make it totally worth it.

- Fans in "Section 8" set off smoke bombs after the Fire score a goal.

On the way back to the hotel we passed a 7/11. I always forget that those exist. Coming from a city dominated by United Dairy Farmers and Circle K, the 7/11 exists only in your mind as a place on television. In desperate need of the nourishment provided by Liption's Raspberry Iced Tea, I convinced my dad to follow me in my first visit to a 7/11. The stereotypically Indian clerk at the counter glared at me as I photographed the interior of the majestic, never before experienced convenience store.

- The first 7/11 I ever stepped foot in.

The next day we had plans for a double header: Cubs @ Wrigley and White Sox @ New Comiskey (U.S. Cellular Field).

- A non-traditional way of making a non-traditional postcard.

- Roosevelt University building.

We hopped on the Red Line headed for Addison.

- Red Line warnings.

- Red Line Escalator Signs.

I was breaking a promise to myself. In multiple tirades of (usually alcohol induced) Redlegs pride, I had vowed to never step foot in Wrigley Field. I had encountered enough rude and snobby Cubs fans in my life to never care to visit the "friendly confines." As a baseball fan though, I was told it was something I had to do.

- Wrigley Field.

We went to a sports bar called "Sluggers," where we sampled Old Style beer and took in a painting of Mike Ditka on the wall.

- A can of Old Style, the Hudepohl of Chicago.

- "Sluggers."

- A portrait of the mighty Mike Ditka.

From vendors on the crowded street my cousin bought a "Pujols mows my lawn" t-shirt while I bought a Cubs t-shirt cleverly disguised as a Pabst Blue Ribbon logo. We entered into the crowded stadium and took our seats. The Cubs were playing the Cardinals - it was kind of like watching the Germans fight the Russians during World War II, you don't really like either side.

- Wrigley Concourse.

Wrigley was worth seeing though and I'm glad I experienced it. It's certainly the "thing" that gets people to go to Cubs games. It's a scene, it's a sight to see - the activity on the field sure as hell isn't nor has it been in a long time.

The bathrooms had been re-modeled and weren't that bad. The stadium has character, I'll give it that, but it almost seems like more of a "scene" than a baseball game. People crowd the upper deck patios in their pink Cubs shirts where the game can't even be viewed and you can check in on Facebook that YOU were there.

- Wrigley concessions.

The majority of the game was boring. I realize the scoreboard is traditional, but seriously some modern upgrades wouldn't kill the Cubs organization. 90% of the scoreboard is wasted on out-of-town scores that just have "Nite (not spelled right) Game" written across them.

- The "skyyline" of Chicago as viewed from Wrigley.

The game was pretty uneventful except for the roar of the USAF Thunderbirds who flew overhead for the air show up by the lake. The Cubs eeked it out though and the crowd sang some goofy "fight" song to the chagrin of the departing Cardinals fans. I've met some nasty Cub fans in my life, but the folks from St. Louis aren't really doing themselves any favors. No matter how nasty things get between Cubs and Reds fans - we will always have a mutual hatred for the Red Birds.

- Red Line trains crossing paths.

We fought our way to the top of the Adisson station platform, like we were queing for a ride at an amusement park. It didn't help that it was rush hour. Eventually we made our way onto the train and rode it to the next baseball game - Rangers at White Sox.

- Bikes at the 35th St. Station.

New Comiskey Park (truthfully known as U.S. Cellular Field), is a different world from Wrigley. It's a newer facility, built in the early 90's and renovated in the early 2000's. A game there isn't a "scene" or an "event," and truthfully it's not much different than attending a game at Great American Ballpark. I prefer it to Wrigley though. Not just because I'm a Reds fan with a bias against the Cubs, but because I could actually sit comfortably and read stats on the scoreboard - a scoreboard that is the greatest in baseball.

- New Comiskey.

- Chicago as seen through the grating of Comiskey's upper deck.

- The greatest scoreboard in all of baseball.

The multi-colored "spinning" lights atop the New Comiskey scoreboard are a retro throwback to the ones that were atop the original Comiskey scoreboard. Looking through my dad's baseball books as a kid, I thought they were the coolest thing and still hold true to that belief today.

- Downtown Chicago as seen from Comiskey.

The White Sox were not as lucky as the Natioal League team to the North, Josh Hamilton and the Rangers shut them down. We boarded the Red Line again and headed back to our downtown hotel. The rest of my family decided to get some rest. I went back to the 7/11 to experience it again and took the camera with me. I had to do some exploring, I had to get away for a bit and see the city.

- Hotel elevator.

I love the John Hancock Building so naturally it was the first place I went. On all the trips I've taken to Chicago as an adult, I've woud up at the Chicago Ave. Red Line station. I got off there, walking past the MacDonalds I had been recovering from a hangover at two years prior. I stood outside the Hancock Building, pointed the camera up and started shooting photos. Despite being accused of photographing people who were coming out of the buildig by a drunken girl and her boyfriend, my hapiness of standing at the base of that buildig couldn't be crushed. I simply said "don't flatter yourself" to the pair who thought I had photographed them and remembered the iconic structure and how it appeared on the intro to Family Matters.

- Hancock Tower.

- The Chicago MacDonalds I always end up at.

Riding the train back, I walked over to Grant Park before going back to the hotel. I took some shots of the Van Buren Station while a homeless man slept on the bench next to me.

- Van Buren Station 1:37 A.M.

We left the next morning as the rain started to fall.

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Previous Update :: September 7, 2011 - "Let's Play the Streetcar Word Association Game."

Let's Play the Streetcar Word Association Game

2011-09-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

There's no doubt that the topic of the Cincinnati Streetcar is a controversial subject. Two years ago a special interest opposition group lead by City Council wash out Chris Smitherman brought forward a misleading amendment meant to stop not just the streetcar, but any and all passenger rail projects within the city limits. They lost. Now, they're back and so is the press coverage. Yes, the same folks who brought you (and lost) the infamous Issue 9 election have brought forth another similar amendment (even though they admitted defeat last time and said they were done). As the political issues surrounding the streetcar continue, so does the press coverage.

- A modern Streetcar on display at Fountain Square Spring 2011.

If you read this blog regularly, you know I support the streetcar. You also might remember that I've been critical of the press coverage the project receives - like when I took up 700 WLW's Bill Cunningham's challenge to go to OTR in the middle of the night and somehow survived. Bill never answered my emails. The talk radio slams the streetcar day in, day out, but the Cincinnati Enquirer, the largest newspaper in the region should be covering it fairly and accurately, right? Right!? After all, it's print journalism - a medium typically held in a higher regard to the talking head "journalism" of television and radio. Well, the Enquirer's coverage is highly debatable.

At first I thought I was just being blinded by my own support for the project. A lot of the fellow supporters around me slammed the Enquirer's coverage. As a Journalism student though, I understood where a lot of their articles were coming from. Yeah, they could've done more research, but for the most part it seemed like people were over-reacting. Then it got worse. The Enquirer would repeatedly only quote streetcar opposition leaders and maybe only one supporter if at all. The Enquirer lost its credibility with me though when one of their journalists claimed he could walk the streetcar route faster than the streetcar could travel. He was debunked by simple math. The Enquirer responded that they were positive their article couldn't be wrong (so simple math must be?).

They took their expert coverage to the next level though by introducing the "Streetcar Word Association Game." Yes, they published an "article" about wanting to play a game with readers. You can check it out here. However, I understand if you don't want to click that and go to their site. You'll probably first be bombarded by a Furniture Fair ad, then have to wait for their site to load, then you'll have to click out of the pop-up ads and if their site hasn't crashed you can then read the "article." If you don't want to deal with that, I'll do you the favor and quote it here:

Per the Cincinnati Enquirer on 9/1/2011: "Play the streetcar word association game."

"What's the first word that pops into your head when you hear the word 'streetcar?'

A proposal to bring a streetcar to Cincinnati has generated a lot of rhetoric. We want to cut through that with a word association game.

In the comments section below, leave one word that you closely associate with the streetcar. We'll compile the results into a word cloud, similar to this one."

"This one" linked to a "word cloud" they made about musical acts people wanted to see in Cincinnati. It has since disappeared. As the afternoon after that "article" was published wore on, it became apparent that the supporters were leading in the one word race. I had a suspicion that the article might eventually disappear or never be followed up on. So I started an Excel sheet with a list of the words left by users in the comment section. At the same time, in the back of my head, I thought: "Nah, they'll make the word cloud and I'm wasting my time." I kind of forgot about it until yesterday when I realized they had never in fact followed up with the article. No word cloud, just nothing. No one had commented on it since the 2nd of September - so I finished tallying the words and decided to finish it for them. No need to thank me Enquirer, it was my pleasure. Here's how the world cloud would've turned out had the Enquirer actually followed up on their "article:"

I'm not saying they intentionally forgot about making the word cloud, but since they didn't I wanted to show the actual results. While I'm a supporter, I included the words from people who didn't support the project (a full list can be found at the end of this post). I didn't include words that weren't real, multiple words combined into one or any sexual references. The last word cloud about concerts (before it disappeared) had been made about one day after its original article was published. It's been almost a week since the streetcar word association game was published.

I can see why the Enquirer does things like this. It encourages people to comment which means they'll come back to check their comments and debate with others. All that in turn leads to more page views and advertisements being seen. Ads bring in revenue. However, is that an excuse for this kind of "journalism?" In a day and age when print media needs to adapt or die, where is The Enquirer headed?

The Word Cloud was made with Wordle. As promised, here's the list of words that were featured in The Enquirer's comment section as well as how many times they were mentioned:

Jobs: 27
Debt: 1
Catalytic: 1
Bamboozle: 1
Growth: 5
Waste: 7
Boondoggle: 7
Revival: 1
History: 1
Debacle: 1
Horstman: 1
Progress: 43
Overdue: 1
Moneypit: 1
Development: 8
Necessary: 1
Wasteful: 2
Misguided: 1
Ridiculous: 1
Cincinnati: 1
Forward: 1
Beer: 1
Anderson: 1
Investment: 2
Electric: 1
Paradigm: 1
Progressive: 2
Scapegoat: 1
Important: 1
Vitality: 1
Clean: 1
Obsolete: 1
Stupid: 2
Subway: 1
Vintage: 1
Stella: 1
Luxurious: 1
Hole: 1
Subsidized: 1
Money: 1
Annoying: 1
Tuberculosis: 1
Believe: 1
Investment: 1
Future: 2
Pointless: 1
Approved: 1
Infrastructure: 2
Superfluous: 1
Outmoded: 1
Homicide: 1
Elitist: 1
Tax: 1
Transformative: 1
Fast: 1
Uncertain: 1
Smart: 2
Value: 1
Chiquita: 1
Mallory: 1
Spotless: 1
Bold: 1
Panophobia: 1
Envy: 1
Improvement: 2
Jealousy: 1
Competing: 1
Tampa: 1
Parasite: 1
Succubus: 1
Futuristic: 1
Fun: 1

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Previous Update :: August 30, 2011 - "Crawling up the Left Side of Ohio to the Right Side of Indiana."

Crawling Up the Left Side of Ohio to the Right Side of Indiana

2011-08-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

These images have been twenty two years in the making - so to speak. Since I was born, I've lived in Cincinnati with lots of family still in Fort Wayne, Indiana where my mother hails from. During the countless trips to see relatives in The Summit City, I've looked out the window and remembered landmarks along the way. I've never photographed them and with a family reunion coming up, I took the opportunity. I skipped photographing anything in Cincinnati because, well, what else have I been doing on this site for the past four years?

- Parking Garage. Dayton, Ohio

The plan was to wake up early, get on the road and get to a truck stop by 11 A.M. for lunch. This truck stop always marked the "half way" point during the trips to Fort Wayne. The truck stop had significance. Our family had never stopped there, I planned to.

- The ruins of a demolished factory in Dayton, with a back hoe framing a Gem City "Skyscraper" and bridge.

Things didn't start out well though. I woke up on time, fell back asleep. Woke up again, laid in bed and then motivated myself to get up, grab my camera and finally get on the road at noon. I abandoned waiting for a truck stop lunch for the Arby's drive-through. Eating curly fries and pulling up to the nearest Radio Shack, I needed a new cassette adapter for my car. I was way behind schedule and was soon doubting how much time, if any, I'd have to stop for photographs.

- Dayton, Ohio skyline.

As my car ran up I-75 with a pirated version of the new (and wonderful) Red Hot Chili Peppers album playing on repeat, I realized I was only remembering landmarks I wanted to photograph as I passed them, often times missing the exit. I'd have to go up to the next one, turn around, back track and then get out to shoot.

- Collapsed fence shielding I-75 from the parking lot of an abandoned Dayton hotel.

I would've loved to spend more time at a lot of these places, taking more photos, but I was on a deadline and already behind schedule. In a way, it was fitting, I'd get out to make quick snapshots just as I had made snapshots in my head when I'd pass these places in our family car as a kid. In another way, maybe that's just an excuse for my laziness and lack of punctuality that day.

- Dayton Executive Hotel. Boarded up windows, dead plants and all.

Our family, particularly me, doesn't make this trip as often as we used to. Roadside landmarks I remembered have changed, crumbled, been torn down, converted or still exist just as they once did. Vandalia in particular went from an area of farmland and new highway to a skyline of restaurant and hotel signs over the past two decades.

Also, it's harder than you think to shoot a photograph through your windshield while driving with your knees and trying to mind the traffic flow around you.

- The skyline of Vandalia, Ohio and its variety of signs.

The Ohio rest stops get updated, but always keep one distinguishing feature: their non-descript vending machines and wanted posters for people who never pay child support. These days they also feature "informative" posters from the Department of Homeland Security.

- Rest stop off of I-75.

- Nondescript vending machines of an I-75 rest stop.

- Sidney, Ohio.

- Sidney, Ohio Hampton Inn.

Near St. Mary's, Ohio - I got off I'-75 and picked up US 33, passing by the St. Mary's industrial landmark.

- The St. Mary's/U.S. 33 Landmark.

The Motor Inn truck stop was found next. I didn't have time to stop in and the aftertaste of processed Roast Beef killed any appetite I had for trucker food, but the neon sign that read "Eat" was reminiscnet of the stereotypical "Eat at Joe's" signs you always see in movies and television.

- Motor Inn truck stop, the half way mark.

This is where I strayed from the traditional path though. My family had mostly always gone through Van-Wert. I followed the GPS of my cell phone and ended up going the other direction towards Neptune, Ohio.

- Neptune, Ohio cemetery.

- Dick's Service Center.

- Collapsed barn near Willshire, Ohio.

- The main street of Willshire.

- Willshire Drive-In.

I was enjoying myself. The road trip was no Route 66, but it is what it is to me. However, I felt like I hadn't found anything that really stuck out to me as a photograph. Nothing that really didn't feel like any other small town off of the "back roads." That is, until I got to Decatur, Indiana.

- The remains of a Drive-In Theatre in Decatur Indiana. The screen overlooks a man-made pond built for a local church that separates it from the foundation that once held the projector and snack bar.

I drove by a giant white board. I wasn't sure if it was just an old billboard or maybe the sign of a forgotten Drive-In Theatre. The lot surrounding it was home to a church and man-made pond. I pulled into the church parking lot and got out of the car, walking up to a man who was getting into his. I intorduced myself, explained what I was doing and asked what the board was. The man informed me it had been a drive in and kindly invited me to stick around and take as many photos as I wanted. It was my favorite thing that I had seen so far and the man in the parking lot summed it up best. "It's a little piece of Americana."

- Decatur, Indiana industry.

Decatur slowly turned to the outskirts of Ft. Wayne. Industry and abandoned drive-in screens turned to shuttered shopping centers and liquor stores before eventually reaching downtown. I met up with the rest of my family to enjoy the family reunion and a Ft. Wayne Tin Caps baseball game.

- Fort Wayne, Indiana abandoned Cap N' Cork.

As soon as it was over, I had to head back, I worked the next day. What is normally a 3.5 hour drive had been a 5.5 hour drive for me with all the stops I made. I figured the road home would be a lot quicker. I was tired, had my coffee and chili peppers album and figured I'd just fly back to Cincinnati as quick as my car and a lack of police officers on the side of the road would let me.

I didn't expect to take anymore photos until I got out of Decatur and into the farm country where the stars were so bright, I couldn't ignore it. I've never seen so many stars in my life. I pulled to the side of the road and set up my tri-pod on the edge of a corn field. The photo is grainy and technically poor, but I like how it turned out. It was a fitting end to the trip.

- Stars over Decatur, Indiana.

I got home, fell asleep and woke up the next day for another mundane week of work and school.

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Previous Update :: August 30, 2011 - "The Etheral Firmament of Class Bravo Airspace."

The Etheral Firmament of Class Bravo Airspace

2011-08-25T23:54:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up and be a pilot. Not just any pilot - I wanted to be a fighter pilot. Particularly for The Navy, preferably the F-14 Tomcat. And while I could fill this entire post with clever allusions to scenes from Top Gun, I'll spare you.

I got to fly for the first time on my 15th birthday when my dad's co-worker took me up in a small Cesna over Blue Ash. By that time in my life the childhood dream of dog fighting over communist skies was just that: a childhood dream. It didn't matter though that as time went on and I turned 18 gaining the remotest idea of what I wanted to do in life (the plans of which did not include joining the Navy (and if that recruiter I made an appointment with in 2007 is reading this, I'm sorry I never showed up, but I do appreciate that you stopped calling my house), there's still no experience quite like flying.

The heat of mid-June was erased by the air flowing into the cockpit captured from thousands of feet above the city while John piloted the plane in circles, trying to get a word in with the CVG tower. Eventually they gave us clearance to enter the Class Bravo Airspace of downtown Cincinnati before heading North to see the Mc-Modern-Carnival esque landscape of Kings Island.

Outisde of Class Bravo, there's less traffic and you can fly lower. So low that as you circle around the park's 1/3 scale replica of an iconic french tower, you could see people run around the observation deck following and pointing at the aircraft.

John took the plane away from the park and further upwards in alltitude. He showed me some basic controls and for two minutes let me steer while he read a map. He eventually found a point where in one direction you could see the Cincinnati skyline, Dayton's in another and the small dots of Columbus' at the edge of your view - all at the same time.

Before heading in to land, the plane suddenly dove forward, gained speed, dropped in altitude and then reared back up as he recovered and continued on course. It happened more than once. John intentionally stalled the plane. "Practicing" as he called it.

Special thanks to John for taking me flying with him and for one of the best days of this past summer.

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Previous Update :: August 10, 2011 - "Pictoria."

Pictoria

2011-08-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

Albert Camus once wrote: "As a remedy to life in society, I would suggest the big city. Nowadays, it is the only desert within our means." And while the city may hold an infinite number of possible things to see and discover, even in the suburbs you can find an escape from the mundane, something so out of the ordinary and hidden within plain sight. There is no mirage amongst the endless stretch of office buildings, gas stations, chain restaurants and convenience stores that I know better than "Pictoria Tower." A spot atop an unassuming parking garage that offers a fresh perspective of the surrounding suburban landscape just waiting to be cut up by the lens of a camera. I was with my friend Ben when we first came upon the place five years ago and I went back there with him one last time before he left for boot camp.

- Me and Ben atop Pictoria.

- The ominous, vacant Cincinnati North Hotel looms over the Springdale Skyline.

There are Bombs Over Baghdad and Fireworks Under Cincinnati

2011-07-19T00:04:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since the Fourth of July, but that weekend there was an astounding pyrotechnics display in the Cincinnati Underground - from the Broadway Tunnel to the Hopple St. Subway Tunnel.

We didn't need the performance from guy who wrote "Danger Zone" to make it awesome either, just some steel wool and the invitation of an ex Navy Seal to view the Reds' fireworks from the Public Landing.

Special thanks to Gozer, Cam and Leslie for the good times and to Ryan Texas Ranger for burning himself.

QC/D lives on, more to come soon...

Longshoreman's Lament

2011-06-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 4:30 in the morning to take my roommate to the airport. I had just gotten back from work and gone to sleep two hours earlier. CVG is right down the road, but Dayton is quite cheaper. The catch is that it's pretty far away, not really, but on two hours of sleep - it's an eternity despite a breakfast of beef jerky, coffee and nicotine. On the way up to the Gem City, as I passed through downtown Cincinnati, the fog was crazy. Great American Ballpark almost looked as if the field was on fire, as the lights atop their towers cut through the fog. The sun came out on the drive home and the fog remained. I left Dayton, passed through Middletown, avoided an accident near West Chester and then slugged my way into downtown before stopping on the shore of the Ohio River right by the Roebling.

Three men boarded a boat further down from where I parked, they cut under the bridge and then boarded the remains of Jeff Ruby's floating "boatraunt" as if they were pirates clad as construction workers.

Joggers coming across the Roebling then ran down the stairs, noisily stirring the barefooted homeless who slept below the path of the unknown morning exercisers.

The sun was trying to fight its way through the clouds and fog, the humidity was already there. Out of the gray haze in the skies above, drops of rain began to come.

- The reflections of Atrium II and Great American Tower as seen in the rainy river.
Camera in hand, I walked down the river bank taking in all the smells that waft up on that shore. The senses passing through my nasal cavities weren't exactly pleasant, but the experience of being there that morning was the best I had felt in a long time.

I got back in my car and followed one of those faux streetcar trolleybusses before crossing over the bridge I had just been under. I was awake. I was exhausted, but I was awake. I wanted to go to the Diner for breakfast and by breakfast I mean a chocolate shake and cheeseburger. They were closed. I settled for McDonalds, my stomach didn't. I got home, put the camera down, fell asleep and woke up at 2 in the afternoon. I put on my uniform, went to work and that was that.

If anyone is out there, if anyone is still reading - you might be wondering what the hell happened to this website. I'm wondering the same thing. Every year I start off the Summer writing about how I get behind writing and shooting photos because of work and other things in my life. This year, things have been worse though. I haven't updated it since April, my web host got infected with malware (I can't seem to fix it, no one I know can seem to either) and I work. I work to an unhealthy degree. When I stop to think that I need to slow it down and take a break from working, then I realize I just worked 70 hours in one week. My bills are paid, my projects at work are done and I like to think that those who take my orders like me. At the end of the week though, despite the paycheck, it doesn't matter. The lack of sleep, the messy apartment, my trashed car that I've been living out of and the stress, not a day goes by anymore where I don't think about how I'm burn out.

That's not to say I haven't shooting photos or documenting abandoned locales. I have been. They just may not have been the most interesting ones. Things have changed since I started doing all this. I'm a pseudo-adult now, many places are gone, boarded up or trashed etc. etc. etc. excuses, excuses, excuses.

I've been photographing abandoned places still, just in a different area. Even the exurbs in all their "glory" of Buffalo Wild Wing anchored strip malls have abandonment.

A former Shell station and carwash in Mason, complete with the graffiti lined walls of the suburban wannabe hoodrats.

- The reflection of the setting sun on the dining room of an abandoned Pizza Hut.

I also went flying:

...more on that later.

I'm not dead. I hope to not be anytime soon. I've got lots of cool stuff for this website and a vacation (or whatever a guy who works 70+ hours a week calls a day off) coming up. I need to fix it first though. If you have any idea how to, drop me a line (queencitydisco[at]gmail.com) and let me know.

Thanks, hope you're doing well, but that depends on who you are.

Go Reds.

When Crosley was King

2011-04-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Before Crosley was the name of a stadium, Powell Crosley Jr.'s empire gave birth to the first commercially affordable radio, the "Nation's Station" 700 WLW, the first car radio and "soap operas." Crosley purchased The Reds in 1934, gave Major League Baseball its first night game, designed his own airplane, developed a car that got 50 mpg and used his 500,000 Watt WLW transmitter to broadcast Allied radio propaganda to occupied Europe in World War II as the "Voice of America." During the war, the Crosley corp. helped design proximity fuses, an invention that was hailed by Winston Churchill and General Patton. Crosley's industrial entrepreneurship all came out of his headquarters in Cincinnati's Camp Washington neighborhood, a facility that is now in a deteriorating, pesudo-abandoned state.

- A floor of The Crosley Building in Camp Washington, reflecting its current state.
After the war, Crosley sold his company to the Aviation Corporation (AVCO) in 1946, but still remained on the Board of Directors. The innovations continued. WLWT, a Crosley television station, became the first NBC affiliate, Crosley corp. introduced the first disc brakes, designed television sets, had the first color t.v. broadcast and continued their line of home appliances.

- The Crosley Building in full swing. Compare the windows and columns to those seen in the current photograph.
By 1956 AVCO phased out the Crosley name, but kept the buidling, even using it to design their ablative plating for the Apollo moon lander. By the late 70's though, AVCO sold the facility and left Cincinnati. Coincidentally, around the same time that the World Hockey Association (and its Cincinnati Stingers team) were folding. The league's championship trophy was sponsored by AVCO and dubbed as "The Avco World Trophy."

- Summer 2007 photo of The Crosley Building.
The building changed owners multiple times after that. Smaller radio stations took up temporary residence, a key chain manufacturer moved in and office furniture was sold there. Today the building awaits a future. The current owners have slowly been cleaning it out.The city applied for stimulus funds to help renovate the building in 2009, but as of this writing no definite funding has been secured. Kids spray paint the walls, the neighborhood residents complain and the building just sits next to the highway.

While the history of Crosley's innovations that came from within the buildings walls are often forgotten, the people who worked there are not. People like Bill Smith.

- A Crosley pamphlet showcasing the building in its glory days that formerly belonged to Bill Smith, a long time Crosley/AVCO employee.

A site reader named Beth Battle contacted me over on the facebook page after she had seen the building featured here on QC/D before. Beth's grandfather, Bill Smith, worked in the building for 40 years. Bill contributed not only to appliance and radio manufacturing, wartime projects and components of the moon landing, but to the return of Apollo 13 as well - he was even flown out for the landing. Contrasted with recent photos of The Crosley Building, Beth was kind enough to contribute the historical photographs seen in this article. Many of the photographs feature her grandfather.

- Broken windows and disrepair have left the building open to the elements.

- A typical work day at The Crosley Building.
- A modern view of the building's now mostly empty floors.
- Employees posing for a group picture outside. If you look closely, you can see how some people who weren't actually present were later edited into the photograph - a technique used even before the advent of "Photoshop."
- Crosley today.

- Graffiti is prevalent on the walls within the building these days.

- Bill Smith (right) as seen working at the Crosley Building.

- The caption reads: "Annual Safety Dinner 1954. First - J. Hobino, Model Shop. Second - E. Maher, Quality Control. Third - E. Sutter, Central Stores."
- A rusted, forgotten grill sits atop The Crosley building. A sign to bring back the annual safety dinner mentioned above?
Bill passed away in August of 2007, a few months after the first time I explored the Crosley Building. While the building's fate is yet to be determined and slowly becomes forgotten - the innovations of the Crosley Corporation and employees like Bill Smith are not.

This article is dedicated to his memory.

Special thanks to Beth Battle for contributing these photographs.

For further reading and more photos check out the previous Crosley posts and check out Dr. Venkman's excellent writing and photos on the building's history and future over at Local.Architecture: Cincinnati.

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Previous Update :: April 1, 2011 - "Construction on Cincinnati's Subway to Resume, First Train Delivered!"

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Construction on Cincinnati's Subway to Resume, First Train Delivered!

2011-04-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

It's been 84 years since construction of the Cincinnati Subway halted. Nearly two miles of unused tunnels have been sitting silently beneath the city streets since 1927. Despite efforts to try and revive the project - political corruption, economic climate, changing population trends and even war were one of the many historical circumstances that prevented the subway from ever seeing a train or rider. That is, until today.

- The idea for a subway in Cincinnati was born out of constructing it in place of the Miami-Eerie Canal. Construction was abandoned in 1927.
The history of the subway's demise has been chronicled here on Queen City Discovery before. However, here is a brief synopsis: The subway was an ambitious project, Cincinnati was one of just a handful of American cities constructing extensive, rail based public transportation systems. In 1914, construction began on a rapid transit line after voters had approved its construction - twice. The line would have made a loop around downtown, out to the then northernmost suburb of Norwood, out east and down around Mt. Adams, and then back to downtown.

- The entrance to the abandoned Hopple St. tunnel section.
Things soon went wrong. There was debate over contractors, political corruption, opposition at the state level and the onset of World War One. With all the delays and changing economic situation, inflation soon gave way to rising costs. By 1927, money ran out and the project was put on hold. The subway has sat idle since and even its most recent attempt at revival in 2002 was met with local political opposition.

- The rent sign is a remnant of when the city tried to market the tunnels as a "fix it up" two bedroom apartment.
There hasn't been much news about the subway in recent years and the city likes it that way. I had only heard vague rumors and hadn't been told the exact details until today. Given Governor Kasich's opposition towards rail projects in the state of Ohio, the city was eager to keep political opposition away until they were ready to announce their plan. Today, construction has resumed for the first time in nearly a century. The "Cincinnati Subway Program" is being partially funded with the help of a private company whose name may surprise you.

- The abandoned Hopple St. tunnel.
The announcement and its subsequent details are covered in this local news video:

Given my experiences chronicling the subway on this website, I was invited to attend a media tour of the construction.

- The first train of the "Green Line" sits ready on the track.
When I got to the site, construction was underway on the first line of the system aka the "Green Line." The Green Line will run from downtown, shoot west to West Chester (with a stop at IKEA and EnterTRAINment Junction), then north to Northgate (with a stop at Surf Cincinnati), followed by going east to Eastgate (stopping at two DIFFERENT Applebees (the one with the good potato skins, the other with good fried cheese sticks)) and finally back to downtown.

- Track, supports and trains on site and ready to go!
The construction process is utilizing revolutionary new technology that makes construction within the tunnels easy.

- Two cranes erecting track.
- The final piece is lifted into place by the crane.
We watched as the last piece was put into place. Completion of construction was celebrated in a fashion resembling that of when the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States were connected via railroad at Promontory Point.

- Workers celebrate completion of the Green Line.
- Workers celebrate at Promontory Point.
As mentioned in the above video, construction has been funded with generous grants from the Walt Disney Corporation - including the donation of the first subway train.

The trains are environmentally friendly, electrically powered via two AA batteries. When loading and unloading passengers, a pre-recorded spiel reminds them that there is no smoking while on board and to please stand clear of the doors.

- Smoking is not allowed on the trains, please extinguish all smoking materials before riding.
To celebrate the line's completion and take a ride on its first train, Mickey Mouse was in attendance.

- Mickey Mouse sitting in one of the subway's new trains.
- Goofy also paid a visit, overseeing the investment his company had made.
Not everyone was happy with the construction of the project though, one of the reasons why the city had kept it a secret. Ohio Governor John Kasich, who had previously killed the proposed 3C Rail Line and is attempting to kill state funding for the Cincinnati Streetcar, was not surprisingly opposed. It is no secret that Kasich is no fan of rail projects, even this one. He was quoted as saying "This is stupid, this has to be a joke." He then vowed to ask Disney if they would shuffle the funds to help pay for his private security forces - since he refused to move into the Governor's Mansion, insisting on living in a mansion of his own. Although Kasich was not invited to the ceremony, he did send some envoys.

- Kasich dispatched the Ohio National Guard to the scene and his personal German Tiger Tank from WW2. The tank was a gift from Heinrich Himmler, who said he likes Kasich's leadership style.

The situation was diffused however, when Captain Jean Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise stepped in. Picard, who was giving the keynote speech for the subway dedication, was able to use the diplomatic skills he had learned in his tenure at Starfleet to calm Kasich down. Kasich then drove home and was pulled over for speeding, he called the cop an "idiot." Kasich's main complaint was that the Green Line doesn't serve the airport in neighboring Kentucky, which he so deeply loves.

- Picard (left) cut the ribbon and said "Make it So," sending the subway on its first trip.
In case you haven't realized this yet (I really hope you have, if not, that may be a problem), this was obviously an April Fools Day joke. Currently, there are no definite plans for the subway. A study in 2008 estimated that it would cost upwards of $100 Million to bring it up to modern operating standards and around $20 Million to fill it in with dirt. In the past two years, the city has been doing extensive repair work to maintain the subway's integrity in case of future use. The tunnels currently house a water main. Despite being over 80 years old, the underground system has held up remarkably well. As of April 1, 2011 - the only train to have ever run in the system was a toy monorail.

If you want to read more about the subway and see additional photographs of how it looks today, check out the previous QC/D updates here. While this post has been a joke, I personally feel that the subway should be used and that rail transportation needs to be a part of Cincinnati's future.

And if you didn't watch the video, you need to, it's the kicker to all of this.

My apologies to anyone on Facebook and Twitter who saw me hinting at this and thought real news on the subway was coming, hopefully you took it in good humor.

Thanks to Ryan "RC" Suhr, Lester and Jeff Jarrett who all contributed to this project.

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Previous Update :: March 30, 2011 - "Building The Banks"

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Building "The Banks."

2011-03-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

- A group gathers for a construction tour of The Banks.
I took up an invitation from the folks at Carter-Dawson to see the current progress on The Banks, the development currently rising between the two stadiums on Cincinnati's riverfront. Upon completion, the complex will have nearly 300 apartments in phase 1 and feature a wide variety of retail and dining options. There's even room for an office tower to be built as well as a hotel. The development will be surrounded by Great American Ballpark, Paul Brown Stadium, downtown and the new Central Riverfront Park.

The project had been a concept since 1997, but didn't have a finalized master plan until 2007. Since the groundbreaking in 2008, construction has continued at a feverish pace. Even those attending Reds opening day today will notice a stark difference in the riverfront from the end of last baseball season. Currently, one tenant is up an running: The Holy Grail Bar and Grill.

- A look inside one of the apartment display models.
- Some prints from the QC/D Store would make that wall in the living room look even better.

- View from a corner apartment. The streetcar will eventually pass directly below, before heading North on Main.
- Live right across from GABP and right on the streetcar line, if only I had the cash...
- Banks Balcony view over Main St.
- Apartment construction.
- What will eventually be filled with pedestrian traffic and street level retail.
- The tour group in front of GABP.

- Rooftop pool under construction.
- View from one of the top level apartments.
- Touring a penthouse.
- View looking West.
My friend Ryan, who came along on the tour, saw the view towards Paul Brown Stadium and remarked: "If you're a Bengals fan, what more could you ask for?"
"A decent team," I replied.

The amount of progress along the Riverfront is staggering, it's great seeing it all come together. Throw in Phase 2, the office building, the hotel, the streetcar, put the Riverfront Transit Center into use and the riverfront will be in good shape. A renaissance is rising in downtown.

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Previous Update :: March 21, 2011 - "The National Theatre."

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The Mighty Motor City - Part 3: The National Theatre

2011-03-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

In the 1960's, being able to communicate with others via a hand held device was the fantasy of Star Trek episodes. These days, not only can you call someone from the phone in your pocket, but you can browse the internet and watch movies too. You're connected with a vast network of people and entertainment options all at your fingertips. If you can't stand the small screen of a smart phone, you can shell out your hard earned money to see a blockbuster at your local movie theatre. However, in the days before 3D glasses, HD video and surround sound - the live theatre was king. And while it's not dead, it was once the preeminent form of entertainment in Western culture. Its popularity was reflected in the vast amount of venues built to house it, many of which featured beautiful architecture. In Detroit, the ruins of one forgotten theatre echo that past.

- The interior remains of The National Theatre in Detroit.
The National was our third stop of the day during our Mighty Motor City trip. Despite an attempt to board it up and seal it off from the outside, the building's beauty still emanated prominently on the street corner. At one point in time, it was at the center of an entire theatre district. Now, it's abandoned and connected to a parking garage. It had opened originally in 1911, an 800 seat theatre showcasing live vaudeville variety shows. As the Roaring 20's came about, The National transitioned to showcasing the rising popularity of motion pictures. Considered small by comparison to nearby movie houses, the theatre transitioned to live burlesque shows and was renamed "The National Burlesk Theatre."

- The National with its shining lights and "Burlesk" moniker in 1966. Photograph from DetroitUrbex.com.
The stripteases provided by burlesque dancers failed to bring in customers like the nudity of strip clubs did. As topless bars were becoming more and more common on the American landscape, burlesque died out. The National was renamed "The Palace" and began showing pornographic films by early 1970. The neighborhood around it had become rough and most neighboring storefronts were closed. By 1975, The Palace saw its last guests and would never operate a show again. The building did find its way onto the National Register of Historic Places while the block around it was demolished for a parking garage. As of today, there are no plans to renovate or demolish the theatre.

- The National's doors and lobby are sealed off from the outside world by a wall of plywood.
The nearby parking meter where my car sat had only 45 minutes left on it. A gentleman down the street washing his parked car in the 30 degree weather and a homeless woman that wouldn't stop trying to start a conversation had delayed us from going in. When the car was cleaned off (as clean as you can make a rusty, 1994 Nissan Pathfinder) and the homeless woman moved on, we finally made our way into the lobby of The National. Unfortunately, there were two problems. One, the nearby car washer and the homeless woman had ate up a lot of my meter time and I had no more quarters left. Two, the theatre was pitch black. To get any halfway decent pictures, it was going to require flashlights and long exposures, a time consuming process. Not too familiar with Detroit's parking enforcement laws and not wanting to risk getting a ticket, I wanted to be back to the car before the meter expired. Gozer and I kept tripping over debris as we shared a flashlight. I set up the camera, aimed, focused and light painted for 30 seconds. I couldn't see it with my own eyes, but the camera revealed something beautiful:

- Inside the National Theatre.
As our eyes adjusted and the flashlight lit the room, we were awestruck. The seats were gone and the balconies were nearly falling off the walls, but the amount of detail and ornamentation put in from the original construction still remained in some spots. In the lobby, the doors were decorated just as they had been in 1911 and the ticket booth still remained.

Plaster from the ceiling and bricks from the walls had fallen all over the floor. The building has been slowly crumbling for nearly 36 years. The theatre says more about how our culture has changed over the past century than most words probably could.

- Besides that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the show?
With time running low, we carefully crept up the wooden staircases. Downstairs we had seen evidence of someone who had been squatting there, if they were up here we didn't want to disturb them. The upper lobby was completely exposed to the outside. The glass window above the theatre's marquee was gone,revealing a Detroit that was quite different from the Detroit 100 years ago when The National was built.

We cautiously made our way to the upper balcony where I snapped the first photo seen in this article. I didn't want to test and see if the side balconies would hold my weight, but Gozer and I did run to the top of the theatre. There, a projection room that once showed all kinds of movies, and later solely pornographic ones, remained - albeit it mostly empty.

- Stairs in The National Theatre.
We were out of time. I could hear a lot of people on the sidewalk outside, just below the open window. That posed a slight problem as they were standing right where we would be making our exit. The cameras were secured, we exited through the lobby just as countless patrons had done before us and made our way back to the streets. I took a quick glance outside the fence and determined that the people right by the exit probably would be more confused than concerned when I literally crawled out onto the sidewalk. I knew the gamble paid off when the family standing on the street corner gave me a strange look. "Hey! How ya doing," I said as I smiled and walked to the Corolla Rager and Gozer came crawling out behind me. "Doing just fine," said the man with the confused look on his face.

- The National as it appeared in the summer of 2009. Photograph by Al Duce of DetroitUrbex.com

Parts I and II of "The Mighty Motor City."

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Previous Update :: March 15, 2011 - "St. Agnes/Martyr's of Uganda."

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The Mighty Motor City - Part 2: St. Agnes/Marty's of Uganda

2011-03-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

It was the second stop of the day on our latest trip to Detroit, MI. After checking out Ferris Elementary School, we made our way to St. Agnes at the request of Gozer. For her, this would be her first time seeing it, but it was a place our guide, Al Duce, and myself had seen before. Little did I know how much could change at an abandoned church in just a year and a half.

Above was the view of St. Agnes from its choir loft in August of 2009. Below is how she looked from the same view this past February:

St. Agnes had been a Catholic parish established in Detroit in 1913. The building seen above was completed in 1924. The church also featured both a high school and grade school, eventually only serving grades K-8. By 1989, the parishes of St. Agnes and the neighboring St. Theresa were merged to form the Martyr's of Uganda parish. In 2006, the Archdiocese of Detroit closed and disbanded the parish. I came across a thread of former parishoners/students sharing stories about the church.

For a young child who had a very unhappy home, to be able to go into that wonderful church and just sit and feel so close to God, was something I will never forget. I became Catholic when I was twenty years old. I am sure it had something to do with that wonderful old St. Agnes. - Former St. Agnes Parishoner

- The Church as it had looked when still active. This photograph appears on the cover of Catholic Churches of Detroit by Roman Godzak.
From the air, you can see that St. Agnes is shaped like a cross - one of the many intricate architectural details of the church. Once ornately decorated in beautiful stained glass windows and sacred relics, the church is now barren.

- Compare this view with the above one on the cover of the book.

When I first saw St. Agnes in 2009, the church had only been closed for three years. It was still in pristine (as pristine as an abandoned building can be) condition at the time. Its pews were gone as were any items of holy relevance, as is typical of decommissioned Catholic churches. Other than that, hardly anyone had touched it. There was no evidence that scrap thieves had gotten a hold of it, no vandalism and we had seen little evidence online of other photographers having been there.

- St. Agnes in February, 2011.
When we initially visited in 2009, everything on the church property was locked up tight. In fact, to get in, we had to help lift each other up through a broken window into what once had been the rectory where the priest lived. By the time I was back in 2011 there was no need to climb through any windows. Nearly every door had been knocked down, windows were broken, any trace of valuable metal had been ripped from the church, graffiti covered walls and the stone columns supporting the ornately decorated roof had been broken down to their cores.

- As of 2009, the organ was gone, but the pipes still remained.
- As of 2011, the organ pipes were completely ripped out of this area of the choir loft.
If you read about and saw St. Agnes from our first trip there, you might remember how the basement had been set up as a sunday school/parish center. Al took one look down there, before coming back up and reporting to us that the walls were covered in mold. With no protection from the weather and having been torn apart by scrap thieves and vandals, St. Agnes was now in an incredible and tragic state of deterioration.

- What had once been the altar.

There's a few scenes in the film Gran Torino (one of my favorite movies that you should probably see if you haven't already), where Clint Eastwood's character visits a Catholic church. Set in Detroit, the pews are mostly empty, the neighborhood has changed and it's a different time. St. Agnes seems eerily similar, a feeling echoed in another quote from the aforementioned thread.

I drove by there about a month ago. The school is still standing, but it has been vandalized. The church still looks nice though, at least from the outside.
As for the surrounding neighborhood, well maybe its best not to ask if you haven't been there in a while. - Former St. Agnes Parishoner

- Columns of the church, torn apart.

St. Agnes is maybe one of the best reflections of what happens to a place that was once important to so many people is left behind, void of life. Its decay at the hands of thieves is tragic, yet the church's current state is reflective of the changes that have taken place in Detroit. Just as the film Gran Torino illustrated, Detroit has had a massive population decline. Detroit has changed. Places like St. Agnes are a reminder of a time that once was.

For Part 1 of "The Mighty Motor City" - click here.

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Previous Update :: March 11, 2011 - "The Night that Covington Stood Still"

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The Night That Covington Stood Still

2011-03-11T23:09:00.000-08:00

COVINGTON - "He came down to the scene like a captain coming to his ship," or something like that, is what I overheard one of the news reporters behind me saying while I stood with the crowd. She was colorfully describing how local restaurateur Jeff Ruby came down to see his "Waterfront" restaurant on Friday night about 100 ft. upstream from where it normally is. The floating "Boat-Raunt," as I dubbed it, had been pushed away from its usual spot by the currents of the river, which had grown strong due to flooding this past week, something I had witnessed earlier in the day.

- The top of the Serpentine Wall at Sawyer Point Park.
This whole past week I've been on Spring Break from school. The beginning of the week the weather was nice, followed by two days of rain. After that, it snowed. Then I woke up on Friday to find relatively warm temperatures and sunlight. I had some time to kill before work, so I went down to Sawyer Point to check out how high the river had gotten.

Access to the Serpentine Wall had been cut off by barricades. Many people, like myself, chose to ignore them to get closer to the water's edge. Apparently I wasn't the only one who wanted to see the floodwater and enjoy a really nice day in the park.

The park was full of people snapping photos with cell phones, point-and-shoot cameras and even digital SLR's like mine. The river was a rare sight to see. While I've photographed the river with high water before, I had never seen it this high in person. Some sources claim this is the highest it's been since the flood of 97. Not sure if that's right though. *Edit: According to reader Eric, the river has only been this high one other time since 1997. Thanks for the info, Eric!

- Panoramic photograph of Sawyer Point flooding. Click here for full size.

About eight hours later though, I was back down by the river. I had just gotten home from one job and was half awake, laying in bed when I saw someone post on facebook that the "Waterfront in Covington broke loose." At first I took that literally and thought an actual part of Covington's shoreline had been swept up by the rushing river waters. Then I read on the Enquirer's website that the Waterfront was the name of the floating restaurant down there and that it had floated away, apparently hitting the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. I jumped up, grabbed my camera and hopped in the car with my roommates. We crossed the river and could see lights from police cars and tugboats down way. After finding a parking spot along the levee wall, we climbed the grassy hill to the top and found a crowd of onlookers and news crews.

At first glance from that distance, if you didn't know any better, everything looked fine. The restaurant was just sitting there, a little bit off the shore, still floating and right by a parking lot. You'd think it had always been there. However, it had floated about 100 feet east of its usual location. Apparently all 150 people aboard were fine and the fire department was working on getting people to shore. I snapped a few pictures and left.

- A tugboat lends assistance to the distressed floating restaurant.

- One of the restaurant's ramps lodged in the water.

While what happened was newsworthy, unusual and could've been much worse; the Cincinnati local media really ran with this story. When we got back to our apartment, one of my roommates had pulled up Channel 12's website where they had a 23 minute video of the story. The video is mostly the newscasters speculating potential disaster scenarios of what COULD happen if things took a catastrophic turn, even though it was pretty clear things were calm and a rescue effort had begun. Many members of the public ate the local media's colorful interpretation right up. A quick read through a few of the comments on this Enquirer article show how some people were wanting to immediately string up Jeff Ruby. The comments on Channel 12's site are just as interesting. One person claimed that Mr. Ruby was "the only one to blame for this stupid act." Last time I checked, it was the River who pushed the restaurant away and as of this moment all signs indicate that it wasn't intentional, therefore the river didn't "act."

- Firefighters evacuating restaurant patrons.

According to Ruby, the Waterfront has stayed open in flood waters before. He wasn't planning to close it until or if the city of Covington decided to put up the nearby floodgate. A few years back, he had a new plank installed that could float as the river rose, allowing the restaurant to stay open when water got high. Luckily no one was hurt and what transpired ended up being nothing more than an interesting story. But with the way some people reacted and covered it, you'd think this could've been the end of Queen City civilization, or fine dining, as we know it (I wonder how many tv news reports we'll see this week about how "safe" the other floating restaurants are (OMG, what about Newport Hooters!?)). May we never forget "The Night That Covington Stood Still!"

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Previous Update :: March 8, 2011 - "The Mighty Motor City - Part 1: Ferris Elementary"

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The Mighty Motor City - Part 1: Ferris Elementary

2011-03-08T02:07:00.000-08:00

"Hide your 'whiteness,'" was a piece of advice uttered to me just before we crept through an open field that was once filled with kids enjoying their recess from school. "What? Really?" I replied to our guide. This wasn't the time for debating Detroit race relations, the fact was that we were some out-of-towners in a high crime neighborhood where you apparently don't see too many white people. "You just want to attract as little attention to yourself as possible," I was told. Our group walked along what was once a sidewalk, now overgrown with weeds and grass, to the first stop of the day: George W. Ferris Elementary School - or at least the remains of it.

Highland Park is a city within a city, a Detroit suburb completely surrounded* by Detroit (It's also where the film "Gran Torino" takes place). Like its Motor City neighbor, Highland Park faced similar economic/social challenges and decline. After the 1967 "12th St. Riot," Highland Park began a steady fall. Automobile companies began leaving, crime rapidly increased, the tax base was gone and the city was out of money. In 2001, the state of Michigan disbanded the bankrupt municipal government and took over the city's operations. Neighboring Detroit provided Highland Park residents with public services such as police and fire. By 2010, Highland Park was back on its feet, reinstated as a city and began a "Return to Excellence" campaign. However, the financial crisis had left behind casualties in the form of modern ruins, the public library was closed and the city hall abandoned along with the police and fire stations (which we checked out last time). In the days of fiscal emergency that lead up to Highland Park's temporary collapse, Ferris Elementary was shut down and the students sent elsewhere.

The hallways were lined with debris thrown about by the scrap metal thieves who had torn this building to shreds. Peeling paint lined walls that bordered stairways covered in paperwork and dust. Drop ceilings decayed above empty classrooms and the cold wind from outside flowed freely through a building where very few windows remained.

Ferris has been built in sections between 1911 and 1925. Judging from the bland interior, I think it's safe to say that the building had been given a "renovation" sometime in the 1970's.

A stairwell lead us to a basement area, by the far the most beautiful section of the school. A courtyard, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass windows once provided a light well for students in the library and cafeteria.

- Gozer photographing the courtyard from what was once the library.
For some reason, I've noticed my comrades and I have a tendency to be extremely quiet when exploring, often just whispering. Maybe it's subconsciously out of respect to the location, maybe it's because in some eyes we're trespassing or maybe it was because we didn't want anyone to know we were there with expensive camera gear. Ironically on this day though, we whispered back and forth in what had once been the school's library - a room where children had done the same, a room where no one had to be quiet anymore but for some reason we were anyways.

Books were gone from the shelves and all over the floor or packed up in boxes stacked waste high in a corner of the room. Slips of paper with student's names jotted on each line could be found amongst the leaves - a system that my elementary school also used for keeping track of who checked out what book and when.

- Slips that would be signed by students and placed in the back of books to keep track of who had checked it out.

- Urban America: Policies and Problems. Might have been an interesting read given where we were.
- "Chloris and the Creeps" is apparently about a young girl in the 70's who dislikes her new step-dad.
- Hydrospace: Frontier Beneath the Sea authored and illustrated by Jack Coggins. The 1960's artwork kind of has that "Sealab 2021" feel.
- A box of books left behind.
I could've spent hours just looking through the boxes upon boxes of books, most of which were geared towards the elementary school kids who would've read them. Being here reminded me of the library in the basement of the Catholic grade school I had attended. The aging books we had were from the same era and we too used to write our names on note cards in back of the books. We left the library and headed towards the cafeteria on the other side of the courtyard, passing more remnants of the former school.

- A film canister containing the projection reel for "Tikki Tikki Tembo," a children's film.
- Microscope left on a desk.
- The mural was updated with stick figure pornography. Probably by vandals and not one of the former art classes.

- 76 Champs.
- Paint set.
The cafeteria also once served the dual purpose as an auditorium. A room that had once been host to so many young lives' conversations and Christmas pageants was now covered in water, debris and destroyed vending machines.

- The Cafeteria/Auditorium.
- The school had been closed for over a decade, so I doubt this mustard was any good.
Before we left, we stopped to see one last area of the school. Walking into the darkness, using a keychain flashlight to see, my eyes slowly adjusted. A spinning fan on the wall let in a small amount of light. The camera was set for a one minute exposure, revealing a warped gym floor, detailed ceiling and basketball hoops.

Assuming the school's last graduating class was in 2000 and it followed the traditional classification of elementary schools being grades K-5, that would mean the last kids to graduate from here are now the same age as me. The school I went to still operates to this day, I don't know how I'd react to seeing it in a condition like this. I wonder what the kids who went here would think of what's become of Ferris and what their memories of it are, I'd love to hear from someone.

Part 2: The Mighty Motor City - Part 2: St. Agnes/Marty's of Uganda
Part 3: Coming Soon.

*Highland Park is technically bordered by Detroit and Hamtramck, but Hamtrack is also surrounded by Detroit.
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Previous Update :: February 23, 2011 - "It's so Cold in the D."

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It's So Cold in the D.

2011-02-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

As I was driving on 75 North with Gozer, we joked about the homemade hip hop song and music video that became an internet sensation (and that this post is named after). One would hardly think that the monotone singing and offbeat lyrics are actually for a serious song about "T Baby's" deceased brother and infant son, hence why the "D (Detroit)" is "So Cold." Ironically for us though, the D would in fact be cold although in terms of temperature, not personal tragedy.

I hadn't been to Detroit since summer of 2009, Gozer had never been at all. We were heading there with the intention to explore, document and photograph abandoned buildings with my friend Al Duce who runs DetroitUrbex.com. Urban Exploring in Detroit has become a taboo subject amongst the Motor City locals and the press. Many describe what we do as 'Ruin Porn.' I'll touch on that subject in a later post, but the point of our journey to Detroit was not to exploit it for photography's sake. While there are others on the internet who want to take self-glorifying portraits or "edgy" band photos, what Duce and I do is simply document what's left behind. Whether you like it or not, Detroit is full of abandoned buildings and they're part of a larger story. We're just telling part of that story through our own eyes. Detroit has its troubles, but a city that has been described as an "American Tragedy" is still beautiful, elegant, proud and hopeful in many ways.

The drive up went well. It had been 60 degrees that day in Cincinnati, but as I stopped at a rest stop in Wapakoneta, I noticed it was getting significantly cooler as we went North. Due to work, we didn't leave the Queen City until about 10 PM. Eventually I made it to a small northern ohio college town to pick up Al. After dodging the late night university drinkers from the nearby bars, I exchanged a handshake with Al for the first time in over a year. From then on it was full speed ahead (as fast as a decade old Corolla can go without shaking too bad) through Toledo and over the border. Once in Michigan, the lights above the highway disappear and the highway shifts from asphalt to concrete freeways riddled with potholes. We rolled into Detroit, dropping Al off at one of the abandoned buildings we were planning to explore the next day. He was planning to camp here for the night. I knew it was no use arguing with him or offering to let him stay with us at the hotel, as he camped out during the last trip we made. So at about 3 AM I said "see ya tomorrow" before Gozer and I found our way to the hotel. We grabbed our stuff from the car and immediately went to bed. That was a hell of a drive on four hours of sleep, coffee and a Wendy's chicken sandwich.

Gozer and I woke up late, exhausted from the day before. The friendly clerk at one of Detroit's MacDonalds informed me that the restrooms were for paying customers only. A few McDouble cheeseburgers later and I was able to use the facilities of the fast food franchise. On our first day we hit up three locations, all of which will eventually be covered in greater detail.

- One.
- Two.
- Three.
Since we had gotten a late start, we figured three locations was enough to see for the day. Darkness was coming and we were exhausted. Some good food and a decent night of sleep would allow us to take full advantage of the next day. I began to doubt our plan though as a friendly homeless woman named Linda informed us that a snowstorm was on its way. I wasn't sure she knew what she was talking about, but when I got back to the hotel, my fears were confirmed. The local tv news informed me that a nasty ice storm was on its way, with snow reaching as far south as Lima, Ohio. I like Detroit, but getting stranded there wasn't in our best interest. We decided we'd have to cut the trip early. In the morning we found out that the weather wasn't coming till noon. We met up with Al and shot photos from the top of a parking garage before heading out.

- The Detroit People Mover snakes past the currently unused Wurlitzer building (front) and David Broderick Tower (rear). The Broderick Tower is currently being renovated, the Wurlitzer's future remains uncertain.
Mr. Duce pointed out to us that the Broderick Tower currently had its whale mural exposed (as seen in the above picture). Apparently a glimpse of the mural is a rare sight to see in Detroit these days. Installed in 1997, the "Whaling Wall" is just one of 100 murals of marine life created by the artist "Wyland" in 100 different communities around the world. Since 2006 the mural has been covered by a billboard that is supposedly generating revenue for renovating the building. The billboard recently came down in a storm.

- Comerica Park, one of my favorite major league ballparks.
While apparently it doesn't hold a candle to the now demolished Tiger Stadium, Comerica Park is one of my favorite parks in baseball. The place is up close to the surrounding city, surrounded by minimal parking lots and also features a baseball themed ferris wheel.

The Detroit People Mover isn't technically a form of rail transit, but it's the closest thing the city has. Unfortunately, it was never built to its full potential. In a city that was once dominated by the auto industry, an alternative to cars was not seen as a good thing by the shot callers at GM and Ford. Like Cincinnati pushing for its new streetcar, Detroit has been pushing for light rail as a way of providing a new form of transportation and for fueling economic development.

In the above photo, the sign of the left reads: "Bomb Detectors: If you see something unusual, warn others, move away and report it." I thought it might have been a poster left over from the filming of the Red Dawn remake, but it's real. The digital readout above it politely asks you to not bring pets. Apparently neither explosives or pets are allowed on the People Mover.

As we left Detroit with our trip cut short, I was wondering if we were making the right move, local tv news always seems to overhype the threat of snow. The trip had been great, but there's so much to see in Detroit - and not just abandoned buildings. Detroit is incredible. We said our goodbyes to Al and hit the road. As we passed through Lima, light snow began to fall. Snow turned into rain and rain turned into overcast skies as I drove through Dayton and into Cincinnati.

Upon arriving back in Cincinnati, I swung by my favorite Waffle House to grab some hash browns and coffee with one of my best friends aka Fulton Reed. Fulton was planning to drive back to Toledo that night for school. A text from him a few hours later claimed that I-75 was an ice skating rink up there. This picture he sent me confirmed how strong the ice storm had been:

Fulton made it back safe and the next day my dad was in Detroit for business also claiming that the weather and roads were awful. Apparently we had the right idea to get out of Dodge before the storm came.

I love Detroit. It's a beautiful and interesting place with an incredible story and friendly people (although the potholes in the poorly maintained roads get old really fucking fast). Detroit hasn't seen the last of me, I will return.

Stay tuned for future Urban Exploration adventures from this trip to Detroit.

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Previous Update :: February 17, 2011 - "The Problem These Days is That Kids are Learning History Off The Walls of Applebees."

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The Problem These Days is That Kids are Learning History Off The Walls of Applebees.

2011-02-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

The past week in personal photography.

I feel my life is more in danger at the Kenwood Towne Centre on a weeknight than when I have an expensive camera around my neck in OTR and downtown at midnight. There was no update Monday because the out of warranty Macbook I'm currently typing on was getting repaired at the Apple Store in Kenwood. I was worried the brakes on the #1 Corolla Rager were going out, but utilizing them constantly on 71 and in the Towne Centre parking lot proved they were working just fine. I'm not sure what was more annoying - the morons inside the mall or the ones in the parking lot who don't know what a pedestrian is or have any idea how to back up their SUV. Despite the lack of a computer, QC/D kept on keeping on through a week of urban photo documentary.

- The setting sun silhouettes the "luxury" suites, grandstand, lights and barbed wire of the unused Cooper Stadium in Columbus.
On a Saturday morning I waded through a sea of people only to be told my computer was "fine." It wasn't. When I got home, the problem persisted. I would've gone back, but a temporary part-time employer needed me to stock their yogurt while dealing with old ladies who were mad that said employer was out of low-carb Vanilla. The next day I was in Columbus visiting family, one of my best friends and staring through a barbed wire fence at an abandoned baseball stadium.

Cooper Stadium, former home of the AAA Columbus Clippers, was replaced in 2008. It currently sits unused. Proposals have been floated around about turning the stadium into a racetrack. Indianapolis tried that with their former AAA ballpark. It didn't work out so well.

The Macbook went back in on Monday. While out of warranty, thankfully parts and labor were cheap. I spent a lovely Valentines Day with my lovely girlfriend at Joe's Diner on Sycamore, the place where we first met. The next day I braved Kenwood for the third time in three days. Going to Kenwood probably raises my blood pressure higher than any cigarette or cheeseburger ever could. Luckily that stress was relieved due to unseasonably beautiful weather and an evening of shooting photos, running into friends and discovering new places in Over-The-Rhine. One of them being the incredible, little known Jazz Club at Schwartz's Point.

- Ed Moss, owner of Schwartz's Point.
- Inside Schwartz's Point. Full Size.
Wednesday was another day of classes and grocery slavery. The warm weather and beautiful night were too good to pass up. So I met up with some friends to go out and shoot in the middle of the night, starting atop Mt. Adams.

- Looking down E. 8th St. from Rookwood Pottery in Mt. Adams.
- Full Size.
- Skyline of the Cincinnati and Northern kentucky shores. The crumbling pillars at the bottom of the photograph are the remains of the Mt. Adams Incline.
At the base of the hill, there's a confluence of roadways, light and lines.

- Full Size.

And on 2nd St., The Banks are rising, a new skyscraper towers in the distance, the ballpark waits for Spring, the Transit Center sits quiet below ground and a few cars pass while a few late night bar hoppers head back to their cars.

- Full Size.
It's been a good week for photography, this weekend will be even better. There's a lot to see and a trip has been planned.
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Previous Update :: February 7, 2011 - "An Atypical View at an Atypical Time: Great American Ballpark."

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An Atypical View at an Atypical Time: Great American Ballpark

2011-02-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

- GABP Entrance Plaza Panorama - Full Size.
A frustrating day - ready for baseball, so I took a walk around the ballpark. Different perspectives of the ballpark taken during a different time than when most people see it.

- Looking in.
- Upper Deck, Outside.
- East Freedom Way.
- Riverfront Park.
- Riverfront Stairs.
- Light Towers.
- Light Towers II.
- Centerfield Stairs.
- Centerfield Entrance Panorama - Full Size.
- Centerfield Stairs II.
- Eastern Escalator Motion.

Special thanks to 5chw4r7z for inspiring me to play with the "tilt shift" effect.
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Previous Update :: January 30, 2011 - "Fortune Cookie Prophecy Part 2: The Surf Cincinnati Abandoned Miniature Golf Classic."

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Fortune Cookie Prophecy Part 2: The Surf Cincinnati Abandoned Miniature Golf Classic

2011-01-30T22:26:00.000-08:00

The prophecy of a "delightful journey" laid out by the fortune cookie in Part 1 had so far come true when Gozer and I explored the remains of forgotten Lancaster Street earlier in the day. However, we weren't done yet, so would the fortune hold up? So far the day had been good, but there was still urban exploring to be done as the USS Rio Grande weaved in and out of slower traffic on I-75. The sun was steadily fading as we made a pit stop at my parent's house, where my golf clubs spend the winter. I was going to need two of them as the Star Trek nicknamed car rushed up a hill and began sliding across an icy parking lot that overlooked what had once been Surf Cincinnati. I knew that the former waterpark I swam at many times as a kid and explored in the early days of my urban exploration photography had been demolished, but this was the first time I had really seen the change. In place of a waterpark that once entertained thousands and became an abandoned playground for myself - was a church:

- The "City of Destiny" that now occupies the site of what once was Surf Cincinnati.
In case you missed the update last year, I documented what Surf Cincinnati had been. It was a waterpark. I have a lot of memories of going there back when it was still open. Eventually it was closed and left to sit quietly in a Scooby-Doo ghost town kind of way. It was the first abandoned location that I really visited and documented through photography. It was one of my favorite places to shoot and explore from when I got into all of this in 2006, right up until I heard it was demolished in 2009. In case you haven't seen the update I featured on QC/D about it, here's a link. I knew the demolition had been coming, but it was kind of surreal seeing how the whole landscape had changed.

- Circa 2006 aerial photograph showing the full size of Surf Cincinnati. [Image from Bing Maps]
- Circa 2009 aerial photograph from the same viewpoint. [Image from Bing Maps]
I have nothing against anyone's faith or any type of religion (except Scientology, that shit is a scam Tom Cruise) and I realize that a place of communal worship may be a better use for land than a decaying, abandoned amusement park. However, I couldn't believe how ugly this church that I was staring at across the parking lot was. Maybe it's because I grew up going to beautiful St. Ann's in Hamilton, Ohio or had grown to appreciate the kind of ecclesiastical architecture that I had learned about in art history classes. Maybe I just missed the hours I had spent photographing an abandoned place that I had a personal connection to. Regardless, I felt that you could slap a "Wal-Mart" logo on the front entrance and replace the crosses with that smiling "rollback" face and call it a day if you ever needed a new "supercenter" in the area.

- Remains of the Surf Cincinnati go-kart course.
The church and its massive parking lot's construction hadn't taken all of Surf Cincinnati with it though. Of the few things remaining, the go-kart track (seen above) was one of them. The pool for the bumper boats was there as well and also what we had come for: the miniature golf course.

This picture taken from Surf Cincinnati's former website (last updated in 1997) shows what all three attractions had looked like when they were open:

On this particular day, Gozer and I had come to play in the first ever "Surf Cincinnati Miniature Golf Classic," at least the first since the park was abandoned. You might be wondering why we decided to play when the temperature was freezing and the ground was covered in snow. Two reasons:

I first had the idea over the summer, but my time was pretty well occupied.
I am horrified of snakes. A mini-golf course devoid of human life and overgrown with standing water and vegetation seemed like perfect snake territory. At least when it's cold, I didn't run the risk of having to putt around some slithering vermin.

- A collapsed plastic sign marks where "The Chip Shot" golf course originally began.
A lot of people think my time in life revolves around work, photography, abandoned buildings, the internet, beer and the Reds. This is not entirely true, there's a few other priorities sprinkled in here and there and when I get some free time, I actually do enjoy playing Golf. I'm actually so good that I once convinced some executives at Titliest to sponsor me with my own brand of QC/D golf balls cleverly designed to look like they had been marked with a Sharpie marker.

- QC/D custom golf balls by Titliest.
Gozer had her own golf balls too, but she just took them out of the box and wrote on them with a Sharpie. Pssh... amateur.

Now, miniature golf (or "putt-putt" as some call it) has always been a good place to take someone on a date, but when your girlfriend likes exploring abandoned places as much as you do, abandoned miniature golf makes a great date. We had the balls and two old putters of mine (no way was I going to scratch up my Ben Hogan putter here), but the greens were covered in snow.

With no shovels available and running out of daylight, we quickly used our feet to brush off as much snow as possible. It wasn't the most effective tactic, but it worked...kind of.

We lined up on the "first hole," which was really just the first hole we could find that didn't require a machete to walk through, and agreed it would be a "par 2 (meaning: it should only take you two tries to make it in the hole)."

- Lining up my putter for the shot. Photo by Gozer.
After a few practice swings, I smacked my ball across the snow covered, water saturated fairway towards the hole.

Gozer followed up my first shot with one of her own, banking her ball off the brick pavers that lined that hole. Her shot was mere inches from being a hole-in-one.

I lined up and took my next shot like Maverick firing at Jester below the hard deck, sinking the ball into the hole for a par. Gozer followed it up with a par of her own, tying the game.

We moved on to find another hole. The wooden posts that had once held up the course lights were now rotting and supporting shards of broken glass. This isn't a course you can play once the sun goes down.

With daylight running out and a winner yet to be determined, we used our feet to hastily clear off another green. The only problem was that we couldn't find the physical hole. It must've been covered under the mountains of dead leaves and brush. Instead, we just made a circle in the snow and agreed that your ball had to be within the circle lines to be considered "in the hole."

We also agreed that this hole, which had once been hole 15, would be a par 3. It featured a new obstacle - a rock face overlooking a tiny pond that you had to clear.

Gozer took the first shot, clearing the pond and landing safely on the other side, but still quite far from the hole.

- Gozer lines up here shot on "hole 2" which was once "hole 15."
I lined up my shot and hit the ball. I cleared the obstacle and watched my ball bounce up the sides and stop about an inch away from being in "the hole." Gozer needed three more strokes before she finished the hole - I only needed one.

- The winner: Gordon Bombay.
The final score:
Gordon - 4 (1 under Par)
Gozer - 6 (1 over Par)

In golf, the person with the lowest score wins - in this case, me. What was my trophy? A one-of-a-kind historical artifact - an original Surf Cincinnati "Chip Shot Golf Course" ball found amongst the brush.

All in all, looking back on the day, the fortune cookie prophecy from Part 1 had come true. That day had indeed been a "delightful journey." Maybe you should take your fortune cookie more seriously the next time you get Chinese takeout?

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Previous Update :: January 23, 2011 - "Fortune Cookie Prophecy Part 1: Lancaster St."

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Fortune Cookie Prophecy Part 1: Lancaster St.

2011-01-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

I didn't have much around my apartment for breakfast. Some Grippo's BBQ chips, frozen corn dogs, lemonade and two fortune cookies was about all there was. A small cookie made of flour, sugar, vanilla and oil with a message inside it seemed like a good thing to eat. I don't usually put any faith in the "fortunes" found within these takeout accompanying deserts, but since Gozer and I were about to go exploring, this one seemed like a good sign:

- "You are about to embark on a most delightful journey!"
Was today's journey going to be delightful though? Exploring in the winter has its drawbacks. Daylight doesn't last as long (especially when you wake up at noon) and its generally cold out. I had a few things in mind to see that day but wasn't exactly sure if they were still there and if they were still standing - if they were, how interesting would they be? I didn't want to wander around for hours in the cold to find nothing or something boring to photograph. So hopefully the prophecy put forth by the breakfast fortune cookie was going to come true.

- The Forgotten Rail Station at Torrence Rd.
Gozer and I were in search of an abandoned street, Lancaster St., to be exact. According to some internet research, the street had a forgotten tunnel which could be found beneath the tracks of the Oasis Line railroad that borders Riverside Dr. and Columbia Pkwy. The suggested location offered by the internet didn't pan out, so we decided to take a gamble as we cruised up Riverside looking for The Forgotten Rail Station at Torrence Rd. I figured the Lancaster St. tunnel had to be somewhere near the abandoned rail station that Jeffy and I had explored and featured in an update back in 2009. Gozer and I parked the USS Rio Grande (the nickname for her car due to its resemblance of the Star Trek ship of the same name) and found some crumbling hillside steps, which we used to get up to the railroad.

- Crumbling steps leading to the railroad embankment.
All across the city, Cincinnati's hills are dotted with hillside steps. Nearly 400 sets of steps are maintained by the city, they were built into hillsides in an effort to connect neighborhoods and roads. The steps are recognizable by the unique metal handrails they use. Over time and for various reasons, certain sets of steps were abandoned. Riverside Dr. is littered with steps that once connected uphill (like the one seen above), now cutoff by Columbia Pkwy. Not only were the steps abandoned, but entire roads as well, such as the aforementioned Torrence Rd.

Upon reaching the railroad embankment, we had to make a choice. Go right or left.

- Looking Eastward (right) down the Oasis Line.

- Looking Westward (left) down the Oasis Line towards downtown. Mt. Adams seen at center.
The forgotten train station was to the right. I figured that if what we were looking for was there, we would've seen it when Jeffy and I had been there. So we went to the left, heading back towards downtown along the railroad tracks that eventually dead end at Sawyer Point. Thankfully, the sun was out this day, so it wasn't incredibly cold as we made our way down the tracks, walking behind a mix of homes that needed some upkeep and newer condos. At one point the tracks cross over the street on a bridge with no railing. We had to precariously walk on the wooden railroad ties, making sure to not drop our feet through or fall to the road below as we waved to passing drivers who looked up.

A train coming our way could've ended our day in a hurry. That is, if trains used these tracks often or if they could go fast through the area (they don't and they can't). The only times these tracks see use anymore is when the Ringling Brothers Circus comes to town or the Cincinnati Dinner Train comes by. The circus isn't due until March and the dinner train only runs on Saturday, so we ignored the warning sign about the tracks being in use. The sign pictured above would have more weight though, had these tracks been re-purposed. In 2002, they would've been used in the Metro Moves Light Rail plan and been used for rail transit. However, Hamilton County voted it down, so the tracks sit quiet while commuters clog neighboring Riverside Dr. and Columbia Pkwy each morning and afternoon with automobile traffic. Even today, the tracks would be an excellent right-of-way for commuter trains connecting the East side to downtown.

- A syringe found along the tracks.
A few miles into the walk, I was beginning to wonder if we were going to find what we were looking for. All we had found was a syringe, a car seat and plenty of old railroad remnants.

Then the remains of infrastructure could be seen, breaking up the monotony of seeing nothing but trees and trash for the past half hour. The rusted remains of an iron fence could be seen next to the tracks.

Immediately, I knew we were in the right place. The fence was of the same design that we had seen at the abandoned train station. Before we went down to the tunnel though, we noticed more forgotten hillside steps. We decided to check those out first.

- More forgotten hillside steps.
The brush that had grown up around the steps and their subsequent decay made them appear as if they were from some ancient civilization, not infrastructure that had been abandoned approximately forty years ago. As we climbed higher up the steps, the brush got thicker and thicker, a machete would've come in handy.

- Gozer trying to push her way through the brush.
The steps reached a dead end, right up to the concrete barrier wall of Columbia Pkwy.

On the way back down, I noticed something in the woods. It was a tent, but by the looks of it, the inhabitant had moved on. The tent was sagging down, with shoes and various belongings left strewn about the campsite. I asked: "Anyone home?" but received no answer. Whoever had been squatting here next to the tracks was gone.

The hillside steps had once connected to another set of stairs that lead to the tunnel beneath the tracks.

Since being abandoned though, presumably with the construction of Columbia Pkwy which cut off the hillside steps from the neighborhoods above, the tunnel and steps have become a blank canvas for graffiti artists.

The stairs are littered with dead leaves and empty 40 oz. bottles, while the familiar hand rails are slowly rusting and falling apart.

Ironically, the stairs look like the kind of infrastructure you'd see connecting a city sidewalk above to a railway below ground, like that of the abandoned Cincinnati Subway. In this case however, they connect a sidewalk that's below to a railway above. The sidewalk runs through a small tunnel. The tunnel itself isn't that impressive or big. It, like the steps, is tagged up with graffiti representing profanity and sexual references rather than art. However, the tunnel is an interesting forgotten relic of a road no longer used.

- The tunnel.
- The brickwork of the tunnel walls has been tagged with the markings of vandals who drew references to the male sexual organ.
- Gozer photographing the remains of Lancaster Street.
On the other side of the tunnel are the remains of an asphalt path that reaches out to Riverside Drive. The tunnel itself is obscured from sight by a housing structure, which explains why we couldn't find it earlier when driving.

- Lancaster Street.

In the center of the tunnel entrance is a set of markings that appear to say: "1914." However, the third digit in between the 9 and the 4 is missing. How its missing, I don't know, I assumed it would've been etched into the rock like the other numbers.

- The tunnel.
On the other side of the tunnel is an overgrown asphalt path that connects with Riverside Dr. The path itself is hardly wide enough for a car to drive on, much less get inside the tunnel. Maybe the road was changed when houses along Riverside were demolished or the one currently in place was built, but it seemed the road was merely a pedestrian only right-of-way, meant to connect Riverside with the hillside steps. Despite the fact that you can't find the street on Google Maps, a newer sign is in place marking its existence, even if that existence is a forgotten one.

The prophecy foretold by the fortune cookie had come true, that day was a delightful journey, but it wasn't over yet. We hopped back in the USS Rio Grande and headed for the opposite side of town. I needed to go pick up my golf clubs, because we still had plans for some more abandoned fun that day...

...but more on that in part 2.

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Previous Update :: January 16, 2011 - "Monster Trucks at the Gardens."

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Monster Trucks at the Gardens

2011-01-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

January might as well have been "Monster Truck Month" in Cincinnati. For three weekends straight, the Cincinnati market was saturated with three different touring circuits of over-sized pickup trucks that drive around and crush cars. Last week there as an event at the US Bank Arena downtown, next week there's one at the Bank of Kentucky Center on NKU's campus, but this week there were monster trucks at the best arena in town: the Cincinnati Gardens.

I'm not kidding. Nothing beats the Gardens. It's by far my favorite arena. The place is historical and has character. While the Bank of Kentucky Center may be the nicest and newest, the Gardens has a rich history. Its appearance may seem dated and the scoreboard lacks modern video technology, but its a much better venue for hockey than the drab, 1970's era US Bank Arena (formerly Firstar Center, The Crown and Riverfront Coliseum (although USBA does have the coolest zamboni driver)). The seats are perfectly situated for the building's original purpose: hockey, and the steel beams supporting the roof blend in nicely with the wooden seats.

The Gardens has had a long list of tenants in its days, including numerous minor league hockey teams. One of the most notable teams was the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League (one step below the premier National Hockey League), whose remnants can still be found around the arena.

Back when SpikeTV was TNN and US Bank Arena was the Firstar Center, there was a weekly monster truck show called "Monster Jam" (not the current one, the old one from the late 90's). My dad had gotten free tickets to one of the shows at the Firstar Center and took myself and a neighborhood friend. That was probably somewhere around 97 or 99 and was the last time I had been to a monster truck show. With three weekends of car smashing fun to choose from in the area, the Gardens was undoubtedly the best choice. The old cliche motor sports event saying goes: "SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY," so on Sunday, we went to go watch some giant trucks smash some cars and there were other things.

- Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you look at it) for us, Natty Light was the Sunday happy hour special. One fine (not really) can for just a dollar.
Every time I walk into the Gardens it brings back memories of Mighty Ducks games. The place smells like minor league hockey and has had that smell ever since I can remember (it's a subtle mix between a locker room and burnt popcorn). I kept boasting to my girlfriend and friends about how awesome the place was as we walked up from the gravel parking lot to the ticket window. We picked up the cheapest ticket and a few beers before taking our seats. The show began with the playing of a recording of the National Anthem as everyone except the family in front of us stood up and faced the American flag, whose white stripes seemed to be looking a little yellow with age. Then there was some muffled announcement and a clown who came out in a tiny monster truck to excite the crowd by saying "show me some love" - to which most people in the audience cheered. Then the trucks start up and they take turns smashing cars.

The clown and trucks are not the only form of entertainment though. They also had ATV racing in which three riders supposedly from Dayton square off against three riders allegedly from Cincinnati. I think they do this in every city to try and work up the crowd based on an emotional reaction due to nearby rivalries (like how everyone knows that Dayton is just a minor league Cincinnati). "Team Dayton" won the first race and their "captain" spoke to the audience about how he disliked Cincinnati, further portraying team Dayton as the "bad guys." Then, that clown came back.

The clown's name is Bobby Cox. At first we were confused, wondering why the former Atlanta Braves manager was now doing this. Turns out, its a different guy who regularly performs at monster truck events. He seemed to be a hit with the kids in the audience, but since we couldn't hear a thing he was saying from where we sat, his bit got old kind of quick. I was able to hear him ask for a volunteer kid in the audience from age 4 (I quickly raised my hand along with the other children) to 10 (I lowered my hand, realizing I missed the age cutoff by eleven years). From then on there was about ten minutes of talking which culminated in this kid walking away with a free bike:

Then there was more trucks smashing cars:

An intermission was given to allow the dust to clear out of the arena so we took an opportunity to go get some popcorn. Along the way we wound up in a stairwell and then in a hallway that was apparently once the offices for the Mighty Ducks and Railraiders (the hockey team that was to replace the ducks, but never took the ice). The walls and tile of the hallway still had the Duck's colors, reminiscent of the 1990's Mighty Duck movies.

Stopping at the concession stand, we noticed that the "Happy Hour" special of $1 Natural Light cans had ended. In a way this was a good thing, because I don't even think Natty Light is worth a dollar, so I saved my money (I do think the Gardens should work out a promotion for future events with $1 cans of Hudy, that would be awesome). We picked up a tub of popcorn. I don't know what it is about popcorn at the Gardens, but they have the best. It's buttery, salty and a really good complement to monster truck shows or hockey.

- Hungry?
The intermission ended and they began the show again with the clown and then the trucks. This time though, the trucks were competing to see who could jump the highest into the air.

This event however made me question the integrity of the scoring and points system. Instead of going to judges, the announcer would ask the audience who was their favorite and point to a truck. Whenever he pointed to "Bigfoot," that truck got the loudest cheers despite the fact that he had not actually jumped the highest. This was much different than I remember the late 90's t.v. show on TNN where they had judges. It all seemed like a really arbitrary way to choose a winner. I mean, come on, most of those people were just cheering for Bigfoot cause they recognized the brand name. His fellow drivers must get pissed each weekend when they constantly lose to that guy just cause he's driving "Bigfoot." In all seriousness though, I realize it's just a show.

Wouldn't you know it though, "Team Dayton" just had to rear their ugly Gem City heads. They raced their ATV's against "Team Cincinnati" and won the second race. However, the Dayton "captain" seemed very receptive to the announcer's offer for an "all or nothing, winner take all rematch." I just hoped "Team Cincinnati" (or rather, the group of ATV riders claiming to be from Cincinnati) could pull it through this time.

They did. Cincinnati won and the Dayton guys retreated backstage defeated and broken. One guy really did get hurt though when he got knocked off the ATV and fell really hard into the wall. He had to be helped off by paramedics.

The clown returned ...again. This time he said he had to, because they had to let more dust and fumes clear out to ensure air quality (they do this at US Bank Arena too). He launched some t-shirts off of his mini monster truck and told some corny jokes before the main event, in which the trucks put on a freestyle performance.

"Team Dayton" was defeated, the monster trucks were parked, the cars were thoroughly smashed, "Bigfoot" was crowned champion, the clown thanked the crowd and a long line of kids began forming in the concourse for autographs from the drivers who hang out afterwards. We began to leave, stopping to say hello to Charles, a Gardens legend and friend from Mighty Ducks games who I also worked with during a brief and regrettable employment at US Bank Arena.

- Charlie. Cincinnati's number 1 usher and local legend.

The show was loud, it was corny and it was best enjoyed with a beer in one hand, popcorn in the other. However, I had a great time. I love the Cincinnati Gardens. If anyone from the Gardens is reading this, please get pro hockey back in that building soon!

- Never forget!

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Previous Update :: January 15, 2011 - "Third Time's a Charm - Forgotten Cincinnati Returns."

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Third Time's a Charm - Forgotten Cincinnati Exhibition Returns

2011-01-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

Not many "threequels" are successful. While the third installment of a series can be downright awful (see: Batman Forever, Superman 3, Mission Impossible 3, Jurassic Park 3, Shrek the Third, etc.), some can be really good (i.e. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or D3: The Mighty Ducks). So at the end of this month, we hope to be on that list of successful third parts in a series. It's that time of year again: January. It's cold out, the Bengals aren't in the playoffs and baseball's not back yet. What does January mean for me and you the reader? FORGOTTEN CINCINNATI RETURNS

It's become an annual event and this year will mark our third year of displaying some of our work at local shops throughout historic Over-The-Rhine. The exhibit opens on "January Final Friday," a day when all the local shops and businesses in OTR are open and displaying artwork or just having a good time. Every year is a blast and I'm sure this year will be more successful than Batman Forever was with its audiences.

Here's the details:
What: Forgotten Cincinnati Opening Night
When: January Final Friday - 1/28/2010 - 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Who: Photographers Sherman Cahal (Seicer), Zach Fein (Dr. Venkman) and Ronny Salerno (Gordon Bombay) return for a third Final Friday installment with photographs of a deserted and abandoned Queen City. Forgotten Cincinnati runs through Feb. 20 and possibly a little beyond.
Where: Park + Vine (1202 Main St.) and Joseph Williams Home (1232 Vine St.)
Check out the event on Facebook.

Both stores are within walking distance of each other. You can park at the Gateway Quarter Garage for cheap or on the street for free after 5 PM. So come on down and see some photos of abandoned buildings, check out some cool stores and support the local economy. Zach, Sherman and I will be bouncing around between both stores all night, so feel free to find us and say hello (the easiest way to find me would be following me on Twitter). In addition to great people and businesses, OTR has awesome bars and food so you should make a night out of it. I'm sure we'll wind up at Joe's Diner or Neon's at some point.

It will be fun, come see it.

Special thanks to Dan, Brian and Fred for having this event again this year, you guys are great.

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Previous Update :: January 9, 2011 - "The Glencoe Hole""

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The "Glencoe Hole."

2011-01-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

I got caught up in a huge game of "Egyptian Ratscrew" that kept me at Waffle House with good friends and "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" playing on the jukebox till 3 A.M. The next morning I was late meeting the rest of Cincinnati's 8th Precinct (C8P) at Joe's Diner on Sycamore where I was to solidify my regular diet of burgers, hash browns and toast that I had been enjoying for the past 24 hours. A short while later and we were standing at the base of a hill looking up at three rows of abandoned apartments - the "Glencoe Hole."

- Glencoe's story is one of architectural tragedy as the entire four acre complex sits quietly deteriorating on the Mt. Auburn hillside.
My first visit to the remains of the Glencoe-Auburn Place apartments was in February of 2007, nearly four years ago. I hadn't been back until one night when I took my buddy Dave to see it this past winter. Tucked into the hillside of Mt. Auburn, between Christ Hospital and Clifton, you round the corner and are immediately plummeted into four acres of abandonment. The eerily quiet site is almost reminiscent of the abandoned eastern-bloc ghost town of Pripyat.

How did it get this way though? How did such beautiful buildings become vacant in an otherwise active neighborhood? Believe it or not, this wasn't the first time this neighborhood was abandoned and the future of it remains uncertain, if not somewhat doubtful.

In this picture you can see the remains of barbeque grills amongst the overgrown buildings:

This is how that area of Glencoe was originally envisioned, note the man grilling on the left hand side:

Dr. Venkman has authored an excellent and concise history of the location (which provided the above image), but here's the abridged version:

It's not entirely certain when the complex, which originally featured 217 units and a hotel, was constructed. According to Venkman's research though, it was mostly likely constructed between 1884 and 1891. The row houses that make up the complex aren't actually "row houses" in the traditional sense. Instead of one apartment unit per building, they actually feature one apartment unit per floor of each building. Venkman theorized that this was to provide maximum density of the buildings, fitting in as many people as possible. Due to the abundant and affordable amount of housing, the "first suburb of Cincinnati" soon became flooded with low-income residents. By the early 1920's as Cincinnati was abandoning its subway project, Glencoe-Auburn Place was becoming an environment ripe with crime and drug use. The conditions kept deteriorating well into the 1960's until 1964 when the city's first suburb gave Cincinnati its first rent strike. A majority of the strikers were evicted and by the early 70's, the complex of apartments was vacant and the area had become known as the "Glencoe Hole."

The opportunity for redevelopment presented itself, thus the "Glencoe Redevelopment Project" was born. The site's Italianate exteriors were left mostly intact while the large amount of tenement units were modified into 99 more comfortable units. The plazas and courtyards were fitted with concrete structures and barriers reminiscent of the Brutalist Architecture on the rage during the 70's.

- Pictures of Glencoe contrasted between 2010 (left) and the site's revitalization in the 70's (right). Image source: CityKin

By 1988, Cincinnati published a guide celebrating its Bicentennial. In that guide, Glencoe was proudly featured and had been noted for receiving several local, state and national awards as a successful model of urban revitalization. However, by the 1990's things took a turn for the worse. Maintenance fell into disrepair, conditions worsened, crime returned and the Cincinnati Enquirer once referred to the area as a "snake's nest of drug dealers." Glencoe's status as the "hole" returned for a second time and by the late 90's/early 2000's the complex was completely vacant.

In 2003, local developer Pauline Van Der Haer was successful in securing the complex's place on the National Register of Historic Places and announced that she planned to renovate the complex into upscale condos that would even feature a swimming pool atop a parking structure. The project was to be called: "Inwood Village." Van der Haer's plans were changed when she was unable to secure a subsidy agreement from the city and announced plans to still renovate the units, but once again make them low-income. By the time I was standing in the abandoned shell of Glencoe in 2007, the showroom condos had been locked up tight, the rental office closed and the project stalled for the foreseeable future. In 2008, the remnants of Hurricane Ike rolled through the area and caused a fire, damaging one of the units. As of this writing, the Glencoe-Auburn Place Apartments still sit empty and the Inwood Village Redevelopment project is still stalled.

- Rusted hulks of lighting structures, features of the 1970 redevelopment.
The story doesn't end there though. Van Der Haer was recently heard from in June 2010 when she apparently attempted to sue the city for the project being stalled. During the great "No on 9" Streetcar ballot issue of the 2009 election; Chris Smitherman, leader of the local NAACP chapter became a vocal voice in opposing the construction and funding of the city's streetcar project. Before "The Provost of Cincinnati" went offline, he had theorized that he believed Smitherman opposed the streetcar project because funds that could potentially be subsidy's for the Inwood Village project had instead been appropriated for the streetcar. Apparently Smitherman's brother's company, Jostin Concrete, had a large stake in the redevelopment contract. Is there a 'Great Glencoe Conspiracy?' Maybe, but to me it just seems like Van Der Haer wanted way too much money from the city and didn't get it because not many believed the redevelopment plan was plausible and there seemed to be very few potential tenants who signed on.

- Stuffed animals left on the abandoned hillside steps that once linked the complex uphill with Inwood Park.
When I returned this past year with C8P, the complex had changed somewhat. Van Der Haer's condo sales offices had disappeared and the doors to all the buildings had been boarded up. Those boards were then painted over by a local group who tried to make them appear like doors.

- 2010 photo showing the Glencoe Hole boarded up and painted to feature aesthetic, brightly colored doors.
In anticipation of the Inwood Village redevelopment, the buildings had been ripped of all furniture, appliances, carpeting and electrical work. When the development stalled, they were left wide open for squatters and anyone with a camera who ventured inside to take a look at the beautiful woodwork that remained.

- A 2007 photo showing the 19th century woodwork still hidden in some of the complex's buildings.
Since the place has now been sealed up with wood that is painted to look like a brightly colored door, the homeless are forced to precariously climb up the collapsed fire escapes or in through numerous broken windows not far off the ground (which has been witnessed). For exploring photographers though - once one has found a way in, it's apparent that Glencoe certainly contains more beauty outside than it does inside.

- Mailboxes with names still attached.
- The corpse of a dead raccoon found on the lobby floor.
- An original Nintendo Game Boy was one of the few personal artifacts found left behind at Glencoe. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles anyone?
If it hadn't been for Dr. Venkman remembering flashlights, we might have stepped right onto the corpse of that rotting raccoon (Thanks Doc) who we affectionately dubbed: "Mr. Mittens." Venkman, who has a thorough understanding of architecture and construction (and the degree to prove it) seriously doubted the integrity of the floors once we reached the uppermost level.

- A Glencoe hallway complete with rotting floor.

Nonetheless, I tested it anyway - nervously making my way across the molded linoleum where you could see straight through to the floor below you. Lucky for me, the floor beneath my feet held and I was able to get some shots looking out at the complex from the top floor.

The interior of Glencoe is in a severe state of dilapidation. We agreed that aside from the Game Boy and Dead Raccoon, there wasn't much else to see and we headed back outside.

- Not entirely sure what this structure was.
- Detail on one of the buildings.
Glencoe is certainly a collection of beautiful architectue and potential, somewhat reminiscent of the row houses seen in cities like San-Francisco, Chicago, Boston and New York. The place is hidden on a hill, down crumbling side streets in the shadow of a massive hospital and bustling university. With each passing year the physical conditions of the buildings seem to get worse, but Glencoe was saved once before. Will it be saved again or will it forever be known as the "Glencoe Hole?"

-Gordon

Previous Update :: January 3, 2011 - "They F**k it up Every Year!""

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"They F**k it Up Every Year."

2011-01-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile. I last updated QC/D on Nov. 26 (and even that was an advertisement at best) which means I didn't even touch this site in December. It's now 2011 so I should probably start things off right with some photographs and words/rants. I noticed a lot of blogs/websites were doing "lists" of the best moments of 2010. Not gonna lie, it was a good year. I could recap it all in list fashion, but it would probably just be a bunch of stories about Reds games, waffle house, beer and the occasional abandoned building. I will share two stories though: The story of where I've been and why nothing has been done on this website in over a month followed by the story of New Years Eve.

If you follow the site on Facebook, you may have remembered me saying I was gonna update it after finals week at school. If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed I was eerily silent, no longer making lame jokes and hurling insults at streetcar opposition. So what happened? Well admittedly, I was pretty busy during finals week, I had a lot to get done. When that was done, I really wanted to relax. I'd been exploring on the weekends and shooting lots of photos for school, myself and City Beat. I needed a break from the camera. After my last final I bought a six pack of Moerlin Northern Liberties IPA and turned on my Xbox 360. I never got the new Call of Duty and still play Modern Warfare 2, despite having the game for over a year I don't have much time logged on it and to be honest, I suck at it. However, since purchasing an Xbox in 2008, I never really play it. When I get time to play it, its a nice break from reality. Then that got interrupted by getting a new job. The job was complemented by holiday gatherings, one of which my roommates and I threw. The aftermath seen here:

So you see; between cleaning up that mess, fighting online video game battles, spending time with family, school and 40 hours a week working to get rent money - I had a lot on my plate. Like I said, I've been exploring and shooting photos still, I just couldn't find the time to take a few hours to sit down and get a large update done on this site. Even at this moment, I need to finish writing this in the next half hour so I can go reunite with the band I played with in high school.

I had a point I swear. I don't think anyone really cares enough to hear me make excuses about my crappy job or see photos of how many beer bottles and bowls of skyline dip were left laying around my apartment, so here's an interesting story and some photos:

---------------------
The past two years I've started the new year off with a recap of what I did to celebrate New Years Eve, which both years has been: Go to Fountain Square. Not one to break this tradition, I did the same thing this year. I hate New Years Eve, but I like it at Fountain Square. The holiday annoys me. It's so cheesy, people buy all the good food from the stores, the people at Wendy's are rude cause they don't wanna be working on NYE and you gotta think about all the crap you forgot to do last year (in fact, the best thing I like about the holiday is that Spike TV shows a 'Band of Brothers' marathon). Fountain Square is nice though. It lacks the touristy cheesiness of the Times Square you see on television, there's plenty to do, cheap Hudepohl and really loud fireworks.

Going to the square this year was going to be even better. I even turned down immediately going to a big party (which included free star trek pinball and a delorean) my good friend was throwing because I wanted to be at Fountain Square. This year was going to be even better. Instead of going with dude friends, I got to take my awesome girlfriend (aka Gozer).

Gozer and I had dinner at Don Pablo's across the river and I kept telling her about how good a job Fountain Square does with the whole New Years thing and why its really the only thing I like to do for the "holiday." I just hoped that this year they didn't screw up the countdown like they did last year and the year before that. (Did you catch the obvious foreshadowing there?)

- Awesome Columbus Blue Jackets advertisement on the square.
The weather was great, unseasonably warm and the square was packed. We parked on Ninth St. a few blocks away for free, knowing that the Fountain Square garage would be packed with soccer mom SUV's from the folks who were "brave" enough to venture downtown that night. All kidding aside, it's great seeing so many people downtown. Fountain Square gets a nice mix of friendly people from all walks of life. Whether its the 'rad dads' from the suburbs, the hipsters, the little kids ice skating, the hobo who asks you for change before wishing you a happy new year or disgruntled writers/photographers like me who are grateful for something cool to do on New Years Eve. Its a good time and a good crowd. By 10 PM when we got there, the announcer said there were 2,000 people at the square already.

- So warm outside, ice cream melted instantaneously.
With time to kill, we took a walk around the square and downtown.

- Never forget.
- After seeing this photo, I still don't see how anyone is still against how the renovated Fountain Square turned out.
Did you ever see "A Night at the Roxburry?" (If you answered no, stop what you're doing, go rent it, prepare to be confused/disappointed/entertained - if you answered yes, keep reading) Remember how the two guys wanted to open up a club where the outside was decorated to look like the inside of a club and the interior was decorated to look like the outside cityscape? Well apparently, we have that here in Cincinnati. Case in point:

- The elaborate vision from 'Night at the Roxbury' has come to fruition outside The Righteous Room.
Apparently at the Righteous Room (since the outdoor is kind of decorated like a club) people like to hang outside, crowding the sidewalk. There's even drunk girls dancing on the sidewalks and these cool dudes in pink dress shirts showing off how they get down to the best songs of 2010. Since there's so many idiots outside cluttering up the sidewalk its safe to assume that the inside must be decorated like a generic cityscape, hence why everyone wants to be outside acting like an idiot, thus making my 'A night at the Roxbury' theory true.

After taking a walk around the city, we found a place to stand and wait for the countdown. This year the folks from Fox19 were doing a live show. Due to the huge crowd, it was hard to hear the broadcast over the speakers as news anchor Tricia Mackie interviewed the mayor on the jumbotron. That was fine though, because I was sure they'd be showing a countdown or a clock. Well, all of the sudden the clock in the right hand side of the screen disappears. Tricia Mackie is still on screen talking and there's no numbers counting down.

I check my cell phone: 11:57 PM - Nope, still no countdown on screen.

11:58 - Nothing, no idea what they're saying on the tv.

11:59 - "Ok, seriously, are we gonna countdown from 10 seconds or something?"

At 12:00 AM on January 1, 2011 myself, Gozer and everyone around us awkwardly looked at each other wondering if they were going to show anything or not. A few muffled cheers broke out and slowly the kissing began as did a seemingly random celebration. There was no countdown though, just Tricia Mackie talking on a screen like Big Brother in 1984. They screwed up the countdown again, just as they had done the year before and the year before that (when they've managed to not time it right and do it a few minutes late). The crowd awkwardly began to celebrate, many still with a confused look on their faces. In the face of disappointment, I couldn't help myself, I reflexively shouted: "They fuck it up every year!" The guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said: "Dude, that's the quote of the new year!"

I'm not sure if the folks at Fountain Square were at fault or if it was the folks at Fox19. I'm sure if you could've heard the broadcast you would've heard a countdown, but seriously; for how many years have people been counting down the hours, minutes and seconds to the new year on television? How do you forget to show a countdown? I guess screwing up the countdown has become a tradition. It was disappointing, but in a way it makes Cincinnati unique - "we fuck it up every year."

- Reflection of the fireworks on the Westin building.
Despite the lack of a countdown, the fireworks were awesome. They even had a video of KISS playing "I Wanna Rock and Roll all Night (and Party Every Day)" with flamethrowers attached to the jumbotron that were synced up to the music like a 1970's KISS performance.

We left the square after the fireworks finished and made it out to my friend's party. All in all, it was a great night, one of the best New Years Eves I've ever had. I got to spend it with someone I really care about and great friends (although, still, a countdown of some sort would've been nice).

So there you have it: I've busy and I went to New Years Eve at the square. I've still made time to explore though. Gozer, Venkman, myself and the rest of "Cincinnati's 8th Precinct" have been busy taking our cameras where most won't go. More to come on that soon.

Till then, here's a small taste of some recent adventure:

Thanks for reading.

-Gordon

Previous Update :: November 26, 2010 - "A Festivus for the Rest of Us"

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A Festivus For the Rest of Us (2011 Calendar on Sale!)

2010-11-26T21:16:00.000-08:00

There was some radio station in town that started playing Christmas music the day after Halloween. Why? I don't know, but apparently enough people were listening to said music and the annoying amount of radio commercials to justify such programming. The day of Thanksgiving there were already people camped out in tents in front of a Best Buy near the highway. Man, I tell you, who needs to spend time with family and friends when you can sleep in front of a Best Buy while its raining? Yeah yeah yeah, I get it, I'm sure they had great deals. Well, here's a great deal for you:

THE 2011 CINCY URBEX CALENDAR!

That's right, for just $19.99, you can relive your favorite Cincinnati Urban Exploration (UrbEx) adventures twelve months out of the year! Hang it at your home, at your office. Give it to friends, give it to family. The calendar features the work of myself and Dr. Venkman and makes a great gift for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Festivus (which isn't just a joke from Seinfeld, its actually a real holiday ... kind of), birthdays or any occasion!

"The 2011 Calendar featuring photographs of Cincinnati's abandoned and forgotten places, from the infamous subway tunnels to breweries and factories of all types. The official 2011 Calendar from local photographers Zach Fein (Local Architecture: Cincinnati) and Ronny Salerno (Queen City Discovery).

Check out the full preview:

This conceptual image shows you how the 2011 Cincy Urbex calendar can really spice up your cubicle or office:

And remember, it's only $19.99! Don't waste your time with those "fly-by-night" mall kiosk calendar shops that offer you twelve months of cute kitties and puppies, get a Cincy Urbex calendar and support some local art! Seriously, its just 20 bucks!

Click HERE to order now!
Don't forget, I also have three prints left for sale from the last "Exploring Cincinnati" show. These unique photographs come framed, matted and signed.

- 11" x 17" framed and matted print of the abandoned Wilson Auditorium at the University of Cincinnati on sale for $50.00.
Check them out in the QC/D Store.

Regardless of what you're celebrating this time of the year, I truly hope you have a great holiday (I also hope you buy a calendar (or a print (or both))). And as always, thank you so very much for your support!

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Previous Update :: November 21, 2010 - "No Diving at Pomerene Hall"

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No Diving at Pomerene Hall

2010-11-21T23:28:00.000-08:00

...these aren't the droids you're looking for.

An Impulsive Tour of Chicago

2010-11-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

- Looking south on Chicago from the top of the John Hancock Center.
I first went to Chicago on one of my favorite family trips ever when I was probably 10 or 11. I went a second time on an eighth grade school trip, the instant pictures of which are not very good and scattered throughout the drawers of the desk this computer I'm typing from sits on. I didn't go again until last year when I went to see The Lawrence Arms 10th Anniversary Show. I went with my friends Old Ben, Old Jay and Jeffy. I was pretty drunk most of the time and after feeling drunk, sick and depressed in the hotel room after the show I wandered outside, rode the subway by myself and wound up at a McDonalds sharing coffee and a Big Mac with some bums. I didn't get many pictures then, but it was one of the best shows I had seen and one of the best times I've ever had with three of my best friends.

Flash forward to nearly a year later - last week, not this past Sunday, the one before it. I had just played lazer tag with my younger cousins and absolutely dominated them and the little kids who were celebrating a birthday there. The birthday kids were jerks, so I'm not ashamed to admit that my knowledge of Star Trek and WW2 movies gave me the tactics and strategies to easily lead my cousins and I to victory. I dropped the kids off at their house and promptly met my friend Sam at the bar. While throwing back the special on draft, we discussed how much fun it would be to take an impulsive trip somewhere. Chicago! He had never been at all and I had never been when I wasn't an adolescent or drunk. We made a hasty plan. I went to all my classes on Tuesday, drove to the apartment, double checked my bank account, hopped in the truck, set the GPS and we were off.

- Sam stands in the doorway of the beautiful Hammond, Indiana Motel 6.
We weren't even a few miles past the Cincinnati city limits before we had to stop for Wendy's (hey, those spicy chicken nuggets are damn good and it was dinner time). The rest of the drive went smoothly aside from some traffic in Indianapolis and the fact that nearly ever road in Indiana seemed to be under construction or blanketed with orange construction barrels. Our GPS was trying to send us through Gary, Indiana (no thanks), we didn't have the kind of cash to stay downtown and frankly we were too tired to go north of the city. We had stopped at a gas station south of Gary, 45 minutes outside the city that seemed like it was in a decent area and had a cheap Motel 6. We back tracked to it (again, the area looked nice once you got off the exit) and turned down a road to the motel. We passed an abandoned Burger King and two strip clubs before we got to the hotel parking lot. We interrupted the manager's cigarette break outside so that he could sell us a room for the night. 50 bucks later and we're checked into the Hammond Motel 6 seen above. A nice woman in a mini skirt and low cut top glared at us as we walked by in the parking lot, then went back to exchanging money with some men in a beaut up Chevy truck. No doubt this was nothing more than a business meeting between two groups of professionals.

- Belock's Discount Liquors (and cold beer).
We stopped at a nearby liquor store to get a case of beer. The employee questioned my Ohio ID since it looked "pink" and he had never seen anything like it before (I have one of those awesome newer ones). He warmed up to me though when I complimented his XFL Chicago Enforcers t-shirt and engaged him in a 20 minute conversation about the defunct football league.

- A $50 Motel 6 room has vast ammenities, but a mini fridge isn't one of them. So when life gives you lemons - throw them out, buy a case of beer and pour ice right in the box.
I noticed we had no shampoo in our shower. I went to the bulletproof glass protected "front desk" to ask for some, maybe they forgot. I was referred to the vending machine where shampoo was available for $2.75. Awesome. We spent the rest of the evening watching Conan and polishing off a 12 pack before calling it a night. Right before we could fall asleep though, some police officers (three to be exact), pulled up in the parking lot. One zoomed around back while the other two stared back at us as we stared out our window. We gave up watching and never found out what they were there for.

- 5-0 at the 6.

Look, I grew up hearing and still continue to hear crap about how "unsafe" and crime ridden downtown Cincy is, particularly OTR. I spend a lot of time there and it's nothing like the folks in West Chester and Mason claim it to be, so when I'm in places like Hammond I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, while I'm sure Hammond is a nice town - their Motel 6 on the outskirts of town is sketchy as hell. Regrouping the next morning we got our stuff together, checked out, declined filling out a survey and stopped by the nearby abandoned Burger King.

- Abandoned Burger King?
At least I think it was at one point a Burger King. The architecture looked like the one I went to as a kid in Fairfield before they renovated it. If you know it was something else, let me know. I still can't believe this place failed though. You'd think neighboring strip clubs and sketchy motels would do wonders for its business.

- Chicago has it's fair share of unique Macdonalds.
As we approached the toll booth (despite the fact that the GPS had clearly been told we wanted to avoid tolls), we saw the oasis "Macdonalds" in the middle of the highway. That restaurant is just a small preview of what was to come, because Chicago is littered with Macdonalds everywhere. There's a rock and roll themed one, one on almost every street corner and even one at Navy Pier. Now, I know Cincinnati has its fair share of fast food downtown, but I've always wondered how we escaped having a Macdonalds downtown. I mean, I'd rather see a unique local place, but the McRib is back and my television has taught me that the McRib's triumphant return is something I should love (and yes, I know it's McDonalds and not Macdonalds, but thats what I like to call them).

With tolls paid and early morning traffic avoided by sleeping in and getting lost, we found ourselves on gorgeous Lake Shore Drive.

- Entering the city.
Parking was a pain. At a lot of places you can park all day for 12 dollars (if you're there by 5:30 AM and out by 8:00 PM). We finally just bit the bullet and parked in a garage that would later cost us 30 bucks. That was fine though, we weren't going to need the truck anyways. You see, Chicago (and most other major cities) has this awesome way to move large amounts of people safely and efficiently throughout the city and suburbs - it's called rail transit (take notes Hamilton, Warren, Clermont and Butler counties)!

We got some lunch at a small pizza joint off of State St. which provided slices of delicious, greasy pizza that helped settle the beer and uneasy feelings of the night before. I'm usually all about everything Cincinnati, but I can't stand LaRosas. Nothing compares to Chicago style pizza and no matter how many times I eat Little Caesars I will always believe this.

- A CTA train.

For five bucks we got a good deal on a CTA transit ticket that would last us pretty much all day. Navigating the transit system in Chicago is a little intimidating at first due to its immense size (I don't know how we did it last time when we had been drinking), but you quickly get the hang of it and five dollars can last you all day.

Like the title of this post implies, this was an impulsive trip. We didn't have any real set itinerary or plan, basically we just wanted to explore. Sam definitely wanted to see the "Cloud Gate" (better known as "The Bean") in Millenium Park and the only things I really wanted to do were ride the train and get a picture with a police officer who looked like Carl Winslow from "Family Matters." We boarded a train on the Pink Line intending to get as close to Millenium Park as possible. The train rounded the corner and the next stop was the one we needed to get off at. Turns out, I underestimated the distance on the transit map. We probably could've just walked and gotten there quicker than waiting for a train, but hey we come from a place where we don't have this kind of futuristic technology.

- The "Cloud Gate" sculpture in Millenium Park, commonly referred to as "The Bean."
We made our way to Millenium Park and saw The Bean. I'll be honest, I kind of figured this thing to be a tourist trap, something gimmicky and stupid that all the kids are posting on their Facebook pages these days. However, its actually really cool...I mean it...and I did end up posting photos of it on Facebook.

- Beneath the stainless steel structure of the "Cloud Gate." The piece was installed in 2004 and is actually quite an engineering marvel.
- My friend Sam and I being tourists.
We checked out the rest of the lakefront Millenium Park as we scoured the area for a restroom. We couldn't find one, so we decided to walk to Navy Pier. That's when we realized Navy Pier was kind of far and found a friendly park employee who showed us some restrooms. Checking out Lake Michigan was the next stop.

- Lake Michigan.
We sat at the lake for awhile trying to determine what to do next. We decided to go look for the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. We hopped on the train again and departed where I thought it was. I was wrong. A cop who didn't look like Carl Winslow pointed us in the right direction, we somehow still managed to not find it. You'd think you could just look up and walk towards it, but Chicago has so many tall buildings that once you're downtown, its hard to see anything in the sky except the buildings around you. We gave up after an internet search revealed that the observation deck at the Willis is pretty expensive (at least when you're on a budget and know you're paying $30 to get your truck out of the garage later). We headed out in search of the John Hancock Tower, hoping that observation deck would be a little cheaper and that there might be a gift shop where Sam could get something for his girlfriend.

This time, we managed to navigate the transit map properly. We transferred from the Pink Line onto the Red Line subway and were lucky enough to walk right into a performance by "Mrs. Kanye West."

- "Mrs. Kanye West" performs at a Red Line station.
My friend had a headache, so he really enjoyed listening to Mrs. Kanye provide her rendition of some Katy Perry song (as if Katy Perry wasn't annoying enough on its own). It seems Mrs. Kanye is a regular performer at Chicago subway stops, she even filmed a music video at one, you can see it here...if you really, really want to.

- Where the Red Line meets the Blue Line.
It turned out that it was the beginning of rush hour. We packed into a crowded train and really stuck out like tourists. People don't want to miss their stops (understandable) so they don't hesitate to push you out of their way (also understandable).

- Red Line rush hour.
We got off at Chicago Ave. and set off to find the John Hancock Center. As we discussed our search, a friendly local lady at a crosswalk was kind enough to point us in the right direction. We weren't far off or lost at all this time.

- Escalators from the subway to the surface.
- The John Hancock Center.
I'm no architect or architectural critic. I'm just some guy, but I gotta say that the Hancock tower is by far my favorite building I've ever seen. Not just because it was in the beginning credits of "Family Matters," one of my favorite shows, but because in my opinion it's unique, iconic and just awesome. It's symmetrical, it's different and it doesn't look at all like the Brutalist crap that dominated architecture in the era it was built.

The price ended up being about the same as the Willis Tower, but we had come this far and had never been up there. Besides, I had been in the Willis Tower with my 8th grade class in 2003. Turns out the after tax sixteen-dollar-and-some-change price would be totally worth it, but makes you appreciate the Carew's $2 admission in Cincinnati.

We got off the "World's Fastest Elevator" and stepped into the observation lounge. The lounge was already decorated for Christmas and subtly playing Christmas music. This was the only thing I didn't like. I personally find Christmas music depressing, but it didn't really matter, the view from up there is incredible no matter how many times the radio repeats "Feliz Navidad."

- Looking North from the top of the tower.
- A lonely Wednesday evening at the observation deck bar.
- The sun setting on Western Chicago.
- "Watching the sun set on Chicago."
- The observation lounge.

I've been to the beach before, but I've never actually seen the sun set on the horizon, it was a pretty cool experience as it lowered out of view beneath a Midwestern skyline. It might've been a more appropriate setting to take bring a girl, but it works as a good way to end an impulsive and great trip with one of your best friends too.

We wanted to get dinner at some place inexpensive and unique. Cheesecake Factory is expensive and also at Kenwood back home. However, we had been walking all day, so we just settled on Jimmy Johns. Yeah I know, also not unique to Chicago, but we were tired and the bootlegger is a damn good (and relatively inexpensive) sandwich.

We boarded the Red Line ironically at the same station I had hungoverishly been at nearly a year ago when I wandered the streets alone and depressed only to arrive at a Macdonalds and have coffee with some bums at 5 AM before shooting photographs and feeling better. I love this subway stop, I love this city.

Alright, I hate the Chicago Cubs. Seriously, the Cubs suck. However, Chicago is a wonderful city. Its great. I consider it the "Capital of the Midwest." I don't know how else to describe it, so I hope the photographs do the experience of being there justice.

Sometimes you need to take a vacation five hours away from your regular life.

------------------------------------

Previous Update :: November 5, 2010 - "Roebling's Last Gleaming"

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Roebling's Last Gleaming

2010-11-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's by far one of the most recognizable, if not the quintessential, architectural symbols of the Queen City. And while there were many others well before me who braved the fence spikes and potential plunge to the chilly Ohio River below, I doubt I'll be the last to ever personally take in a breathtaking, postcard-esque view where your eyes are swept up by the curving lines of the cables towards the city skyline - like its some island in the distance.

Today the Roebling Bridge will re-open after seven months of being closed to automobile traffic. While closed for repairs and re-painting, the "necklace" of lights spanning the cables went dark. They'll stay dark until the Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Committee raises enough funds to purchase and install a new set of lights.

Even years prior to the bridge's scheduled closing, the lights had only worked on one side of the cables and even those were only half working (as seen above).

The bridge, named for it's creator John A. Roebling, was a predecessor to the Brooklyn Bridge, also designed by Roebling. At the time of it's completion in 1867, it was the longest of its kind in the world. It, along with the iconic Brooklyn Bridge in NYC, initially met opposition from local groups. Both bridges obviously prevailed and have become icons in their respective cities. While travelers passing through our fair city don't travel over it via highways, the bridge serves local automobile and pedestrian traffic and can be seen from vantage points all over the city. The bridge has been seen on countless postcards, movies, television shows, sports broadcasts and Skyline Chili commercials.

- 1988's Rain Man starring Tom Cruise featured a memorable scene where the characters cross over the bridge into the city.
- 1993's Airborne provided the romantic backdrop for a scene in this corny, yet awesome, 90's teen movie.
While initially the bridge provided traffic directly into the cores of Covington and Cincinnati for streetcars, horses and automobiles; it became separated from the center city with the construction of Ft. Washington Way and the awkward connectors to Riverfront Stadium.

- The bridge as it was connected to the parking garage of Riverfront Stadium (1999 photograph by Jake Mecklenborg of Cincinnati Transit).
These days though, the bridge will get new life as the centerpiece of "The Banks" project and the new Riverfront Park.

- Rendering of how the bridge will appear from the Riverfront Park/Banks project. Rendering from Cincinnati Parks.
In 2001 the bridge authorities claimed the blue color would not be returning. Instead, they supposedly had planned to paint the bridge tan. The image below appeared in the The Cincinnati Enquirer, showing what a tan Roebling might have looked like:

I had been frustrated, I had been angry. Many times I had found myself standing at the shoreline, looking up at the iconic bridge. Even times when I had just been passing through the city, I'd stop there to think. One night I finally mustered enough arm strength and fortitude to climb, leaving the past and angry thoughts on the shoreline behind and below me. At the top of Roebling's creation, I experienced freedom.

Looking towards Cincinnati in 1865:

Looking towards Cincinnati some time after 1865:

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If you're interested in donating to get the lights turned back on, check out the Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Committee.

Previous Update :: October 21, 2010 - "Stearns and Foster"

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Stearns and Foster

2010-10-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Every summer I kind of let QC/D go a little bit. I get consumed with my "real" job and other distractions, but the summer of 2008 was particularly bad. I was really focused on work, I was seeing this girl and I was going to Cedar Point a lot (I used to be in love with that place). I also did a lot of exploring, I just forgot to post about it. Eventually I got around to posting some of the stuff, but I completely forgot to write about one of the biggest abandoned buildings I've ever been in: the Stearns and Foster mattress company.

Among the local urban explorers/abandoned building photography enthusiasts, this place had caught the eye of many. It was tricky though. It looked abandoned, it looked dilapidated, it wasn't in use as a factory any more and it was partially demolished. However, there was always some sort of activity going on there that kept most people away, at least most of the people I knew. I had so much going on that I wasn't really concerned with it. Until one day when Seicer called me up and told me that he had managed to get "permission" to photograph the place.

- An empty factory floor at Stearns & Foster.
So on a hot summer morning I parked my car next to the massive Lockland factory which looms over the split of I-75. I walked up to the front door to see Seicer and some other folks who I didn't know. After brief introductions, we met the "caretaker" of the building, the guy who was responsible for guarding it. He told us permission would come with a price, it would be $100 per person to see the inside. Seicer had told me $50. I stood at the back of the group as Seicer mumbled to the guy in the doorway. Having permission to photograph a place you'd normally have to trespass at is great, but not $100 great, especially when you don't know if what's inside is worth seeing. The mumbling stopped, $50 was decided on. We ponied up and were ushered inside.

Seicer has an extremely detailed historical analysis on the place if you have an hour or two, but to make a long story short..

The company was founded in 1846 along the Miami-Eerie Canal, specializing in mattresses and other cotton products. Over the years, the company continued to expand into multiple buildings. The place thrived as a textile and bedding manufacturing plant well into the 1970's, at one point peaking at about 1200 employees. The 90's would usher in the great downfall of this historic building though. In 1993, the Sealy Corporation purchased the bedding and mattress division of the company and immediately shut it down, while keeping the textile division open under it's own private identity. A series of fires affected the giant building which was really just many older buildings conjoined together. By 1997, the textile division only employed around 200 people who worked in skeleton crews until the Stearns Technical Textile company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003. By 2006, the factory sat empty and had been purchased by a group of investors.

- Seicer and our guide chatting in one of the factory floors.
The building is massive, absolutely massive. As I said before, it's really just multiple buildings conjoined together. I don't remember a lot of specifics about being there (except that I was really, really into taking vertical photographs at the time), just that our group kept getting separated. One wrong turn or a trip down the wrong set of stairs would throw you into another building. The place is an endless catacomb of secret passages and rooms.

- A sink on the factory floor.
Factory's like this were responsible for the rise of America's manufacturing empire following the Second World War. You certainly don't see many places like this today, both abandoned or employing people.

- A supervisors office on the factory floor.
- Looking across the street to the eastern part of the complex which had been ravaged by fires and was in the process of being demolished.
As our guide showed us through the place, he kept remarking about the damage vandals had done. Large walls were plastered with graffiti and black lines had been spray painted on the walls so scrap thieves could easily find their means of escape, a common theme in abandoned buildings today.

- Here you can see where two different buildings of the complex come together, joined by the hallway I was standing in when the photograph was taken.

- A freight elevator.
- Employee break room.
- Bulletin board in the break room.
- Office.
- Door to the supervisors lounge.
- Boiler gauges.
One thing I do remember in particular were the BMW's. Since the textile company's closure, the building's owner had been leasing out the large floor space for storage. Our guide pointed out rooms of childrens toys that he claimed "some guys" were planning to ship to Africa, but they hadn't been by in years. Among the other odds and ends stored there were four vintage BMW automobiles. The James Bond-esque vehicles were parked in a space that had once been reserved for semi trucks to carry out factory shipments.

- The forgotten BMW's.
According to the caretaker, the cars had been brought there and stored by a wealthy gentleman who was moving them from New Orleans. He had gone back to New Orleans right about the time Hurricane Katrina hit and the caretaker never heard back from him again.

- An office in the building complete with floor plans and blue prints.
A word of the wise (if you can call me that): Not that I encourage anyone to do what I do or to ever trespass (Trespassing is a crime that tears at the moral fabric of our society, don't ya know?), but I do realize there are other people out there that like to go out and photograph abandoned buildings...don't go here. Seriously, the place is still somewhat active, watched all the time and frankly the people watching it are sick of the scrap thieves and graffiti artists (who can blame them, right?) and assume everyone who comes by is there to do the same. This is a place better left alone or maybe if you're lucky, you can find the right people willing to give you a tour for a couple bucks...or fifty.

- Looking out over the Stearns complex in Lockland.
What will become of the structure remains to be seen. It sits on a massive plot of real estate right between where the Northern and Southern flowing portions of I-75 split, the tip of an industrial island that is the city of Lockland. The Stearns building and the photographs from within it's current state serve as a reminder to the industrial might Midwestern America once had, a symbol of time now gone.

Previous Update :: October 12, 2010 - "Rally at the Square, Reds October and an Open Letter to Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer"

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Rally at the Square, Reds October and an Open Letter to Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

2010-10-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

On the morning of October 20, 1990, then Reds owner Marge Schott addressed a large crowd gathered at Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati. "We won this for the fans, God love ya," she said. Marge and the rest of the 1990 team were greeted by thousands of Reds fans after returning home from sweeping the Oakland Atheltics to win the 1990 World Series. That World Series would be the last time the Reds brought home the trophy to the Queen City. While there had been a one game playoff for the wild card spot in 1999 (which the Reds would lose to the Mets), the last true playoff game for the team hadn't been since 1995. Twenty years after Marge, the Nasty Boys, Barry, Jose and Eric D. thanked the fans at Fountain Square, the Reds would return to be cheered on before they embarked on a trip to Philadelphia, where they would play the team's first playoff game in fifteen years. (The above photo was taken by Dick Swain of the Cincinnati Enquirer.)

I overslept and left my apartment late. My plans to bike down to the rally got shelved when I realized I only had 15 minutes to get there. I hurriedly parked my car on Broadway and walked along with a father and his two kids who were also heading to the square. I got a position at the side of the stage amongst a crowd that would later be estimated at around 4,000 people strong. Just as I got there, Hall-Of-Fame Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman appeared on stage questioning the fans: "Is this Reds country!?"

- Marty addresses the fans at Fountain Square on Monday October 4, 2010.
- I was glad to see Dusty getting the support he deserves after so many impatient "fans" and radio blowhards spent 80% of the season ragging on him.
- The #1 Fan aka the "guy who is always under the power stacks in left Center Field," made an appearance.
- Santa also showed up. Don't tell your kids though that this is really just "Dr. Wuz," the guy who stands on NKU's campus screaming about government conspiracies. He's also running for president in 2012. Seriously, he told me so.
After some more banter by Marty and a goose bump creating highlight video set to the song "All I Do is Win," a charter bus pulled up as an anxious crowd readied their cameras.

- A fan attempts to photograph players departing the bus.
The Reds took the stage to thunderous applause and cheering. The team was very well dressed, some players more flamboyantly than others.

- Corky Miller was a huge asset to the team this season as a backup catcher. He may also be the best looking man in baseball.
- Aroldis Chapman is as old as me and already makes more than I probably ever will. I'm perfectly o.k. with this though, I wasn't even good enough for the softball team at work.
- Jonny Gomes acknowledges the crowd.
Marty went around interviewing a few of the players including Jay Bruce who had hit "The shot heard round the Nati," when the Reds clinched the division. Jonny Gomes spoke about how much he loved the city, the team and was proud to be a part of such a historic franchise. Brandon Phillips talked about how he would be hitting lead off during the first playoff game and Joey Votto gave a somewhat shy, humble speech about how he couldn't wait to return home to a playoff atmosphere at Great American Ballpark.

- Marty interviews Jonny Gomes on the Fountain Square jumbotron.
At the end of it all, before the players departed, Dusty Baker said a few words. He thanked the fans for their support and poked fun at the way some of his players were dressed, referring to Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto as "Bob Marley and his brother," respectively. I don't understand why people are still so hard on Dusty. I'll admit, even I was still somewhat skeptical at the beginning of this season with some of his decisions. Even still, some of the substitutions during games baffle me, but I'm just a photographer, not a baseball manager. Regardless, this was his first year to really have a Cincinnati team he helped recruit and put together. In only his third year as manager, he got the Reds back to playoff baseball. Dusty deserves time and Dusty deserves to stay.

- In Dusty, I trusty.
On Wednesday night I sat at a suburban bar with some friends from work as I watched Roy Halladay decimate the Reds. It was a pretty depressing loss, but that wouldn't compare to the disappointment of game two that Friday. I was heading up to Columbus that night with some friends. When I left my apartment, the Reds were up 4-0, Roy Oswalt was choking and the game seemed in the bag. By the time I was driving past Kings Island on I-71, the Reds were hitting batters and making errors. My hand was sore the rest of that night from slamming it into my steering wheel. The Reds were down two games to none in a five game series, they'd have to win out in order to advance to the NLCS. It was a long shot, but there was hope. Thanks to my awesome uncle and family, I had the opportunity to go to Sunday night's game; the very first playoff game at Great American Ballpark.

The first half of the day had been marred by The Bengals losing in horrible fashion. Downtown parking was $20 anywhere near the stadiums, while it was $5 in Newport. Walking across the Purple People Bridge with my family, I was extremely excited looking across the river at the stadium lights lit up against the setting sun.

The riverfront was packed. Little girls dressed with tiaras and pink ballet skirts crowded the sidewalks along Pete Rose Way as families departed the Disney on Ice show that had just ended at US Bank Arena.

We bought some outside Peanuts, got the tickets scanned, were each given a Reds Rally Towel and took our seats in section 107. The stadium was packed, the most crowded I had seen it since the night Pete Rose was honored. Sporadic packs of Phillies fans awkwardly roamed the concourse, greatly outnumbered by Rose, Concepcion, Sabo, Larkin, Votto and Phillips jerseys - and a few fans who were still wearing Freel, Griffey and Dunn jerseys (why?).

- A lone Phillies fan cheers on his team's starting lineup.
After the Yankees had swept the Twins in the ALDS, the Reds-Phillies game got pushed back to 8:00, to make it the prime time game on Fox. As soon as the Giants-Braves game ended, the announcer came over the P.A. system saying: "Ladies and Gentleman, your attention please. At this time, please welcome the national TV audience to Reds Country!" The stadium erupted and Rally Towels spun around like crazy. The line up announcements began and as expected, the Phillies were booed, especially Chase Utley, who had pretended to be hit by a pitch in the last game.

- Great American Ballpark's first playoff game.
I don't need to recap the entire game, any true Reds fan knows how it went. A lot of standing and hoping the "come back kids" would pull through. I left my seat only once, during the sixth inning, to use the restroom. I was extremely disappointed to see "fans" already leaving the ballpark. While I love this city and love the Reds, there were plenty of people who would've loved to have been there for that game and never left early. The team was down by two runs, its the first playoff game a decade and a half, anything could've happened.

Things dragged on for awhile. Cueto pitched well, but unfortunately so did Hamels. At one point, the most exciting thing to watch was seeing a Phillies fan get ejected from the ballpark. A chant of "throw him out" arose from the left field section next to us. I looked up to see a stadium usher arguing with an away team fan in enemy territory.

- A Phillies fan tries to argue his case while the crowd chants "throw him out, throw him out."
I'm not exactly sure what happened, apparently this dude was just being a drunken ass. Philadelphia fans aren't exactly known for their sportsmanship. They once booed Santa and even had a jail in Veteran's Stadium due to so much unruly behavior.

- A Cincinnati Police officer shows a Phillies fan the door.
The guy got tossed and an argument with the police ensued up on the concourse. The only person who seemed to defend this guy was some moron wearing a Cubs t-shirt and Cubs hat (at a Reds playoff game?). The police and ushers handled themselves well though, hats off to them. It's not fair to let this guy represent all Phillies fans though. Earlier in the year I went to two games against the Phils when they were in town. Both games I talked with a group of fans from Philly who made the trip down. Couldn't have been a nicer group of folks to have a beer and watch a game with. In fact, the only visiting fans I've ever had a problem with at the ballpark was a group of Cubs fans (imagine that).

- The crowd of 44,599 that night was the largest in GABP history.
Inning after inning, fly out after fly out, strike out after strike out. Towards the end of the game things were looking bleak, but there was still hope. The announced attendance of 44,599 was the biggest in Great American Ballpark's seven year history. Bottom of the ninth, still down by two. This was it, the Reds had to make something happen here if they wanted to live to die another day. The whole stadium was on it's feet and the strongest part of the lineup was due up. Brandon Phillips smacked a single between shortstop and third base. Then, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana began to play as Reds first baseman Joey Votto was announced. A chant of "M - V - P, M - V - P" arose from the crowd. Votto swung at a few and fouled them up into the seats running his strike count to two, but you could tell he was swinging for a home run. A ball popped over the outfield wall would tie the game, forcing it into extra innings.

- The crowd on it's feet for Joey Votto.
Then came the final pitch. Votto made contact, but it wasn't enough. He hit straight into a double play. Only one out stood between the Phillies advancement to the NLCS and the Reds elimination from the playoffs. Scott Rolen was due up. Scott Rolen struck out. Not only was it hard to watch the Reds get swept, but it was hard to watch Rolen end the season on that note. The worst part about the end of that game wasn't Votto's hit or Rolen's strike out, but the fact that no one stood an applauded the hometown team on their best season in years. No standing ovation, nothing. Very few remained standing, putting their hands together and a mass exodus from the park began.

- The post game procession. While not as eloquently captured, the disappointment and mood from this scene reminded me of a photo by Jake Mecklenborg, seen here:
- A 1999 photo by Jake Mecklenborg after a Reds loss. 1999 was the last year prior to 2010 that the Reds came close to making the post season.
Walking out of the game I was disappointed, but I wasn't as upset as I had been the Friday before when I was punching my steering wheel. It was rough after seeing 34 games this season and countless others on television and radio to watch the Reds go down like that, but looking back on it, that was one of the best Reds seasons in years. This team is young, with great veteran leadership and a manger who has proven he's got plans for the future.

I remember the optimism felt at the opening day parade and the subsequent disappointment when Aaron Harang blew the game later in the day.

Skipping class and watching Jonny Gomes hit a walk off home run against the Cardinals to get the first victory of the season.

A chance meeting with Drew Stubbs and Mike Leake that got me a baseball card signed by each.

Celebrating my 21st birthday when Scott Rolen hit a triple to beat the Dodgers and not remembering much of the night after that.

Watching a DVR version of Ramon Hernandez make the play at home plate to beat the Cardinals in the Civil Rights game and being there the next day when the Reds took first place in the division.

Listening to Marty when the Reds were up by 10 runs in Atlanta, Votto had his first career grand slam and they found a way to lose.

Watching four Reds make the all star team and hardly get any respect.

Come back win after come back win.

Jeff Brantley's numerous radio discussions about food.

A Cubs fan heckling my dad about how Carlos Zambrano would "rock our world." Then watching the nutcase Cubs reliever give up 8 runs and said Cubs fan leave the game early.

Taking a new friend to her first Reds game.

Ryan Hannigan's inside the park home run against Atlanta.

Eating countless $1 hot dogs with good friends.

Watching the bench clearing brawl against the Cardinals with my best friend who had come from Oklahoma for every game of that series, only to see the Reds get swept.

Watching the Reds come back to beat Cleveland in the eighth inning and forcing my Cleveland friends to walk to Fountain Square and buy Graeters for the victorious Reds fans in our group.

Sitting in the Diamond seats, thirty feet behind Jay Bruce when he hit the home run that won the game and clinched the division all thanks to the generosity of my great friend Greg.

Having beer sprayed at me by Jonny Gomes as he celebrated on the field.

Three games in Pittsburgh.

Watching the first playoff game in 15 years with my sisters, cousins and uncle.

And so many more memories from this season. I'm grateful for every moment spent sitting in the seats, for every dollar spent on tickets and for all 34 games I saw in person this season. Thank you Reds, I'm already counting down the days till spring training (by the way, re-sign Gomes and Rhodes). As for the rest of the playoffs... Go Yankees. Yes, Yankees.

Originally I was going to end this blog post there, but the day after the Reds were eliminated, a staff writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer by the name of Frank Fitzpatrick wrote an article about the city of Cincinnati, its team, its ballpark and its people. I couldn't resist writing a response. If you haven't read it, I highly suggest doing so here. So I present:

An Open Letter to Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer
Dear Mr. Fitzpatrick, on October 11, 2010 you published a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer regarding "some issues" you had with my hometown of Cincinnati. I'm not entirely certain if you were actually here visiting or if you just spent five minutes reading the Wikipedia article about our city, but I found the ignorant jabs and shots you took at this city pretty offensive. I highly respect your sarcastic, witty writing style and support of your team, I really do. However, in reading the comments on the online version of your column, even fellow Phillies fans feel your piece was sensationalist and poorly represented the citizens of Philadelphia.

Where to begin? You start off by criticizing goetta, a local culinary favorite amongst Cincinnatians. You preface your goetta hatred by mentioning a lack of "nutritional value" available at Great American Ballpark. From here, its hard to understand what you're getting at. You paint Reds fans as if they're constantly eating this stuff at the ballpark, you even point out how apparently folks from around here eat it on everything including hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza. You never make your point clear as to why goetta is apparently no good or if you're just criticizing it in general. Regardless, it's not even available at the ballpark, so why are you complaining about it anyways? If you don't mean to infer that it is available there, why do you have random sentences complaining about it in between your criticisms of the ballpark?

"So when Reds fan tire of chili that's flavored with cinnamon and plopped down atop innocent spaghetti, they can get goetta hot dogs, goetta hamburgers, even goetta pizza. Did we mention goetta Reubens?"

Last time I checked, aside from the chili, none of those items can be found at our ballpark, did you even go?

Next, you take a shot at our riverfront,

"Far be it from a Philadelphian to criticize any other city's urban waterfront, but Cincinnati's appears to have been devised by the architect of Riverfront and Veterans Stadiums on a bad day.

The Cincinnati shoreline is an endless ribbon of concrete - pavement, the foundations to unfinished buildings, the foundations to finished buildings."

If you feel it's inadequate of you to criticize our riverfront, why do it? Surrounding the stadium on the East side is the 70's era US Bank Arena. It looks like crap, I'll give you that. It's the same design as your former Spectrum arena. However, if you had bothered to look, there's a gorgeous park right on the other side of it. On the other side of GABP, to the west, you have all those "unfinished buildings" you're complaining about. What would you rather have there? Parking lots? Maybe that's the Philly mentality, but our ballpark is being surrounded by development and destinations, as well as a beautiful new riverfront park. You're probably not used to such things though as your ballpark is surrounded by a sea of asphalt.

- Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia is surrounded by parking lots, while Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati is surrounded by construction of The Banks. Which would you rather have?

You criticize GABP's concessions, complaining they're not themed like your "Philadelphia-themed" concessions at Citizens Bank. I'm not sure where you purchased your food from (again, did you even go to the ballpark?), but the concessions are, in fact, locally themed. Convenient how you missed the "Roebling Dogs," "Frank's Franks" and other Cincinnati themed stands, but who knows if you would've caught the local references, you've proved that you're pretty ignorant about this city.

You disliked our replica steamboat in center field, calling it "unimaginative." I'm not sure if you noticed (You really did come here right?), but there's steamboats all up and down the river. It's a reference to local history. I wouldn't say it's anymore "unimaginative" than a Liberty Bell that lights up in the Phillies outfield.

Before your article concludes with some anonymous quotes and one liners you made up (maybe you could be a writer for Leno if this journalism thing doesn't pan out, I hear he needs help), you criticize the fires you could see of homeless people camped out on the riverfront. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, I assume you are since you presumably work at the Inquirer offices on Broad St. in downtown, but large urban cities will often have homeless populations. In fact, your city has a big one. I'm sorry that our stadium isn't surrounded with acres of inhospitable parking lots to keep the homeless at bay.

In conclusion, I'd say its safe to say not all Philadelphians echo your sentiments. However, you do perpetuate the stereotype that fans from the city of brotherly love are all jackasses. Reading the comments to your article its clear that you not only offended Cincinnatians, but the citizens of your own city as well. Your article comes off as poorly researched, hastily written, shock journalism. I'm left to question if you truly believe the sentiments you write, if you were even here and if readership at the Inquirer is so bad that they really have to print articles like this. I hope one day you return to Cincinnati and actually take the time to see that it's not only one of the best Midwestern cities, but one of the nation's best. I'd be more than happy to buy you a beer and show you around.

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Previous Update :: October 1, 2010 - "The Rise of an Icon"

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The Rise of an Icon.

2010-10-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

In July 2008, the second phase of Queen City Square began construction. Phase II, dubbed the "Great American Tower" (after primary tenant Great American Insurance) would eventually come to be a 41 floor office tower topped with a "tiara" inspired after the late Princess Diana's, a tribute to Cincinnati's nickname of the "Queen City." The first Cincinnati skyscraper to be constructed in the past two decades would continue to rise despite the onset of the "Great Recession" while other major construction projects in nearby Kenwood became rusty hulks on the suburban skyline. A new icon was rising in Cincinnati.

- The view of downtown Cincinnati from atop Great American Tower at Queen City Square.

The idea for a skyscraper at Great American Tower's location had long been a dream, but serious planning didn't begin until 2002, nearly 70 years after the American skyscraper boom that saw the construction of buildings like the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and Cincinnati's own Carew Tower.

- An early conceptual image of the building from 2002.

Realizing that I might not have much of a chance to photograph the construction of a skyscraper in my home town again anytime soon, I searched for an opportunity to be able to photograph this one. I pitched an idea to my friends at the Cincinnati Business Courier who enthusiastically supported it. Thanks to them and the kindness of the folks at Western & Southern, I was able to photograph the construction from top to bottom this summer. The photos originally appeared in a full page layout of the Courier, accompanied with an article by Dan Monk.

- November 2008 photograph of the construction process. Taken while flying with a friend.

The construction of skyscrapers had become a symbol of Americana as the country surged out of the roaring 20's and into the Great Depression. No one captured this better than photographers Lewis Hine and Charles Ebbets. I wanted to convey a similar emotion with my photographs of Great American Tower, hence the black and white theme and placement of subjects in certain compositions.

- Lewis Hine photograph showing the construction of the Empire State Building.

On a gorgeous Friday morning I was running late and realized I had no quarters for the meter as I got out of my car. Who cared? I was about to photograph the construction of a skyscraper. I met fellow photographer and friend Jake Mecklenborg and Jose, a representative of Western & Southern financial group who would be leading our tour. With hard hats and goggles on, we boarded the outer construction elevator and found ourselves on the way to the top of the tallest building in Cincinnati.

- Workers placing beams for the "tiara" top of the tower.

- Workers bolting pieces of the "tiara" into place.

- Jose Marques of Western & Southern Financial group viewing the tower construction.

- A workman applies touch up paint to the "tiara."

- View from inside the "tiara" during construction.

The rest of the photographs can be seen here in an interactive slide show at the bottom of this article. It features an audio interview I conducted with Mario San Marco of Eagle Realty Group, the firm in charge of leasing out the office space in Great American Tower. In the interview, San Marco lays out why a skyscraper is more than just an office building:

"...development of an architectural landmark to have a prominent place in the city skyline and become an image in which all citizens are proud.

Click here to launch full size slide show in a new window.

Just as Cincinnati built the Carew Tower during the "Great Depression," Great American Tower rose during the "Great Recession." The spirit of unique American ingenuity and a new symbol for the city, Great American Tower has become the Rise of an Icon.

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Previous Update :: August 22, 2010 - "Steel City Discovery"

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Steel City Discovery

2010-08-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

No one wants to be that guy who bores his friends with 35mm slides of his vacation photos, so as I write this on my last day of summer break, I'll be that guy who posts them on the internet.

Being from Cincinnati, my opinion of Pittsburgh was pretty low. That 2005 Bengals playoff loss to the Steelers reinforced my Steel City prejudice. However, despite the rivalries between the sports teams, Pittsburgh is remarkably similar to Cincinnati. This became clear to me once I came across the website of Mike Muder. In 2006, I was still in high school and shooting with my first digital camera. I wasn't sure what photography meant to me or what I wanted to do with it. Seeing Mike's work gave me a better sense of what I wanted to photograph, what I wanted to show, what I wanted to say and taught me to appreciate where I came from. The way he presented his work and his city became one of the inspirations to starting QC/D. As I prepared to embark for a baseball trip to Pittsburgh, I had hoped to maybe get the chance to finally meet Mike, but he had disappeared from Facebook, I lost his email and he hadn't updated his website/blog in quite some time.

Like Cincinnati's cut-in-the-hill view on North 75 in Kentucky, Pittsburgh features a dramatic entrance. Cars crowd through suburban countryside and into the Fort Pitt Tunnel (seen above) into a mess of traffic and yellow light before emerging into a striking view of the Pittsburgh skyline.

I had come with my uncles and cousins to see the Reds take on the Pirates in a three game series. I had been to Pittsburgh's PNC Park before when I was 12 or 13, but that was nine or eight years ago and I hardly remembered it. Our hotel was directly across the street from the ballpark that had been voted one of the best in Major League Baseball, with windows overlooking it.

While the Steelers and Penguins have brought championships to Pittsburgh in recent years, the Pirates are like the odd men out in the Steel City's pro sports teams. They currently lead an ongoing record in Major League Baseball for number of consecutive losing seasons. In 1996 new owners saved the Pirates from an uncertain future and potential relocation by keeping the team in the city. A plan to build a new stadium was formed as the Pirates home at Three Rivers Stadium (a facility nearly identical in appearance and destruction to our own Riverfront Stadium) was becoming aged. The new stadium, dubbed PNC Park, provided a more baseball centric atmosphere, more amenities, better sightlines, real grass playing surface and a breathtaking view of the city skyline.

- PNC Park as viewed from behind home plate, upper deck.
At the time of our visit the Reds were in first, the Pirates in last. Aside from a few die-hard fans and a massive collection of out of town Reds fans, the stadium was vastly empty on Monday night's game. A sea of Red stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the dark blue seats behind the visitor's dugout on the first base line.

- A sea of Reds fans at PNC Park.
Despite being behind enemy lines, our seats were in friendly territory. While the conflicts both on and off the field at Bengals/Steelers games are known to be quite violent, the drunken fights of that rivalry shouldn't go to represent the people of either city. The environment of the hometown Pirates fans towards the out-of-town Reds fans was incredibly friendly. While I've traded some nasty words with Cubs fans (who rightfully deserved it, being a Cubs fan isn't really something to be proud of), I didn't meet one mean Pirates fan. There may not be many of them at the games, but the people who attend and the people who work there make a good impression on out-of-town visitors.

- "This vendor kept screaming the word "Lemonade" in the harshest, dryest voice I've ever heard in a stadium vendor. Lemonade vendors at Great American Ballpark would be a nice addition.
Much like the hometown Great American Ballpark, PNC Park offers a great view anywhere you sit. While I was lucky enough to have great seats not too far from the Reds dugout thanks to my uncles generosity, the upper deck type seats I normally frequent aren't bad either. The Pirates announcer read the Reds lineup as the theme song to WKRP Cincinnati played. The teams took the field and the Reds began an onslaught.

- Reds Left Fielder Jonny Gomes waits to go on deck.
While I'm a huge fan of Great American Ballpark, I must admit that PNC Park is nicer. The "rotundas" provide more efficient access for crowds to enter and leave games (in case there are ever any crowds), there are more food options and what food they have tastes better, and all the concession stands were open, no closed garage doors here.

- Rotunda walkways.
I only had one complaint my whole time at this park and that was the one rude employee I met in the outfield. While walking around, snapping photos, I stopped by the overlook above the Reds bullpen. I snapped a few photos of Arthur Rhodes warming up before an employee in a yellow jacket approached me saying "Sir, since you took a photo I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." He didn't seem to mind anyone else snapping photos, maybe it was because my camera was a digital SLR and makes a noise when the shutter clicks? He didn't care to explain, every time I tried to say something I got told I had to leave. Eventually another employee came up and said I just had to move away from the outfield. I did, but had a third employee follow me all the way back to my seat. Overreact much? These guys made the clowns at Cincinnati's US Bank Arena look like professionals.

- The Reds relief core in Pittsburgh.
- The Pittsburgh skyline as viewed from PNC Park.
As my younger cousins got ice cream for desert, my Uncle Bob treated me to a beer. I decided on trying a local one called "Iron City." From what I gathered, Iron City is to Pittsburgh as Hudepohl is to Cincinnati. It wasn't the best beer I've ever had, but it was local, it was refreshing and it wasn't Bud Light. While you can find Moerlin beers at some stands of Great American Ballpark, you can't find Hudepohl. My dad used to hawk Hudy Delight and Hudy 14k as a vendor at Riverfront back in the day, but you can't find the local mainstay with the vendors anymore, another feature PNC Park has over Great American.

- Note: "Premium Lager."The Hudy 14k of Pittsburgh?
Sir Arthur Rhodes entered the game to a standing ovation of Reds fans, while Chris Heisey delivered an inside the park home run to help the Reds win game one of the three game series.

- Arthur Rhodes warming up while Scott Rolen looks on.
- Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo.
- Visiting Reds fans stand up in anticipation of a road victory.
- Rhodes after closing the game and sealing victory for the Reds. This man made it to the all-star game this season and should've been allowed to pitch.
- The Reds celebrate.
- Chris Heisey and Jeff Piecoro from FSN Ohio.
- Yell Jeff Piecoro's name and he'll throw up a peace sign at you.
The next day I planned for more baseball, but also decided I needed to take QC/D on the road and do some Steel City discovery. My family and I took the ballpark tour of PNC Park.

- The Pirates batting cages, complete with astro-turf from the former Three Rivers Stadium.
- Pirates dugout, complete with one of the best logos in all of pro sports.
- Home plate at PNC Park.
- PNC Park press box.
The ballpark tour is worth every penny. Our guide Seth was great and didn't mind taking jabs about the Pirates abysmal record from the numerous Reds fans in attendance. While I've been to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, I've never taken the ballpark tour, something I really want to do now.

After the tour I broke away from my family who wanted to go swimming in the hotel pool. My goal was to see Pittsburgh's downtown, its subway/light rail system and one of it's inclines. No public transit maps were available in the hotel lobby so I grabbed one of the tourist maps and my camera as I crossed the Allegheny River via the Roberto Clemente Bridge into downtown. I asked a passing police officer where the closest rail station was and he pointed me in the right direction. For out-of-town folks the Pittsburgh subway, better known as the "T," isn't really clearly marked.

- The entrance to the underground Wood St. station.
The entrance to the Wood St. station was gritty and modern with escalators leading down towards the waiting trains.

- Wood St. station.
I was able to figure out via a map on the wall which direction I needed to travel and which station I needed. The interiors of the trains were dated, but clean and nice. My train crossed over the Monongahela River and I departed at the above ground Station Square stop. Here, three forms of public transit come together; a tunnel through Mt. Washington that serves trains and buses, as well as an inclined plane.

- A "T" train.
- Station Square.
Pittsburgh still operates two inclined planes, unlike Cincinnati which lost all of its inclines. While the Duquesne incline is more of a tourist attraction and privately owned, the Monongahela incline is operated by the port authority as a form of public transit. I was able to take my ticket from the "T" and transfer onto the incline for free as I rode up Mt. Washington.

- The Monongahela Inclined Railway.
At the top I felt like I was walking into a "bizzaro world" of Cincinnati, a Queen City from another dimension, something out of the twighlight zone. The view of the city and the surrounding buildings and churches atop Mt. Washington are incredibly similar to the ones atop Mt. Adams back home.

- Mt. Washington overlook.
- The view from Mt. Washington.
- "T" cars crossing the mighty Monongahela.
- The Monongahela River.
"Excuse me sir, can I have a moment of your time?" said a voice to me on the overlook. I looked up from the camera bag I was crouching over to find a man asking me to take his photograph with the Pittsburgh skyline in the background. He introduced himself as Clarence and said he was moving to Albuquerque soon after living in the Steel City all his life. He had come up to the overlook to take a few final photographs. As he handed me his camera, I asked him if he didn't mind me taking a photo of him with mine.

- Clarence.
For about a half hour I talked with Clarence on the overlook as he pointed out all kind of things on the skyline. From the position of the downtown, to the stadiums on their riverfront, to their university atop the hill, Pittsburgh seemed more and more like a sister city to Cincinnati than ever before. Clarence told me about how he regularly used the "T" to commute to work, avoiding the highway automobile traffic, an option not available in my city. The overlook had been a place for him to come and clear his thoughts as a kid, just as the Mt. Adams Immaculata overlook has been for me. As I said goodbye to Clarence, he told me about how he had once inscribed his name on the Roebling Bridge while hitch-hiking through Cincinnati in the late 80's. I told him I'd go look for it and write to him once/if I find it. I still plan to do it soon, its a promise I want to keep.

I hopped back onto the incline as rain loomed overhead and a family on vacation bickered to each other in the seats in front of me. They all turned around and gave me an odd look after I snapped a photograph of them gazing out the incline window. I smiled and nodded. Rain began to pour as I transferred once again at Station Square, bound for downtown.

- Inside the Monongahela Incline.
- A train inbound for downtown Pittsburgh at Station Square.
Riding the "T" back into downtown made me envious of Pittsburgh. In a city with similar population, demographics and topography to Cincinnati, light rail works great. A similar system could work wonders in Cincinnati and don't you think a return of the Mt. Adams incline would be great?

Despite the rain, downtown was hopping as people made a mad rush around the city. Pedestrians crowded every sidewalk, while ticket scalpers stood on lamp posts asking "who needs tickets?"

Walking back across the Clemente bridge to the hotel and stadium I realized one thing that Great American has over PNC Park, The Banks Project. Aside from our hotel and the river, PNC Park is surrounded by a collection of ugly surface parking lots. Once completed, The Banks is going to make the area surrounding Great American Ballpark feel like its own neighborhood.

The Reds went on to lose the second game of the series, but ended their stay in Pittsburgh in dramatic fashion, knocking the wind out of the Bucs in front of hundreds of kids on their day camp field trips. All in all, as we pulled away back towards the Queen City, I left Pittsburgh with a greater respect for the city and its people. Despite what your inner-Bengal fan may be telling you, Pittsburgh is a great city that is incredibly similar to our own. Its gritty appearance and tall buildings along the river make for an urban refuge outside of my own.

One of these days I'm going to go look for Clarence's signature and to Mike, in case you ever happen to read this: I hope these photos of your city do it justice - from one river city to another.

- PNC Park at night.

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Previous Update :: August 13, 2010 - "A Blimp in the Sky."

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A Blimp in the Sky.

2010-08-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

My head hurt from a long day of drinking and a long week of working as our designated driver drove us out of the comfort of downtown to the the typical suburban bar that we usually gather at after work. A beer there, some excedrin from the gas station next door and we eventually found ourselves near the Indiana border and I-74 at a party filled with high school kids. A "solid bro" named Ray wanted to fight me for making out with his cousin. I wasn't familiar with Ray or his cousin, nor had I made out with anybody. Ray eventually fell down amid his drunken stumbling and we left. On the drive back, I realized parties, people and places like that were why I hated college initially (the last course I ever took at Ohio University before transferring was a baseball history course that taught me a greater appreciation for the sport). I watched reruns of Family Matters at my apartment and fell asleep.

My summer has gone too fast. The annoying commercials of back-to-school clothing sales still depress me as if I was 11. I feel like I spent too much of my summer "vacation" working, worrying about money and experiencing stories like the one mentioned in the first paragraph. One thing I haven't regretted is the amount of Reds games I've seen.

I like going to Reds games. Great American Ballpark is where I spend a lot of my free time. I like baseball, I like the national anthem before the game and I like when Brandon Phillips calls the cardinals expletives. Many evenings my dinner has been three hot dogs and two small lemonades from the $1 stand, with a Moerlin beer for desert. I've seen the Reds play 25 times this season (22 times at home, three times in Pittsburgh). Tonight as I was riding my bicycle from my Northern Kentucky apartment to the game, I saw a blimp in the sky.

- Who doesn't appreciate Head Groundskeeper Doug Gallant's lawncare tips between innings?

- Concourse.

- Pampers presents Santa.

- Cincinnati was home to the first major league night game.

- The other day I was looking at a picture Pittsburgh photographer Mike Muder had taken of the town's hockey arena and you could just barely see a blimp in the sky. "I don't think I've ever seen a blimp in person," I thought. That was until today.

- Fireworks setup.

- Can't you do this shit at home? There's a major league baseball game going on right behind you.

- The Banks rising.

- Once "The Banks" is complete, GABP will feel like its right in the neighborhood.

"Go Reds." Often times, that quote is all I got, all I need.

Previous Update :: August 1, 2010 - "Surf Cincinnati"

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