Sites of Cincinnati #1

I love Cincinnati.  It is my personal goal to live here as long as possible, perhaps even for the rest of my life.  It's family-friendly, it's on the foothills of the Appalachians, there are trees everywhere.  It's a good small-town, big-city mix, and suburban life works well for me.

My friend is coming into town soon, and I thought of where I'd like to take her, of all the cool things that Cincinnati has to offer that I value.  And I thought I'd create a new series called "Sites of Cincinnati" that highlights some of the cool and/or unique things that Cincinnati has.

So here goes.

Sites of Cincinnati #1 - The Grotesque Christ

Every time I make a trip up or down I-75 I think about the "wonder" that is this 60-foot statue of Jesus.  Behold:

 

(This is not my picture, by the way. I found it on the internet.)  The statue was built shortly after we moved here, so it's relatively new, and locals have taken the opportunity to give it all sorts of awesome names.  The most popular is Touchdown Jesus, though my own name for it is Grotesque Christ.  I advise my children to not look at it as we pass.

But how could they not want to stare at it?  It's huge!  It's ... bizarre.  I suppose the congregation that built it thinks that it's a beautiful show of faith.  But generally it's viewed as an eye-sore.

One of my favorite parts about the statue is the surroundings.  The church is huge, and the house beside it where the pastor lives (I assume) is equally mammoth.  But then, right next door, is Trader's World!  A huge flea market that advertises with statues of assorted exotic animals (most notably, giraffes) and palm trees that light up.  Right at the edge of Trader's World's property, and immediately before the church's property starts, there is a sign that says, "Trader's World.  Visit us again soon!" or something like that.  It's a large, tacky sign, surrounded by those palm trees, all glitz and glitter, designed to capture your attention with the sheer gaudiness.  When you're coming North on I-75, there's one point where the Trader's World sign and the Grotesque Christ statue are visually lined up right next to each other.  And every time, that view strikes me as somehow ... appropriate.

So, if you come to Cincinnati, and you have an extra hour to spare, just drive north on I-75 past 275, and behold the wonder that is.  You, too, will be blown away.