If you remember, my very first Sites of Cincinnati post was about Touchdown Jesus along I-75. I called it the Grotesque Christ. Whatever you call it, last night in a wonderfully amazing lightning storm, it was struck by lightning.
Coolest local news story ever.
You can see a picture of the statue, pre-burning, and a short video of it burning right here.
We should all be sad, I'm sure, that such a distinctive local feature is no more. I am right now attempting to be sad. ...
Showing posts with label Sites of Cincinnati. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sites of Cincinnati. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Sites of Cincinnati #5
This is another place that isn't a Cincinnati Tourist Hot Spot, but it's one of the reasons why I never want to leave this city. At least not until my kids are all over the age of 18.
Sites of Cincinnati #5:
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Seriously, this place is amazing. Every year it ranks as one of the best children's hospitals in the world. Example (from an e-mail sent to me from Children's Hospital on June 4, 2010):
Cincinnati Children's Makes U.S. News and World Report's Honor Roll
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of only 8 pediatric hospitals in the United States to be included on the Honor Roll in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 edition of America's Best Children's Hospitals.
Read more about Cincinnati Children's and our U.S. News rankings.
Okay, so the e-mail was a little self-serving. But still, it's a great thing to know that, no matter what emergency might befall my children, they'll receive world class care at Children's. And believe me, after listening to some of the stories from people who don't live close to such a hospital, it makes me never, ever, ever want to move.
Sites of Cincinnati #5:
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Seriously, this place is amazing. Every year it ranks as one of the best children's hospitals in the world. Example (from an e-mail sent to me from Children's Hospital on June 4, 2010):
Cincinnati Children's Makes U.S. News and World Report's Honor Roll
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of only 8 pediatric hospitals in the United States to be included on the Honor Roll in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 edition of America's Best Children's Hospitals.
The honor roll features only those hospitals ranked in all 10 specialties: cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, heart and heart surgery, kidney, neonatology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.
Cincinnati Children's ranked in the top 10 in all these specialties:
Cincinnati Children's ranked in the top 10 in all these specialties:
| #1 Gastroenterology | #4 Urology |
| #2 Pulmonology | #5 Orthopedics |
| #3 Kidney | #5 Diabetes and Endocrinology |
| #3 Neonatology | #8 Neurology and Neurosurgery |
| #4 Cancer | #9 Heart and Heart Surgery |
Read more about Cincinnati Children's and our U.S. News rankings.
Okay, so the e-mail was a little self-serving. But still, it's a great thing to know that, no matter what emergency might befall my children, they'll receive world class care at Children's. And believe me, after listening to some of the stories from people who don't live close to such a hospital, it makes me never, ever, ever want to move.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sites of Cincinnati #4
Sites of Cincinnati #4:
Race Road
Race Road happens to be one of my favorite drives in all of Cincinnati. There are other roads that bring you gorgeous trees on both sides, transporting you to a seasonal paradise (Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard). Or that hug the river for miles out from downtown Cincinnati, and take you through cute, historic towns and gorgeous vistas (State Route 50). Or roads that give you spectacular views of the Cincinnati skyline (I-75 North, at the cut in the hill -- that's another Site of Cincinnati entry). Race Road offers none of those things.
But it does have a few things that make it mundanely spectacular. For one, if you want to get from my house to the Bridgetown area, and you don't want to drive the congested main roads, then you can take West Fork to Race. You don't lose any time, and you also get to experience ...
some of the best hills in all of Cincinnati. In fact, I mentioned to my father (who hasn't lived in Cincinnati for over 30 years) that there was this really hilly road that I loved to drive and he said, "Is it Race Road?" Why, yes. Yes, it is. One time, we were caravaning with Rob's family to a local restaurant. Rob was in the lead and decided to take his family on Race Road, just to make them want to pee their pants. They're all from Farmland, OH, which is flatter than ... something that's really flat ... so Rob took Race faster than normal. I was in the van with most of his other family and they all screeched and said things like, "Is Rob trying to kill us?" It was great fun.
The other thing that makes Race Road fantastic is the road view. Road view means, like, when you're driving through Nevada and the road is straight for miles and miles, and then you hit a mountain with a slow rise, and you can see the highway going straight, straight, straight up the mountain, and then at the last minute it makes a bend and exits out of sight. That's a great road view.
At one point on Race Road, you're at the top of a hill, and when you look across to the top of the next hill, you can see the road again, and it's lined up almost perfectly with the orientation of the road on the hill that you're on. But in between, the road is lost behind trees going down into a small valley. And you know the road is the same on both sides, and you know the road will do something in between, but you don't know what.
In point of fact, under those trees, the road goes in crazy turns that you have to take super slow, because the road is also at super steep angles. And you wouldn't expect that from the view you had at the top of the hill.
And then when you're at the top of the next hill, you can look back and see the start of it all, on the hill you were just at.
Every time I take Race Road, I look ahead and note the end. And then, at the end, I look back and note the beginning. Because there's something exquisitely beautiful about a road with a set end and beginning, but an unknown middle. It's like birth and death, the only two definite points on our life's journey.
You're born, and you're young, and the only thing you can ever know for sure is that you'll someday die. And there's all this middle section of sharp turns and craziness. And then, when you're at the end of it all, you can look back and you can see the distant past, and the turbulent middle, and you know that it's made you who you are. And you can start to make sense of the twists and turns that your life took. And you know, too, that the very end of the hill is coming. You aren't quite sure what's on the other side, but it's all okay anyway.
And that's why Race Road is one of my favorite drives in all of Cincinnati.
Race Road
Race Road happens to be one of my favorite drives in all of Cincinnati. There are other roads that bring you gorgeous trees on both sides, transporting you to a seasonal paradise (Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard). Or that hug the river for miles out from downtown Cincinnati, and take you through cute, historic towns and gorgeous vistas (State Route 50). Or roads that give you spectacular views of the Cincinnati skyline (I-75 North, at the cut in the hill -- that's another Site of Cincinnati entry). Race Road offers none of those things.
But it does have a few things that make it mundanely spectacular. For one, if you want to get from my house to the Bridgetown area, and you don't want to drive the congested main roads, then you can take West Fork to Race. You don't lose any time, and you also get to experience ...
some of the best hills in all of Cincinnati. In fact, I mentioned to my father (who hasn't lived in Cincinnati for over 30 years) that there was this really hilly road that I loved to drive and he said, "Is it Race Road?" Why, yes. Yes, it is. One time, we were caravaning with Rob's family to a local restaurant. Rob was in the lead and decided to take his family on Race Road, just to make them want to pee their pants. They're all from Farmland, OH, which is flatter than ... something that's really flat ... so Rob took Race faster than normal. I was in the van with most of his other family and they all screeched and said things like, "Is Rob trying to kill us?" It was great fun.
The other thing that makes Race Road fantastic is the road view. Road view means, like, when you're driving through Nevada and the road is straight for miles and miles, and then you hit a mountain with a slow rise, and you can see the highway going straight, straight, straight up the mountain, and then at the last minute it makes a bend and exits out of sight. That's a great road view.
At one point on Race Road, you're at the top of a hill, and when you look across to the top of the next hill, you can see the road again, and it's lined up almost perfectly with the orientation of the road on the hill that you're on. But in between, the road is lost behind trees going down into a small valley. And you know the road is the same on both sides, and you know the road will do something in between, but you don't know what.
In point of fact, under those trees, the road goes in crazy turns that you have to take super slow, because the road is also at super steep angles. And you wouldn't expect that from the view you had at the top of the hill.
And then when you're at the top of the next hill, you can look back and see the start of it all, on the hill you were just at.
Every time I take Race Road, I look ahead and note the end. And then, at the end, I look back and note the beginning. Because there's something exquisitely beautiful about a road with a set end and beginning, but an unknown middle. It's like birth and death, the only two definite points on our life's journey.
You're born, and you're young, and the only thing you can ever know for sure is that you'll someday die. And there's all this middle section of sharp turns and craziness. And then, when you're at the end of it all, you can look back and you can see the distant past, and the turbulent middle, and you know that it's made you who you are. And you can start to make sense of the twists and turns that your life took. And you know, too, that the very end of the hill is coming. You aren't quite sure what's on the other side, but it's all okay anyway.
And that's why Race Road is one of my favorite drives in all of Cincinnati.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sites of Cincinnati #3
It's time for another installment of Sites of Cincinnati!
Sites of Cincinnati #3:
Jungle Jim's
Exit I-275 and go North on Route 4 to get to one of the coolest places in Cincinnati: Jungle Jim's! You don't need better directions than that, by the way, because you CAN'T MISS IT. Really. You turn into the parking lot on Jungle Jim Parkway, with its own stoplight, and there's a freakin' monorail circling the building. The building itself is a mega-building. It's unlike anything else you've ever seen.
As you walk into this mega-building, there are elephants and giraffes to great you, all lolling around in a pool, complete with a waterfall. Even though they're just statues, they're freakin' cool! Take a gander at this image I just stole from someone else's blog:
What is this fantastical place?
It's a grocery store.
Best. Grocery. Store. Ever.
And Jim is crazy. Yes, there actually is a Jungle Jim, and you can learn all about him and his story in a movie that they play in the movie theater in the back. Runs every 10 minutes or so. Before you can get to there, though, you have to pass all the gift shops, the coffee shop, and the doctor's office. All INSIDE the store.
And watch for the decorations along the way. You can see King Kong scaling the Empire State Building; the Lucky Charms guy leading a band of other cereal super stars, churning out Beach Boys tunes; Robin Hood and the gang in Sherwood Forest; a bear Elvis who shakes and shimmies as he sings the King's hits; and I'm probably forgetting a few. Oh, and who can't love these bathrooms? Voted #1 in America.
The reason you go to Jungle Jim's, besides the fun factor, is to get the international foods. They sell just about anything and everything there. I haven't actually identified all the foods in the produce section, but if you want it, and it's international and hard-to-find, Jungle Jim's has it. If they don't have it, you can put in a request for it. They have official forms and everything.
I go there to get Hello Panda cookies from the Asian section, chocolate spread that's better than Nutella (seriously, after trying it, there's no going back), really good foreign chocolates, and any number of fun things from the German section. ... Only I don't go there too often, because I inevitably spend $100 on stuff that I don't "need" but that is SO YUMMY. Seriously, I usually clean out the Hello Panda rack. I ran out in October, so it's probably about time to go back.
So while it may not seem like the coolest thing ever to go to a grocery store, it's pretty sweet. Definitely worth the trip.
Check out the store's website here.
Sites of Cincinnati #3:
Jungle Jim's
Exit I-275 and go North on Route 4 to get to one of the coolest places in Cincinnati: Jungle Jim's! You don't need better directions than that, by the way, because you CAN'T MISS IT. Really. You turn into the parking lot on Jungle Jim Parkway, with its own stoplight, and there's a freakin' monorail circling the building. The building itself is a mega-building. It's unlike anything else you've ever seen.
As you walk into this mega-building, there are elephants and giraffes to great you, all lolling around in a pool, complete with a waterfall. Even though they're just statues, they're freakin' cool! Take a gander at this image I just stole from someone else's blog:
What is this fantastical place?
It's a grocery store.
Best. Grocery. Store. Ever.
And Jim is crazy. Yes, there actually is a Jungle Jim, and you can learn all about him and his story in a movie that they play in the movie theater in the back. Runs every 10 minutes or so. Before you can get to there, though, you have to pass all the gift shops, the coffee shop, and the doctor's office. All INSIDE the store.
And watch for the decorations along the way. You can see King Kong scaling the Empire State Building; the Lucky Charms guy leading a band of other cereal super stars, churning out Beach Boys tunes; Robin Hood and the gang in Sherwood Forest; a bear Elvis who shakes and shimmies as he sings the King's hits; and I'm probably forgetting a few. Oh, and who can't love these bathrooms? Voted #1 in America.
The reason you go to Jungle Jim's, besides the fun factor, is to get the international foods. They sell just about anything and everything there. I haven't actually identified all the foods in the produce section, but if you want it, and it's international and hard-to-find, Jungle Jim's has it. If they don't have it, you can put in a request for it. They have official forms and everything.
I go there to get Hello Panda cookies from the Asian section, chocolate spread that's better than Nutella (seriously, after trying it, there's no going back), really good foreign chocolates, and any number of fun things from the German section. ... Only I don't go there too often, because I inevitably spend $100 on stuff that I don't "need" but that is SO YUMMY. Seriously, I usually clean out the Hello Panda rack. I ran out in October, so it's probably about time to go back.
So while it may not seem like the coolest thing ever to go to a grocery store, it's pretty sweet. Definitely worth the trip.
Check out the store's website here.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sites of Cincinnati #2
Today we're focusing on something that I love, love, love about Cincinnati:
Our Public Library System
Lame? You'd think that if you have a lame library system in your own town. But our libraries rock the house! In Hennen's American Public Library Rankings, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County ranked in the top 10 (of cities with a population of 500k and up) from the years 2003 - 2006 (the last year listed on-line). Our library tells us that for the last 2 years we've been in the top 5, and some years our circulation is the very top in the nation. I mean, seriously, we're besting cities twice our size? Where are you New York City?
Not that I care about the stats, cause it's really not all about them. I mean, I can't blame my library for being proud of their ranking, but the library in the number 11 spot will tell you that it just doesn't matter. I tend to lean more towards the "it just doesn't matter" side, but rankings or no, our library system is awesome.
Our library has kickin' programs, excellent on-line accessibility, friendly workers, and a ton of locations. Within a 5-minute drive of my house, there are 2 libraries. If I want to extend that to a 10-minute drive, there are 4 libraries (that I know of).
Our system also has a ton of books. I get really, really annoyed if I want a book and the library doesn't have it. Since moving to Cincinnati, I've been able to only buy the books I want to own, instead of the books I want to read (there's a huge difference). This has helped my budget, and it makes me happier with my library, and with the books I actually purchase.
So, while I may not take you to a library on your visit to Cincinnati, it still ranks up there as One of The Coolest Things about Cincinnati, and that's worthy of a spot on Sites of Cincinnati.
Our Public Library System
Lame? You'd think that if you have a lame library system in your own town. But our libraries rock the house! In Hennen's American Public Library Rankings, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County ranked in the top 10 (of cities with a population of 500k and up) from the years 2003 - 2006 (the last year listed on-line). Our library tells us that for the last 2 years we've been in the top 5, and some years our circulation is the very top in the nation. I mean, seriously, we're besting cities twice our size? Where are you New York City?
Not that I care about the stats, cause it's really not all about them. I mean, I can't blame my library for being proud of their ranking, but the library in the number 11 spot will tell you that it just doesn't matter. I tend to lean more towards the "it just doesn't matter" side, but rankings or no, our library system is awesome.
Our library has kickin' programs, excellent on-line accessibility, friendly workers, and a ton of locations. Within a 5-minute drive of my house, there are 2 libraries. If I want to extend that to a 10-minute drive, there are 4 libraries (that I know of).
Our system also has a ton of books. I get really, really annoyed if I want a book and the library doesn't have it. Since moving to Cincinnati, I've been able to only buy the books I want to own, instead of the books I want to read (there's a huge difference). This has helped my budget, and it makes me happier with my library, and with the books I actually purchase.
So, while I may not take you to a library on your visit to Cincinnati, it still ranks up there as One of The Coolest Things about Cincinnati, and that's worthy of a spot on Sites of Cincinnati.
Friday, February 5, 2010
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:
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.
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