Month: July 2009

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This Week In Soapbox 7/28

A day late on this week’s TWIS post, but you can read about a new “green” restaurant in historic Columbia Tusculum, the $35 million renovation of Hughes High School uptown, Nky’s Riverfront Commons plans and progress, nonprofits getting a $2.1 million boost from the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation, new discussions surrounding The Banks development, and the newly signed tenant for what will become Cincinnati’s tallest skyscraper.

If you’re interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week’s stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati. Also be sure to become a fan of Soapbox on Facebook!

TWIS 7/28:

  • Green Dog Cafe to open in historic Columbia Tusculum – full article
  • $35 million Hughes High School renovation restoring Uptown landmark – full article
  • Northern Kentucky’s Southbank Partners raises over $200,000 for Riverfront Commons project – full article
  • Rethinking The Banks – full article
  • Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation awarding millions to local nonprofits – full article
  • Great American Tower at Queen City Square reaches 80% occupancy – full article
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"Indy’s biggest problem is Cincinnati"

Robby Ginepri defeated Sam Querrey this past Sunday at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships. The Indy tournament is the first tournament of the Olympus US Open Series that leads up to, you guessed it, the US Open on August 31 through September 13.

What was noticeable about the Indy championship match was the non-sold out center court that seats 10,000. I have annually made the trip up to Mason to attend Cincinnati’s premier tennis tournament now know as the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, and have grown accustomed to its vibrant feel and capacity crowds. ESPN’s Peter Bodo notes that:

“Indy’s big problem is Cincinnati, which is exactly 103 miles away. Cincinnati is the home of the hugely successful Western and Southern Financial Group Masters (an ungainly title for a great hard-court tournament that is perfectly positioned as the key warm-up event for the U.S. Open). Cincy’s prestige and consistently top-drawer field helps define Indianapolis, but not in a good way. Which tournament would you attend, Terre Haute, Ind.?”

One thing I have been predicting for some time now, is that the tennis powers-at-be have big plans for the Cincinnati tournament. The long-time men’s only draw has been joined by a complimentary women’s tournament that either precedes or follows the main men’s tournament. Just shortly after being around, ATP officials upgraded the women’s tournament to a status near that of the men’s. Facility upgrades including increased seating capacities, box seats and more are on the way for the Linder Tennis Center.

This all seems to be setting the stage for a combined two-week long event that would have both women and men competing at the same time. The end result would make the Cincinnati tournament (whatever it is called at that time) one of the biggest in the world. You would have the four Grand Slam events (New York, London, Paris, Melbourne). The Cincinnati tournament would then be in the next elite tier of tennis tournaments in the world.

If you haven’t been up to Mason to check out the competition of the world’s best tennis players in a fantastic facility and fan-friendly environment, then I suggest looking into getting tickets to this year’s tournament from August 8 through August 23. Check out CincyTennis for all the information on the event, getting tickets and much more.

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Mayor Mallory Speaks Frankly about Streetcar/Budget Issues

Sometimes, people just say exactly what needs to be said. This is one of those times.

Please take 2 minutes to read what our friend Jason over at Somewhere Over the Rhine has just said about why the election this November is so important.

And from the Mayor himself:

“If that measure passes, it’s the end of streetcars in Cincinnati, it will be the end of the conversation about light rail, it will be the end of the conversation about passenger rail between Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland,” Mallory said. “If we are in a situation where we have to wait, the federal government is going to move on.”

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Off-Campus life in Cincinnati

I recently stumbled on a Columbus, Ohio site called Easy Columbus that compiles all the things going on “off-campus” that college students might want to do. It is a very well-done site and easy to navigate. Users can search by day or event, and it even includes information about how to save money.

I did a little digging and found that there are 16 colleges and universities within 20 miles of downtown Columbus. Combined, these schools enroll a little over 73,000 undergraduate students at any given time. Comparatively, there are 22 colleges and universities within 20 miles of downtown Cincinnati, but only about 46,000 enrolled undergraduate students. Someone can make the claim that I should have counted grad students. Maybe. Go ahead and count them up and let me know what you find. (Source for the Undergrads)

Maybe we already have something like this here in Cincinnati. If so, please post a link in the comments section. But if we don’t have this yet, we really should. Having a consolidated place for young adults to turn when they are looking for something fun and inexpensive to do seems like it would encourage them to break the monotony of the house party and bar scene.

I admit – I have a hidden agenda here. By encouraging students to get off campus and experience the amazing things this city has to offer, hopefully they will be more likely to stay here after graduation. When I was at Xavier, so many of my friends came here for the education, and then bolted as soon as they had their diploma in hand. Our colleges and universities draw some of the best and brightest students to Cincinnati, and we as a city need to do everything in our power to keep that talent here. When they leave, they take with them their good ideas on how to better the city. How can we encourage those not from here to stay here?

Image Credit: Xavier University Academic Mall by Zach Casto
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Gateway Quarter embraces YouTube

During my weekly video search on the world wide web I came across this collection of videos from GatewayQuarterFan on YouTube. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure: