Month: October 2009

Categories
Development News Politics Transportation

The "Other" Portland

On a recent vacation, I had the opportunity to visit Portland. No not the west coast Portland that everyone is talking about in regards to Cincinnati’s Issue 9, but rather the east coast Portland. During a week spent mostly in mid-coast Maine, I took some time to drop in on Portland to see what that city had to offer. With a metro population of 230,000 it is rather small compared to what we are used to here in Cincinnati, but it is home to one quarter of all residents in Maine. I honestly was not expecting too much, but was rather surprised by what I found.

Being a coastal town, I did think that this would be a city center full of shops and dinners that catered to Maine tourists and took advantage of their geographic location. I had pictured lobster flavored beer and lighthouses on doormats. But, much to my surprise what I found instead was a city block after city block of eclectic shops and independent restaurants. As I spent my evening wandering around shops and stopping off for dinner and drinks, I thought “this is exactly what OTR could be given a chance” and an UrbanCincy post was born.

The biggest thing that jumped out was that Portland seemed to have was a unified vision of what they wanted in this area. It could have been tacky t-shirt shops and chain restaurants. They could have promoted tear-downs and rebuilds to bring a more modern feel to the town. Instead funky shops, boutiques, and art galleries lined the street and used old buildings that had clearly been in downtown Portland for quite a while. While I was there on a Wednesday night in what is the start of the off-season, there was a good amount of people out and about enjoying themselves.

If nothing else Portland, Maine has an identity, and that is something that our area desperately seems to be searching for. It is my opinion that with a streetcar, a successful Banks project, and continued development on the river in Northern Kentucky we will have one that is appealing to long time residents, local college students, and outsiders that may consider Cincinnati as a place to live. The photos above are a small sampling of the establishments around downtown Portland.

Categories
News

Books by the Banks – Reading Fun for Everyone

If you’re looking to get your book fix tomorrow, Duke Energy Convention Center is the place to be… at this year’s Books by the Banks book festival.

The public libraries of Cincinnati and Hamilton County have teamed up with Joseph Beth Booksellers, the Mercantile Library, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Magazine to offer up a festival celebrating the written word. There will be more that 80 authors on location for you to meet and sign copies of their books. From kid lit to sports, Cincinnati history to chick novels and back again, there will definitely be a book, author, panel discussion or demonstration to pique your interest.

National bestsellers Jeannett Walls (The Glass Castle, Half-Broke Horses), Jennifer Weiner (Good in Bed, Best Friends Forever), Garth Stein (The Art of Racing in the Rain) and Barbara Bradley Hagerty (Fingerprints of God) are headlining the panel discussions occurring from 11am-3pm (a variety of authors speaking on the hour.) For a complete list of speaking authors, check out the program schedule here.

here will also be the Target Kids Corner, complete with lots of fun activities for families to do together, as well as story times throughout the day and character meet-n-greets. Personally, this blogger is incredibly pumped about the tattoo station (available all day) and meeting Curious George (1:40-2pm).

Books by the Banks is Saturday, October 17th from 11am-4pm and will feature plenty of books will be available for purchase through Joseph Beth Booksellers, which is a perfect opportunity to get a head start on Christmas shopping. The Duke Energy Center is located at 525 Elm Street (map) in downtown Cincinnati. There are several dozen bicycle parking locations within two blocks of the building, and Metro’s # 1, 21, 27, 50, 64 and 77x bus routes also serve the Duke Energy Convention Center. Plan your trip now using Metro’s Trip Planner.

Categories
News

Defeating Issue 9: How YOU Can Help

Election Day is just 18 days away, and now more than ever, is the time for those of us who are concerned about defeating Issue 9, the Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment, to kick the campaigning into high gear. Odds are, if you’re reading this, you probably know the basics about Issue 9 and are aware of the negative implications it will have on our city in the future. The bottom line is, you don’t need convincing. That’s great!

However, it’s going to take many more votes than there are readers of this blog in order to stop this permanent alteration to our City Charter. One of the biggest obstacles passenger rail proponents have in defeating Issue 9 is eradicating the confusion surrounding the entire subject. Education and information are the keys, as well as putting faces of real people behind the language.

There are 52 neighborhoods in the city of Cincinnati, and Cincinnatians for Progress has been working very hard to get out to as many neighborhood meetings as possible and talk to citizens there. There are certain neighborhoods that are considered “swing” circuits, with a varying mix of demographics. These are the voters that need to be informed and educated.

Did you know that anyone can volunteer? To those of you that live outside Cincinnati city limits, this is THE way to have your voice heard on this issue and make a positive impact. While you may not be able to cast a ballot on November 3, you most definitely can volunteer your time and effort to the cause. Think of it, if you just went into a booth and cast your vote, you are one voice. If you can volunteer just 2 hours of your time and reach 60 voters, you can make a huge impact. To those that border the city limits of Cincinnati, you know how this issue will impact you and your community. Get out and help so that Cincinnatians for Progress can reach as many voters as possible and educate them on the ballot language as well as the issue ahead of November 3.

Cincinnatians for Progress is organizing phone banks during the week and canvassing on weekends. We here at UrbanCincy will be volunteering our time and efforts and we would love to have you come along with us. Keep an eye on the site for dates and times where we will be volunteering so that you can join us!

Also be sure to come on out to the Don’t Be Tricked, Vote No On Issue 9 Party at Neon’s Unplugged on Friday, October 30. The party will run from 7pm to 1am and feature beer from Christian Moerlein, food from Kroeger & Sons Meats, live music, Bocce Ball, and a host of special guests. There is no entry fee and everyone is encouraged to come and go as they please. Beer and food sales will be cash only.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News Politics Transportation

Issue 9 debate tonight at 6pm on UC’s campus

The legendary Terry Grundy will be hosting John Schneider, Rob Richardson and Chris Finney tonight at 6pm to debate Issue 9 (the Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment). The debate will take place in room 5401 inside the College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning on the University of Cincinnati’s main campus.

The debate is free to attend and is a great opportunity to hear both sides of the argument if you haven’t yet already…even better if you’re a student at the University of Cincinnati where the Student Body Government recently voted unanimously to oppose Issue 9 and take a strong stance in support of passenger rail transportation in Cincinnati.

Free parking is available in a limited capacity on surrounding streets, but tons of bicycle parking options exist within a stones throw of the entrance to the building (map). Metro’s #17, 18, 19, 39, 51 and 75x bus routes also will drop you off within two blocks of the building. Plan your trip now using Metro’s Trip Planner.

Image from Hargreaves Associates
Categories
News

World Music Fest takes place this weekend in Covington

There’s something happening on the south side of downtown Cincinnati this weekend that is worth some attention as the World Music Fest runs all weekend at multiple venues through the heart of Covington. This event is part of the Covington Full Spectrum series which has something artsy going each and every weekend through the entire month of October.

This is the third annual World Music Fest, and while you may be saying “I’ve never heard of a World Music Fest in the Cincinnati area”, that’s probably because it’s never been as ambitious and as large as it is going to be this year. In prior years there was just a single concert in Newport but this year there will be more than 40 performances at seven different venues around Covington over the course of the entire weekend.

We have linked the entire schedule for you here, but wanted to take the time to point out a few highlights of the weekend:

  • Friday Oct 16, 6-10pm – A VIP mixer at the Baker Hunt Cultural Center which features food, wine, and live music by Faux Frenchmen and Kyle Ferguson. While the cost may be $30, aside from just this kick off mixer, it also gets you into the Global Afterparty (Oct 17), the show at the Madison (Oct 18), and two tickets to a CCM performance. Think of your ticket to this event as your passport for the weekend.
  • Saturday Oct 17, 9am-3pm – Come kickoff the day European style with a complimentary breakfast from the good people at Taste of Belgium and our friends from Coffee Emporium. Music will run until 1pm, but there is a Kids Zone that goes all the way to 3pm with story tellers, workshops, and children’s entertainers.
  • Saturday Oct 17, Noon-6:30pm – Over at the Leapin Lizard on Main Street is a Moroccan-style Bazaar with vendors and two stages of live music. While there will be a mix of genres, there is an emphasis on Middle Eastern music. This one is a freebie as well, though there is an afterparty at Leapin Lizard from 9pm-Midnight which will cost you $5.
  • Sunday Oct 18, 5pm-10:30pm – The main event of World Music Fest is a full night’s worth of tunes at the Madison. Headliner Javier Mendoza has quite a résumé including appearing alongside acts as diverse as Willy Nelson, Los Lobos, and even The Roots. While the others are mainly local acts at $12 advance (or free if you went to the VIP party!) this is a great deal any way you look at it.

Nearly everything throughout the weekend is free admission aside from a the few events that we’ve outlined here so be curious and get out to see some great music from all around the world in your own backyard. In the meantime you’ll be supporting some great businesses in Covington that have decided to take part World Music Fest 2009.