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News

Experience the holidays Downtown

Well there’s tons to do Downtown this holiday season as there is every year. There is the ice rink, the best Santa in the region, train display, free horse-drawn carriage rides, free trolley rides, live music all over the place and TONS of great restaurants. There is also a new Downtown Visitors Center set up in the lobby adjacent to Joseph A. Banks.

In addition to the new information center, there are a couple of other new things this holiday season. There is the new Downtown Gift Card which is valid at over 100 places Downtown. This can be purchased online (at DCI’s website) or at the new Visitors Center. There is also a new Rookwood Pottery Commemorative Plaque. This too can be purchased at the Visitors Center or at Macy’s Fountain Place. You can find more information HERE regarding both items and the details for each.

There is also a great Holiday Guide for everything going on Downtown this holiday season. It includes specific details for everything you’ll want to cover this year. You can also find a list, with details, of all the highlights of things going on Downtown…and if you’re visiting and need something to do; check out some of the Downtown Itineraries.

External Links:
Downtown Cincinnati Inc.
Fountain Square
Downtown Holiday Photos (by me)

Categories
News

Keep the movies rolling


Citykin just recently was discussing how Fountain Square will be showing some Halloween type family movies this Saturday (10/27). This is due in part to the great turnout they saw over the summer and the somewhat mild weather we are experiencing.

Personally I love the idea of movie nights on the square. It is a really neat thing for families to do and it’s free. Not to mention the unique social interaction opportunities the children have. But I have been wondering this since the summer was drawing to a close. Why is it that we have to stop showing these movies regularly after Labor Day? Sure this marks the end of summer, but the weather doesn’t start to get all that bad here until about mid-November. I also think they should start earlier in the year than the typical Memorial Day weekend start.

I think it should be a week-to-week decision following Labor Day and before Memorial Day. This would allow the great movie nights, on the square, to continue. Lets really capitalize on this great activity on the square. Keep the movies rolling.

Photo credit:
www.cincyimages.com

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News

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati: Review

The girlfriend and I took in a show at the Ensemble Theatre on Friday. Now I’ve been to a couple of theatres in NYC (both Broadway and off-Broadway)…I’ve also been to multiple shows at the Aronoff and other various venues (ie CCM). With that said I must say that this was one of my favorite venues.

The ETC offers a fantastic view from every seat(about 200 or so by my estimations), and also has surprisingly good acoustics for that space. What makes the venue even better is the building itself…it is a gem and has all sorts of architectural details for you to enjoy (if you’re in to that sort of thing).

As for the show we saw ‘Rabbit Hole’ which is the winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Best New Play and a Tony Award-winning drama. The show was great and the seats were full…at the end the audience gave a standing ovation for the great performance. The ETC is a great theatre that has a strong history and is nationally known.

I highly recommend a visit to the ETC. It is a good alternative to the movies and the show lets out with plenty of time to go out drinking afterwards. The ETC offers student discounts, as well as, senior discounts. You can now also buy tickets online…and if you want to see ‘Rabbit Hole’ then you better hurry because its time runs up this Sunday.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Clear your calendar on 10/17…at least after 7pm

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will be speaking at the Cincinnati Mercantile Library on Wednesday, October 17th. Mayor Hickenlooper is widely considered one of the main people responsible for the wildly successful LoDo District in Denver. Denver has also experienced a light rail boom over recent years and is seeing a fantastic urban renaissance that any city would be proud to boast.

Stacked, Mercantile Library’s own blog, is offering a free admission to this event if you simply mention the blog’s name. If you miss out on that offer and still want to attend it will set you back $5. It is an informal event and will start at 7pm and last an hour or so. Mayor Hickenlooper will give a little speech and then it will be opened up for Q/A. You can also read more about the event over at Stacked.

If you’re interested simply contact the library at (513) 621-0717 or mercantileinfo@mercantilelibrary.com and be sure to mention Stacked.

Categories
News

Stay connected with the Cincy Streetcar proposal

I was at the Cincinnati Streetcar meeting tonight at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. First of all, I must say that the Art Academy has a simply gorgeous building in Over-the-Rhine and one that is a perfect fit for artists.

The meeting itself had a good turnout (from my perspective). The representatives from HDR were very helpful and were able to answer just about any question you threw their way (and trust me, I asked a lot of questions). In addition to the HDR people, City Architect Michael Moore and local transit god John Schneider were also their to answer any questions you may have.

I left the meeting feeling more optimistic, about the project, than ever (if that is possible). This was an informal meeting format and was a great opportunity to learn about the proposed system. If you would like to give it a try then you have one more chance since this meeting will happen again on September 27 at City Hall from 4-7pm.

I highly recommend that you start getting active in this process if you aren’t already. The whole thing is moving along very quickly and it sounds very likely that it could be ready for riders in 2010! You can get lots of information about the proposal here.