A last summer in Cincinnati...

No, I'm not leaving, but some of my students certainly are.

Graduation was yesterday, and one of the graduates explained that this was probably going to be his last summer with some of his friends. He asked me what things he should do around Cincinnati to close the years out right.

Here is my list of suggestions...

• Places to eat
• Knotty Pine on the Bayou - best Cajun food in town...beautiful setting in Northern Kentucky along a creek...the new place actually seems to have a few floors and walls that are plumb, a change from the old place...
• Terry's Turf Club - no doubt, best Hamburgers in town, fun location that tends to be packed at the obvious meal times (weekend lunch, Thursday-Saturday dinners)...go at an off time (2pm, weekday afternoons) for the best chance at getting an immediate seat...burgers are awesome...stick with simple toppings the first time so you can see how great the actual burger is, then go for their creative and tasty sauces when you go back...
• Senate - This may not have been the first restaurant to go into the Gateway Quarter revitalization/gentrification of Over the Rhine, but it's one of the best examples (for good and for ill)...the food is outstanding (poutine, burgers, hot dogs, all of it)...the decor is very much new school reuse/recycle, and the menu is creative...
• Eli's Barbeque - My favorite restaurant in town...some might say it's an example of hipster gentrification of a blue collar neighborhood, but that's where the cheap land is, so I'm going to say it's a place that offers excellent food at dirt cheap prices ($7 for a perfect sandwich and two great sides) with loads of outdoor seating - particularly in the neighboring community park and garden space...free music on lots of summer evenings...food trucks stopping by to offer up dessert...last summer they offered rib tips up at 5lb for $8 toward the end of the summer because the tips sell more slowly than do the ribs 
• downtown food trucks - the food truck movement is making a serious impact around the city...of the choices, I would have said have a Cafe de Wheels burger, but they're gone through an ownership change, and things are very much up in the air...instead, try New Orleans to Go and get an extra cup of the glaze...it's to die for...
• Quatman's -this one comes to you from Calencoriel (aka Rebecca Heckman) because she's a big fan of the simplicity of a Quatman's burger...The Girl and I tried it, and she digs it, too...me? I think it's too plain...it's a remnant of a working man's era, a time when the factories would let out a few hundred guys for lunch, and they needed a good five-cent hamburger...it's an institution in Cincinnati, and because of that you should definitely hit the original in Pleasant Ridge/Norwood
• Zip's - another one that is a Cincinnati 'best burger' staple (even though The Girl and I both think Terry's and Senate are both far better burgers)...it has its strengths, but the thing that matters is that half the people in town name it as the best burger in town...
• Aglamesis Brothers - Graeter's is more well known and more widely spread, but Aglamesis Brothers is an east-side tradition with smooth, rich ice cream and high quality sweets...make sure to hit the original in Oakley Square and wander the neighborhoods to see some of the beautiful homes around...
• Graeter's - most everybody in Cincinnati has been to a Graeter's ice cream shop somewhere...the original doesn't exist anymore, but the second one does still exist, and it's in Hyde Park...go, get yourself some giant chocolate chips 
• GreekFest - This one's very much time-sensitive as it only comes around the last weekend of June...take a few bucks (but take canned goods to get in free)...and enjoy the baklava... 
• St Rita's Fest - Cincinnati is a Catholic city the centers around its church festivals, and this is the biggest of them...plus, it's in the Princeton district which makes it easy...I've never actually been to this one...I think I've only ever been to the St Max festival near my house, and it's a pretty small one...

• Places to visit (free)
• Eden Park / Krohn Conservatory - the views of the Ohio River to the east of CIncinnati from the overlook are unequaled anywhere in town...the Krohn Conservatory is one of the iconic locations in Cincy (including in Airborne)...mirror lake is a great place to see the river, too...
• Ault Park - Ault Park has a very different feeling than does Eden...overlooks over Lunken Field, formal gardens, a gorgeous pavilion...historically significant in Cincinnati...
• Mt Storm Park - the parks in Cincinnati really are gems that not enough people take advantage of...this one's in Clifton and has some great views...
• Sawyer Point / Serpentine Wall / Friendship Park - Cincinnati's defining feature is the river and the hills around town...this park, along the river, is the center of town...where the fireworks happen, where concerts take place, where the place was thirty-some feet underwater in the flood of 1937...
• Devou Park -  best place to see the Cincinnati skyline - obviously in Northern Kentucky...
• Purple People Bridge - lump this one in with the Sawyer Point visit and the Newport on the Levy, too...make a full day of it and have a blast walking around the river from both sides...
• Union Terminal - it's the frickin' real-world Hall of Justice...and it's the most distinctive building in all of Cincinnati...the museums are nice and all, but it's the building itself that is Cincinnati proper...make sure to enjoy the murals and Tower A...I loved when PHS had their prom here for a few years...great, gorgeous space...
• Northside - Cincinnati is a city of neighborhoods, each with very distinct character...Northside is a mixture of hipster kitsch, gay-friendly, and working-class people...start at Knowlton's Corner and work your way north to Bruce St...have a snack at Melt...visit the library...stay mostly on Hamilton Avenue until you get to probably Pullan...
• Findlay Market - Findlay is an interesting place, serving the needs of the local patrons (typically for a more urban, African-American palate - chitterlings, tripe, greens) and desires of a more hipster-ish crowd (upscale popsicles, imported cheeses)...the fires in the early 2000's lead to a much different, larger, fancier Market, but the spirit has survived...
• Newport on the Levee - mostly here for the aquarium and the river side of the levee...park and walk down to the river from the pavilion...maybe head into Bellvue via the river walk...
• main library (PLCH) branch - PLCH is one of the best library branches in the entire country, and the main branch is the mother ship...hang out there for a couple of hours, visit the children's museum, see the atrium on the south block, get your way to the rare books collection, and get up to the roof...beautiful...

• Places to visit (cost) 
• Cincinnati Zoo - my favorite place is the manatee room (but less so since they took out the seating wall)...check out the new African pampas exhibits, especially...beautiful polar bear viewing...wonderful white tigers...Calen asked that I also mention that lots of people miss the botanical gardens, check them out, too...
• Reds game - sit up high (400- or 500-sections) on the 3rd-base side of the stadium because you get the best views of the river from up there...pick a mid-day game if you can...eat the hot mett (or the Big Red Smokey)...get the garlic fries...have a helmet sundae...
• Carew Tower - It's $2 to get to the observation deck (plus parking downtown, somewhere)...it's the highest part of Cincinnati that you can get to...chuck a penny at Paul Brown Stadium if you must...
• Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park - technically in Hamilton, but it's the greater Cincinnati area, at least...private sculpture park set on attractive, very hilly grounds...price is a bit steep ($8 for adults)...unique place in the area...
• Morgan's canoes at Fort Ancient - take an afternoon (and some sunscreen)...take a lazy ride down the river...look up at the highest highway bridge in the state...have a blast...
• concert at Riverbend - wait to make sure the weather's nice, wait until the last minute, and buy a couple of tickets for the lawn...pack a picnic (check their website to make sure you know what you may and may not bring in)...make an evening out of it...

• Bit of a drive
• Young's Jersey Dairy - we all need ice cream...and miniature golf...and fried food...and candy...and a batting cage...and a driving range...and while you're there swing into town to get some Lego sets at Blokhedz...