Cincinnati for a Long Weekend

Welcome to Our Wanderlust Diaries! I am kicking off my blog with our recent trip to Cincinnati at the end of October 2022. Cincinnati is a six-hour drive from St. Louis, which was just perfect for a road trip over the long weekend of fall break. But why, Cincy, you might ask? Well, it all started with a baby hippo…

But to build the suspense, a brief history of Cincinnati first:

Cincinnati, Ohio, was founded in 1788 at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers on the land formerly occupied by Indigenous peoples from Shawnee, Potawatomi, Delaware, Miami, Peoria, Seneca, Wyandotte, Ojibwe, and Cherokee nations. When the Europeans encountered the indigenous peoples of the area, they found two distinct federations (the Iroquois and the Algonquians, in broad terms) who were often at war with each other. Tragically, increased conflicts, European diseases and the genocidal policies of the U.S. government decimated indigenous populations. Adding insult to injury, the colonizers destroyed much of the archeological evidence from many ancient cultures, like the Hopewell. By the mid 1800's, the city’s proximity to Kentucky made it an important stop on the Underground Railroad and the home of abolitionists like Harriet Beecher Stowe. Although Ohio had illegalized slavery through their state constitution in 1802, racism obviously continued, Black Laws were enacted, and tensions were often inflamed by other cultural concerns like German and Irish immigration. Post war, the population of Cincinnati soared to over 300,000 and the city boasted museums, an opera house, a booming financial market, hospitals and the University of Cincinnati. The Queen City—a nickname that harkens to its boom days in the late 19th Century—is today a reflection of these experiences, shaped at the intersection of cultures between indigenous peoples, enslaved peoples seeking freedom and the perpetual progress of the modern world. Other notable facts about Cincy:

• The 19th president pf the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, was born here

• The 27th president of the United States, William H. Taft, was born here

• Proctor & Gamble founded in 1879

• In 1902, the world's first reinforced concrete skyscraper was built, the Ingalls Building

• "The Sons of Daniel Boone", a forerunner to the Boy Scouts of America, began in Cincinnati

• Cincinnati's AM radio station, WLW was the first to broadcast at 500,000 watts

• Jerry Springer was the Mayor of Cincinnati and had to resign in 1978 upon discovery he had written two personal checks to prostitutes

• The Cincinnati Red Stockings was the first professional baseball team. They won their first game by a score of 45-9 and went on to achieve an undefeated 65-0 record in 1869

• The Cincinnati airport is located in Hebron, Kentucky, owned and operated by Kenton County which is also in Kentucky, and its airport code (CVG) comes from Covington another city in Northern Kentucky

• WKRP in Cincinnati was a tv show in the late 70's. "Turkeys Away" is the seventh episode of the first season of the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. In the episode, station manager Arthur Carlson attempts to pull off the greatest Thanksgiving promotion in radio history: dropping live turkeys from a helicopter. (Credit Larry Nydam)

Day 1: Our first stop after checking into our VRBO was a brand-new food hall nearby called Element Eatery. Housed within the striking, modern architecture are 9 local start-up restaurants, local brews and merchandise. Landon & I ordered from a Puerto Rican restaurant called MashRoots. I tried the Cuban, which was served non-traditionally on a ciabatta bun with bacon instead of ham and it was ok—but an ok Cuban is still a Cuban! Isley and Glen ordered burgers from Tela, both enjoyed them. The fries were especially good, too! The bar offered a wide selection of regional craft beers (which made us excited!), in additional to the usual cocktails, bottled beers and wine. I had the Hollow Point from Cartridge Brewing Company and Glen tried the Franz, from Rhinegeist. Both were great so we had seconds. To end our evening, Glen & the kids had Gelato from La Grassa. While they had a small selection of flavors, it was well-crafted, and they all enjoyed it.

Day 2: We started with breakfast at Holtman’s Donut Shop, a family-owned business that opened in 1960 by Charles Holtman and is now ran by his daughter, Toni, and her family. There is a viewing window where you can watch them make the donuts and the shop is nicely decorated and cozy. We all ordered various kinds, all incredibly delicious.

Then we headed to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens to finally meet the baby hippo, Fritz! Founded in 1873, it’s the 6th oldest zoo in the US and is consistently rated in the top 10. The zoo houses over 500 animals and 3,000 plant species and It. Does. Not. Disappoint! Baby Fritz—the whole reason for our trip—was born in August and was utter joy to see, as was his famous sister, Fiona, and the rest of the bloat. The exhibits are spacious and well-designed for optimal viewing. Overall, it was a great experience (definitely one of the best zoos we’ve been to) and I’d highly recommend. I will note, however, a few tips. We bought the train tickets with our admission. Knowing it was a pretty big zoo, I thought this would come in handy to get around the zoo. The train is just a ride that takes you in a circle though, so just know that this is a ride and not a means of transportation to areas of the zoo. I’d also recommend starting to the left from the main gate and heading towards Roo Village. We headed to the right to see the hippos, but found that the way the zoo is structured, we’d have to loop back often. I’d absolutely visit the Cincinnati Zoo again, though!

Our late lunch at Fifty West Brewing Company was great! This place was so much fun—they have sand volleyball, pickle ball, cornhole and plenty of shaded seating. The burger bar offers elevated, coast-to-coast stylized burgers. Glen and I both had The Colorado with pepper jack cheese, jalapenos and green chilies and they were super good. The beer selection was good, too. We tried several, but one of the most notable was “Home Sweet Home”, a sweet potato brown ale that they offer for fall instead of pumpkin.

For dinner, we went to Asiana Thai and Sushi of Hyde Park, which has solid 5 star reviews and is ranked in the top 100 restaurants nationwide. This tiny, hole-in-the wall restaurant serves classic Thai faire and sushi. This casual dining spot seems to modestly offer simplistic family meals, but their dishes are perfected with elevated flavor complexities seldom found. We started with steamed pork dumplings, California rolls and edamame—all absolutely delicious. For dinner, Glen and I were both just oddly in the mood for spicy Thai basil noodles, which wasn’t on the menu. So they kindly accommodated us, but we should have just said, “What are you best known for?” (I know, I’ve gotta up my foodie game, friends.) None-the-less, the dishes were perfectly crafted with intensely layered flavors and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming.

Day 3: Early morning snack. Landon ordered orange chicken for dinner and then decided he didn’t like it. So we took it home. I was just going try a few bites. I ate over half of it. Cold. I have no regrets. #VACAY

For second breakfast, we journeyed downtown to Sugar and Spice Diner. This bright and happy little joint is a ray of sunshine nestled amongst the tall brown buildings in the district commonly referred to as Over the Rhine (OTR). Opened in 1941, they continue to thrive and are known for thin, wispy pancakes, fluffy omelets and a fun ambiance. So, having learned from my mistakes, I ordered the western omelette (it was fluffy) and Isley ordered the pancakes (which were delightfully wispy). Glen had the Slaughterhouse Five, a breakfast-meats platter that included goetta—a meat and grain sausage patty popular in Cincinnati. It was more mild than a typical breakfast sausage and the texture and flavor profile are very satiating with the addition of the carbs.

We had some time between breakfast and the museum opening, so we cruised around downtown a bit to check out the Red’s baseball stadium. I have to say, the downtown area was squeaky clean and felt very safe. The beautiful Smale Park stretches along the riverside, anchored by the epic stature of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge—the engineer who’s next design was the Brooklyn Bridge—and people were out and about everywhere jogging, walking dogs or just enjoying the fall weather.

The Underground Railroad Museum was a somber but enlightening visit. The museum is incredibly well done and I’d rather not say too much about it—as it is intended to be experienced. I will note, however, that I really appreciated how they included indigenous peoples in the stories and context of history.

For lunch we returned to OTR and the Findlay Market. The original label “Over the Rhine” refers to the city's rich German heritage and the pre-prohibition era, which allowed Cincinnati to become a national forerunner in the brewing industry. The demure red-brick buildings were then abandoned for the suburbs following World War II. Tragically, over 40,000 Black citizens were forced from their homes, and many were relocated here to make room for highway development and “urban renewal”. By the end of the century, the area was noted for its poverty and disparaging living conditions. However, following the Cincinnati Riots in 2001, the neighborhood has since been the focus of millions of dollars of redevelopment. The feel now seems very energetic and contemporary, like it’s blossoming back to life—there are prominent street murals, the market, breweries, shops, restaurants, people walking about everywhere. The air in the market shimmers with the sounds of street musicians, their melodies softly overlapping one another, punctuated here and there by the shouts of proprietors, and every one of your senses is tickled and delighted by the intriguing aromas slinking from the dozen or so vendors. Opening in 1855, it has continually remained in operation and survived to become Ohio’s oldest public marketplace. It is now listed among the world’s top 100 food markets. Everything offered looked amazing from the meat market to the cheese market to the deli. There were bakeries and a burger shop and ethnic foods. With so many choices, it was hard to decide. But Isley and I finally choose Gourmand Deli and got a sampling of things—all amazing. The guys got burgers and mumbled that they were fine, so I can only assume they were delicious. Landon also had to have a pumpkin bread loaf. (Yes, the whole loaf.) The few morsels I managed to tear from his death grip on it were super delicious. Glen and I also sampled several local craft beers, including an Irish Stout I particularly enjoyed (but sadly I cannot remember what brewery it was from). I also knew that you, my devoted following of 2, would have never forgiven me if I did not try a banana pudding from Makers Bakers—so for you I did and it was soooooo fucking marvelous. Swooning in the joy of my ever-increasing foodie triumphs, we fortuitously stumbled upon the Sam Adams tap room as we headed for the car. The taproom is just across the street from the brewery, which turns out is the largest production site for Sam Adams. So, we enjoyed a flight in the cozy taproom until it was clear that the kids were totally over it. So off to the aquarium!

Newport Aquarium, as the name suggests, is in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River. Glen and the kids love aquariums, so we visit them often, but I must confess I generally find them to be an overpriced and underwhelming experience. With that in mind, we all really enjoyed this aquarium! It’s huge and there are so many different exhibits. They also had a lot of really unique species that we had never seen before, like the shark ray. There were hands-on exhibits and lots of fun viewing spots for the kids (and adults). I’d say, overall, one of the best aquariums we’ve ever been to. It’s also located in a really cool area with lots of food and drink and hang out areas with cornhole and such that overlooks the scenic Ohio River and the picturesque Smale Park.

We decided it was worth squeezing in a short visit to Rhinegeist Brewery, so back over the river to OTR we headed. Opened in 2017, the brewery is housed in pre-Prohibition bottling plant of Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. and the name itself means “the spirit of the Rhine”. They have a really nice rooftop bar and spacious main taproom area plus a voluminous catalog of craft beers. We honestly liked every beer we tried!

As the sun set, we headed back to our VRBO and decided to swing through the Skyline drive-thru for some of their famous “Cincinnati Chili” (or infamous, depending on your experience). Distinctively seasoned with cinnamon and chocolate, it is often served atop spaghetti. If it’s your thing, you can even get a three-way, which has cheese on top. They also serve it on coney’s. And fries. And burritos. It’s chili, so why not? What I found most disappointing about this was my naive hope that this might in anyway be something I would like. Thankfully, I still had the rest of the banana pudding tucked away in my pocket, so I was able to make it through the night. But I learned a valuable lesson for the future—no more Cincinnati “chili” for me.

Overall, we had a great trip and I would happily visit Cincy, again! The neighborhoods we meandered through were charming in their antiquity but the perpetual infusion of modern architecture throughout the city lends an impression of progress and hopefulness. The heavily wooded, big rolling hills were so picturesque and I’d love to do some hiking there. The downtown was clean and safe and would also be fun to explore further during a baseball game inspired trip, maybe do an underground tour or something. There were also a few things we simply didn’t have time for that I’d fit in on a future expedition like the museums housed in the old Union Station, notable restaurants like Taste of Belgium or breweries like Nine Giant and MadTree, not to mention Newport, the distillery and the food scene there. I found myself unexpectedly having a crush on the Queen City and I’d love to get to know her more!