Cincinnati

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Day 71

After a day of rest and a couple of days of short days on the road we must be recovered, as we had a big day in Cincinnati. We did our usual, look on Tripadvisor for the top 30 things to do in Cincinnati and headed into town. Our first stop was Mt Adams which is one of the highest spots in the city. It is surrounded by beautiful Eden Park. It was originally named Mt Ida after a washerwoman who lived in the hollow of a Sycamore tree and renamed after John Quincy Adams gave a dedication speech here for the building of the Observatory. That observatory was eventually moved, but the area was renamed Mt Adams after the former President. That was the last public speech he ever gave. There is a beautiful Catholic church here, Immaculata with stairs that go down the hill. For many years, on Good Friday, pilgrims have come to walk the stairs or go up them on their knees, reciting silent prayers along the way. 

 We ventured into the rectory and gave our Unbound information to the secretary and will follow up with an email.  I don't think Jack or I realized when we started this mission to get these children sponsored that it would be as challenging as it has been.  We are hoping that even if we do not accomplish our goal that the words we have spread will eventually come to help find sponsors for Unbound!  I think we both have a new found appreciation for the people who work to find donors for charitable organizations.  We drove into Eden Park and went into the Cincinnati Art Museum which was lovely. There was actually a special exhibit on the making of the Pete Rose screen print by Andy Warhol. Baseball, baseball everywhere. This is most likely due to the fact that the All-Star game is coming to town. There was evidence of that all over the city.

Note the mustache theme.  There will be 20 of these mustache themed statues all over the city to
pay homage to their mascot, Mr Red.

 We also saw a painting by Diego Rivera and some by Picasso, Matisse and other artists.

 After lunch in the cafe we drove over to Spring Grove Cemetery, which is the second largest cemetery in the United States and dates back to 1844. We saw the Civil War section and drove through most of the park. There were many interesting memorials but I found the one with the petrified wood to be very unusual.

 We drove through the University of Cincinnati and then parked downtown and started walking. We went into city hall for a map and eventually found a tourist information office on Fountain Square. We learned that the city has really been going through a process of revitalization especially down by the river with new gardens, walkways, play areas for kids. We walked over the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge which was built  to be a way over the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio to Covington, Kentucky. This is the same engineer who later built the Brooklyn Bridge so this bridge was its predecessor.

 Like the Brooklyn Bridge, we walked on it and ventured over into Kentucky and saw the murals that give a artistic representation of the history of the area.

Murals in Covington

Cincinnati skyline from Covington, Kentucky

Statue of freed black slave James Bradley, via the Underground Railway. The Ohio River was the divider
between North and South

 We enjoyed the views of Cincinnati and talked to some people on bikes. He pointed out the building across the river that was decorated with a top hat and handlebar mustache, as was the biker, in preparation for the All-Star game. 

Check out the mustache and red hat!

 He kindly took our picture and recommended a place to eat and have a beer then we walked back and took his advice.