K is for Krohn and L is for Little Miami

I am playing catch up today because I've been sick and unable to post. I'm finally feeling a little more alive, so I thought I would just combine my K and L posts so I can get up to date on the A-Z.

The Krohn Conservatory is located in Eden Park, which I wrote about for my "E" post. The building itself is interesting, as it was built in 1933 during the Art Deco era. The Conservatory contains more than 3,500 plant species from all over the world.

When I visited Krohn a few weeks ago, they were finishing up a special exhibit called "Sparkle and Bling," which featured colorful beads and glass displays in addition to the flowers. The exhibit room was filled with displays of lilies, which are probably my favorite flowers.

I also loved the creative mobiles that hung from the ceiling.

One of my favorite things about Krohn is the permanent rainforest exhibit. One room is devoted to a recreation of a tropical forest, and I would imagine it's as close as you can get to a jungle without actually being there.

The sounds of the waterfall, and the steam surrounding it, merely add to the atmosphere.

Dogs aren't permitted in Krohn so Clancy couldn't go with me on that visit, but he did come along on my next trip, to the Little Miami Scenic Trail.

The Little Miami Trail is more than 78 miles long, and runs through five southwestern Ohio counties. It follows the old railroad lines, and is used for walking or running, biking, and horseback riding. It is the longest paved trail in the United States.

Clancy and I decided to pick up the trail in Loveland, which is a small city about 15 miles northeast of Cincinnati. As we drove into Loveland, we saw a sign that said "Welcome to Loveland: The Sweetheart of Ohio." It made me laugh, but it also seemed appropriate, as the town is very charming.

I loved this sign next to the lot where Clancy and I parked.

The trail follows the Little Miami river, and it wasn't long before Clancy and I were completely out of earshot of any traffic or city noise.

The only thing we could hear was a woodpecker, who was furiously pecking a tree and driving Clancy crazy because he couldn't figure out what was causing the noise. I know the woodpecker was in here somewhere, but I never did spot him.

Clancy and I didn't have enough time to do much exploring on the day we visited the trail, but I'm definitely planning to return and check out other sections over the summer. I'm not sure if we'll hit all 78 miles, but we'll give it a shot.

Hope everyone has a great weekend coming up! :)

J is for Joseph-Beth

Joseph-Beth Booksellers celebrated its 25th birthday last year, as their first Cincinnati-area store opened in 1986. With the closing of Borders and the continued disappearance of so many independent book stores, it was nice to see one brick-and-mortar store have something to celebrate.

I've always been able to spend hours in Joseph-Beth, and not just because of their books. I love their greeting cards and gift items like journals and stationary, and they also have fun things like literature related t-shirts. In addition, there is a fantastic cafe called Bronte's inside the store. 

Joseph-Beth is known for author signings and other literary events, and they also have wonderful programming for children, including weekly story hours.

Even though I love my Kindle and I'm a huge fan of Amazon and of online shopping, I would hate to see brick-and-mortar bookstores completely disappear. It's unfortunate that it almost seems inevitable in the current climate.

In any case, a belated happy birthday to Joseph-Beth. I know it's probably not likely with the radical changes in the publishing world, but here's hoping for another 25 years.

(This is just a quick drive-by post, as I've come down with a sore throat and fever and have been out of commission for most of yesterday and all of today. I'm sorry I haven't been able to do any blog reading but hope to get back to normal and catch up with everyone's blogs soon.)

I is for Ice Cream

After I wrote about Aglamesis Ice Cream for my "A" post, I thought I would be remiss if I didn't also write about the ice cream Cincinnati is known for, and the one I truly think is the best I've ever tasted, Graeter's.

Graeter's has been around since 1870, when it was founded by Bavarian immigrant Louis C. Graeter. Louis and his wife Regina Berger made and sold their ice cream and chocolate candy out of their home until Louis was killed in a streetcar accident in 1919. What is interesting to me is that from that tragedy, Regina carried on and actually opened Graeter's first satellite store in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Hyde Park. Over the next few decades, Regina expanded the business until the Graeter's family had a network of stores all over Cincinnati. She was called "boss" by everyone in the Graeter's business, including her own sons!

According to the Graeter's website, "Louis Charles Graeter may have founded the business, but Regina made it blossom. Undoubtedly, without her, there would be no Graeter’s Ice Cream today."

I always find it so interesting to read about strong women from times when so many doors were closed to them. Even though I've loved Graeter's ice cream all my life, I never knew the story of Regina, and it was fun to learn about this sharp lady who must have been an extremely shrewd businesswoman. 

For a long time, Graeter's was merely a Cincinnati treat, but the company has now spread to include regional locations, and their ice cream is available in grocery stores in various parts of the country. In addition, Graeter's can be ordered online and they will ship pints of the ice cream anywhere in the United States. In 2002, Oprah named Graeter's as her favorite ice cream, and the popularity took off astronomically from there. 

I've actually never had anything bad at Graeter's, but I can't deny I have a soft spot for their Buckeye Blitz ice cream. As an Ohio State alum and a Buckeye fanatic, this one is a can't miss for me. It's an ice cream version of chocolate and peanut butter Buckeye candies, and the fact that the mascot Brutus Buckeye is on the carton merely adds to the appeal. Like I said, I'm a fanatic. :D

If you're ever in Cincinnati, don't go home without trying out some Graeter's ice cream. I really don't think you'll be disappointed.

H is for Hofbräuhaus

Of all the visits I have made for my A-Z of Cincinnati, this one was by far the most fun. The Hofbräuhaus Newport, which is located right across the Ohio River in Newport, Kentucky, was the first authentic Hofbräuhaus in the United States, and it is modeled after the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany. Founded in 1589, the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl is the most famous beer hall in the world.

Cincinnati has a very strong German tradition, so a Hofbräuhaus was a natural fit for this area. The menu is Bavarian, and the beer is brewed onsite under the supervision of a Brew Master from Germany.

I have to admit that traditional German beer is usually too strong for my tastes, but fortunately for me the Hofbräuhaus offers a lighter "Americanized" version. That brew is perfect for me.

My sister is more adventurous and loves the dark beer.

The large Bier Hall makes you feel as if you have been transported to Munich, with rows of tables that can seat up to 250 people, and live music.

The Hall was quiet at the time of our visit since we went in the afternoon, but we did see this one lone accordion player.

A large cabinet filled with old-fashioned bier stiens stands along one wall of the dining area. I loved all of them, but these three were particular favorites.

 

The Hofbräuhaus also has an outdoor Biergarten, which is a long-standing German and Bavarian tradition.  

As I mentioned in my Findlay Market post, my maternal grandparents and their relatives were all of German or Bavarian descent. My grandfather died before I was born so I never knew him, but I loved visiting my grandmother and her sisters when I was a kid. These were German ladies who took their beer very seriously, and they actually had it home delivered each week. 

I think if they were still alive today they would love Hofbräuhaus, and it would be such fun to go there with them. Even though I have a sneaking suspicion that they would never forgive me for choosing Americanized light beer.

G is for Glenwood Gardens

Glenwood Gardens is a 335-acre park located in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati, and it is part of the Hamilton County Park District.  I have to admit I'd never even heard of Glenwood until I came across it while looking for something to use for "G," but I'm glad to have discovered it because it's really a beautiful place.

The park contains a 1 mile paved trail as well as a longer nature trail called a Wetland Loop. Clancy and I were short on time when we visited, so we just stuck with the paved trail.

I loved this arch at the start of the trail, as well as its accompanying building, the Cotswold Visitor Centre. I am a total Anglophile, so just the name Cotswold made me smile.

As we walked along the trail, we came upon this bridge that I liked the look of, and also found quite interesting.

The bridge was built in the early 20th century, when the park was farmland, and is made of indigenous stone from the bedrock of Southwestern Ohio, along with granite boulders left behind by the glaciers. Apparently, Ordovician fossils are plentiful in the bridge. In addition, a hill near the bridge, which I assumed was nothing more than one of the rolling hills that are so typical of this area, is actually a mound believed to have been built by either the Adena or Hopewell peoples of the Woodland era.

It was interesting to discover that what I thought was a brand new park actually has a great deal of history behind it.

When Clancy and I visited it was still too early in March for the park's gardens to be in bloom, but I've no doubt they are stunning. I plan to make a return trip later in the spring so I can see Glenwood at its best.

With that, I'm thrilled to have finished the first week of the A-Z Challenge! To my fellow A-Zers, kudos to everyone for a great first week. I admit I've had some trouble keeping up with my blog visits and also checking in with new blogs, but I'm hoping I will be more organized next week.

Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all who celebrate, and happy weekend to everyone! 

F is for Findlay Market

Findlay Market is the oldest continuously operated public market in Ohio, and is located just a few blocks from downtown Cincinnati in the Over-the-Rhine area. The Market was built in 1852, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

The Over-the-Rhine district is considered an "intact" 19th century urban neighborhood, and is also on the National Register. Its name comes from the German immigrants who were the original inhabitants and builders of the neighborhood. At that time, the neighborhood was separated from the downtown area by the Miami and Erie canal, and residents called the canal "the Rhine" after the famous Rhine river of their homeland. The neighborhood, which was north of the canal, became Over-the-Rhine, or "über'm Rhein" in German.

My maternal grandparents were 100% German, and they lived in Over-the-Rhine in the early part of the 20th century. My grandmother shopped at Findlay Market, which she simply called "market."

I thought it would be fun to take a trip down to Findlay Market myself for my A-Z of Cincinnati, and walk in my grandmother's shoes for a while.

Today's Findlay Market features approximately two dozen indoor merchants selling meat, fish, poultry, produce, cheese, ethnic foods, and flowers. From April through November, the Market also holds an outdoor farmers market where area farmers sell their locally grown produce. In addition, outdoor vendors sell locally produced jellies, baked goods, soaps, and other items. The outdoor market also hosts street performers and numerous special events throughout the year.

When I was younger, the Market was not in the best condition and, quite frankly, the neighborhood had deteriorated to such an extent that it was not a place anyone wanted to be. But the neighborhood has been revitalized in recent years, and the Market itself was renovated and expanded in 2002 and 2003.

My mom went with me for my trip, and we were both surprised at how packed the Market was even early on a Saturday morning. It wasn't easy to find a place to park and, once inside, we were greeted with all the sights and sounds of a bustling marketplace.

The most tempting vendor for me was a waffle stand called A Taste of Belgium.

I found the story behind the waffle stand interesting, as the owner, Jean-François Flechet, grew up in Belgium and came to Cincinnati while working for a market research company. He wanted to re-create the waffles of his home here, and opened a small temporary stand at Findlay Market in 2007. The popularity of the waffles spread quickly through word of mouth, and now Flechet operates a Belgian Bistro in addition to his permanent Taste of Belgium stand, and his fantastic waffles have been featured in both local and regional media.

I love waffles and breakfast foods of all kinds, so my tongue was hanging out at the thought of these waffles. But there were so many sweets everywhere we looked at the Market, I could have easily gained 100 pounds in one morning if I had tried them all.

My impression of Findlay Market is that it has come full circle. Once the go-to place for produce and meat for the German residents of Over-the-Rhine, it and other urban markets fell out of favor when city residents began moving to the suburbs and shopping in suburban supermarkets as the 20th century progressed. But Findlay Market has come back in style again now as many people choose to live downtown again, and the Market is a flourishing and vital part of the movement to buy locally-grown and locally-produced food.

It's great to see such a historical place remain as a vibrant and thriving part of the community.

E is for Eden Park

Eden Park is one of Cincinnati's most popular parks, and also one of the oldest, as it dates back to 1859. The park is home to the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, among other attractions.

Clancy and I visited Eden Park on a Sunday morning in early March, when the signs of spring were just beginning to make their presence known.

My favorite part of the park is the Twin Lakes area, which used to be an old stone quarry. On a normal day, one of the highlights of Twin Lakes is an overlook of the Ohio River, but on this particular morning the fog over the river was so thick that I easily could have believed there was no river below us at all.

Thankfully the fog didn't take over the rest of the area, and Clancy and I had a nice walk through the gardens surrounding the small lakes.

We found this statue of a Japanese cormorant fisherman in one of the gardens.

I had no clue what a cormorant fisherman was, but according to a nearby plaque, the cormorants are seabirds and fishermen in the city of Gifu, Japan began training the birds to help them fish more than 1200 years ago. The statue was a gift from Gifu to Cincinnati back in the 1990s, when the two became "sister cities."

I admit I didn't even know Gifu was a sister city, but I still thought the statue was cool and wanted to take a picture of Clancy beside it. But Clancy would have no part of it, as he thought the statue was creepy as can be and refused to go near it.

We moved on and found another statue.

This time I was the one who thought it was creepy and, honestly, one of the ugliest statues I've ever seen. It is a bronze replica of the Capitoline Wolf, and it was a gift to Cincinnati from the Italian government back in 1931. Interesting, but still ugly in my book.

At the far end of the lakes area, we came across a path that led nowhere, or at least, to nothing but a dead end overgrown with weeds and thickets. Near the end of the path, and not easily seen from the gardens, is a World War I memorial that is dedicated to the Battery F, 136th Field Artillery. It was dedicated in 1925, and lists the battle honors and the names of those commemorated.

I noticed that the inscription on the memorial said that it was "erected by the mothers." I found it very haunting, and also kind of sad that it seems to have been forgotten, as it is so removed from the bustle of the rest of the area.

As a history buff, I like all of the nods to history that can be found in Eden Park. Another popular area of the park is the Hinkle Magnolia Garden, which includes this picturesque gazebo.

Across the street from the gazebo, I found this stone among the flowers. The inscription reads "Find Me a Voice with which to speak For those who speak no more."

The stone was presented to the park by the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati in 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the Holocaust. I found the simplicity of the stone very powerful, and effective, as the words speak for themselves.

Eden Park is an unusual combination of history, beauty, and recreation, and as such it is the most diverse of the parks Clancy and I have visited. I actually made a return trip to the park recently for my K post, so I'll be sharing more about this local gem then.

See you tomorrow for F!